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Interesting dilemma. My live bait, whether I use, shiners, pumpkinseeds, bluegill, or creek chubs seem to die very quickly. If I couldn't find any hungry fish, they'd last from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Lately, they don't last 10 minutes. I generally use 1/2 oz. trolling sinkers and thought I was dropping them too fast towards the bottom.
[QUOTE=cghuntcms;521951]Interesting dilemma. My live bait, whether I use, shiners, pumpkinseeds, bluegill, or creek chubs seem to die very quickly. If I couldn't find any hungry fish, they'd last from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Lately, they don't last 10 minutes. I generally use 1/2 oz. trolling sinkers and thought I was dropping them too fast towards the bottom.[/QUOTE]
The oxygen below 35' is very low just like it has been in the last few years because of the dam work.
See attached.
[QUOTE=peter;521953]The oxygen below 35' is very low just like it has been in the last few years because of the dam work.
See attached.[/QUOTE]
About the oxygen levels. I wonder if submerged vegetation is robbing the lake of oxygen, the stuff that grew while the lake was down. Second, I wonder if all that stuff that grew when the lake was down and is now decaying is robbing oxygen from the water. [url]http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/warnell/service/library/index.php3?docID=183[/url]
We also have had very few high wind days that tends to create waves and so turnover the surface and add oxygen. And, we've not had much rain in heavy downpours, a few, but not many.
Now for a reasonable fee, I'll eat two cans of baked beans, and float around in an inner tube and let the bubbles go to work. :D
[QUOTE=peter;521897]Once you get going can you please post tome photos of the screen or screen shots. That would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]
Be happy to.. Got the dragonfly installed late yesterday and plan on getting out this afternoon at Taylorsville to see how it performs. Got some spots marked on the lowrance chartplotter where I was marking some good structure on the old 515c that the raymarine replaced so hopefully I'll have some good images to share shortly.
2 weeks ago when I fished all week I had a problem keeping bait spunky in bait well. Normally I just pump fresh water in all day and have no problem keeping shiners alive. But two weeks ago when the bite was really tough I pumped fresh water in and the bait was still alive but very lethargic they didn’t have any energy at all, and was not real active and would die quickly when put in water. As I ran out of bait I would get some from VMKY because we put bait in his in morning his bait was way more active. After 3 days of that (I’m a slow learner) I switched my bait well to recirc and just re circulated water with blue stuff and salt and the bait was totally fine from there on out. The water temp was around 79 degrees and I have always done it that way and never noticed a problem. So either they just didn’t like the 79 degree water or there was very little oxygen at the surface. When I was re circulating I never put ice in so the water temp was basically the same but it sprays in from top which create bubbles and oxygen in the tank. This is the first time I had this problem, my baitwell in boat is round holds 40 gallons and is insulated, never had an issue with using fresh water but it made a huge difference using fresh water vs recirc with chemical and oxygen spraying in.
Now I know some say you have to have a mac daddy bait tank and air bubles and filters and a certain brand yata yata yata, but my factory one has worked fine for 5 years now both salt water and fresh it just had something to do with the fresh water coming in so I would suspect lack of oxygen at the surface. Since then have been fishing top water and no need to get bait so have not tried again.
At same time I sat on numerous schools of fish like Peter and even active ones but could not get a bite they just would not hit it. Even found a good school in a 40' deep running around in 30-35' but no takers several times. Any time in past if I am in a cove and on top if you drop 6 rods odds are 5 are gonna get hit but not a one. Dropped line diameter and hook size to smaller but did not make a difference they just wouldn't take the bait.
Actually, many on Cumberland are going away from using filter systems or recirc pumps. A simple bubbler with some salt is all I use even for alewives. I do trade some water out a time or two few hours after adding bait but that usually does the trick. I have a deep water pump that helps get the temp down and that is part of the water trade out. I wouldn't worry with the trade out with Shiners.