Fish Spawning Calendar
Which fish spawn in which month, and the water temperature that actually triggers it.
Pike and white bass spawn first, in water still in the 30s and low 50s. Walleye, crappie and rainbow trout follow through spring, bass spawn as the water reaches the low 60s, bluegill and catfish carry through early summer, and brown and brook trout spawn in autumn. Every window below is tied to a temperature, because the temperature is what the fish respond to.
18 species appear here. Each one’s timing traces to a fisheries agency or peer-reviewed source — species we cannot cite are left out rather than estimated.
Month by month
JanuaryThis month
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Steelhead
FebruaryThis month
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Rainbow Trout (42–44°F), Steelhead
MarchThis month
Peaking: Steelhead
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Crappie (55–68°F), Greater Amberjack, Northern Pike (34–40°F), Rainbow Trout (42–44°F), Steelhead, White Bass (50–55°F)
AprilThis month
Peaking: Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, White Bass
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Crappie (55–68°F), Greater Amberjack, Largemouth Bass (60–65°F), Northern Pike (34–40°F), Rainbow Trout (42–44°F), Smallmouth Bass (60–64°F), Steelhead, Walleye (42–50°F), Wels Catfish (64–72°F), White Bass (50–55°F)
MayThis month
Peaking: Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Bluegill (70–80°F), Channel Catfish (70–75°F), Common Snook, Crappie (55–68°F), Greater Amberjack, Largemouth Bass (60–65°F), Rainbow Trout (42–44°F), Smallmouth Bass (60–64°F), Steelhead, Walleye (42–50°F), Wels Catfish (64–72°F)
JuneThis month
Peaking: Bluegill, Channel Catfish
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Bluegill (70–80°F), Channel Catfish (70–75°F), Common Snook, Crappie (55–68°F), Flathead Catfish, Greater Amberjack, Largemouth Bass (60–65°F), Smallmouth Bass (60–64°F), Wels Catfish (64–72°F)
JulyThis month
Peaking: Common Snook, Flathead Catfish
Spawning: Black Sea Bass, Bluegill (70–80°F), Common Snook, Flathead Catfish, Smallmouth Bass (60–64°F)
AugustThis month
Spawning: Bluegill (70–80°F), Common Snook
SeptemberThis month
Spawning: Brook Trout (43–53°F), Common Snook
OctoberThis month
Peaking: Brook Trout
Spawning: Brook Trout (43–53°F), Brown Trout (42–48°F)
NovemberThis month
Peaking: Brown Trout
Spawning: Brook Trout (43–53°F), Brown Trout (42–48°F)
DecemberThis month
Spawning: Steelhead
Every verified species
Ordered by when the window opens. Temperature is the trigger; the dates are what that temperature usually means at mid-latitude.
| Species | Season | Window | Temperature | Local timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefish | spring and summer | — – — | not published | — |
| Black Sea Bass | winter through summer | 1 Jan – 31 Jul | not published | — |
| Rainbow Trout | spring | 15 Feb – 31 May | 42–44°F | Colorado |
| Greater Amberjack | spring | 1 Mar – 30 Jun | not published | — |
| White Bass | spring | 1 Mar – 25 Apr | 50–55°F | KansasMissouriOklahoma |
| Crappie | spring | 15 Mar – 30 Jun | 55–68°F | MichiganOhio |
| Northern Pike | spring | 20 Mar – 20 Apr | 34–40°F | Northern Pike: Identification and How to Catch ThemWisconsin |
| Walleye | spring | 1 Apr – 15 May | 42–50°F | How to Catch Walleye Through the IceHow to Catch Walleye from Shore at NightMichiganMinnesota |
| Wels Catfish | spring to early summer | 1 Apr – 30 Jun | 64–72°F | — |
| Smallmouth Bass | spring | 10 Apr – 1 Jul | 60–64°F | — |
| Largemouth Bass | spring | 15 Apr – 15 Jun | 60–65°F | The World Record Largemouth BassMissouriOhio |
| Common Snook | summer | 1 May – 30 Sep | not published | FloridaFlorida |
| Bluegill | spring | 20 May – 9 Aug | 70–80°F | IllinoisMichiganWisconsin |
| Channel Catfish | summer | 20 May – 30 Jun | 70–75°F | MissouriOhioOklahoma |
| Flathead Catfish | summer | 24 Jun – 21 Jul | not published | Missouri |
| Brook Trout | fall | 25 Sep – 30 Nov | 43–53°F | MaineMichiganWisconsin |
| Brown Trout | fall | 15 Oct – 30 Nov | 42–48°F | UtahWisconsinColoradoMichigan |
| Steelhead | spring | 15 Dec – 5 May | not published | Lake ErieLake MichiganMichigan |
Read the water, not the row
The dates above are what these temperature thresholds usually mean at mid-latitude. They are a model, not a measurement. A spring-fed river and a shallow southern lake at the same latitude can be a month apart, and one warm week moves the whole sequence forward.
Carry a thermometer. The temperature column is the part that travels; here is why that matters more than the calendar.
Fishing around spawning fish
Many fisheries close or restrict the spawning period, and those rules are set by your state or national agency and change without notice — check them before you go. Where fishing is open, avoid wading through redds: the clean, pale gravel patches trout and salmon cut to bury eggs. Walking across one destroys what is in it.
Frequently asked questions
What fish are spawning right now?
It depends on your water temperature more than the date. Broadly: pike and white bass go first in early spring, walleye and crappie follow, largemouth and smallmouth bass spawn as water reaches the low 60s, bluegill and catfish spawn through early summer, and brown and brook trout spawn in autumn. Use the calendar below, then check the temperature threshold for the species you want.
Why does the same species spawn at different times in different states?
Because the temperature threshold is the constant, not the date. The month a lake reaches 60°F varies with latitude, elevation, depth and whether the water is spring-fed. That is why every species below is listed with its temperature as well as its window — the temperature travels, the calendar does not.
Can I fish for spawning fish?
Where it is legal, and carefully. Many fisheries close or restrict spawning periods, and those rules are set by your state agency and change. Avoid wading through redds — the pale patches of cleaned gravel where trout and salmon bury eggs — because footfall destroys them. Check the current regulations with the agency before you go.
Why are some species missing from this calendar?
Because we have not been able to trace their spawning timing to a primary source. We publish a spawning window only once it comes from a fisheries agency or peer-reviewed research. A species with no citable data gets no row rather than an invented one.