What Do you guys think

[csfishslayer]

Well after going out this weekend and seeing that the water temp was only 39 degrees, I looked at my logs from years past. This time last year water temps were in the High 40's on LSC.  The forecast is calling for mid to high 40's and 50's with lows down in the 30's for the next 10 Days. I Think this is going to cause one of two things: The fish will either spawn out in the deeper water, or stay up shallow longer; What do you guys think?

[motocross269]

Most of the temperatures have been in the mid 40s as reported by the walleye guys...I think you will see the temps pushing 50 degrees by next week....I think if anything it could delay the spawn later into the season......
Jon Bondy gave a walleye report that said all of the walleye he had caught were spawned out....That kind of got me scratching my head because they usually spawn at warmer temps....Alot of guys claim moon phases play a bigger role, but I am far from an expert and am trying to figure it out myself...
Either way I will be pounding the mile roads in a couple of weeks....I can hardly wait...

[csfishslayer]

I hope it does warm up. but I don't think it will the lows are still down in the 30's. So any warming the sun does during the day the night just sucks it right out If you wanna hook up some time let me know Im out there 2 or 3 days a week.

[huston]

I think you are right about that. I've been out in March in Anchor Bay in past years and caught fish. I've been out twice this year and the water was in the upper 40's. I was searching for crappie in the canals of Anchor Bay. So far no good. I think I'll take off work one day this week around Wednesday or Thursday and give it a try again.

[LGMOUTH]

I went to Mark Zona's seminar at DandR sports on Saturday and he talked about the spawn and water temp. He is a firm believer that water temp is a very small part of the spawn. He said that moon phase and length of sunlight are the number one and two factors when it comes to the spawn and who am I to disagree with him..

[skeeterman190]

 I totally agree Don. Water temp is just a small equation to the puzzle. Our weather is crazy right now.. But i bet its gonna turn on a dime and spike those water temps. right when the moon phase is right. our days are getting longer and they will keep getting that way. I seen steady temps all week here so i think things will really start to pick up.

[Lightningboy]

OK, this has been an interest of mine for some time now.  Well, a secondary interest, second to the deer rut; so I've been doing a lot of research over the last several years.

I've come to believe moon phases are a primary timer for the deer rut, with weather plus or minus factor.  I first got turned onto this in Deer & Deer Hunting magazine with their yearly rut predictions.  After several years of observation compared to their predictions, I've come to believe they are correct.

The concept is called photoperiodism.  Seasonal increases/decreases in daytime and nightime light levels striking the retina of a deer's eyes cause changes in hormone levels.  Increased testosterone gets the bucks reved up, and increases in estrogen drive the does to ovulate. 

The main timing keys are the first two full moons of fall.  The first full moon after the Autumnal Equinox is known as the harvest moon;  then or soon after bucks will start their anual need to roam.  The second full moon is known as the hunter's moon.  This one keys up both the bucks and does to full throttle, and the rut soon follows.

How much rutting activity you see depends on the weather and how early/late in the season those moons happen.  Early moons and warm weather will cause the rut to spread out over a longer period.  Rutting activity seems to just "trickle" along.

But put that hunter's moon into the second week of November along with a good cold snap, and suddenly the woods explode with all day activity.

I'm betting that spring spawns are timed in a similar fashion, with the full moon light levels being the primary stimulus, and weather/water temps a deciding factor for how intense the spawn is.  This would explain some differences in yearly spawning activity; some years it seems to be a trickle and others like you flipped a switch.

The Vernal Equinox (first day of spring) was on March 21st.  Full moons have/will occured on:  April 9th, May 9th, and June 8th.  I'm betting one of these full moons will drive the spawn, with weather being the factor that decides the intensity.

I'll be watching spawning activity both inland and on the great lakes because of my tournament schedule for the first couple weeks of the season.  I'd appreciate if anyone could let me know when they see bedding activity occur on the water, and what the temp was.  The more comparative data the better.

I've spent 25 years in Radiology, watching how patient activity waxes and wanes.  Things in nature, including us, are driven more by the 28 day lunar cycle than we realize.

[djkimmel]

I completely agreed with what Mark Zona said about spawning bass, particularly about the Northern bass spawn. I've seen too many bass on beds in water too cold for them to be spawning (according to some of the writings anyway).

[motocross269]

I hope it does warm up. but I don't think it will the lows are still down in the 30's. So any warming the sun does during the day the night just sucks it right out If you wanna hook up some time let me know Im out there 2 or 3 days a week.

Sounds good......I will PM you when things kick off...

Brian

[csfishslayer]

OK Brian sounds good. Thanks guys for the Info.

[Flippin222]

I agree that the moon phase and hours of daylight play the major roles in spawning activity. Temperature would play the role of catalyst (the more ideal the temperature, the more intense the activity will be).

Animals will primarily identify the season by length of daylight more than by temperatures. Hours of daylight (photoperiod) are consistent year after year. Together with temperature changes, photoperiod provokes changes in the colour of fur and feathers, migration, entry into hibernation, sexual behaviour, and even the resizing of sexual organs.

Another example would be Robins. They seem to leave and return every year around the same time (regardless of temperature).

[fiker]

A lot of Robins never leave.   They just move into the deep woods, and swamps.  My "first" robin siting this "spring" was in early February.

[jgip087]

I'm not an expert on St. Clair at all but the water is replaced every few days, I was told 4. How does this effect temperature? Do you have to look at the temps in Huron? Temps seem to be down everywhere this spring and I think it is going to push the spawn for largies back some but those smallies seem to spawn much more according to the moon phases around SW Michigan.