Publication: Bass Matters
The Spawning Urge | |
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Comment The Post Below...
Hello Anglers,
When fishing spinnerbaits use a single blade design when you
want to fish deep or if you encounter extremely clear water.
Single blade spinner have less resistance so they are easier
to fish deep.
Remember you can comment on any story or read comments
by visiting: Bass Matters Blog
Enjoy a week of fishing!
Brock
email Brock
The Spawning Urge: What Scientists Say
By Russ Bassdozer
Is it based on temperature? Whereas many anglers often ask
each other if they think the bass are ready to spawn on this
or that full moon, most biologists do not look up at the
night sky, but rather look at the seasonal thermometer.
I do think the moon phase means something, but it's just not
something bass biologists are prone to experiment with or
study. True, the moon the sun, other planets and their
relationship to our spinning earth can and do exert forces
that influence life here, but bass biologists are often in
laboratories, and even in the field, they typically focus on
more down-to-earth causes and results, such as trying to
determine what influence the spring weather, water temper-
atures and water levels will have on the bass spawning in
this lake or that region.
So yes, I do think "more" bed fish will be found on the
moons after a certain water temperature is achieved, but
like I said, scientists do not care about the moon, they
care about other more measurable factors to which they can
attribute the year's spawning success or failure.
Are you having your photoperiod yet? There are also occasion-
al discussions of photoperiod (length of daylight and angle
of sun in the sky) among anglers, as if there is a magic day
on the calendar when bass wake up that morning and begin
spewing milt and eggs. True, I have occasionally heard of the
photoperiod cited as a factor in many fish movements (spawn-
ing, mustering, migration) for a number of differnet species,
however, it was not in my notes of the studies that I came
across when preparing this article for black and brown bass
spawning. However, since seasons, temperatures and weather
are all results of earth's orbit, I do believe photoperiod
is probably mixed in there somewhere. It's kinda like when
my wife asks me why I love her: "No big reason, honey, but
many countless small ones that all add up!". That seems to
satisfy her.
But...most studies see spawning primarily as a function of
water temperature - the stability and duration (taken
together, the persistence) of the average daily water
temperature over time, the velocity of the season's overall
warming water trend over time, the average delta of daily
low and high temperature extremes, the frequency of sudden
changes in water temperature. All these temperature factors
have measurable effects on spawning success.
And while temperature seems to be the biological controller
here, studies also indicate that oxygen, PH, salinity and
other factors can measurably affect spawning. This article
will tell you a bit about all these factors. Are you
interested? Please read on!
Green versus brown. In the field, you may find smallmouth
and largemouth spawning in different places and at different
times. In general, smallmouth nest building may start a few
degrees colder on average, and may be in slightly rockier
areas on average than largemouth. These factors are different
- but not different enough - to warrant much special mention
in this article. Most studies have not indicated a major
difference between largemouth and smallmouth spawning in
terms of temperature, nest substrate, dissolved oxygen, PH,
etc.
North versus South. Studies do not show dramatic differences
based on water temperature, areas used, oxygen, PH, etc. In
general, bass in the deep southern ranges may get their urges
a few degrees warmer than their far northern counterparts.
Nest Building. Studies show that the urge to build nests
occurs in males at lower temperatures than when females are
ready to lay eggs. Most studies indicate bachelor males will
begin to build nests in water temperatures as low as 54° -
57° and surely by 60°. There is a "magic number" above 60°
when females begin to reveal their interest in the boys and
the nests that they've built!
Males dig nests by dishing out the softer top layers of
sediment with their tails to ideally get down to harder
ground. After sweeping it out vigorously, the bottom of the
nest may be scoured down to clean chunk rock, gravel, roots,
etc. Where the bottom is sand or dirt, the sweeping will
tend to remove all the finer granules, leaving behind a
slightly raised floor of pebbles, twigs, shells, rubble, etc.
The nest-building urge in males is thigmotrophic. Given a
choice, they will build nests that are protected on one or
more sides by "things" - logs, rocks, pilings, stumps,
ledges, etc. This may provide partial protection from preda-
tors and egg robbers, or a break from wind or water current.
Bass can spawn in main lakes and rivers or ascend tributaries
to spawn. They typically migrate up the tributaries on
periods of high water levels. This makes navigation easier,
and allows bass to claim the highly-preferred gravel, stone
and hard sand bottoms that have been flushed clean of silt
by the high water's passage.
Both smallmouth and largemouth bass nests are commonly in
shallows, backwaters or tributaries of either streams or
lakes. Nests are commonly close to shore in protected bays
and creeks, or on the sides and tops of mid-water shoals.
Nests are usually in areas of quiet water. Nests are usual-
ly in areas of very slow current. Nests are usually on the
leeward shore or sheltered from prevailing winds.
Continued...
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Male bass instinctively prefer not to build nests wherever
turbidity may be a concern. Not only may a soft bottom
composition (mud, silt, clay) be avoided if possible, but
areas that are prone to have wind disturbance or water flow
are also avoided, since both wind and water action can
induce fluctuating temperatures, raise turbidity and deposit
silt that can suffocate eggs.
