Do the bluegill spawn on different bottom types than crappie? Because if not, they are going to have to fight the Crappie for spawning space because the crappie are spawning right now.

Water temps at the 4ft to 8 ft depths where the crappie spawn are around 64 deg F at Bluegrass Pit.

If Boggs water temps are similar, then the bluegill may wait a little longer for the water temps to warm up some more. I can't remember the exact water temp where the bluegill spawn but I was thinking it was more than 65 Deg F. I could be wrong though as I really am not that sure about the bluegill spawning temps. I think that I use to catch the bluegills spawning when the lake opened. I worked as a life guard at this lake and they had a swimming lake of around 6 acres and then a smaller 2 acre fishing lake. The bluegills were always spawning in the shallower fishing lake in May after I got out of college for summer vacation. Crappie are spawning about two weeks late this year do to the many could fronts that came though in early April this year.

Remember it is the water temp AT THE DEPTH THE FISH SPAWN not at the surface that is the key to the spawn.

The eggs need the proper water temperature to have the best change of developing and hatching properly. And then the fry need ideal water temps to help more of them to survive.

JMHO.

You can tell when the crappie are actually spawning because all the male crappie will take on Dark (almost black) spawning colors. And after you catch an clean a few fish you can see the eggs and determine how ripe the eggs are. If the blood vessels around the egg sacks are noticeable then they are ready to lay eggs. You will see a BRIGHT YELLOW EGG SAC with BRIGHT RED Blood vessels surrounding the egg sack right before the fish spawn their eggs.



Quote Originally Posted by MikeAxsom View Post
I don't want you to think I'm making any guarantee here Gary, but here is what I think based on a little knowledge of bluegill, and a little experience with what has become my favorite finny quarry over the years. Bluegill, at least in this neck of the woods, begin their major spawn on the first full moon after the dogwoods bloom. That old fisherman’s tale is based on some science and is pretty accurate. My calendar, the one I use to mark my days off work, says the day for that this year is Wednesday, May 2nd. That is tomorrow. Now of course there are a lot of factors that determine how strong the bite will be, or how long the nesting will last, but from what I see, the water looks good, the temperature is right, and I’m already seeing the telltale dish shaped beds forming in the shallows. So I’d guess the next week or 10 days to going to be the best time to take that trip. So, if you are here then, wave and say hi. I’ll be the guy grinning and hitting the beds with a fly rod.