Does the full moon really trigger the spawn?
Interpret spawning from warming history, nests, guarding behaviour and fry, not a month alone. A Canadian cold spring can leave some fish spawning while others are already feeding after spawning. Nest building, egg laying and guarding are separate stages; a published spawning-temperature range is not an exact trigger. A population spawning in waves does not establish that every female lays two to five batches. Fish within local rules and avoid disrupting guarding fish.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Spawning
- At what water temperature do largemouth spawn?
- Do largemouth and smallmouth hybridize in the wild?
- How do I find largemouth beds?
- Do male or female largemouth guard the nest?
- How long do largemouth guard their fry?
- Is bed fishing harmful? Should I do it?
- Do largemouth eat while spawning?
- Do largemouth spawn more than once a year?
Same topic, other species
- What temperature do crappie spawn at — and is it one event? — Crappie
- When and where do muskie spawn? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- When and where do perch spawn? — Yellow Perch
- Why do pike spawn in flooded marshes at ice-out? — Northern Pike
- When do smallmouth spawn in the north vs the south? — Smallmouth Bass
- What is a redd, and why must I never wade through one? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- When and where do walleye spawn? — Walleye