Water level is controlled by the Corp of Engineers. Water temperature, lenght of the daylight cycle (diurnal) is controlled by God.
The intensity of the sunlight and the amount of sunlight (Lenght of the day and lenght of the night and the amount of cloud cover over the subject area) all combine to determine the water temperature. Even the strenght of the wind and the duration of the winds effect water temperature.
Right now the amount of energy in the Earth has increased due to many factors and the winter was pretty much warmer than usual. But the sun still orbits around the solar system and our earth still tilts on it's axis and spins around the axix and our sun in the same way it's done for billions of years.
To me it's all interconnected. But everything on earth is affected by the sun and moon to some degree. The sunlight determines the water temperature and it along with the earth's motion will determine the weather. Things like the cloud cover (evaporation of water into the air) is driven by the sunlight heating the earth up and evaporating the water vapor into the air. The spin of the earth and the differential heating of the earth due to it's rotation and orbit form the winds and clouds. It's all diven by the sunlight. The Northern Hemisphere is getting closer to the sun and the angle that the sun strikes our NH is getting higher and the sunlight is getting more intense. This has been going on for the last 4 billion years or maybe even longer.
Someone above said that the fish are tuned into these rythems of the earth, sun and moon. It's a genetic thing and we all have developed an internal clock that follows these things.
Remember that not all the fish spawn at the same time. Not sure why that is but I think it's been said by many people before me. When the weather is right and the eggs are developed fully the fish will laid their eggs. They probably have some type of harmonal change in their system that triggers them to spawn. Be it the amount of sunlight or the water temperature those fish will spawn when the time it right. Guessing that time on any particular lake or any part of any lake is just a guess until they actually start to move into the shallower water and get caught by fishermen.
I can tell when the crappie are ready to spawn just by observing the crappie eggs as I clean my fish. When the eggs are ripe and there are larger blood vessels surrounding the egg sacks you can bet that the fish are in spawn mode.
My best guess is that some fish will spawn a week or two earlier in the south as compared to the fish up North. But that's about all I could really say. The latitude on the earth makes a difference in the angle of the sun at different times of the year.
One thing I can tell you is this, look for sheltered flats on the North side (protected from cold north winds by the hills) and flats that are receiving more sunlight during the day. These areas will warm up the fastest and if they have good bottom conditions and the right depth they will be the first areas to get spawning fish to move into them. Just remember that fish eggs need warm water and sunlight to hatch the eggs. If momma bass does not lay her eggs in the right spot her genes will not be passed onto the next genertion and her prodogeny will not survive. So there is a natural selection process going on here as to when the fish lay their eggs and where. Those that get it right get to have prodogeny that grow up to reproduce again. That that don't get it right go out of business so to speak.
People like Dave Stewert that make a living by being out on the water all the time get to learn these fish patterns and if they keep logs like Dave does they have a good handle on those lakes that the fish a lot. There is nothing like being out on the water daily to learn what the fish are doing.
Especially if they explore a lot of the lake over and over again. They learn to eliminate the water with no fish and concentrate on the areas that hold fish. But there are still a lot of fish out there in the water that are not beign caught.
I like the tagging studies that Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Officals did a few years back. That study showed us a lot of good information about the crappie spawn and taught me that the black crappie spawn shallower and earlier than the white crappie. Each species has it's nitch in the same habitat.
My predition would be that the Crappie will spawn when the water temperature gets up to around 65 deg F. I can't remmeber if the LM black Bass spawn before the crappie or afterwards. I would guess it was after wards.
Now the question that I have is at what depth does it have to reach 65 deg F before the crappie spawn. At the surface or at 5 ft down or at 10 ft down or at 15 ft down? But that's my delima I guess. It's all relative anyway. Most all of us can only measure the water temps at the surface anyway. I have a meter that will measure the water temps from the surface to 25 ft down. So I'll have to start using that device and make some logs to answer my own question.
Look for the Crappie to spawn anytime from the 1st of April until the Third Week of April. That's based on what they have done over the past 50 years down at KY Lake on the South end of the lake.
Just remember that deep water and large areas take longer to heat up than small shallow areas that are protected from cold winds and are exposed longer to the sunlight during the day.
Each bay on KY lake is a different environment and will have it's own particular fish population.
Best time to go fishing..... Any time that moma will let you get out of the house!
It's the time spent out on the water that really counts. Enjoy nature and catch a few fish in the process. That way you will always have a good time. It's the journey that matters not just the destination.
Originally Posted by Cowboy
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