No not a stupid question, I just think everyone gets beat over the head with the spawn questions this time of year and kinda tunes out...just my observation anyway.

I think you are right about your assumption. The males move in first and get the bed ready for the ladies. The females usually hang out a bit deeper and move off and on (up and down) depending on allot of different factors, but I believe they are almost always close by.

I have a very hard time sight fishing and typically try and fish deeper where I can't see the fish and they can't see me. How deep depends allot on water clarity.