Do bass ever skip a spawn?

[LUV-2-CATCH'EM]

I was talking to an old timer recently at the boat ramp and we were discussing the last two weeks of fairly heavy snowfall and below freezing temps here in North Texas (3-4inches of snow is a lot for us)...I asked him "when he thought the bass would spawn this year with the below average water temps in our local lake...

 

He made the comment that if the water temp does not reach the right temp in the next few weeks then the 1st round of Big females can make the decision NOT TO SPAWN...that they simply absorb the eggs into their body and wait for the next year...I find this hard to believe but it maybe just because I have never heard this concept. I respect his knowledge because he has over 25years on this specific lake and obviously knows more than me but he could still be wrong.

 

I have heard of a "poor spawn" before suggesting that not many fry survived...many factors can play into the "poor spawn" like predictors and lack of cover...but specifically speaking on Spawning water temps- being too cold-Did a fewer number of fish chose to spawn or because the fry simply couldn't survive the colder temps?

 

The descussion I had with my friend sparked a lot of questions in my head...

-Do the Larger more mature females really spawn 1st like I'm told?

-it's common in my local waters to have 3 rounds/stages of spawn, is it that way in most lakes?

-Do prime spawning temps vary with species (Flordia strain, reg Largies, and spots)

-Can a fish be too old to spawn?

 

Hope to gain some cool knowledge from you guys-take care Justin

[Lurejerk]

Justin,

 

Not all Bass spawn at the same time. The reason for this is for survival purposes. If they all went at the same time the species could be decimated. It is  common to have fish spawn as late as August here in Texas I have found. March and April are usually the prime for us. 

 

 Water temp for the beginning of the spawn is usually around 58-60 here. We are now at 47-50 as of yesterday because of the severe cold we have experienced. There will be a delay. If its a protected area and clear water they can spawn as deep as 15-20ft here. I have seen this several times in our clear water lakes..

 

Two or Three spawns and (late spawns) are not uncommon.

 

  Look at the trees: Bradford Pears blooming are a good sign things are starting. That usually happens around the first week of February. This year they have just started blooming the last few days (March) so things are off about a month unless we get a good warm trend.

 

Smallmouth and Spots are usually first in the cooler water temps then the other Native/Florida and sub- strains go after that. We have had major spawns in May that could be the case this year if the weather does not change. 

 

Did you happan to see the 15+ that came out of RayBob Saturday? They are trying to kick it into gear. 

 

We just need some stable weather. But they are feeding heavy preparing for it.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Lurejerk

[lwhite115]

I wouldn't say skip, more like delay so long it seems like they skipped. Ive seen bass spawn in the fall.

[High Power Swimbaits]

Bass eggs start to develop in the fall. Winter comes and with lower temps egg production slows because of low temps and the fact that bass are cold blooded. As spring comes the egg production speeds up and eggs become ready to drop as fish instinctively move to spawning areas where there is warmer shallow water. Smallmouth spawn first, largemouth second, and spotted bass are usually last although there will be overlap between the species. If for some reason there is a forage problem and the bass doesn't get the right nutrition and calorie intake then the fish will absorb the eggs. The spawn for females happens over a season not just once during a season so a healthy female bass will spawn multiple times and eat throughout the spawn. The male doesn't eat until it is done building a bed, spawning, and guarding eggs and fry.Once it has gone through the process it is done until the next year.  Once temps become too warm females just dump the remaining eggs being produced and into an adjustment period to get back to their normal behaviors outside the spawn season.Just from my observation the best spawns happen with good years for forage species, quick  rise in temps early in the spawn and a slow steady increase thoughout the season with milder temps toward the end of the season. Bigger males often spawn first and more smaller males spawn more later. Some of this may be due to some small males not being mature enough to spawn early in the season. Females continue to spawn throughout the season. Most of the big females spawn first myth can be blamed on the first beds being shallower where the larger females are easy to see. As the spawn continues and the water warms deeper more big females spawn deeper out of sight from most who believe the big females are already finished or the spawn is almost or already over. First beds are usually shallower in the first part of the spawn then the beds move deeper as the water warms deeper.   One would think that spots would spawn before largemouth but spotted bass in most lakes spawn later because they prefer deeper bedding sights that take longer for warm water to reach in most cases.

[Mossypumpkin]

Straight to the point...yes, I have also heard of the conditions being so unfavorable that some females will just not spawn. They sink bck out into deeper water for a while, sulk like whiny bitche$, and absorb their eggs.

[kfc_rr]

Thanks for bringing up this topic LUV-2-CATCH'EM.  And to the answers represented from this forum.  Lot's of knowledge

[LUV-2-CATCH'EM]

Thanks for you input guys...Ton of knowledge there,  Very Interesting Randall -Good stuff man, thank you!

 

Jig sticker: "sulk like whiny bitche$" that's hilarious man!  I think I can hear them crying on the lake...

[dmayer88]

Awesome info, never stop learning. 

[s.lillywhite]

I live in San Diego now and have only been here for for 2 years, so other SD guys correct me if I'm wrong, but I would say the bigger females probably tend to spawn a little later.  My understanding is that this is because they spawn deeper where it's safer for them and it takes a little longer for the deeper waters to warm up.  Water clarity plays a role in how quickly the water column warms up and thus influences when and how deep the fish spawn.  

 

Take for example Dottie: May 31st 2003 she was caught off of a spawning bed and weighed in at 21.688 lb.  In San Diego, the fish typically spawn here earlier (on average) so catching a bed fish in almost June is pretty wild.  She was also caught on April 27th 2001 (also very late in the season for San Diego lakes), and then on March 20th in 2006 (more typical time to catch a bed fish).

 

Also, when she was found dead in 2008, she was all spawned out, so at least she wasn't too old to spawn (well maybe she was because she died right after).

 

Take this with a grain of salt.  Dottie is an interesting case study because her life was pretty well documented.  Considering that she was a world record caliber fish, many of her life choices were probably the exception rather than the rule in terms of typical bass behavior.