05-26-2016, 11:55 PM
"As far as introducing sterile walleye, I was thinking about the history of Starvation and how it may apply to Jordanelle. Correct me if I'm wrong on my starvation history. Its been I while since I had a starvation lesson.
-chubs were overrunning the lake and competing with trout.
-predatory fish including smallies were introduced as chub control, but didn't work very well.
-perch we're introduced and hammered the chubs.
-chubs no longer plentiful, perch population suffered and cycles according to available good
-walleye introduced to eat up perch
-perch got bigger with diverse age classes,walleye thrived, bass and trout doing good, everybody's happy"
[#0000FF]Incorrect...beginning with "[/#0000FF][#0000FF][#000000][size 3]-predatory fish including smallies were introduced as chub control, but didn't work very well."[/size][/#000000]
Walleyes and smallies were put in to control chubs in 1978. And they worked extremely well. Within a few years there were no more small chubs being netted by DWR and the exploding population of walleyes and smallmouth started to stunt.... There were actually contracts put out for private netting operations to net out the stunted walleyes...in the early 2000s.
The illegal introduction of perch turned out to be salvation for Starvation. There were lots of weed beds, aquatic vegetation and abundant invertebrates for the perch. They exploded and the walleyes and smallmouth began to feed on the new abundant food source. Suddenly the stunted fish began growing again...with walleyes over 10 pounds and smallmouths over 5 pounds showing up. The state record walleye was caught in 2002. And the perch kept doing well too...with many between 13 and 14 inches being caught.
There were a few surviving chubosaurs from the early days...some up to 16 inches...and fat, gross and with lesions. Some still spawned...marginally. Others were beyond their prime and just died out. But there were no small chubs in the reservoir and the last known big chub was seen about 2010. During which time fishing for all species...including the recently expanded plantings of rainbows...continued to produce fantastic fishing.
The perch fishing held up through the ice fishing season of 2013-2014. Ice anglers did well right up to ice off. Then, some of the first anglers to hit the newly opened water reported seeing large numbers of dead perch washed up along several shorelines. They were all sizes...not just dead spawners.
Over the next year the perch population was low. Nobody was catching any perch. And the walleye and smallmouth fishing was noticeably slower too. But the trout...feeding on the abundant zooplankton...still flourished and provided some fishing.
Perch fishing started to come back this past winter and there is hope for better days...for all species.
Where did you get your info? I got mine from DWR and from multiple fishing trips each year...and from interacting with many other knowledgeable anglers who regularly fish Starvation. I keep logs and take lots of pictures. I keep dated files...so I know exactly when each of the steps occurred. It is possible to rationalize and justify almost any outcome if you twist the facts to fit what you want them to be. I don't have any particular ax to grind but I do try to be correct whenever possible.
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-chubs were overrunning the lake and competing with trout.
-predatory fish including smallies were introduced as chub control, but didn't work very well.
-perch we're introduced and hammered the chubs.
-chubs no longer plentiful, perch population suffered and cycles according to available good
-walleye introduced to eat up perch
-perch got bigger with diverse age classes,walleye thrived, bass and trout doing good, everybody's happy"
[#0000FF]Incorrect...beginning with "[/#0000FF][#0000FF][#000000][size 3]-predatory fish including smallies were introduced as chub control, but didn't work very well."[/size][/#000000]
Walleyes and smallies were put in to control chubs in 1978. And they worked extremely well. Within a few years there were no more small chubs being netted by DWR and the exploding population of walleyes and smallmouth started to stunt.... There were actually contracts put out for private netting operations to net out the stunted walleyes...in the early 2000s.
The illegal introduction of perch turned out to be salvation for Starvation. There were lots of weed beds, aquatic vegetation and abundant invertebrates for the perch. They exploded and the walleyes and smallmouth began to feed on the new abundant food source. Suddenly the stunted fish began growing again...with walleyes over 10 pounds and smallmouths over 5 pounds showing up. The state record walleye was caught in 2002. And the perch kept doing well too...with many between 13 and 14 inches being caught.
There were a few surviving chubosaurs from the early days...some up to 16 inches...and fat, gross and with lesions. Some still spawned...marginally. Others were beyond their prime and just died out. But there were no small chubs in the reservoir and the last known big chub was seen about 2010. During which time fishing for all species...including the recently expanded plantings of rainbows...continued to produce fantastic fishing.
The perch fishing held up through the ice fishing season of 2013-2014. Ice anglers did well right up to ice off. Then, some of the first anglers to hit the newly opened water reported seeing large numbers of dead perch washed up along several shorelines. They were all sizes...not just dead spawners.
Over the next year the perch population was low. Nobody was catching any perch. And the walleye and smallmouth fishing was noticeably slower too. But the trout...feeding on the abundant zooplankton...still flourished and provided some fishing.
Perch fishing started to come back this past winter and there is hope for better days...for all species.
Where did you get your info? I got mine from DWR and from multiple fishing trips each year...and from interacting with many other knowledgeable anglers who regularly fish Starvation. I keep logs and take lots of pictures. I keep dated files...so I know exactly when each of the steps occurred. It is possible to rationalize and justify almost any outcome if you twist the facts to fit what you want them to be. I don't have any particular ax to grind but I do try to be correct whenever possible.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]