Question about Small Mouth Bass…..

How often do they spawn?

One time per year? Do they lay all their eggs at once, or have mulitple “dumps” over a period of time? I think all at once, but not sure.

hhmmmm………I seem to remember a similar question like this.

I think I’ll reserve my answer until further reveiw.

Blue, You already know my thoughts on the matter. I was just looking for someone who might be able to expand upon my thoughs. Any Super-Bio’s out there???
jc

While somehow I feel you already have an answer to this question..i’ll throw in my .02.

Spawning typically occurs from April through June, when water temperatures range from 58 to 70 degree’s.

I’m not 100% sure what you are looking for, but I’m going to say the answer is 2 major spawns, all times co-inciding with the major phases of the moon (full).April is often still too cold, so May and June…so more so 2 spawns than 3

Some people don’t even take into effect the moon phases, but it’s just a thought.

Do you mean individual fish, or a poulation of fish? i.e. an individual fish spawns more than once a year?

Photoperiod definitely also plays a part in the timing of the spawn IMO.

JC where you headed with this? What clarification are you looking for? GIve me some back ground. I am not a biologist. Nor do I clame to be an expert. Just looking for context to understand. This sounds like a topic I would like to research.

I am referring to each individual female. I have never seen a complete and accurate study to determine how often they actually spawn. We have all seen and heard stories of them having eggs in them throughout the year and many of us have qualified this by saying that egg production starts late summer and completes in the spring when water and photo periods create a window of opportunity. We have also established that many of them may choose not to spawn if environmental conditions dictate otherwise and that in this case the eggs are ingested back into the body. I have theories but no actual proof.
Jc

I would think fry survival conditions would be a limiting factor to spawning more than one time per year. I think there have been studies shwoing fry need a set of conditions to survive and reach a size whereby they can survive winter. I do not believe egg gestation varies like trout do which spawn in the fall and the fry hatch in spring.

Do you think they spawn year round, or have certain spawning windows spring and fall etc.? Let’s hear your theories man. Spill em!!!!

What if they spawn every other year… That would explain all the egg issues as well as make since of some of the telemetry studies saying that there are 2 clear classes of smallies. The onles that travel miles to spawn and the ones they call homebodies…

jc

I don’t know if they spawn every other year or not. i do know in my buddies pond, he has a 5 pound smallie that is missing an eye and this fish does spawns every year in the same general area. I have seen smallies spawning in numbers on the Oconto river which runs into the bay of Green Bay in August. But I do believe the vast majority of smallies do spawn when the water temps reach 62 to 67 degrees. As long as water temps stay stable the bass seem to do their thing.

I know that some females will have two sets of eggs developing at once. One for the current year and one for the next. If for whatever reason the fish is unable to spawn, they will absorb the eggs back into their system. Not sure where I read this. I will try to find it.

Bassman

It is an interesting theory. Would need some very closely monitored studies to try and study this in the wild. But the ones that are homebodies could still be spawning in the home area, and just not traveling. That is if I am reading what you are saying right, that the travelers are spawners and the homebodies are waiting for next year.

Sorry if that was rambling, I’m kinda swamped this afternoon.

Reading some of these temps that people say smallies spawn at surprises me. I always thought that sm bass spawned b4 lm bass and I’ve seen lm bass spawn in 60-65 temps.

Oops forgot the original ?…..Smallies spawn once per year if conditions are right.

Tacket, smallies do become active earlier than largemouth, but as for spawning they spawn close to the same time, both spieces have been found spawning in 55 to 72 degree water temps. WDNR has found smallies spawning in water as cold as 53 degrees.

Jeremy and others. The literature points out that the species spawns only once. Males set up a nest and females chose to drop eggs on not one, but several males nests. Extreme cold fronts or water level manipulations while on beds also can trigger nest abandonment. Generally the younger males will try to set up shop again. The temp range is more on the side of 58-65. In the Mississippi, there can be variable recruitment due mostly to flow regimes. In years when the river is lower than normal in spring the bass usually pull off a decent year class. The opposite is true when flows are higher than normal in spring. As you go farther up stream recuitment is more and more variable. Brainerd area might only see one year class out of seven actually make it. While St. Cloud are has reletively consistent recuitment. The telemetry work done in the Coon Rapids- St.Cloud reach has a lot of information y’all might find valuable… http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/montrose/smbtelem.html
Good luck.
Eric

Thanks smallie hawgin, The only thing that striked me is suspect is the part where they outlined the tracking at a 12 month study. I have piles of supporting data suggesting that they spawn every other year which I understand goes against traditional thinking but I am confident that this is the case. While every study shows distinct spawning behaviors it never keys in on the ones that never seem to make the spawning move.

