WC dam levels

[Mombakkie]

Our average July rainfall on the farm for the past 5 years is 140mm, we didn't have half that last month. But like it has happened in the past we can get good rains well into October.
Late rains like we had last year can lead to a very poor spawn mainly due to a sudden rise in water levels or sudden drops in water temperature. What often does happen is that the fish have a second spawn in January/February.
I chucked bunches of young vines to be planted in a dam to prevent them drying out. When I removed them along came dozens of small (1 - 3 cm) bluegill that could only be from a late Jan/Feb spawn. They were taking cover in the bunches which were in water 2 ft deep.
I think farm dams due to their small size relative to the bigger resevoirs are more prone to inclement weather during the spawn. Heavy rain could raise a farm dam by 2 feet overnight flooding nests while a larger impoundment will rise much less and take longer to do so.
In my humble opinion of course.