SALMON PACKING ON THE POUNDS

[backtroller]

AFTER A NORMAL WINTER WITH ICE ON ERIE AND WITH THE CURRENT FORAGE BASE,HOW MUCH WT. CAN A MATURE KING PUT ON BETWEEN MAY 1 AND THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST. I AM THINKING A 25# KING ON MAY 1 COULD BE A 35# BY MID AUGUST. DO FISH QUIT EATING MID AUGUST AND GO TO STAGING MODE.I AM THINKING FISH STRIKE OUT OF MEANESS NOT HUNGER DURING THIS PERIOD.

ALWAYS THINKING HOW WHEN WHERE AND WHY.

[LongLine]

Yes they can really pack on weight in their final year. They'll eat right up until they start their run upriver.

Please release the CAP LOCK on your computer. People will think your yelling,

Tom B.

(LongLIne)

[Mortigan]

YELLING?

[Paul Czarnecki]

It seems to be generally agreed that, in their final year, kings gain approx 1 pound PER WEEK from May through August. They usually begin their pre-spawn "hunger strike" right around Labor Day, although some fish will continue to feed into September.

[backtroller]

thanks for the answer. so they possibly could gain 12pounds.

always thinking how when where and why.

[ray koziatek]

4 x 4 = 12 yup

[Team Game Face]

4x4 wow thats funny

[backtroller]

sorry i think tyey are done eating 2'nd wk of august

[backtroller]

whoops not the first mistake i ever made probably not the last

[muskybob]

4 x 4 = 12 yup

HAH!!! Lookit the pot callin the kettle black. He can't even answer a simple 5th Grade question correctly.

[FISHIN AGAIN?]

Last week I added up the avg. weights of Salmon entered in last years LOC derby. The spring derby avg weight was 22.5 pounds. Summer avg. was 29.5 and the fall derby avg. was 32.5 pounds. This is only based on one years data but they do avg. a 10 pound gain over the summer with the biggest gain May-July. This years spring derby avg. was 27.5 pounds so the fall avg. would be 37.5? We will see. There are a lot of big fish this year.

[backtroller]

thanks fishin again. my mind is stuck on may thru july. always seemed like over the years ten pounds was a good average.

[Chinook1981]

This would matter more to a river fisherman hoping for a slammer...

Except females (who are building egg mass), they must loose mass after their stomachs shrivel up to the size of a chapstick and they stop eating... They still have to use alot of energy to carry on and make their run. The salmon that you observe dying early on the run, likley did not feed heavy enough before its run. I would also guess that the longer they stage, the less plump they will be ( a dry and warm late summer / fall would likely result in smaller fish due to longer staging length). I presume their bodies act similar to ours in that fat is used first to make energy and then muscle. You can get a lot of fat out of a salmon fillet...

I wouldn't be surprised if the record male (47#) weighted 50# in the lake.

Just my 2 cents. Regardless, its pretty impressive the way they bulk up.

[Captain Carl Bish]

Last week I added up the avg. weights of Salmon entered in last years LOC derby. The spring derby avg weight was 22.5 pounds. Summer avg. was 29.5 and the fall derby avg. was 32.5 pounds. This is only based on one years data but they do avg. a 10 pound gain over the summer with the biggest gain May-July. This years spring derby avg. was 27.5 pounds so the fall avg. would be 37.5? We will see. There are a lot of big fish this year.

DUDE, that is good work!!! Perhaps someone with time on their hands and just sitting around a computer in air conditioning all day could get the last all the spring and fall derby data and do a little comparison. Especially if that person has a gift for mathematics (Ray?)

[carpedium]

Last week I added up the avg. weights of Salmon entered in last years LOC derby. The spring derby avg weight was 22.5 pounds. Summer avg. was 29.5 and the fall derby avg. was 32.5 pounds. This is only based on one years data but they do avg. a 10 pound gain over the summer with the biggest gain May-July. This years spring derby avg. was 27.5 pounds so the fall avg. would be 37.5? We will see. There are a lot of big fish this year.

DUDE, that is good work!!! Perhaps someone with time on their hands and just sitting around a computer in air conditioning all day could get the last all the spring and fall derby data and do a little comparison. Especially if that person has a gift for mathematics (Ray?)

LOL i thought you were hinting to mortigan there for a sec

[Mortigan]

Funny - I thought he was too until I saw "(Ray?)"

[Wolfy1489]

How are the egg skeins looking? Have you guys started collecting for the fall trib season yet??

[ray koziatek]

done Carl..came up with 14

[landingzone]

Attached is the chart that I wanted to post in the thread:

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD WORD DOCUMENT

I made it in 2003 from the weights of the fish in the 2003 "$1000/Day Derby"

Thanks, Dick

[Mortigan]

Thanks, Dick. Looks like it was roughly a ten pound increase in the average size, over the course of 17 weeks.