Bass may spawn on depth breaks (edges of pools, cliffs,
ledges, etc.), provided these areas should have minimal wind
and current exposure, and at a depth sufficient so that wave
action will not destroy the nest.
Water levels. Some studies indicate that a high water period
may trigger bass migrations towards the spawning grounds.
Once they've arrived on the scene, then relatively stable
water levels are preferred before bass dig nests, drop eggs
and hatch fry. Dropping water levels can result in poor
spawns for various reasons including desertion by males,
wind-driven wave destruction, and nests ending up high and
dry. Rising water levels (barring floods) usually do not
have major negative consequences, although quickly rising
waters may usher in cold or turbid water that stalls egg or
fry development.
Depth. Most studies indicate highest spawning success off
nests covered in from 1 to 3 feet of water, but deeper nests
may occur in very clear warm water. Although uncommon, stud-
ies done on clear, deep-sided impoundments report males
still maintaining nests from 20 to 27 feet deep that were
covered with slowly but steadily rising warm water. I do
believe there is a concept of bass becoming "committed" to
a nest that is covered by rising water, and so long as the
bass feel the nest has a chance to draw females or hatch
eggs, they'll stick with it.
More depth. Although shallow nests are "scientifically" more
successful, nests down to 6 or more feet are not that
uncommon, particularly for smallmouth in deep, clear impound-
ments. Rationales for deeper nests include that:
1) Deep clear lakes simply have very little littoral benthos
(shoreline bottom) in the 1-3 foot range. Often just a small
rim that smallmouth in such lakes do not normally live in
anyway, except to visit for brief feeding periods at those
magic moments of half-light at dawn and dusk. If there is
any livable littoral benthos...other species will usually
dominate it if they exist - largemouth, panfish, pike,
pickerels, muskies, etc.) Smallmouth cannot compete against
largemouth or even panfish for food in such areas, and
they'll be heavily predated by the water wolves.
2) Deep clear lakes characteristically have more wind
surface (which causes stronger waves and more forceful
underwater turbulence) that would upset shallower nests.
So, the added depth provides stability.
3) Deep clear lakes often have rock sides and bottoms which
amplify any heat gain/loss as sun (or lack of it) is trans-
mitted easily into the nearby water. Hence, deeper nests are
buffered better from some of this daily temperature fluctua-
tions in such areas. So, the added depth provides stability,
but also causes the incubation and hatching process to take
longer than in shallower water.
Mating. The actual laying and fertilizing of eggs can range
higher or lower, but it usually takes place when the water
temperature is stabilized above 60° and rising slowly
between 60° and 70°. Dropping water temperature will tend to
keep females off the nests, and rapidly rising temperatures
have been reported to delay spawning until the warming trend
slows down and stabilizes too.
Sharp drops in water temperature, followed by increases,
will cause repeated waves of mating, but that doesn't
necessarily mean multiple crops of viable eggs or fry. Sharp
drops in temperature will also kill eggs, and studies report
increased frequency of males deserting eggs in water dropping
below 60°.
I had no notes of studies detailing how long females lay,
but I have seen plenty of them doing it in the wild. The act
itself is beautiful and fleeting, often under ideal environ-
mental conditions...water like glass, pleasant day, flowers
blooming on shore and all that. Maybe I'm romanticizing here,
but both bass seem to appear to have heightened body colors
...Dare I say an aura? She lays on her side and shudders
with the male also, then moves off the nest. It's not long!
She'll often do some inspecting and tidying up the nest when
she comes onto it and she often acts more aggressive to
intrusions by nearby egg-robbers like sunfish than will the
male at that moment.
The male seems more intent on keeping her there, and will
often circle her and positon himself to cut her off from
leaving him. She'll do a lot of enticing lingering near the
nest both before and after, usually at the nearest weedline
or slope, sometimes slipping back up for another quickie or
two or three. She'll usually be present in the area for
days, especially so if there are several males with nests
nearby. I might add she'll often "smoke" a smoke-colored
finesse bait (tube, etc.) after the act when she returns to
the weedline, and she'll often snap it right off the nest
before the male if you interrupt them during the act.
Incubation. Fresh eggs need time to "harden" and become
acclimatized after fertilization. Studies show eggs will
become temperature tolerant after 12-15 hours. Then the
males will become fathers and caretakers of the egg clutches.
Males defend their clutch from predators and fan eggs with
their tails to keep a small flow of aerated water circulation
and to keep sediment from settling and suffocating the eggs.
Clutches can also get infected by fungus that destroys them,
and fanning also prevents fungus from getting into the eggs.
Once acclimatized to moderate temperature fluctuations,
desertion of the male is the factor most harmful to eggs.
