The bass and white perch spawn are winding down as the bream spawn cast off.

Just because the perch spawn is winding down sure does not mean they are still not catching limits of big slab perch. The male perch are still holding shallow near the spawning areas. Most of the females have moved out to deeper water to recoup from the rigors of spawning. The bass are doing the same thing. The shallows on some lakes are loaded with small male bass while the larger females are scattered here and there. It has been a couple years since we had a really great year for bream. Somehow we must have had a very successful bream spawn in 2013 and 2014. I saw some nice bream come from Lakes Concordia, St. John and Lake Bruin this past week. We did not see that last year.

I spoke with several ladies and fishermen about where, how and when they were catching the bream. Many were fly fishing with wet flies like a bream killer while others are doing the cricket and red worm deal on jig poles. My preference is an ultra-light spinning rig spooled with test line and a small 1/32nd ounce black and yellow beetle spin with a very slow retrieve. You can wipe a nest of bream out without digging for crickets and worms to bait up after each fish. It is very easy to catch the bream on the landlocked oxbow lakes when the spawn is on. Just think shallow, and think sunlight.

The bream beds will usually be near, think cover like a lay-down tree or a cypress tree, but not in the shade. Eggs need sunlight to hatch, so most beds will be in a shallow area that receives sunlight. Oddly enough you can find bream beds using your nose. You can smell a bream bed. It is a really strong fishy smell. I have actually been running down a lake doing 45 m.p.h. and the smell will hit you.That will be common probably starting this coming week. The water temperature is still a little too cool for the bream bed smell right now but soon will be. May should be a good month for bream.

The bream spawn usually ends in late May. It is now time for the largemouth bass to retaliate. The bass spawn kicked off before the bream spawn. The female lays her eggs on a nest built mostly by the male fish and she leaves. The male stands guard over the roe and later on, when the eggs hatch, the little male bass watches over the fry until they grow to fingering size and swim away. During this time, bream circle a bass bed and will drive the male bass crazy. He will go after one bream while others move in and eat the roe or fry.

Now reverse that scene. The bass will hang out near the bream beds eating the bream as they try to spawn and later on they will feast on the small bream once they hatch. So the bass anglers do well while the bream are spawning by locating bream beds and fishing for bass. We have two Open bass tournaments in May.

On May 16th, the second annual Big John Outdoors Bass Classic will be held on the Saline/Larto Complex to benefit the Catch-A-Dream Foundation. On May 30th, Eddie’s Marine will host the 6th annual Relay for Life “Team Carry~On” Bass Challenge on Lake St. John out of Spokane Landing. These are two good fishing events to compete in with high payouts plus you will be casting for a great cause. You can contact me at Eddie’s Marine 318-336-5133 or on my personal Facebook page for more information on these events or any fishing related events in this area

 

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@bellsouth.net.