lake cumberland dead fish floating everywhere

[Duayne]

Thanks Boone. Great read. I've never seen this one before but we've seen plenty more just like it.

Folks, Stripers, Hybrids and white bass serve a very real and very needed purpose on dammed waters. The most attractive thing about striped bass and hybrids are the put and take aspects. This means the populations can usually very much be controlled based on their need. If the bait populations suffer, stockings can, and will, be reduced. They do not prey on game fish and especially do not key on baby bass. As has been stated, bass are the biggest predators of baby bass. Why? Because the baby bass will eventually compete in the same areas as the mature bass.

Right now, ALL PARTS of the lake Cumberland fishery could be headed for real problems.

I just spoke to my sister who was down this past weekend. They, "fished" with binocs and a landing net and got two on the one day they went out. They knew that KDFW had removed over 600 floaters from the dam area alone, on Saturday morning alone. The dead fish will also have an affect on other fish and the O2 levels are at a point close to where nothing can survive. This is like having a part of me whither and die.

[Duayne]

I sure haven't been able to tell a difference in the SM fishery, but I certainly will take your word for it. The Ky bass numbers have been about the same but the size seems to have been down some. The crazy spring levels has to play a part in it. I thought I heard they were thinking of supplementing the LM hatch next year if it isn't a good spawn.

[apb]

Good summary info on that link Boone. Thanks for posting that.

Another study that I read a few years ago was done on Smith Mountain Lake in VA. The fisheries people had been stocking fingerling stripers in just one area of the lake. They found that many of those fingerling stripers were being eaten by bass. Had to modify their striper stocking to allow more of the fry to survive.

Andrew

[Rock_Fish]

This is very Sad ! But I do not agree with them suspending the stocking until the Dam is done. Simply because this is due to the amount of rainfall that we have had this year. HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER WILL DO THE NEXT FEW YEARS ????? AND ALSO, When they seen this starting to happen. WHY did they not stop the draw down of the lake for a few days ???? It is not like it has been at an alarming level. Like it was back in the spring @ over 700'

[mhall]

This is very Sad ! But I do not agree with them suspending the stocking until the Dam is done. Simply because this is due to the amount of rainfall that we have had this year. HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER WILL DO THE NEXT FEW YEARS ????? AND ALSO, When they seen this starting to happen. WHY did they not stop the draw down of the lake for a few days ???? It is not like it has been at an alarming level. Like it was back in the spring @ over 700'

Excellent point I wonder the same thing.

[MagikSmallie]

This is very Sad ! But I do not agree with them suspending the stocking until the Dam is done. Simply because this is due to the amount of rainfall that we have had this year. HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER WILL DO THE NEXT FEW YEARS ????? AND ALSO, When they seen this starting to happen. WHY did they not stop the draw down of the lake for a few days ???? It is not like it has been at an alarming level. Like it was back in the spring @ over 700'

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

[mhall]

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

Yes you are right it did, but nowhere near as bad as they are saying it is this year. Man from the reports I'm getting this is horrible, thousands of dead fish. Andrew I guess you and I are gonna have to make a road trip this fall to Cherokee or Norris???

[Rudypoo4444]

You know maybe these striper just aren't supposed to be in our lakes. They aren't natural, and I for one will be glad to see them go on Cumberland, even if its just temporary. I know alot of you like them, I know there are guides that make a livin with them, and I admit they are fun to catch, but really they shouldn't be in KY waters, they're a lab made fish. They out compete bass for food resources and they feed directly on small bass as well. I for one am glad, maybe the bass fishing will pick up a cumberland since no more stocking will be done with the stripers. I know my stance isn't popular, but I don't care, it will be nice to see the bass pick up at cumberland. which with the absence of stripers you can bet the bass will pick up!

You do know that C-land isn't a natural body of water right? The whole thing is an "unnatural" feature of the land. But you probably knew that, since you schooled everyone that stripers are a lab made fish. LOL.

