Channels starting to spawn

[John]

The channels are moving into the rocky shoreline in NE Oklahoma. My brother and I caught some on jigs while crappie fishing a rocky bank last week. I thought it was just an accident cause it seems early, but he and another friend caught a bunch yesterday tossin shrimp under corks along rocky banks while I wasted another day lookin for those stinkin crappie.

[shb]

Hey John, what water temp do you have with the spawning channels? Do you find it any easier or harder to catch them when they are spawning? The cats I'm after seem to have just got started biting good after the cold winter. I wish I could find a thermometer that I trust.

[John]

The temp on my locator says right at 60 degrees. The spawn is always a great time to catch channels along rocky shorelines. They like to nest in pockets and holes around and under rocks. They are concentrated along the bank then and bite quite well on bait as well as artificials.

It seems a bit early for them though. One sign that always indicates that it's time for the channels to spawn around these parts is when the blackberries bloom, and the berries aren't bloomin.