Spawning facts 101

[Lee Borgersen]

   Spawning facts for common fish species in Wisconsin

May 18, 2013

Fish spawning behavior is dictated by photoperiod (length of daylight) and water temperature. Colder than normal weather in Wisconsin this spring has delayed spawning for many species.

Listed below are spawning facts for common fish species in Wisconsin. Information is taken from Fishes of Wisconsin by George C. Becker and Guide to Great Lakes Fishes by Gerald R. Smith.

Black crappie: Spawn in late spring or early summer. Males establish territories and nest sites near vegetation, often on soft bottom. Males exhibit parental care.

Bluegill: Males establish territories, build nests and tend eggs and young. Spawn in late spring and summer.

Brook trout: Spawn in fall in creeks and other waters with cold water and gravel substrate. Females dig a redd (nest) with a fanning motion of the tail. As eggs are laid, a male fertilizes them and a female buries the eggs with her tail.

Channel catfish: Spawn in late spring or summer when water temperature rises above 75 degrees. Male makes a nest, often in undercut banks or beneath tree roots and waits for a female to deposit eggs. Male guards eggs and fry.

Freshwater drum: Spawn in late spring or early summer in offshore areas when the water reaches 66 to 72 degrees. Males make drumming sound during courtship.

Lake trout: Return to natal areas in fall and spawn at night on rocky substrate, typically offshore reefs.

Largemouth bass: Males are territorial and aggressive. Spawning occurs in late spring or summer over a nest 2 to 3 feet in diameter prepared and defended by the male in warm, shallow water. Nest sites are chosen when the water reaches 60 degrees and eggs are laid when the temperature is 62 to 65 degrees. Young may be guarded by the male for as long as one month.

Muskellunge: Spawn in spring in shallow bays near thick aquatic vegetation when water temperatures reach 49 to 59 degrees. Spawn during daylight. There is no parental care.

Northern pike: Migrate to shallow, vegetated lakeshores or into streams to spawn in vegetation when water temperature reaches about 48 degrees. Spawn in the afternoon, eggs are scattered, no nest or parental care.

Smallmouth bass: Males return to the same spawning area, precisely if possible, each year. Spawning occurs in late spring or early summer over a nest 2 to 6 feet in diameter, prepared and defended by a male in water 2 to 20 feet deep. Smallmouth have been documented spawning at temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees, with peak spawning from 62 to 64 degrees. Females may deposit eggs in several nests. Males defend nest and guard young.

Walleye: Migrate to spawning habitat in rivers or along shorelines; no nests are built. Spawning groups typically include one or two large females and several males. Spawning takes place at night in water temperatures of 38 to 44 degrees. No parental care for eggs or young.

Yellow perch: Spawn in spring at water temperatures of about 44 to 66. No nest is built, and eggs are not guarded. Eggs are expelled by females in one or several long strands, sometimes as long as 7 feet. The male fertilizes the eggs as they are expelled.