The Sunlight Factor.

[walleye express]

Not wanting another "Lucky Duck" misunderstanding, I was talking to and paying attention to anybody who even slightly noticed me, my rig or the fish we had yesterday at the ramp. And while talking to one gentleman about the maturity of the eggs in some of the walleyes, he said it all has to do with the sun. And after listening intently to all his theories about that subject and his reasoning, I asked if he thought the sun might be in the same position this Jan 12th as it was last Jan 12th last year. Hmmmm, he says. I see your point.:rolleyes: :lol: :lol:

[waterfoul]

Not wanting another "Lucky Duck" misunderstanding, I was talking to and paying attention to anybody who even slightly noticed me, my rig or the fish we had yesterday at the ramp. And while talking to one gentleman about the maturity of the eggs in some of the walleyes, he said it all has to do with the sun. And after listening intently to all his theories about that subject and his reasoning, I asked if he thought the sun might be in the same position this Jan 12th as it was last Jan 12th last year. Hmmmm, he says. I see your point.:rolleyes: :lol: :lol:

BUT, no ice... more light makes it into the water.... he MAY have a point.... but I'm no expert.

[fish eater]

I'm not an expert or a biologist either by no means, but I would have to assume that egg development or maturity is almost entirely based on nutrition and/or diet. What kind of eggs did you come accross in the fish Capt. Dan? Were they pretty developed, or did they look not so good? Obviously it's gotta have a lot to do with the forage base, right? I hope their eggs are good, cuz without the ice and the lower amount of fishing pressure, there should be alot of good spawner's out there this year to contribute to future crops.:chillin:
Waterfoul, that could be a good point. Maybe there is some merit to that?

[walleye express]

I'm not an expert or a biologist either by no means, but I would have to assume that egg development or maturity is almost entirely based on nutrition and/or diet. What kind of eggs did you come accross in the fish Capt. Dan? Were they pretty developed, or did they look not so good? Obviously it's gotta have a lot to do with the forage base, right? I hope their eggs are good, cuz without the ice and the lower amount of fishing pressure, there should be alot of good spawner's out there this year to contribute to future crops.:chillin:
Waterfoul, that could be a good point. Maybe there is some merit to that?

Actually that big walleyes anal vent was protruding a bit as well. That usually is the last thing to happen prior to the actual spawn. So seeing that this early in the season is also rare. I didn't actually see the eggs and their maturity size, at that fish went home with somebody else. But I could tell from her already bulging girth, they were good size. I also realize that some of these fish are naturally early spawners and some will not even come into the river until early March. But the sun being a factor in any of this, is I believe a minor one.

[fish eater]

Well, if that fish had good girth on her like that, that sounds like good news to me. I'm hoping we get another good spawn. The future of our Walleye fishery sounds like it should be good for alot of small business', and our friendly local charter captains.;) :chillin:

[walleye express]

Man, anybody fishing on the river today are paying their dues. That wind is wicked and bitter.:fish2: :rant:

[scottyhoover]

The weather gods hate weekend warriors today. Forget it! I'll keep sipping my hot coffee.

[eyesforever]

Not wanting another "Lucky Duck" misunderstanding, I was talking to and paying attention to anybody who even slightly noticed me, my rig or the fish we had yesterday at the ramp. And while talking to one gentleman about the maturity of the eggs in some of the walleyes, he said it all has to do with the sun. And after listening intently to all his theories about that subject and his reasoning, I asked if he thought the sun might be in the same position this Jan 12th as it was last Jan 12th last year. Hmmmm, he says. I see your point.:rolleyes: :lol: :lol:
What is this thing called "sun". Remember the word, but that's all.:rolleyes:

[dinoday]

Me and a couple friends are trying it tomorrow,I'll let you know what happens:fish:

[walleye express]

Me and a couple friends are trying it tomorrow,I'll let you know what happens:fish:

I thinking of a Titt. trip tomorrow with a bud, and Clients on the saginaw Monday. As always, film at eleven if either trip is news worthy. .:yikes: :lol: :lol:

[alex-v]

My theory is that the spawning cycle is dependant on several naturally occuring things.

It is the amount of daylight hours or the amount of time that it is day. Since any amount of daytime happens twice per year a secondary factor has to be present and that is that the daylight time is increasing (approaching spring) rather than decreasing (approaching fall). Otherwise some of our spring spawning specie would be trying to spawn in the fall.

Forage and feeding will definately have an effect on the health of the mature fish and the health and size of the eggs. Healthy mature fish are better able to survive the spawning ritual. Healthy eggs are better able to survive the bad days on the river bottom when silt or temperatures could be a problem for a couple of days.

Nature is a very complex thing.

[Spanky]

Length of day + water temp= Time of spawn.;)