will the fish run late this year?

Does anyone think with the low water temps that the fish will run and spawn later?

Yes fish go by water temp and current for the most part not the Calendar

No. I doubt it. The river seems to be just about right on this year.

No.

i say no as well. while water temps play a significant role, its not the end all story. the walleyes and sauger will do their business pretty close to the same time as normal. give or take a week but not more IMHO.

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Yes fish go by water temp and current for the most part not the Calendar

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Ha! Fish go more by photoperiod (amount of daylight ) more than temp or current.

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Yes fish go by water temp and current for the most part not the Calendar

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Ha! Fish go more by photoperiod (amount of daylight ) more than temp or current.

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correct. amount of daylight and moon phase play way more of a role than water temp. water temp just needs to be over about 45º which it is near now in some places.

Everyone ABOVE Pepin gets warm water early, but those of us below the big cooler have to wait until Pepin releases her ice grip before the water warms much. Amazing how fast it does warm once the ice moves off Pepin.

Kept two 17″ walleyes today. Both males. Both squirted runny cloudy milt on the table. They should start next week assuming we get some clear nights.

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Does anyone think with the low water temps that the fish will run and spawn later?

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…No! Life is good on pool 4. They rrr here now. Ya just have to figure out how to get-r-done. …rrr

Here is a list of some of the spawning water temperatures for the most popular game fish. The temperatures are in Fahrenheit.

Largemouth Bass 68-72
Smallmouth Bass 59-60
Spotted Bass 63-68
Yellow Bass 62-66
Cherokee Bass 55-57
White Bass 57-68
Striped Bass 59-65
Muskie 49-59
Walleye 45-51
Northern Pike 40-52
Sauger 40-45
Paddlefish 50-55
Warmouth 75-80
White Crappie 60-65
Black Crappie 62-68
Bluegill 70-75
Green Sunfish 75-85
Red ear 68-75
Channel Catfish 75-80
Blue Catfish 70-75
Flatheads 66-75
Bullhead Catfish 79-89
Carp 63-75
Rainbow Trout 50-55
Brown Trout 47-52
Brook Trout 45-48

Maybe the better word would be “later”. Daylight plays a more crucial role in the process but the temps do range from I have seen in studies from 43 to 52. This year the water temp may be on the lower end of that spectrum but for the most part everything will still be all good.
Looking at studies recently show me that the success of walleye spawning has more to do with available forage for the tiny fry weeks after hatching than the incubation period. Making zooplankton more available when in the larval stage, then other larval perch, shad, etc. more available when they turn piscivory, or minnow eating. A “later” spawn puts the lil guys at an advantage in the food cycle.

In other words, late spring bring it ONNNNN!!!

I don’t spend many days down on P4 but do spend a few every year during the spawn and would agree that water temps are not always key. We see post spawn fish between the 14-17th every year 45-47 has been the dominate water temp. This is just what I have in the notes from the past. Water levels have played more of an affect on this for me but that could just be that we had a hard time locating fish when the water came up quick! Its hard to get data when you don’t catch what your looking for