Here is what I have….

Every year I keep a journal of where, when, and how I catch fish with a date, water temp, and current flow. I have been doing this for the past 7 years. When you take this data and place it into a simple database you are able to see patterns and anomolies that one would likily not notice otherwise. For years I have what I call multiple tourney milk runs that I hit based on seasonal movements. I have found multiple schools of smallies using specific locations. When I do a simple query on smallies for the first week of may and or water temps between 55 and 65 and compare them against locations, I have numbers referencing areas, “specific areas” that all show about a 45% sucess rate for all. When I run this in a projection or “futures” model, simple logic shows an 89% likilhood that half of the fish will show up this year and the other half will show up next year.. If you are still following me here it basically says that out of all the spots I log fish, that I can say with almost 90% accuracy that the projected areas reletive to this years “will show up” spots will have fish. While this is the first year I will actually include the “every other year” theory I will have distinct variables in place to hone in on this possibility. I seem to be getting into an area that may spark a DNR study and if any are reading this I would love to provide the data I have supporting these theories as long as I have access to the studies.

jc

JC,
Interesting information. I am not sure if there is a predictive every other year spawn phenomenon but I have read about spawning studies done in lakes that indicated that some females do not spawn every year. The authors hypothesized that this may be due to poor or non-spawning efforts the previous year, environmental stress factors such as being caught and released, poor water quality, poor forage, etc. I think that in a completely natural setting (which is rare in the US), most if not all females bass will attempt to spawn during the normal spring early summer period. Other factors may lead to some of them being unsuccessful and therefore spawn in alternating years. I know that the rigors of spawning affect all bass and one study in northen WI indicated that up to 40% of the active spawning males died later in the year that they guarded nests. This latent mortality is likely due to stress and if you add in other stressors it may affect many of the fish that were successful in the spawn in any given year females included.

This leads to my theory that all bass do not spawn in a given year so that the species is not wiped out by successive years of poor water quality, spawning conditions or other factors. Mother Nature always hedges her bets and does not put all her eggs in one basket so to speak. This is why not all bass spawn at one time or in the same place. In nature it is survival of the fittest to the extreme. Adaptation and random actions are key for a species to thrive especially in todays world of human impacts to the environment.

Your theory about every other year spawning may be an accurate observation but the science may be more complicated than we think. If you think about the many complex interactions that have to occur for a fish to go from an egg to a 12 yr old gravid female laying eggs in a nest it is amazing. Throw in the ever increasing fishing pressure and it is clear to me that adaptation and random actions are major players in the sustainability of any fish species. The species that adapts to the prevailing conditions can spawn and create offspring that can someday be recruited into adulthood and continue the cycle. I think Darwin had the idea… EVOLUTION!

Holy Smokes… I thought you were long gone. Nice to see you are still around.
One point you mentioned about a similar observation / study:
“ The authors hypothesized that this may be due to poor or non-spawning efforts the previous year, environmental stress factors such as being caught and released, poor water quality, poor forage, etc.”
By simply stating these facts he is admittedly saying that there are a significant number of fish that do not spawn in a given year. He hypothesized that this was due to poor or non-spawning efforts previously. I guess this is where I am challenging things. You may however be accurate that it is just an acute observation on my part but one may also speculate that I might be wholly accurate and that sufficient studies did not take this into account during the gathering portion and / or did not study subjects long enough to gain valuable variable information. This may in fact be an occurrence among many species.
The salmon spends from 3 – 7 years typically before returning to spawn and only does it once. The mass death of salmon in rivers once sparked fears and thus received the studies they deserved and infinitely we find that this is completely natural. While I am not a Darwinist I do believe in many of the ideas about survival. On the creationism front I would lean ( biased ) towards the genetic design and that the Smallmouth may be one of many fish that have genetic predisposition to spawn in varying years which may not be a timed event like my data supports but an ecological event as your study supports. I appreciate your input immensely.
Jc

Despite the every other year theory, won’t spawning area’s produce year in and year out b/c different fish will be on different yearly cycles?

Nevermind—answered already.

Quote:

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This may in fact be an occurrence among many species.
The salmon spends from 3 – 7 years typically before returning to spawn and only does it once.

