New York’s 2014 Lake Ontario Fisheries Program Highlights

[Legacy]

Heres the survey report... http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lou2014hilights.pdf

[Patriot]

Interesting read.

Looks like the pen projects are a huge success, 2:1 over lake stocked salmon

 

pen stocked salmon provide relatively higher

contributions to the lake harvest than shore-stocked salmon

 

Even wild salmon count was up so that's a good thing

Edited March 1, 2015 by Patriot

[momay4000]

Thanks for posting this. I'm always amazed at what seems like a very low catch rate per angler hour. For example chinook rate of about 0.09 fish per angler hour.

This would mean if 10 boats of 3 fisherman fishing 6 hours (180 total angler hours) would only catch 16.2 total salmon(180 *.09) between them or only 1.62 chinook per boat for a 6 hour day. Does that seem a bit low or am I spoiled reading some awesome reports on this site?

Thanks very much for sharing this

[KING ME]

Thanks for posting this. I'm always amazed at what seems like a very low catch rate per angler hour. For example chinook rate of about 0.09 fish per angler hour.

This would mean if 10 boats of 3 fisherman fishing 6 hours (180 total angler hours) would only catch 16.2 total salmon(180 *.09) between them or only 1.62 chinook per boat for a 6 hour day. Does that seem a bit low or am I spoiled reading some awesome reports on this site?

Thanks very much for sharing this

nope the reports you hear and read are probably alot closer to the truth on whats going on out there than the data you read or hear at the DEC meetings! I have spent COUNTLESS hours discussing these creel survey's and catch rate data. 

this argument is on the same basis as bait trawls and natural reproduction numbers of Chinook.

Going to try to be VERY brief and vague on this .....

here are just a few issues that make the numbers inaccurate:

 1. DEC creel census boats that collect the data 99% of the time are not present when majority of charter fleet returns to the port that the census is being held that day. I AM NOT SAYING THAT REC. ANGLERS don't catch as many fish just stating a fact.

 2. The people providing information (charter and rec.) often provide inaccurate or incomplete information to the questions being asked by the DEC census personal.

 I have filing cabinets full of data, meeting notes, suggestions, compromises and etc .I can go on and on for pages about all this but i did my time and had my headaches.

 just a note for some food for thought.....

[momay4000]

nope the reports you hear and read are probably alot closer to the truth on whats going on out there than the data you read or hear at the DEC meetings! I have spent COUNTLESS hours discussing these creel survey's and catch rate data. 

this argument is on the same basis as bait trawls and natural reproduction numbers of Chinook.

Going to try to be VERY brief and vague on this .....

here are just a few issues that make the numbers inaccurate:

 1. DEC creel census boats that collect the data 99% of the time are not present when majority of charter fleet returns to the port that the census is being held that day. I AM NOT SAYING THAT REC. ANGLERS don't catch as many fish just stating a fact.

 2. The people providing information (charter and rec.) often provide inaccurate or incomplete information to the questions being asked by the DEC census personal.

 I have filing cabinets full of data, meeting notes, suggestions, compromises and etc .I can go on and on for pages about all this but i did my time and had my headaches.

 just a note for some food for thought.....

 

Thanks very much - great information.

[GAMBLER]

I find it interesting that they say the laker catch rate was down.......  In 22 trips last season, we caught 382 lake trout on my boat and 43 kings (not counting skippers).  Record high lake trout numbers and a record low king numbers for me.  I did not see the creel survey boat ONCE all summer out of Sandy. 

[on the lam]

Agree on the LT,,, they became a PITA,no matter what species you target, they always joined the party.

[Yankee Troller]

That's why we need to kill as many LT as we can! Rid the Lake of them! Kill Kill Kill!

[Iceman]

If too many lake trout are grabbing your offerings, there are several things you can do, first, speed up your troll, second move away from their concentrations, & raise up your deep lines if they are hitting on them. Can't let the lakers deposit laker pate' in the bottom of the boat.

John

Edited March 2, 2015 by Iceman

[GAMBLER]

Iceman,

 

I target lakers on purpose.  The point I'm trying to make is, the kings were missing last year so we were forced to fish lakers and browns to put fish in the boat.  I do not have much faith in the DEC creel survey. 

[pvelyk]

Curious, not sure if I missed it the report or if anyone has any knowledge as to why coho fry survival rate is so low in the hatchery the last few years despite what looks like successful collection.  Other species collected don't seem to show such dismal survival rates.

[on the lam]

mid summer, targeting the top 20, steelhead/king spread, and speed.... LT LT LT   what do ya do now Iceman?? because that was the case.

[Rich D]

So true Pete, have never seen lakers act like that for so long. Guess we should have dropped out offerings deeper to get out of them, that's what I bet will be the response. As far as the coho survival, we will have to wait for what we are told. I am going out on a limb to say it was a Thiamine issue, but some will know this week, others will know next week with the meetings. Popping the popcorn as we speak for how these meetings are going to go.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[GAMBLER]

mid summer, targeting the top 20, steelhead/king spread, and speed.... LT LT LT   what do ya do now Iceman?? because that was the case

Unfortunatly, this will only get worse with 300,000 more being stocked......

[Iceman]

mid summer, targeting the top 20, steelhead/king spread, and speed.... LT LT LT   what do ya do now Iceman?? because that was the case.

As I said, you need to move, you can get away from them if you want to. Was this an upwelling condition?

John

Edited March 2, 2015 by Iceman

[on the lam]

So true Pete, have never seen lakers act like that for so long. Guess we should have dropped out offerings deeper to get out of them, that's what I bet will be the response. As far as the coho survival, we will have to wait for what we are told. I am going out on a limb to say it was a Thiamine issue, but some will know this week, others will know next week with the meetings. Popping the popcorn as we speak for how these meetings are going to go.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

You could still get the bottom hugging LT in the usual spots, but there seems to be a percentage that dont follow the playbook. You could have caught a LT at any place at any given time when NOT targeting them.

[Iceman]

You could still get the bottom hugging LT in the usual spots, but there seems to be a percentage that dont follow the playbook. You could have caught a LT at any place at any given time when NOT targeting them.

I did notice that the Lakers were in unusual places last year, however we were able to get away from them if this happened at any time using the above options. So it was not an issue for our team at any time.

John

Edited March 2, 2015 by Iceman

[brucehookedup]

I will take them all when ever and how ever they want to chew. I am not prejudice.

[momay4000]

I will take them all when ever and how ever they want to chew. I am not prejudice.

 

Amen!!

[fishman08]

I was caught off guard with the coho numbers... The stocking numbers seem dangerously low to me...

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[jimski2]

The salmon average weight is falling. Too few alewives? Too many competitor fish? Something is out of balance for a good fishery.

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[GAMBLER]

The salmon average weight is falling. Too few alewives? Too many competitor fish? Something is out of balance for a good fishery.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Growing season cut short by cold winter/ spring last year is more likely the cause.  The Alewive Plumpness was down last year too according to their data.  Less plumpness = eating more alewives to gain weight which also = more energy used to eat. 

[FISHIN AGAIN?]

I was at the meeting. All the above. Alewife numbers were really high and that probably put strain on zooplankton. Their condition was down so it affected the predators. Now the Alewife numbers are down so time will tell what effect that has on things. Another cold winter that we just had won't help matters. If the numbers are right and there are 50 percent more adult Kings due to Natural Reproduction that could also be a factor. It is a tough balancing act to say the least.