What water temp triggers their movement? I know other species are looking for that mid to high 60's mark, but the sandies are spawning at least a full month or 6 wks ahead of the lmb's, crappie, etc.

My experience has been to watch for rising water temps in the lakes, and sunny and/or warmer weather patterns. On early january days when I've had luck in the past, water temps were around 60 degrees. Right now, the lake nearest me (Canyon Lake) is @ 55 degrees. Lake Sommerville shows to be @ 53 degrees.

Today the weather is going to be sunny and 60. Next week will be sunny. Those are the weather patterns that begin my season looking for the sandies. I plan to go soon and see how much water is in the creeks. Compared to last year, this ought to be a good one.

Good luck, and good catching.

I caught some nice whites this mornin. Some really big females are starting to show up.

Matt

Thanks Catchnrelease. I'm going to be looking up the creeks at Ivie, Coleman, and Proctor over the next few weeks. I'll post water temps if/when we find them.

Water temps is not the big key to them starting to move up into the creeks....its after the winter solstice that the days start to get longer... that what gets them moving. Water temps only big factor is for the actual spawning that begins to take place.

It seems I've been trying for whites earlier each year for the last few. Used to be I would not start fishing the river till the week after valentines day. Then it was Feb 1. Last year I went mid January of the Sabine River and the bass were there. With the rain we have been getting, my guess is they will start early.

Listen to headsRtails, he knows his stuff. Yep around the first of february for the Neches River.

They have already started on Livingston. Below the dam the whites are going crazy, heavy with eggs and milt.

They sure are starting. Man that was some big whites we were catchin.

Matt

Here in North Central Texas, the bellwether for me is Valentine's day. Of course several factors come into play, but generally, I get my first REAL run fish around valentines. This year because of all the rain in DFW area, I have nailed some BIG fish in December in White Rock Creek, but that is generally the exception rather than the rule.

TFly starts getting them in Rowlett on a somewhat consistent basis, size wise around the first week of February, and it just gets better from there.

By the way, Rudy Lackey says March on the Elm Fork of the Trinity. My experience(40 some odd yrs of it), in the immediate Dallas area, is that they start getting serious around the first week of Feb, similar to TFly's experience on Rowlett.

I look for local hotbeds,like Elm Fork, Cow Creek, WRC on the upper ends, near Greenville Ave, and Rowlett to be exceptional this year due to the consistent and heavy rains of the fall and winter.

Can't wait for Cow Creek to crank up, that is my favorite sandie run in this area.

Rudy

We have caught fish as early as New Years day on the Sabine. Some of the best days we have ever has were in early February where ice would form on the rod guides. If you check the River Ridge website, the photos are dated and you can see that by February, the fish are in the river and feeder creeks.

Thank you all for the info. I'll start looking up the creeks some on Ivie.

Filleted 50 more whites today and some had really large egg sacks in them. Some big males reasdy to help the females also.

Matt

I caught a magnum sandie at WRC last week that had full egg sacs. They weren't "vein-y" and orange-red like they get when they are about to release and were more of a yellow/orange color.

The run is on, big time. Notice the colors and size.