The Spoonpluggers Forum

Hi, all.

Winter is receding here in flyover country, and we have open water.. fishing fever is heating up faster than the water temp, for sure, but hey..what the heck..

I have a question about the daily 'movement' of fish. When, generally, do they go from one movement a day (cold water ) to two movement periods a day. I recall reading in the HSC that the first hard Frost in the fall will often be the trigger from two movements daily to one, but what about springtime? What will trigger the movement periods to twice a day?

Your insight will be most appreciated

Thanks in advance

You should expect fish to enter their summer patterns when they recover from the spawn, and when the deeper water warms up a bit.
For largemouth, that could be as long as 4 weeks after the spawn, depending on the weather. Other species, such as walleye is a lot quicker. Movements twice a day will occur with stable weather in the summer months. Unstable weather/water conditions in the summer can create short mid-day movements only.

Perfect answer Jim. First five days on the water, every day the best has been early afternoon and for 20 to 40 minutes. And then it is over. Have around 60 fish so far and only two were over 4lbs. Cold nights don't allow for the water to warm very fast. A couple of 60 degree days and some wind will help get them going. John