Early spring

[dartag]

2 weeks ago today I had ice on my lake.  today the temp is 54 degrees.  I have 4 largemouth hanging around my dock and boat hoist.  2 of them are really plump.  27 years on union lake and have never seen anything like this.  Anyone been on other lakes and record the temp.   Keeps this up they will be spawing next week. 

[Dan]

Yesterday while watching the B.A.S.S. War Room coverage of the St. Johns River, Mercer said that before Zona came down to Florida he was fishing with his dad and his dad caught a bass on a bed in southern Michigan. What weird weather.

[gmetime24]

If the weather stays warm like this, these bass will surely be spawning way earlier than most years. With these hot temps, how do you think it will affect the rest of the season? Will fishing be tougher? By the time C&R season starts they will already be close to summertime patterns. I would like to see the temps drop off and have somewhat of a normal spring

[Manxfishing]

If the weather stays warm like this, these bass will surely be spawning way earlier than most years. With these hot temps, how do you think it will affect the rest of the season? Will fishing be tougher? By the time C&R season starts they will already be close to summertime patterns. I would like to see the temps drop off and have somewhat of a normal spring

No
Let's keep the fine weather
I'll be fine fishing the summer patterns in May

[motocross269]

I think things will be different for sure....but remember not all bass spawn at the same time......Spawning on most lakes is a couple of month process and even longer on northern lakes.....

I hope that the bass are onto their early summertime patterns by the first tournament...I seem to have better luck when the fish move deeper on LSC.....

[TCook]

I got out for the first time friday and we had temps in the high 50s in a few channels. I spotted about 10 bass that already cleared out beds. If this warm trend continues I think all stages bass go through will happen much sooner than the norm. Water temp dictates everything a bass and what they eat will do.

[Jmcfarland]

This is definitely the earliest I have ever seen spring come up here. I'm up in Petoskey area and the ice is off pickeral/crooked. Not sure but there can't be much left on the bigger lakes either. It was 83 out today. Got the boat out this morning. Cleaned,greased and fired her up. On the water at about 2:00. Water temp on crooked was between 45-49 degrees. Unheard of. We're usually walking on 2 feet of ice this time of year. I even managed some nice dogfish on top of breaks in less than 8 fow  . I couldn't help myself. How many times in my life am I gonna get to go fishing in my boat the day after St.Patty's day in shorts/t-shirt on my home lake??? Once in a lifetime opportunity. I got some nice dated pics and the boat got a early shake down cruise and some fresh fuel. Hard to ask for more when 2 weeks ago I rode my snowmobile on ice in exactly the same areas I fished today.

[dartag]

the water got up to 56 degrees this afternoon.  little bluegills and perch swimming around the dock.  the nice bass are still hanging around.  be interesting to see if they make beds.  tried to shoot some photos but need a polarized filter.

[FISH21]

The canals in Pontiac lake were anywhere from 62-65 degrees yesterday afternoon, the main lake was around 57.

[huston]

I went dock fishing on LSC and caught perch. I know the canals on LSC are on. This week I'm going to Lakeville lake with th boat since crappie are biting and LSC for crappie in the canals.

[t-bone]

Upper straits was 53 degrees on Friday and then 59 on Sunday. Little creek was 62...
Fish are going to be way ahead of schedule this year!

I believe I saw two smallies moving up thinking about spawning...

[dartag]

61 degrees this afternoon.   Neighbor kids swimming although they are screaming while they do it.  Didn't see my friends under the hoist.  maybe they spawned and headed out. 


Drove out to Kent at lunch today.  The lake is really low for this time of year.   lots of stumps visable.

[detroit1]

I went to Kent yesterday just to walk around and fish from the bank. Caught a small lm and rock bass, saw about a 4# lm, 2 decent smallies, and a few other panfish along the bank. Didn't take a thermometer, so i guess i'm no help....later

[korean_bassmaster]

I was on secord lake in gladwin county on Sunday and the channel temp was in the mid 50s, and the main lake temp was prob in the mid 40s but we could quite make it to the main lake cuz there was a huge ice chunk floating down the channel. But we did see 4 nice bass in the shallows moving up along the bank.

[huston]

I went to LSC today, the canals around  Anchor Bay  were on.

[dartag]

The world is supposed to end in december so maybe we are going to have one last great summer.   Maybe they should open bass season early.

[Cheetam]

My kids had a half day of school today, and they really wanted to go fishing.  We went and picked up some nightcrawlers and went to the local pond.  There were tons of largemouths shallow, some empty beds, and some beds with fry!!  Fry?  In March?  Wow.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  On a side note, the girls hammered the gills and sunnies!

[djkimmel]

Fry? That is amazing! I don't think I have ever heard of that in Michigan in March! The earliest I had previously seen a bass on a bed in a Michigan lake was about April 4 in the past. IF it stays reasonably warm the rest of the spring into summer, we could have a huge year class on many lakes.

The earliest hatchlings have a longer time to get bigger before the first winter and that has always been one of the main factors in having a successful year class - the average size of bass fingerlings going into the first winter. Bigger fingerlings tend to survive the winter at a higher rate.

[dartag]

My lake was 65 degrees at 5:00 pm.  It is raining now and pretty windy so it should mix it up a bit.   Have not even been on it yet.  some day i will get all my work done so I can go look around.  Might evey un-shrink the Ranger this weekend.

[djkimmel]

Good luck with that! Poured here! Thunder. Lightning. The whole works!