Spring Flooding and the Spawn

[3M TA3]

I can't help but think that once the thaw comes the Walleye will be spawning and the year class will be super low because of the flooded streams. Anyone have some science on whether the spring floods will affect the spawn and the survivability of the eggs? I'm hoping that I am wrong about this.

[Custom Eyes]

There are tons of studies out there by natural resource departments that essentially prove that flooding or heavy rains which cause silt and sediment to cover the eggs, makes for a terrible year class. All a matter of timing and where the fish spawn. Honestly, probably the best thing for the spawn in most areas is for it to stay frozen for a while longer. Some of the better year classes on Erie have come from years where the thaw was late and the major amount of spawning happened before the ice was gone and the weather got nasty. If I'm not mistaken, one of the major year classes out there now on Erie came from a year when the spawn came and went before the ice and cold was gone and people even had a chance to get out there to fish. Slow steady thaw. We were lucky to make it out by Easter that year.

[offthehook67]

Last night I saw two different news segments. One locally and one on the NBC national news. A person from the NOAA was on the national news. Both stated a normal thaw and they are (currently) not concerned about flooding with the thaw. Their reasoning (both of them) was due to a colder than normal Spring. They are estimating a colder Spring for two reasons.

1st over 90% of the great lakes are covered in ice (Has not happened since 1963)

2nd the frost line is deeper than ever before.

Both creating a normal thaw and keeping us below average in temps during the thaw.

Just repeating what I watched/heard last night on the news.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...nal.php?lead=1

Take a look at the blue area

If the water is normally clear and, as they do, some fish spawn much deeper than others, silt shouldn't be devastating to the hatch of the little guys. With flooding land bugs, snakes, etc. in the water will increase however and they will be hungry also. I'd be more worried about the flow of plankton food not taking traditional paths for the little ones.

[TomP.]

On the Mississippi from what I have read from DNR reports 2 big factors determine year class Walleyes spawn and the water temp stays low for too long, and spawning during high water and the water recedes to quickly and leaves the fry and eggs high and dry. Our best year classes have been when High spring flooding has stayed for a very long time but has continued to warm.

[offthehook67]

Originally Posted by TomP.

On the Mississippi from what I have read from DNR reports 2 big factors determine year class Walleyes spawn and the water temp stays low for too long, and spawning during high water and the water recedes to quickly and leaves the fry and eggs high and dry. Our best year classes have been when High spring flooding has stayed for a very long time but has continued to warm.

Last season on my home lake (which the Mississippi flows through) we were catching eye's still carrying their row. They did not spawn yet or as I understand it they probably wouldn't. That was the weekend off June 22nd. Late Spring and slow warm up probably attributed.

Originally Posted by Custom Eyes

There are tons of studies out there by natural resource departments that essentially prove that flooding or heavy rains which cause silt and sediment to cover the eggs, makes for a terrible year class. All a matter of timing and where the fish spawn. Honestly, probably the best thing for the spawn in most areas is for it to stay frozen for a while longer. Some of the better year classes on Erie have come from years where the thaw was late and the major amount of spawning happened before the ice was gone and the weather got nasty. If I'm not mistaken, one of the major year classes out there now on Erie came from a year when the spawn came and went before the ice and cold was gone and people even had a chance to get out there to fish. Slow steady thaw. We were lucky to make it out by Easter that year.

Didn't happen since I started fishing Erie (about 1955) and the biggest recent mega hatch (one of the biggest in recorded history) occurred in 2003, a year i'm not sure we even had any real ice in the western basin. I can't ever remember not fishing open water in vety early April.

[Papascott]

Originally Posted by Oh no

Didn't happen since I started fishing Erie (about 1955) and the biggest recent mega hatch (one of the biggest in recorded history) occurred in 2003, a year i'm not sure we even had any real ice in the western basin. I can't ever remember not fishing open water in vety early April.

2003 was actually very good ice. It kept well into March.

[Custom Eyes]

Originally Posted by Oh no

Didn't happen since I started fishing Erie (about 1955) and the biggest recent mega hatch (one of the biggest in recorded history) occurred in 2003, a year i'm not sure we even had any real ice in the western basin. I can't ever remember not fishing open water in vety early April.

March 9, 2003