Hi Rob! I am no expert on this but I believe the timing varies by location and is highly dependent on water temperature. For example, my log shows that I fished shallow water in the Delta last year on 3/5/04 and found the water temperature was 52 degrees -- absolutely no sign of any largemouths in the shallows. They might have been there but I got 0 hits. However, I fished Turlock Lake last Sunday on 3/6/05 and the water temperature there was 67 degrees -- 15 degrees higher and I managed to catch one largemouth in about 3 feet of water. By the same token, I fished Modesto Reservoir last year on 3/14/04 and the water temperature there was 64 degrees -- I caught a nice smallmouth in about 4 feet of water. Certainly by the time I got to the end of April last year, the Delta water temperature was approaching 70 degrees and the topwater fly fishing for largemouths there in the shallows was very good.
I think you're right, though, that generally speaking, the smallmouths show up a little earlier than the largemouths. But as you can see, water temperatures can vary significantly by location and I believe this is a factor. And I believe March is a good time to start prospecting the shallows of valley lakes, especially for smallmouths. I like to see water temperature over 60 degrees, 65 or higher even better. David Lee and I will be conducting further research (someone has to do it) this Sunday, 3/13/05.
As an aside, I should mention that my experience in the Delta has been VERY different from my experiences on lakes. On lakes, it has seemed to me that, in mid-summer, the shallow-water bite often shuts down around 9:00 a.m. as the day warms up and the sun gets higher in the sky. Conversely, on the Delta, I have often found the best fishing at 1:00 p.m., out in the open, on the hottest dog days of summer. Delta fish I believe are tuned into the tides rather than time of day, regardless if the sun is directly overhead on the hottest of days. A side benefit of this is I learned it was ok to sleep in. Be interesting to hear of others' experiences in these matters. . . .
-- Mike
Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life.
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