TWRA Biologist Shares "Good News, Bad News" for Anglers

[rsimms]

TWRA Biologist Shares "Good News, Bad News" for Anglers
Shad die-off affecting fishing

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_102622.asp

 

[fishinvol]

Makes alot of sense! Thanks for sharing Richard!

 

[Fishin Fool]

That makes sense. I actually caught fish yesterday when I moved up the chick a little from my normal spots around Harrison Bay. Sounds like if everything holds we'll have a heck of a spring season for bass.

 

[hl&s]

Hi Everyone, 1st post. I enjoy reading and appreciate all the good fishing info in this forum.

I saw the effects of shad die off two weeks ago when my son and I fished a small tourny at Queen City Lake in Lafayette,Ga. We had been at it for a couple hours and had not gotten a bite. I kept noticing more birds than normal swooping down to the water. We finally came across what they were after, threadfin shad, which is the primary food in this lake. Hundreds were floating on the surface. Some would still wiggle occassionally. The water surface was 41 degrees. I knew shad starting dyeing off at 45 degrees and finally put two and two together and concluded that the bass were gouging on shad.

We fished the rest of the tourny without boating a fish. At check in we could not believe that out of 9 boats, with some of the best fishermen in the area, there was not ONE bass caught. Not One. This in a lake that has always produced decent bags. ( Yes we considered dynamite.....LOL)

Thanks for the article, it confirms what we thought.

From what I have read though, mother nature will insure a large threadfin spawn this spring to replenish the food chain.

 

[rsimms]

hl&s... emoWelcome

Thanks for sharing....

 

[fishinvol]

hl&s - 2/28/2007 9:38 AM

Hi Everyone, 1st post. I enjoy reading and appreciate all the good fishing info in this forum.

I saw the effects of shad die off two weeks ago when my son and I fished a small tourny at Queen City Lake in Lafayette,Ga. We had been at it for a couple hours and had not gotten a bite. I kept noticing more birds than normal swooping down to the water. We finally came across what they were after, threadfin shad, which is the primary food in this lake. Hundreds were floating on the surface. Some would still wiggle occassionally. The water surface was 41 degrees. I knew shad starting dyeing off at 45 degrees and finally put two and two together and concluded that the bass were gouging on shad.

I work with a guy who fishes that lake on a regular basis and he was in that little tourny. He came in the next monday and told me knowone boated a fish, of course I gave him a hard time about it!!

We fished the rest of the tourny without boating a fish. At check in we could not believe that out of 9 boats, with some of the best fishermen in the area, there was not ONE bass caught. Not One. This in a lake that has always produced decent bags. ( Yes we considered dynamite.....LOL)

Thanks for the article, it confirms what we thought.

From what I have read though, mother nature will insure a large threadfin spawn this spring to replenish the food chain.

 

[polo-dog]

I was thinking that the shad die off was from the cold water stress too. The water temp in WT and Harrison bay very rarely gets down near the lethal temp of 39 but this year it came really close. The other thing that happened is that the temp stayed low for quite a while and that hasn't happened much if any in the 17 years that I've lived here and on the creek. I am still amazed at the numbers of birds that have come to feast on the shad. How did those birds know about all of this? I guess news travels fast, even in the animal world. Those eagles are having a feast also.

 

[JerDog]

Thanks for the article Richard. Makes sense to me and think the fishing will be hot this spring.