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Hatching. Studies usually indicate optimum incubation and
hatching temperatures to be from 66° to 72°. More eggs will
hatch, and they will incubate quicker in this temperature
range. For instance, almost all eggs will hatch in 3 to 4
days in this temperature range. That seems to be the ideal.
Far fewer eggs will hatch and will take much longer to do
so at lower temperatures.
Dissolved Oxygen. DO must exist in all life-giving waters.
Normally, there is a saturation point - how much oxygen can
remain dissolved - which rises or falls based on water
temperature, water/air pressure, altitude, depth, PH and
other factors.
Some lab studies have pumped up DO levels far above what's
reasonably expected in nature. These lab results have not
seemed very stressful to adult bass, although eggs and fry
clearly thrive best when oxygen stays near nature's normal
level - the "saturation point". In fact, normal, healthy
levels of DO can reduce the bad effect of other adverse
conditions. For example, if water temperatures rise rapidly
and get too hot, it is not as harmful if DO also climbs
higher.
The difficulties arise when there's not enough oxygen. As
other survival factors worsen (too low/high temperature, PH,
etc.), DO becomes critical. Low DO will dramatically worsen
the effects of other bad conditions. There is also a problem
anytime when DO is reduced suddenly. For instance, there is
a marked difference (called the "diurnal DO flux") between
oxygen levels from day to night. If this daily change is
severe, it can hamper the ability of fry to hatch or grow.
In summary then, studies show bass (adults, fry, eggs)
better able to handle other stressful factors when DO remains
high or increases. A higher percentage of eggs will hatch
and fry will grow quicker in optimum, well-oxygenated water.
Keep in mind that well-oxygenated water usually occurs as a
result of when all other conditions (temperature, depth, etc.)
are also optimum for egg incubation and fry development. On
the other hand, when DO is unfavorable, eggs will take much
longer time to incubate, many eggs will not hatch, and fry
will develop more slowly or not at all. This problem is
compounded in that low levels of DO are usually associated
with other unfavorable factors (too low/high temperature, PH,
etc.).
PH. Yes, some of us may have learned about PH back in school
and biologists are always talking about it as one of the
factors for life. If PH is too high (alkaline) or too low
(acidic), an environment cannot support life easily if at
all.
As we mentioned about oxygen above, there is a normal range
that can be tolerated by adults, eggs and fry. PH that is
too low or too high can be avoided by non-spawning adults
who will move to better conditions. But spawning adults,
eggs and fry will be stressed by PH above or below the
normal range. As we also mentioned above, there can be a
diurnal flux in PH levels from day to night. In areas where
vegetation becomes far too abundant, the PH can become very
high in daytime as plant photosynthesis peaks. The dramatic
daily change, plus the daily peak in PH can both badly
affect the urge to spawn, and affect the survival of bass
eggs and fry.
Salinity. Although adult bass may live in brackish water
environments, studies show it is not always the best
environment for adult bass to prosper. As for the more
vulnerable bass eggs and fry, studies indicate that even low
levels of salinity (far below an adult's tolerance) will
greatly impair the survival of bass eggs and fry. Therefore,
it is presumed that adult bass in brackish water will seek
out fresher tributaries and headwaters for spawning purposes.
Turbidity. Clear water is preferable for spawning. Studies
have shown that there is limited survival and success in
moderately turbid water, and eggs may not hatch in highly
turbid waters.
Hatchlings. Fry are usually better able to survive
temperature changes that would destroy eggs. Fry become
independent from their father and optimal growth metabolism
for fry is achieved during early summer at water temperatures
between 78° - 85°.
Predation. The above are just a few of the more commonly-
recognized factors that have measurable effects on bass
spawning. Many studies also show that predation on bass eggs
and fry can be critical to the year's spawning success.
Food availability. As a final factor, studies also show that
the timing and availability of a food supply is also critical
to fry.
Preferences. This article, and the studies it is based on,
deal with preferences and optimal factors. Keep in mind that
preferences may not necessarily be limiting factors. For
example, most studies indicate that bass prefer to spawn and
live in clear water, however, studies also show that although
turbidity is not preferred, it is not necessarily a limiting
factor in bodies of water where it is the only option. That's
what's so great about bass! Between largemouths and small-
mouths, you can usually find them everywhere!
GopherCentral's Question of the Week
Do you support the nomination of Sam Alito for Supreme
Court Justice?
Question of the Week
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FISHING JOKES CORNER
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Billy Bob and Jethro decide to go ice fishing. After
arriving at the lake early in the morning, they cut two
holes in the lake and drop their lines in the water. After
fishing for a few hours, Billy Bob has caught dozens of
fish while Jethro hasn't even gotten a bite.
Jethro asks, "Billy Bob, what's your secret?"
Billy Bob answers, "Mmu motta meep da mmrms mmrm."
Jethro asks, "What did you say?"
Billy Bob answers, "Mmu motta meep da mmrms mmrm."
Jethro again asks, "What?"
Billy Bob spits into his hand and says, "You gotta keep
the worms warm!"
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Questions? Comments? email: Email brock
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