Why temp beats date
Calendar dates lie — water temp doesn't. A north-facing pocket on a south-facing lake can run 8°F behind the main basin. Find the warmest 1°F pocket on the lake in spring and you've found the first wave.
Bass (largemouth / smallmouth / spotted)
Largemouth bed at 62–68°F, smallmouth 58–64°F, spots 60–65°F. Pre-spawn staging begins 8°F below those numbers — that's when reaction baits crush.
Walleye and sauger
Walleye spawn at 42–50°F over gravel/rubble. River runs peak first, reservoir tributaries second. Jig minnows below dams when water hits 38°F.
Crappie
Black crappie bed at 58–62°F, white crappie 60–66°F. They go shallow in waves — first wave the south-facing banks, then north-facing 7–10 days later.
Pike and muskie
Pike spawn first at 40–52°F in shallow weedy bays. Muskie follow at 55–60°F over harder bottom. Both bite poorly during the spawn itself — target pre- and post-spawn.
Trout (rainbow / brown / brook)
Rainbows spawn 40–50°F in spring, browns and brook trout in fall at 44–48°F. Don't target spawning beds — fish staging runs and tailwaters instead.