Originally Posted by
MikeAxsom
There is really no doubt that the bluegill; and crappie fisheries at West Boggs are being seriously harmed by the abundance of Gizzard Shad. While there are still opportunities for these species, they are not nearly at the level they were prior to 2000, when the shad were re-introduced. There are still some years that are better than others, but we know that overall, shad will diminish these species first. I am hoping that the fact that we have the lake back to full pool early this year may allow better nesting conditions for bluegill; as opposed to the rising water conditions they have found at nesting time for the past few years. But nothing is going to make it possible to have gizzard shad and a quality pan fish fishery in the same water.
At the same time, study data shows that the Largemouth Bass fishery is producing some very large fish, and should continue to do so for several more years. This fishery too will be harmed by the presence of shad eventually. The larger bass actually thrive on the abundant shad forage; but we lose the young bass to competition. Surveys show that is happening now, so at some point in the future the numbers of adult bass will decline and there will not be enough young bass surviving to make up the difference.
As I said here before, I think the answer is another total renovation. But until some solution can be found to prevent shad re-introduction again, that it not going to be seen as a cost effective option. The only viable solution seems to be to educate the public about the problems caused by unauthorized movement of fish from water body to water body, which is how shad get redistributed. As you may see here from time to time, these comments often raise arguments from people who do not want to accept the realities of all this, and from that it appears that the education effort is just not working. That means the renovation project is not yet going to be on the table.