Update on dead fish at barren

[crankinon]

Sorry it took so long to get back but Ive been fishing for 4 days. Finally heard from biologist for Barren Lake. He says the only dead fish he knows about are the ones that die after the tournaments. Dont that just figure. I fished barren Friday and saturday and saw about 40 or 50 dead fish, most were hybids. I also saw alot of sick fish swimming close to the surface, they were covered with a white scaly growth down there sides. Several of these were largemouth. By the way fishin was tough. I didnt catch anything but short fish and spots but I would blame that on the weather. Something is wrong to make something like that happen to any animal maybe someone on here can enlighten us.

[ss]

I have been seeing quite a few dead hybrids and stripers at Monroe and Patoka in Indiana over the last month. It may be something weather related more than something isolated to one lake.

[jdkd]

We fished Barren this past weekend also, wow it was very tough! Almost every spot we fished we saw at least a couple of dead fish, some looked like hybreds, but a lot of them were Bass. I am also wondering what might have happened to them?

[jigman73]

Guys, please don't hammer me over this because it is mostly hypothetical. I was talking to my ecology professor at eastern the other day. He stated that after an exteme drought that the sulfuric acid in the atmosphere can become fairly highly concentrated (sometimes to the point that it can eat the paint off of your car), and that when rain does finally fall, all of that acid can have an adverse affect on a body of water. My thought is this, this may have happened when the area around the lake received lots of rain a couple of weeks ago and along with the fall turnover, could have potentially lowered the lake ph enough to cause damage to the fish.
I do know that if the ph is to low then it will eat away the gills and fins of the fish in the system. I was down there the last 2 weekends and saw several fish that were missing fins (still alive) and some with most of the gills gone (they were dying).
The lake having a ph level that is to low makes sense to me as to what I have seen on my own, and if I'm right then the rain that the lake should get this week should help alot.
Lee Bishop

[MsgMills]

This reasoning sure sounds a lot better than blaming the dead fish on Tournaments. Plus with as many Striped Bass being reported as dead, that to me would be the 2nd indication that it isn't Bass Tournaments. Believe me, back 20 plus years ago, I would have said it was probably the tournament guys as well. But with all the new chemicals and ice being added to live wells to help keep the fish alive, hardly enough evidence to blame the Bass Fishermen. The Tournament guys & Gals want to protect the fish as much as any one else, heck it's their goal to save the fish. Saving the fish means more fish to catch next time they fish a certain body of water.

Tight Lines my Friends....Clyde

Guys, please don't hammer me over this because it is mostly hypothetical. I was talking to my ecology professor at eastern the other day. He stated that after an exteme drought that the sulfuric acid in the atmosphere can become fairly highly concentrated (sometimes to the point that it can eat the paint off of your car), and that when rain does finally fall, all of that acid can have an adverse affect on a body of water. My thought is this, this may have happened when the area around the lake received lots of rain a couple of weeks ago and along with the fall turnover, could have potentially lowered the lake ph enough to cause damage to the fish.
I do know that if the ph is to low then it will eat away the gills and fins of the fish in the system. I was down there the last 2 weekends and saw several fish that were missing fins (still alive) and some with most of the gills gone (they were dying).
The lake having a ph level that is to low makes sense to me as to what I have seen on my own, and if I'm right then the rain that the lake should get this week should help alot.
Lee Bishop

[Fishin_4_Fun]

jigman73 you may be onto something here.

A couple of days when I was down there, there was a strong smell of sulpher around the dam area. I even asked my partner, "what is that smell"? He said it was the lake was turning over. I had never witnessed that before, but it made sense. You could smell it around the narrows also.

There was a lot of change going on with 5 1/2" of rain, the lake turnover, and the lake drawdown all starting at the same time.

I saw one pocket loaded with dead fish around Baileys Point. Most of the dead fish I've seen look to average 2 1/2 lbs.

[RC5]

That also makes sense as to why no other lakes are like that around the state most of our other lakes around here have a lot of limestone in them and that would counteract the acid. So maybe so MR. LEE I guess college is working...