If you were REALLY concerned for the bass of C-Land, you would be concerned with every fish in there, and not just the bass. From everything I can gather, the stripes are one of the main driving forces behind controling the alewives. They are in there to stay, so the stripes should be to, to help control them.

[peter]

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

From my recollection this is a "carbon copy" of last year.

Been watching the temp/o2 readings at various depths since July 09.
This year in August the water down deep has been slightly cooler with slightly more 02 down deep than last year and that is good!
The larger fish followed that temp/o2 zone as it got deeper through August.
Apparently that o2 down deep has been depleted, but this has happened later than it did last year and that is good too! At least better than last year.

I remember last year in mid Aug fishing at 70 feet and two weekends later fishin at 25 and 30 feet. Seems like some of the larger fish came up into the warm oxygenated water. Some may have stayed and died down deep, who knows.

The good news this year is that the already oxygenated water 30 feet and above will cool faster than last year, I think. The highs and lows are predicted to be cooler now through Sept 15 than it was last year.

Over all this year o2 and water temp in Aug has been better per the Corp's readings.

The thing that "is" different are the number of visible floaters, and it's enough to freak any body out! I did not see it last weekend.

To me the floaters could be caused my any number of reasons more numerous than those listed below.

-catch and release- Do some quick math, #boats x # fish x#days fish float.

-Extreme high surface temps. I have no idea of the upper temp threshold for a striper of a given size is. In this case I think we are talking 23" and under. Over 86 degrees maybe? What is the temp in the Ohio River right now? Does it get close to 89 in the summer. Been so long I forgot but I know it gets hot. Plenty of 12 lb. fish there.

-Some one suggested that a fish going from 60-70 up to 30 to find bait may run into bladder expansion problems and not be able to go back down. In mid August I graphed fish yo yo'ing from 60 feet to the surface, many many times and didn't see any floaters. Maybe they were not stripers? I don't know anything about the function of a fish's bladder and lactic acid build up.

-This one is pure conjecture on my part. The smaller fish (23" and below) that were hanging out in the 86+ degree well oxygenated water 25 feet and above decided for some unknown reason to go below 30 feet to cooler water where there was no o2. For at least over a month (relying on memory) there has been no o2 from 30 feet to say 50,60 70 feet depending on the date.

Maybe certain schools all went down there together. I heard on this site that at times there would be groups fish dying on the surface within a relatively short time span in specific areas. Seems to me like this scenario would match those results. Young dumb fish? Who's in charge down there?

I am not in any way professing what I have written to be what is actually happening. These are only my observations from looking at the 02/temp numbers, talking to people, reading, watching my graph while fishing.

At this point I am not worried. I predict the fishing this fall will be identical to last fall. If I fish the same places and patterns I did last fall and don't catch anything, I will be worried.

Well, if dream up anything else I may bore you with that too if I have the time.

PS- Just read mhall's post mentioning thousands of dead fish--that is alarming. Hope for the best.

[mhall]

Yea Peter I typed that thousands with tongue and cheek but from what I'm heraing from people that live down there and fish the lake often I think it's valid. The Corp collected and removed upwards to a thousand fish by now is what many are saying, I think Duayne said over 600, I heard more than that. Now lets just say it's 500 and that was reported on the lower third of the lake. We all know stripers now are using a large portion of the lake. So what about from Jamestown on up and all the creeks??

Again fellas I want the best, it's my number one lake, the one where I own property and hope to retire someday and grow old on. But from all indications of what we are hearing if half of it is true I'm afraid we are talking a thousand plus and not hundreds, I hope I'm wrong.

BTW, Peter some decent thoughts there, you may be on to something with that school of fish theory. Especially since alot of those young year class, ''Schoolies'', will really bunch together anyway.

[MagikSmallie]

Once the fall turnover hits they should be okay, depending on how many survive. of course when they cease the stocking those fish won't last long after next summer....

[missionFISHIN]

yesterday went from dam to just above beaver and saw about 30 stripers and 30 plus walleye, 4 walleye came up near us in about 1 hours time. didn't see any bass..etc.