06-21-2008, 12:54 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Spawning is the name of the game. Shad spawn when the average water temp reaches about 65 degrees. It was up and down a lot this spring and there was likely a prolonged spawning period. That will result in several groups or sizes of new shad. Also, since the rocks and brush are all out of water, the shad spawn is not likely to be great. They are "free spawners"...letting their eggs go anywhere, rather than building nests. But, they like to snuggle up with something during the process.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Last year will probably be a good indicator for this year. The baby shad did not have any cover and were slurped up by the bajillions before reaching any size. Carp, catfish, bluegill, smallies, wallies and small wipers mopped them up before they were big enough to create enough interest for wiper boils. True, there were isolated boils on some days, but not the prolonged and widespread pandemonium of high water years.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Also, as we have discussed before, wiper boils are usually best during high clear water periods. Low murky water (from shallows and wind) provide visual cover for the baby shad and the wipers cannot use their wolf pack feeding technique to herd the shad visually and then blast into them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How are the cats affected? They should have all spawned by now. But, many of those we caught today were full of very ripe eggs...unspawned. Why? Because they usually spawn in the rocks, back in protected pockets. The water does not come up into the rocks and there is just not any real structure in the lake for them to spawn. Same thing last year. No little six inchers this year. If there is another year without spawning, there will be some attrition in the cat population. We have already noticed that it takes a lot more effort to catch a few cats this year. Just not as many.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We will know in about 2 to 3 weeks whether or not there was a good enough shad spawn to generate some wiper boils. Look for them in protected spots around the dikes and in corners or even inside the harbors where the shadlets swarm for protection. But, if there was a decent spawn, the baby shad will be spread out around the edges of the lake and wipers will herd them right up on the sandy beaches off the dikes. When they do, the wacky wipers will smack almost anything you toss into the commotion. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have seen isolated and individual wiper surface strikes a few times this year, but never anything that could be remotely called a boil. And, as most seasoned wiperologists believe, the real boil action is still at least a couple of weeks off. They can boil on larger shad, at any time during the year, if conditions are right (clarity) and a group of wipers finds the larger shad. But, the traditional BOILS are usually on young-of-the-year shadlets that are only 1" to 3" long..as summer progresses. They just have not showed up yet. Let's hope they do.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Last year will probably be a good indicator for this year. The baby shad did not have any cover and were slurped up by the bajillions before reaching any size. Carp, catfish, bluegill, smallies, wallies and small wipers mopped them up before they were big enough to create enough interest for wiper boils. True, there were isolated boils on some days, but not the prolonged and widespread pandemonium of high water years.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Also, as we have discussed before, wiper boils are usually best during high clear water periods. Low murky water (from shallows and wind) provide visual cover for the baby shad and the wipers cannot use their wolf pack feeding technique to herd the shad visually and then blast into them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]How are the cats affected? They should have all spawned by now. But, many of those we caught today were full of very ripe eggs...unspawned. Why? Because they usually spawn in the rocks, back in protected pockets. The water does not come up into the rocks and there is just not any real structure in the lake for them to spawn. Same thing last year. No little six inchers this year. If there is another year without spawning, there will be some attrition in the cat population. We have already noticed that it takes a lot more effort to catch a few cats this year. Just not as many.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We will know in about 2 to 3 weeks whether or not there was a good enough shad spawn to generate some wiper boils. Look for them in protected spots around the dikes and in corners or even inside the harbors where the shadlets swarm for protection. But, if there was a decent spawn, the baby shad will be spread out around the edges of the lake and wipers will herd them right up on the sandy beaches off the dikes. When they do, the wacky wipers will smack almost anything you toss into the commotion. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have seen isolated and individual wiper surface strikes a few times this year, but never anything that could be remotely called a boil. And, as most seasoned wiperologists believe, the real boil action is still at least a couple of weeks off. They can boil on larger shad, at any time during the year, if conditions are right (clarity) and a group of wipers finds the larger shad. But, the traditional BOILS are usually on young-of-the-year shadlets that are only 1" to 3" long..as summer progresses. They just have not showed up yet. Let's hope they do.[/#0000ff]
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