By Robert Johnson – Here is a little help on most the fish in our local lakes and streams. Our water temp here at the Island and on Beaver Lake just came up above 46° and most fish know their time to lay eggs is near. After the cold water of winter slows them down they need to feed more for health and developing eggs, so they are moving up but feeding in the deeper water where the bait is.
The first to go are walleye, striped bass, white bass and spoonbill are the warm water fish here that need current to spawn. I will cover the first three this week, then next week we can talk more about the rest that spawn after, including the spoonbill which is the biggest fish for me at 74 lbs., right below Beaver Dam.
Walleye are the first and being caught now here at the Island and up the rivers and tributaries of both Table Rock and Beaver Lake. Walleye are caught best before and after the spawn. They like holding close to the bottom off on up on the flats. They spawn mostly at night with a full moon as shallow as 4 inches on the gravel bars, as far up river they can go.
White bass and striped bass move up pretty close to together as walleye are moving out. They run in bigger schools and feed more through the whole water column, and will hit about anything even when spawning. They will also lay their eggs shallow, but have also been known to lay on gravel bars of the main lake.
What’s nice about spring is these fish have more weight when full of eggs. For example, the last two records broken on Beaver Lake were in March up the War Eagle arm of Beaver Lake. Twenty years of striper fishing and the biggest on my boat was the 46-pounder caught the last day of March. The 64.8 lb. striper that Jeff Fletcher from Golden, Mo., still holds, but was not caught on Beaver Lake where it was stocked but in our tailwaters near Houseman after coming over the dam when the gates were open. Trout are like candy to stripers. Big trouble to use as bait, never try that, it will cost.
This warmer water will also move the bass and crappie and most all the rest that don’t go upstream to spawn in closer to the shoreline to the warmer water, so a nice sunny day off the shoreline could pay off, too. If I had no boat I would be checking out Lake Leatherwood for some bass and crappie and the trail around the lake helps a lot.
Well, I better go do some work in the boat. Enjoy this sun.
Johnson Guide Service, www.fishofexcellence.com (479) 253-2258