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Post by herringbone on Aug 26, 2021 18:31:57 GMT -5
Question I have, when they release the fry as they do now, is it at certain locations from the bank or boat ramp, or is it by air from plane? Seen the air drop on tv for trout stockings, so just curious.
As far as creating environments for them to grow after stocking, probably more money there than just waiting for them to grow while in the stock ponds.
I do like this convo going on, people with concerns and ideas. Thank you 31 for the in depth description on the lg mouth stocking, stuff I didn’t know.
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johnr
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Post by johnr on Aug 26, 2021 19:59:16 GMT -5
We used to have this stuff called grass in the lake, and it provided some much needed cover to young of year fish of all species. Buuuuuut, the state decided to prioritize the stocking of grass carp rather than the cultivation of non invasive aquatic vegetation, so here we are in a largely cover-less lake.
They do their best to spread the stockings out around the lake. Some are dumped from shore, others are boated out and stocked pelagic.
My question still stands. Just how many more stripers could the lake actually support? My guess is not too many. Also, how many more fish would it take to notice that there are actually more fish, from an anglers perspective? My guess is it’s more than the lake can support…
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Post by bigun3 on Aug 27, 2021 5:53:32 GMT -5
There are a lot of 18 - 21 inch fish in the lake right now. To many of any species in a given space, equals a smaller size. Less bigger fish.
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Post by mississipi on Aug 27, 2021 9:13:06 GMT -5
The Santee Cooper lakes and rivers have a closed season for stripers June 1st thru Sept 30. They say when water temps rise above 70 degrees the mortality rates rise significantly.
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Post by medicineman on Sept 15, 2021 21:08:50 GMT -5
Just curious if small stripers (15-20 inches) are more likely to survive if caught and released in 80+ degree water ? I enjoy fishing year around and stop at two fish in the summer, but it is tough to keep a 16 inch Striper.
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Post by mwardncsu on Sept 16, 2021 6:33:51 GMT -5
The studies done have shown that mortality rates increase faster in hot water the larger the fish. In theory a small Striper will have a better chance of survival - but who knows at what level….
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Post by bigun3 on Sept 16, 2021 10:02:30 GMT -5
I have been fishing this lake for 41 years. From starting when I was single, to fishing with my kids, and to fishing with my grandkids. No one has enjoyed this lake more than I have, and she has been good to me. I've always wondered how long the good fishing would last. Been a lot of ups and downs over the years. From bait shortages (remember all the threadfins there used to be. You could walk across the lake on dead ones during a cold winter) to the big fish kill, to over fishing. I hate that you guys never got to see acres of fish breaking top water, no matter where you went on the lake. I thought the fishing was over when the threadfin disappeared. No one fished with live bait when I started. It was all about casting bucktails and redfins. Someone figured out that there were just as many fish and the big time feed was still going on, it was just deeper and on ales and shad. BOOM!!! it went from the old flasher depth finders to everyone had cast nest and graphs. The first one I bought was an Eagle Mach 1 paper graph. Yea, they have changed a lot also.  If you guys were around during the good ole days, you would have given up on the fishery a long time ago. The really good fishing on all lakes usually plays out after bout 10 years. But guess what? It's not all gloom and doom. She is still here and still producing. Someone is doing something right. The hardest thing I've ever had to accept, is nothing, ever stays the same. Nothing wrong with fishing during the summer if you do it ethically. Sad to say, no matter how much we wish, that's something you can't regulate. I've tried to stay out of this topic, but my 3 cents. I still fish a lot every year. Now days, with all the crazies on the lake, I worry more about whether I'm going to make it back to the dock alive, than I do if I'm gonna catch any fish. Just a thought, how about stopping live bait fishing in the high mortality months, and allow jigging only. Not as many fish caught. Folks would be worn out before they catch 20 or 30. not a proponent of banning summer fishing.
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Post by javelin on Sept 16, 2021 21:33:37 GMT -5
As long as everybody gets what they think they need to hell with the other guys. The regulations need to be changed to no striper fishing in the summer.
