Lake Cumberland parasites from KDFW

[stripernut]

If that is the case, unfortunately we may begin to see them at our end too.

I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to cut the parasite off of the inside of the fish's mouth without hurting the fish, or maybe pour salt on them like a leach and they will release?? if so, we could maybe help infected short fish.

i just hope its a case of "weather the storm" for a few months.....and then they go away (or at the very least become a "non-issue")
as for cutting the parasites out they kind of scrape off but it leaves an ulcer where the parasite was attached, i couldnt even speculate as to whether it heals or how long it takes.

research points to the population being cyclic, if this is the top of the cycle for infestation then maybe good times are ahead? not much else we can do.

i was reading that one opinion from a researcher is this :
under circumstances where the host population (stripers) was so adversely affected that total numbers crashed the number of parasites were drastically reduced. i guess its like coyotes....if theres nothing to eat they move on.
while this problem exists it may be worth looking at more liberal size / creel limits. this may not be a situation that "works itself out" without some help.
right now untold amounts of money are being spent to determine how to erradicate asian carp....feed em parasites !

[HURRICANEBOB]

asian carp....feed em parasites !

Ohhhhhhh......duuuuuuude! You are so on it.

I think my next political donation will be in Lake Cumberland Striper fillets to my favorite politician. If he eats them and survives, then we all will feel safer. If he doesn't survive.........next. (Repeat as necessary until public discloure is made in some mass media forum).

To keep the parasites from being spread by the lures we use, so we be covering them with Trojans?

[JoeB]

The copepods are pretty much established throughout the striper population on the lake now. If you haven't been seeing thin fish w/ parasites, you aint been looking.

[jcb]

Dang, Joe, the man said he hadn't seen them and that's good enough for me. I'm not ready to call anyone a liar if I'm not 100% sure.

[JoeB]

Now don't put words in my mouth!

[jcb]

Sorry man, but that's sure the way it read to me. The guy's a striper guide who probably removes more hooks from inside a striper's mouth in a week than I do all year. Sorry if I offended.

[JoeB]

No offense at all. I'm a striper guide too and have been for a lot of years, and I know what is very obvious to everybody on the lake. We've taken quite a few hits since the lake was drawn down and so far survived. I hope we can hold it together a couple more years until the water level comes back up.

[jcb]

No offense at all. I'm a striper guide too and have been for a lot of years, and I know what is very obvious to everybody on the lake. We've taken quite a few hits since the lake was drawn down and so far survived. I hope we can hold it together a couple more years until the water level comes back up.

Joe, do you believe what everybody tells me, that because of all the new brush on the shorelines, if we can make it until then it will be like the old days?

[JoeB]

My name is actually Phil, JobB is just an internet homage to coach Hall. lol Tough question to answer. When the lake comes back up, you have to believe that all the woody cover on the shoreline will be a real boon to bass, crappie, etc. That's great. It may, however, have an adverse affect on the second story or cool water fishery. Stripers and walleye will do best in a deep, cool infertile lake. All the new plants will undoubtedly increase the fertility. The added fertility will in turn consume more O2 and we've seen what happens to stripers when the O2 is depleted.

My best guess is that when the lake returns to normal levels, we will notice very improved striper fishing within two years. We are stockpiling a ton of 23 in. fish that should grow to decent fish in a couple of years. However, I think it will be a long time before we get back to the trophy fishery Lake Cumberland was before the drawdown. Fingers crossed.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Phil and Stripernut, I hope you guys are right and the lake gets back to a Trophy fishery and better supports the local economy. I really feel more info is always the best way to allow people to come up with a valid game plan to work around obstacles. At a minimun, when we know what we are faced with we can plan accordingly.

Best regards and thanks to both of you for what you do and what you share with us.

[stripernut]

Phil and Stripernut, I hope you guys are right and the lake gets back to a Trophy fishery and better supports the local economy. I really feel more info is always the best way to allow people to come up with a valid game plan to work around obstacles. At a minimun, when we know what we are faced with we can plan accordingly.

Best regards and thanks to both of you for what you do and what you share with us.

.

really looking forward to the day we go back to measuring in pounds instead of inches.....it will happen. i would urge people to contact the fisheries representatives and press them for more info as to what the plan of attack is ? changes in creel/size limits ? no action at all ?
while the dam repair is going on is this the opportunity to repair age class structures ? i dont know im not a biologists, i do know the present plan isnt providing the trophy results weve had in the past.
keep in mind that when the lake returns to "normal" summer pool there will be challenges, like phil said the fertility levels, the O2 levels, not to mention have you ever tried to pull boards in a submerged "sappling thicket?

i am curious about something though. some stripers have a heavy infestation in their mouth but are still fairly plump while others are almost whithered to nothing. are the ones that are still fairly healthy looking "newly infested"?.....if so then there are alot more parasites in the water now than in the past? are they feeding better in the cold water ?

there is so much more to this than saying "the stripers have parasites".
like i said before...let the department know we are concerned, make this issue a priority for them.

[JoeB]

.

really looking forward to the day we go back to measuring in pounds instead of inches.....it will happen. i would urge people to contact the fisheries representatives and press them for more info as to what the plan of attack is ? changes in creel/size limits ? no action at all ?
while the dam repair is going on is this the opportunity to repair age class structures ? i dont know im not a biologists, i do know the present plan isnt providing the trophy results weve had in the past.
keep in mind that when the lake returns to "normal" summer pool there will be challenges, like phil said the fertility levels, the O2 levels, not to mention have you ever tried to pull boards in a submerged "sappling thicket?

i am curious about something though. some stripers have a heavy infestation in their mouth but are still fairly plump while others are almost whithered to nothing. are the ones that are still fairly healthy looking "newly infested"?.....if so then there are alot more parasites in the water now than in the past? are they feeding better in the cold water ?

there is so much more to this than saying "the stripers have parasites".
like i said before...let the department know we are concerned, make this issue a priority for them.

I honestly think the kdfwr biologist's hands are tied. I don't think any regulation is going to fix a critical lack of O2. If you want to protest to anybody, not that it will do any good, let the COE know that we need more water. I think even an extra 10 ft would help a lot. Pray for a dry spring! (not that that will do any good either)

I don't believe the copepods, at this point, have anything to do with the "skinny stripers". That's a result of stress from poor water quality at the end of the summer. I haven't read anywhere that these parasites cause problems with feeding. But, when the larva attach to the gills, they do cause problems w/ respiration. (as if they're not having enough trouble breathing in this lake already) That in turn causes the fish to become fairly dormant and to not feed, as we've seen with the low O2 levels the last two years.

We need water, and until that happens,there's not a lot that can be done to improve the striper fishery at Cland.