I have a question for all you experts!
I've been fishing Pat Mayse Lake for the last week. Out of 80+ fish that have been caught, 95 percent of them were females still full of eggs. These were all caught out in open/deep water around brush piles. I would have figured that they would have already been thru the spawn. Has the spawn not happened here yet? Hasn't the spawn in most other lakes over with? The surface water temp. was around 70/71 degrees. Anyone got an answere?

I'm no expert by any measure but I can tell you what I have experienced. Fish spawn in different depths and since the water temp is different in those depths that means the spawn may be spread out as much as two months or more. I think this has been a very good spawn year. It's been a slow warming trend and I have been able to move to different depths and catch spawning fish. The bridge spawn is just getting started on lewisville lake and Ray R. should be hot at the bridges in another week. By the way, in the middle of all that you have fish that are feeding after spawn. It's great.

Rodney

Rodney, what is bridge spawn?

robsco I like your animation at the bottom of your post. Thanks for the laugh

Bridge Spawn: Remember when Ernest and Guy told us that some fish stay in the creeks year round? I am certain that some fish stay at the bridge year round. They don't move to the shallows to spawn and they don't move to deeper water in the middle of the summer. Those fish spawn around the bridges. Some move to the end pillars to spawn but some of the bigger ones move up and spawn on top of the cross beam (a beam between the pillars which strengthens the support of the bridge. It's usually about ten feet down depending on the water level. Not all bridges have them but most do.). Other fish on the lake also move in to spawn around the pillar. I fish about three to four times a week and I try to pay close attention to how many fish I graph at different times under the bridges. I base a lot of what I am saying on what I have noticed. There may be another explanation but this is what I have concluded so far.

Rodney

Thanks Rodney
(you too BOBSAM)