Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

Bass Fishing => Bass Fishing Tips, Techniques & General Discussion => Topic started by: dartag on March 18, 2012, 11:41:48 AM

Title: Early spring
Post by: dartag on March 18, 2012, 11:41:48 AM
2 weeks ago today I had ice on my lake.  today the temp is 54 degrees.  I have 4 largemouth hanging around my dock and boat hoist.  2 of them are really plump.  27 years on union lake and have never seen anything like this.  Anyone been on other lakes and record the temp.   Keeps this up they will be spawing next week. 
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: Dan on March 18, 2012, 12:52:46 PM
Yesterday while watching the B.A.S.S. War Room coverage of the St. Johns River, Mercer said that before Zona came down to Florida he was fishing with his dad and his dad caught a bass on a bed in southern Michigan. What weird weather.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: gmetime24 on March 18, 2012, 01:33:45 PM
If the weather stays warm like this, these bass will surely be spawning way earlier than most years. With these hot temps, how do you think it will affect the rest of the season? Will fishing be tougher? By the time C&R season starts they will already be close to summertime patterns. I would like to see the temps drop off and have somewhat of a normal spring
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: Manxfishing on March 18, 2012, 01:51:24 PM
Quote from: gmetime24 on March 18, 2012, 01:33:45 PM
If the weather stays warm like this, these bass will surely be spawning way earlier than most years. With these hot temps, how do you think it will affect the rest of the season? Will fishing be tougher? By the time C&R season starts they will already be close to summertime patterns. I would like to see the temps drop off and have somewhat of a normal spring

No
Let's keep the fine weather
I'll be fine fishing the summer patterns in May
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: motocross269 on March 18, 2012, 02:06:12 PM
I think things will be different for sure....but remember not all bass spawn at the same time......Spawning on most lakes is a couple of month process and even longer on northern lakes.....

I hope that the bass are onto their early summertime patterns by the first tournament...I seem to have better luck when the fish move deeper on LSC.....
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: TCook on March 18, 2012, 06:55:03 PM
I got out for the first time friday and we had temps in the high 50s in a few channels. I spotted about 10 bass that already cleared out beds. If this warm trend continues I think all stages bass go through will happen much sooner than the norm. Water temp dictates everything a bass and what they eat will do.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: Jmcfarland on March 18, 2012, 07:10:26 PM
This is definitely the earliest I have ever seen spring come up here. I'm up in Petoskey area and the ice is off pickeral/crooked. Not sure but there can't be much left on the bigger lakes either. It was 83 out today. Got the boat out this morning. Cleaned,greased and fired her up. On the water at about 2:00. Water temp on crooked was between 45-49 degrees. Unheard of. We're usually walking on 2 feet of ice this time of year. I even managed some nice dogfish on top of breaks in less than 8 fow  ;). I couldn't help myself. How many times in my life am I gonna get to go fishing in my boat the day after St.Patty's day in shorts/t-shirt on my home lake??? Once in a lifetime opportunity. I got some nice dated pics and the boat got a early shake down cruise and some fresh fuel. Hard to ask for more when 2 weeks ago I rode my snowmobile on ice in exactly the same areas I fished today.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: dartag on March 18, 2012, 07:26:18 PM
the water got up to 56 degrees this afternoon.  little bluegills and perch swimming around the dock.  the nice bass are still hanging around.  be interesting to see if they make beds.  tried to shoot some photos but need a polarized filter.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: FISH21 on March 18, 2012, 08:52:57 PM
The canals in Pontiac lake were anywhere from 62-65 degrees yesterday afternoon, the main lake was around 57.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: huston on March 18, 2012, 10:10:47 PM
I went dock fishing on LSC and caught perch. I know the canals on LSC are on. This week I'm going to Lakeville lake with th boat since crappie are biting and LSC for crappie in the canals.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: t-bone on March 19, 2012, 12:44:11 PM
Upper straits was 53 degrees on Friday and then 59 on Sunday. Little creek was 62...
Fish are going to be way ahead of schedule this year!

I believe I saw two smallies moving up thinking about spawning...
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: dartag on March 19, 2012, 04:28:05 PM
61 degrees this afternoon.   Neighbor kids swimming although they are screaming while they do it.  Didn't see my friends under the hoist.  maybe they spawned and headed out. 


Drove out to Kent at lunch today.  The lake is really low for this time of year.   lots of stumps visable.


Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: detroit1 on March 19, 2012, 04:38:35 PM
I went to Kent yesterday just to walk around and fish from the bank. Caught a small lm and rock bass, saw about a 4# lm, 2 decent smallies, and a few other panfish along the bank. Didn't take a thermometer, so i guess i'm no help....later
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: korean_bassmaster on March 19, 2012, 04:58:07 PM
I was on secord lake in gladwin county on Sunday and the channel temp was in the mid 50s, and the main lake temp was prob in the mid 40s but we could quite make it to the main lake cuz there was a huge ice chunk floating down the channel. But we did see 4 nice bass in the shallows moving up along the bank.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: huston on March 19, 2012, 09:52:47 PM
I went to LSC today, the canals around  Anchor Bay  were on.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: dartag on March 20, 2012, 10:37:02 AM
The world is supposed to end in december so maybe we are going to have one last great summer.   Maybe they should open bass season early.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: Cheetam on March 22, 2012, 04:12:41 PM
My kids had a half day of school today, and they really wanted to go fishing.  We went and picked up some nightcrawlers and went to the local pond.  There were tons of largemouths shallow, some empty beds, and some beds with fry!!  Fry?  In March?  Wow.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  On a side note, the girls hammered the gills and sunnies!
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: djkimmel on March 22, 2012, 04:36:32 PM
Fry? That is amazing! I don't think I have ever heard of that in Michigan in March! The earliest I had previously seen a bass on a bed in a Michigan lake was about April 4 in the past. IF it stays reasonably warm the rest of the spring into summer, we could have a huge year class on many lakes.

The earliest hatchlings have a longer time to get bigger before the first winter and that has always been one of the main factors in having a successful year class - the average size of bass fingerlings going into the first winter. Bigger fingerlings tend to survive the winter at a higher rate.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: dartag on March 22, 2012, 06:41:42 PM
My lake was 65 degrees at 5:00 pm.  It is raining now and pretty windy so it should mix it up a bit.   Have not even been on it yet.  some day i will get all my work done so I can go look around.  Might evey un-shrink the Ranger this weekend.
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: djkimmel on March 22, 2012, 06:48:11 PM
Good luck with that! Poured here! Thunder. Lightning. The whole works!
Title: Re: Early spring
Post by: huston on March 22, 2012, 07:09:24 PM
No storms yet around Detroit area but sky looked a little dark. I caught a lot of Rock Bass on St. Clair yesterday fishing sea walls and saw crappie and gills up in the channels.