Quote Originally Posted by MikeAxsom View Post
Cbass has this one correct guys. The decline in Largemouth recruitment was inevitable the moment Gizzard Shad were returned to the lake. Yes, there are still illegal tournaments going on, and yes that is a form of poaching that all sportsmen should refuse to tolerate. But West Boggs is productive enough to absorb a lot of harvest. What it can not tolerate is Gizzard Shad. We have been over and over this issue for the past 8 years. During that Time I have been taken to task repeatedly for stating what all managers believe; that this and other Gizzard Shad introductions are deliberate and are done by misinformed people who think it will make more forage for bass and better fishing. I have told this forum all this probably a hundred times in that 8 years.

We have been drawing the lake down each winter for those 8 years, as part of a study with DNR to see how effective induced winter kills might be in management of Gizzard Shad. That study is scheduled to run through 2010. After that I hope to be able to convince DNR to invest in another total renovation. The key to selling that idea is you folks. As long as it is apparent that the angling community refuses to accept what they are being told about the inappropriateness of having gizzard shad as forage in warm shallow water reservoirs in this region, the present thinking is that a renovation would be a waste of money. All it takes is one idiot with some bad information and a little ingenuity, and the whole problem will start all over again.

If serious anglers really want to do something to improve fishing in our state, jump in this on the right side and help us kill the shad=big bass myth. The money saved battling this stupidity is actually your own.

Hi Mike,

Just a few questions here. By total renovation do you mean draw the lake down and treat the lake with retonone? Is it possible to treat the lake every 3-4yrs with retonone at a level that is leathal to shad but leaves other game fish unharmed? And would stocking the lake with a larger predator fish like musky help control the shad population? I believe this is the approach the DNR took with Waveland and it appears to be working thus far. Although the shad do seem to be more and more abundant each year.

Also, do you believe the shad were reintroduced by some "do-gooder" or do you think they were leftovers from the previous renovation?

BK McKenney

May the holes in your net be smaller than the fish in it.