Update on dead fish at barren

[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.......

[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...