Lake cumberland white bass?

[SSKY]

I know there has been some recent effort to restore the fishery.After several years of no white bass, What is the current theory as to why they are gone? Our state biologists that want to try to restock them " and that would be a good thing if it works" should have some ideal as to how a prolific species on the lake disappeared. Poor spawning effort is not a logical answer as they did it for 30 years and are now gone.Just curious as how that could happen there must be a reason.

[mkspw]

I think it was some time in the early 90's? my buddy and I fished the last weeek on April on the lower part on Cumberland the coves were filled with big female white bass.You could catch a 100 a day apiece. It didn't appear they made a run that year for some reason.In a couple of years they were gone.I have been told that mining on the big south stopped the runs.The runoffs from the mining.But there are many creeks that they used to run up that wasn't mined on the headwaters.Stripers also got the blame also to but I don't think there are that many stripers in the lake.Green river has a good run if you can get the right conditions.I spent many a great day in the early 70's fishing on the big south for white bass.

[JoeB]

The erie strain walleye ate them!

[SSKY]

Joe B I cannot actually belive that you are serious.There has to be a real reason based in fact.

[SSKY]

The coal thing might have had some traction 40 years ago but not as of the late 80's as the fish were doing very well up until that time. There has to be a reason that would be simple to explain if your lifes work was to be a fisheries biologist. Alewives would be a good excuse.

[BSeybold]

I can't speak for Cumberland, but we have the same problem at Green. Back in the 80s it wasn't unusual for at least 50 boats to be setting around waiting for the White Bass to jump. Everyone caught fish. Last year you were lucky to see 5 or 10 boats waiting. AlsoI don't see the large schools of Threadfin Shad minnows anymore. They were the primary food for the Whites. I was told a few years ago that a 'State agency' added a chemical to kill off the Threadfins to cut back on the Whites and allow the walleye to take hold. I don't know if this is true but I do know that the minnow population is not as great as it was in the late 1980s. I guess this sounds like a 'good ole day's' story, but I don't think Mother Nature is the reason the White Bass have declined and I don't think overfishing is the problem. I beleive they have had some help. Just my opinion, no proof to back it up.

[mhall]

Hey SSKY, everything I've been told about the problem with the whites at the big C seems to point to the alewives, They will eventually hurt the bluegill population as well, IMHO.

[JoeB]

Of course I'm not. I was just giving you another reason to complain about L. Cumberland walleye fishing. Truth is, I don't have a clue why the white bass have disappeared. The poor spawning years theory doesn't seem logical to me. I don't think even several bad spawns in a row would completely decimate a species. I used to think it was the alwives. It does seem plausable that a cloud of white bass larva flowing back into the lake from a feeder ck. could go through a school of alwives and be wiped out. But, there are several lakes in the southeast US where the same thing has happened at the same time, and these lakes do not contain alwives. So.....I'm clueless. Wish I knew, cause I sure miss em.

[kygorski]

Where are they at Dale Hollow also? I caught just one white bass there since I started fishing that lake in 1993.The cumberland river used to have some good white fishing also, that is gone, the past fall was the first time in over four yrs that I caught any whites at all, and they were all small.There is one other culprit that no one talks about, the long nosed gar population has increased greatly in dale and have seen a lot on cumberland also.

[JoeB]

There have always been plenty of gar in Cumberland, that's not the problem. Neither is it the stripers. (before anyone says it)

[apb]

Dale and Cumberland both have alewifes. Add those to a bad spawn and plenty of people taking limits and you might have an answer. Just a guess anyway.

Andrew

[SSKY]

Thanks for the post Joe B, even though we disagree on the the genectic makeup of the population of walleye on Cland, I still would think that we both want the best for the lake. On the white bass issue. It has to be figured out or it might effect all of the other fisheries.