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That is very interesting- from what I have read about river smallie spawning it often is a long way from wintering areas to the spawning areas. As you guys alluded to, maybe its not “environmental factors” but rather genetic programming that because of the stress involved in the migration (especially in rivers) that the fish is programmed to spawn every other year (or less for that matter). Very interesting stuff to say the least and from what is posted and what ive read I have never heard anyone hypothesize (sp?)this. Now JC if you can figure out how to get a grant to study this your boat worries could be over. Great post!

My theory is that the younger smallmouths find a mate and spawn about 3-5 times a week during the first year. After that it turns into once a month and then once a year. After about 5 years of being with the same fish, I could understand why it might be an every other year kind of thing.

Man, do I need to go fishing!

LMAO

UWSP has a major called “Fisheries Biologist”. I think they are accepting enrollment for the fall of 2006. Or maybe email the head of the dept and see what he thinks. I am sure that us common Joe’s have alot of uneducated “theories” reagrading this issue. Quite frankly, what does it matter how often or how many times a smallie spawns?

We’re just trying to figure out if they’re the luckiest fish out there or not.

I guess the implications are that if everyone is heading shallow and there is an entire population that is not that we all might be missing potentially a majority of the fish. I am sure that the thousands of fishermen out there wanting to catch fish would be content but…
jc

To zx202guy, some of us posting on this thread ARE fisheries biologists and others like JC are so interested in these subjects that he actually researches the subject. Novel idea, an average Joe fisherman actually looking for more than what you get reading the ads in Bassmaster magazine!

To JC,
I think we talked about seemingly abnormal spawning activities a while back regarding a different situation. Interesting conversation and it leads me to asking more questions of some colleagues. I am not sure that all the readers were able to decipher your last post on the subject … but I guess that is OK too!

They say “ignorance is bliss” and in some cases I believe this to be true!!

First let me say that all the locations I am reffering to are channel or near side channel locations, (usually no more than 1/4 mile off the channel), and never in my memory have they been out of water. The one thing that kind of throws a monkey wrench into this all is that in very high water they spawn in places that maybe only every 5-7 years there is any water at all..in the backwaters or bays. That out of the way:

It is my understanding and experience that Bass move to spawning areas twice a year Spring and Fall and according to a WDNR lecturer they produce eggs both times laying them in the Spring and that they never develop completely in the fall and are gradually absorbed. I have repeated that info to spring and fall bass clients for many years. No information was given that I can remember on what the percentage is that do or don’t lay eggs although you would have thought that would have been mentioned it if they saw it as a large issue.(see next comment) What is explained is the approx percentage of eggs that successfully become frey and the approximate percent of frey that live for some given period of time into the future, so it very well might have been included in the egg to frey number since as I remember they figured percents on the total number of females that are spawning age.

Regarding Jeremy’s theory on every other year. If you add it to the not all females spawn(lay eggs) every year it would sure make sense in regards to the evidence I have seen on the locations of spawning Bass for 40 some years on pool 8 & 9. What I keep seeing is that spawning and prespawn/postspawn bass of some number are in the same spots every year but… every second or third year for as long as I can remember in almost a true rotation the spots that out of lets say six areas close together, (because thats how I fish with my boat and little motor), in rotation the huge numbers are on 2 or three of them that year and next year like clockwork they are on a different locations. But on some there seems to be three years not two before they are on the first areas again. I think all of us know there are to many variables to absolutely sure. But it sure seems like some rotate every other year and other locations every third year. If that is again the case this year you will see a report both prespawn and spawn of us again catching 100 plus of breeding age Bass a day in very small areas in the same locations that were hot two years ago and 4 years ago.. In one that seems to be every other year this definitely will be the year and in the one that I am thinking of that seems to hit every third year they will be there too. It also seems at least that it would be logical to assume or therorize that part of this has to be heredity in regards to where they instinctively go to spawn since the numbers vary so greatly in the rotating year even with future generations. I definitely don’t pay as “much” attention to the fall run but with hundreds of bass guide customers behind me from past years many of which share yearly results each fall…. I can think of 4 very big numbers locations that for at least the last 6 years have been every other year. Always some bass there every year but huge swings every other year in large and then small total numbers. I never realized it might be a true rotating pattern until Jeremy brought up. I do realize this is not exactly your theory Jeremy but it does seem to lend quite a bit of weigh to the every other year theory. I’m going to start keeping track again and see if it plays out. If my memory serves me right the same areas that were hot that spring are also hot that fall. Four years should tell if this is just a coincidence or just my imagination or whether it really holds true…but either way thanks for bringing it up.