BentRod
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Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Apr 4, 2013 10:14:45 GMT -5
This was one the worst ones I've seen in awhile. It was covered in them down his throat..had to have been hundreds of them. Fish looked like crap too..starved to death.
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Post by striperseeker on Apr 4, 2013 10:51:50 GMT -5
Oh no not again.
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Post by seapro on Apr 4, 2013 11:33:28 GMT -5
This explained alot that I didn't know.....http://www.arkansasstripers.com/striped-bass-found-with-copepods.htm
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BentRod
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Post by BentRod on Apr 4, 2013 12:12:33 GMT -5
They've all got them and have for 10 years, but this one was particularly eat up with them. It didn't look healthy either, but it's the exception thankfully. The smaller fish seem to have more.
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Post by mntneerfan on Apr 4, 2013 13:20:57 GMT -5
In last two years they have started showing up on Striper in Lake Cumberland Ky also.
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Post by mwardncsu on Apr 4, 2013 15:54:02 GMT -5
May also just be those were in their reproductive cycle - most of what you see when you see them are the egg sacks. Can't say nice seen many fish without a few at least. Dan Wilson says they are here to stay in our waters - no way to make them go away.
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BentRod
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Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Apr 4, 2013 17:07:56 GMT -5
I've never seen one without them on SML. But most don't have hundreds. This one was completely engulfed in them..it's gill cartilage was covered in them. The picture doesn't even do it justice. I've seen them with a lot before, but this one was pretty bad. I don't think it's good when they're heavily infested like that. They've got Copepods in most every lake in TN and that's where ours came from I think. Started in Tellico, Melton Hill, watts Barr, etc. They all still grow monster 50lb+ stripers and none have had a kill (outside of Norris), but their fish aren't heavily infested from what I've heard from Tn anglers.
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Post by hillbilly on Apr 5, 2013 7:29:34 GMT -5
That's disappointing. I thought they were on the decline, and if you had asked me before I saw this I would have told you I had not noticed them nearly as much recently. I guess I just haven't looked all that closely.
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Mike
New Member
Posts: 46
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Post by Mike on Mar 17, 2015 21:09:06 GMT -5
Went out for a couple of hours this evening tossing flukes and bucktails at the bank. Caught a couple of very small 12 to 15 inch stripers and each had a significant numbers of copepods in their mouths, more than I've seen in a number of years. Guess I'll start checking my fish again before releasing them.
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