[mhall]

Guys, please don't hammer me over this because it is mostly hypothetical. I was talking to my ecology professor at eastern the other day. He stated that after an exteme drought that the sulfuric acid in the atmosphere can become fairly highly concentrated (sometimes to the point that it can eat the paint off of your car), and that when rain does finally fall, all of that acid can have an adverse affect on a body of water. My thought is this, this may have happened when the area around the lake received lots of rain a couple of weeks ago and along with the fall turnover, could have potentially lowered the lake ph enough to cause damage to the fish.
I do know that if the ph is to low then it will eat away the gills and fins of the fish in the system. I was down there the last 2 weekends and saw several fish that were missing fins (still alive) and some with most of the gills gone (they were dying).
The lake having a ph level that is to low makes sense to me as to what I have seen on my own, and if I'm right then the rain that the lake should get this week should help alot.
Lee Bishop

That is the most logical and sound explanation I've heard yet.......

[Bill Day]

Turnover is the culprit. The lake has had very little inflow all year due to the drought. thus causing a very defined thermocline. Then with heavy rainfall resulting in a 4-5 foot rise of cooler water, the annual turnover came a little early. Also, they are really pulling the lake to get it down to winter pool (makes very little sense to me considering pending water shortages across the sout east) and this pulls cool river and creek water into the existing warm lake water which exacerbates the turnover.
Turnover decreases average oxygen ppm throughout the entire water column thereby stressing all life depending on that oxygen. This stress in turn causes all kinds of problems for the fish including the skin fungus we are seeing on the hybrids and LM at Barren.

[Devils Horse]

I've been seeing dead fish at Barren for several weeks now and am pretty well convinced it's a combination of things. No doubt there is some tournament mortality, and I've heard they did shock studies, but there has to be some ecological thing going on too.

One thing's for sure there've been a LOT of hybrid and black bass die over the last couple of months. IMO, the F/W Biologists need to get out there, check the water and see what's going on. Time for an email and phone call...

[Devils Horse]

I'll buy that as part of the problem, but I saw dozens of floaters all along the dam and upper side of the lake prior to labor day, well before the turnover or drawdown. Near as I can tell they've been dying in numbers since.

Here's a copy of an email I sent to the KDFWR Biologist based in Bowling Green. It can't hurt for him to take a look.

Eric,

I'm concerned with the number of dead bass I've seen on Barren River Reservoir the last couple of months. I feel there is some problem other than just tournament mortality, as a mix of hybrid and black bass in significant numbers have been dying. I've seen more dead bass since around Labor day this year than the past 12 years combined.

Other anglers I've talked to in person, and via the internet are concerned as well. While it's not my intent to over-react or panic, I believe an analysis of the water conditions in the reservoir and a physical examination of some of the dead fish is warranted. Please respond with your thoughts via email, or call my cell phone at [deleted].

Thank You,

Jim Richardson
Alvaton. Ky.

[jigman73]

There are several species of fish that can tolerate low oxygen concentrations, take rough fish for example, but hybrids cannot. While a the drought was and is a major participant in lowering the O2 levels, turnover actually plays its role in a different way. The bacteria at the bottom of the lake that are feeding on all the dead organic matter are in return producing mehtane gas that will stay trapped in the lowest levels of the water column until what we perceive as turnover takes place. Then the methane gas that was trapped on the bottom is released, thus most of the bubbling that you see taking place around the lake. This does reduce the O2 concentrations by the massive amount of methane gas that has been released, thus causing the suffication of some of the species that are less tolerant to some minor changes in their environment. The more methane that gets released the worst the impact. If it were just a matter of the turnover then ever lake in the state that turnsover would be completely dead after the turnover.
There are several factors that have come into play on Barren this fall (IMO).
1. Severe drought causing lower O2 levels.
2. More methane gas being released from bottom.
3. Lower ph levels. (which would also explain the fungus on the sides of the fish, as it would eat away at the slime coat on the fish, thus enabling the fungus to grow.)
Like Devil horse said, I don't think that what is happening is limited to just one thing but is instead a combination of many things and with a bit of rain, the lake should straighten up.