I haven't heard anything yet but I've been afraid it would happen. These cold stretches have been relentless and the average water temps are currently 38.
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Heard some guys said there was some large amounts of dead shad, in several different creeks. anyone seen this, I'am going in the morning guess I will see, Thanks
I haven't heard anything yet but I've been afraid it would happen. These cold stretches have been relentless and the average water temps are currently 38.
Isn't a shad die off generally good for the lake?
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I do not think it will hurt much. There were times in Pitman and Fishing creek this year in the summer where the water was just black with shad that were 1.5 to 2 inches long. U would have sworn u could get out and walk they were so thick. Back to the OP, I think there is some degree of die off yearly. Part of the cycle.
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I am not a biologist and I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn Express hotel in a long while, so my opinion is quite uneducated. My opinion... it depends... How much of a die off? Was it of the over abundance young bait from this past year. Was it just the young threadfins or alewwives? The Gizzard stock? Alewives?
Catching quality Alewives became a major struggle at Grider Hill this past November. The year before in the same time frame, I was pulling up more than I could lift out of the water. From what I hear it is still really tough. I heard of someone who got nine baits in 30 something casts back in Otter recently.
So are the quality baits affected and is there enough new bait to grow up to quality size.
Alewives have a long history of boom and bust, especially in lakes. They had been booming the last few years and the fish stocking have increased do to the abundance of bait and the fact that forage was scattered through the lake much more than previously thought. A major bust could have a direct and immediate impact on the predator populations.
And I could be way over thinking it... If so, just call me the boy who cried wolf. Ha!
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It looks like juvenile alewives. It looks like an average late winter die off, really no more and no less than an average winter with similar temps. Main thing to remember is the size of the die off seems to reflect the overall weather/temps for that particular winter. And i agree, we could lose trillions of shad and still be over populated, this last september was awe inspiring at times.
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Someone educate me on Alewives please. Were they stocked by KDFWR for stripers in C-land? They aren't a native species for this area correct?? The droves of shad we were seeing in the late summer were all threadfin. You could literally dip them at times. No throw net required.
We did see some in Faubush creek, I dont know what kind the little small 2 inch shad, and we got skunked today also,
Alewives are not native and were not stocked on purpose so by definition you can call them an invasive species. Both the threadfin and alewives hatches were huge this past year. From some reports I've seen\heard since this report, I agree it was\is a good thing.Someone educate me on Alewives please. Were they stocked by KDFWR for stripers in C-land? They aren't a native species for this area correct?? The droves of shad we were seeing in the late summer were all threadfin. You could literally dip them at times. No throw net required.
I don't know near the amount of information Stripernut,and Duayne know about Cumberland.It Seems If I remember, it was quite the opposite. The Striper were stocked for shad /alewives control. ChuckSomeone educate me on Alewives please. Were they stocked by KDFWR for stripers in C-land? They aren't a native species for this area correct?? The droves of shad we were seeing in the late summer were all threadfin. You could literally dip them at times. No throw net required.