Here’s your spawning temperature chart to help you know when the fish will go. Water temps are running close to 45° now and with the sun shining longer every day, their spring is on the way.
Our warm water fish start with the walleye, which spawn between 45° and 50°. Walleye go up the rivers and larger creeks to spawn in the pea gravel. Best time is now into the first of April. As the walleye are moving out and back to the main lake the striped bass and white bass are going up. This starts getting hot about the end of March on into May.
All three species pretty well like to lay their eggs in the same area with current and pea gravel. The same with those big ol’ paddlefish, which you can only snag close below Beaver Dam in the tail waters. You do need a trout stamp to do this and they are the only fish that do have a legal season which I believe opens April 15.
Our next warm water fish don’t need the current to spawn, but just move closer to the shoreline starting with your crappie which will be near the brush, then bass that prefer to make their nest in pea gravel.
It all starts in April with the crappie and smallmouth bass, and ends about June with your largemouth and spotted bass. About the time the bass are done, the redear, bluegill and bream start their spawn closer to the shoreline. If you like redear, Lake Leatherwood has a lot of them and if you hit it at the right time you can see their nest on the shallow end of the lake.
Our other warm water fish that is not on this chart is the catfish that spawn in the warmest water, which usually starts in June and ends in July.
As for our cold water fish, well that’s your trout, which starts now with the rainbow and brook trout, and ends in the fall around October with the brown trout.
As for this week most crappie are being caught in water 14 – 16 ft. deep on minnows 6 – 8 ft. deep. Stripers are being caught on small bait already up river on Beaver Lake. A big cold front will move them back up closer to the Hwy. 12 bridge islands, but when that sun comes back they’re heading back up river.
Well, that’s it for this week. Friday’s our last day to book your 2019 trip and save 10%. If you go out on your own I suggest you go with the sun to have more fun.
Johnson Guide Service (479) 253-2258 www.fishofexcellence.com