schreckstoff

I like the powder ones

Sweet C - I agree, thats why I pasted in the LO time series. Why do folks think Goby have had such a large, measurable negative impact on LO bass, what evidence shows that? 20 years ago the Goby eating bass egg videos from Erie came out and with it warnings Goby COULD negatively impact bass populations. Which recent analysis show Goby HAVE hurt LO bass abundance? Is the “Goby hurt SMB populations” one of those ideas that was assumed but then never tested? Like when the non-native predatory zooplankton, a.k.a. fleas, blew up they were predicted to crash LO alewife food. In reality Alewife ate them, a lot, they provide a late season food source, and increase Alewife growth substantially. Just suggesting there is value in testing assumptions. the quote below is my favorite, bw “He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” -Edmund Burke

I’m especially interested in the insights from the sages who have decades of LO bass experience. On these forums I often read how Round Goby had a negative impact on LO smallmouth angling and the creel survey catch rate time series reflect that, plummeting as Goby survey catches shot up (early - mid 2000s) but I find it interesting how the gill net survey catch rates decline long before Goby show up. I get the whole “Goby are devastating bass nest predators “ hypothesis, I just do not see population dynamics data that supports that idea (in LO or other lakes). Hope there is a great turnout for the Wednesday mtg in ABay. Go Bills, bw

I wonder how the bass population dynamics would change if the creel was even lower (like zero). That would still allow for the conservation minded tournaments that catch and release. If the bass numbers go up the Goby numbers go down. Maybe wouldn’t need seasonal regs at all. I know, I know, just too crazy of an idea. Probably should just stick my head back in the sand and grumble about how things used to be better.

“ IMO this is a good year to change out your mono and check your drags” King age, temps, and alewife #s definitely look good but don’t forget the benefits of (hopefully) declining lamprey numbers after the COVID bump. It’s pretty simple, but rarely discussed, that it’s harder for Kings to grow to 30lbs when there are more 1lb parasites sucking out all their blood.

@thejigger, recognize the decoys? They worked just like you said they would, thanks for teaching me about them

LL, How about this as an answer to the post’s question in the subject line? TNURALA ODEPRTNIORUC Your puzzles are much appreciated ! bw

Schreckstoff is a chemical alarm response that minnows release when being predated to warn others. Fish nerd joke trying to be clever.

An interesting article with some similarities to LO. Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17726-z#:~:text=Comparing

I’ve had the best luck using my big propane weed burner torch at night. Heat melts wings of adults flying or crawling around and the nests burn quickly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiting_event some good info at this site

Thanks to GillT and company I am no longer “without a coho”! Thanks again fellas, great fishing and lessons! Most stomachs were empty, this one was munching, cool how u can see different amounts of digestion on the Alewife. Could be the difference between dinner last night and breakfast this morning.

thanks for the tips and the spoon name!

Nice and great report, thanks. Are you saying the treble was the mistake? Do u prefer running single hooks? I like That spoon! Does it have a name?

Wondering what folks are seeing in the stomachs or on their graphs. Anything unusual, or different for this time of year?

Apparition, I think the differences in the maps may be because GillTs map is based on satellite observations and the map you were showing is the results of the FVCOM model, for surface temperature. The Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model uses bathymetry, wind, and air temperature observations data and a bunch of equations to make predictions, whereas I think satellites are using direct infrared observations, which have trouble with clouds and are only surface temps. I’m out. Of my depths on this stuff but the NOAA sites and google have much better explanations. The FVCOM approach is state of the art and it’s super cool that GLERL has it up and running. For my research we use it a lot in the spring to figure out when and where we might dodge the ice to start sampling as early as possible in Chaumont Bay.