PERIOD. Either that or we all go to guiding. Just a thought. Damn shame to kill fish to feed an ego and get a selfie. JMO
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Post by medicineman on Sept 18, 2021 19:41:32 GMT -5
Found this in VGIF site. Seems to add credibility to the thought that smaller fish can tolerate hot water better.
“Stripers grow well in Lake Anna, at least for the first few years, and quickly attain the legal size of 20 inches in about 30 months. However, growth of older fish slows due to the lack of good striped bass habitat (cool, well oxygenated water) during summer and early fall months. “
As for SML, I don’t think we will ever see summer fishing addressed. Someone earlier mentioned that the Striper fishery in SML is basically a put and take situation. So the answer seems to be that we need to be sure that enough fish are stocked each year to maintain a healthy population. The pressure has definitely increased- more guides and more people fishing.
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Post by striperfan on Sept 20, 2021 17:09:13 GMT -5
Am I correct in saying that almost all stripers caught at this time of the year will die even if they are released? That is what I have been led to believe. A friend of mine told me today that a friend of his went out with a guy this morning and they caught 20 fish and only kept three. So if the other 17 are going to die why don’t we just take the limit off completely in the summer months? Maybe if clients saw 17 dead fish in the boat it might sink in that maybe they don’t need to catch so many in the hot summer months. I wonder how many people think that the fish they are releasing will survive? HEY, I have talked about this since 2010 and no change to anything. The only needed help to this is the GUIDES limiting their party to 2 fish per person NO THROWBACKS, want to throwback that counts as one to YOUR limit. With the number of guides listed there are HUNDREDS of fish caught and "RELEASED" everyday. The striper fishery is doomed. |
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Post by medicineman on Sept 20, 2021 20:45:54 GMT -5
I am hopeful that the fishery manager is aware of the increased pressure and has adjusted the yearly stocking accordingly. I recently joined the Smith Mountain Striper club because I know that they work closely with the game department- I support their efforts 100%.
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Post by striperfan on Oct 12, 2021 16:51:22 GMT -5
I think the widely accepted mortality studies show a large number of the dead stripers actually sink If every dead fish floated the lake would be covered in them. Fish die every day. Hey "CAPTAIN" Read the FACTS from now DWR almost ALL released STRIPERS die 80% and sink to the bottom. Just keep those those customers happy for now . Where you gonna live next year. |
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Post by herringbone on Oct 12, 2021 18:31:17 GMT -5
I think the widely accepted mortality studies show a large number of the dead stripers actually sink If every dead fish floated the lake would be covered in them. Fish die every day. Hey "CAPTAIN" Read the FACTS from now DWR almost ALL released STRIPERS die 80% and sink to the bottom. Just keep those those customers happy for now . Where you gonna live next year. Wasn’t gonna reply to this, but is this a shot at johnr? If so, you’re in the wrong. I believe he’s on the side of the fisherman, and what makes sense for the fishery. Just say’in. |
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johnr
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Post by johnr on Oct 12, 2021 19:28:11 GMT -5
Straight down the middle on this issue.
Not against guides, not against anyone fishing for stripers in the summer. Have done it, still do it periodically, and probably will continue to do so from time to time.
Not against keeping your stripers at any time of year.
However, I am not in favor of blatant ignorance regarding high striper mortality during the summer.
Be responsible and respect the resource.
No offense taken, I know that I know what I’m talking about. 🙃
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Post by bigun3 on Oct 13, 2021 20:31:42 GMT -5
Hey "CAPTAIN" Read the FACTS from now DWR almost ALL released STRIPERS die 80% and sink to the bottom. Just keep those those customers happy for now . Where you gonna live next year. Wasn’t gonna reply to this, but is this a shot at johnr? If so, you’re in the wrong. I believe he’s on the side of the fisherman, and what makes sense for the fishery. Just say’in. I agree with heringbone whole heartedly.... johnr is one of the good guys. |
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If you guys were around during the good ole days, you would have given up on the fishery a long time ago.