Gill-T

I do a lot of customization of baits with various tape companies. I get frustrated at times by the lack of adhesion supplied to products I purchase. What does everyone use to make tape stick better? I tried rubber cement and it ain’t working.

Right HB2, 48 degrees in 1985 is still the same as 48 degrees in 2024 -they are probably occupying the same preferred temps. They are done growing by the time they hit the streams so warmer trib temps should have no bearing on fish sizes unless smaller fish tolerate warmer water better than larger fish and therefore survive to spawn -passing on their genes.

The answer may be as simple as the natural reproduction is happening in smaller, better quality streams that favor smaller fish sizes in order to navigate low flows and/or evade snatching attempts by anglers.

A little more money and international interest with Tunas but there is much to learn via research. Much of what could be learned by studying the shrinking king size issue might have a benefit to our own health and wellbeing. For example, what if nanoplastics entering the food chain is negatively effecting the reproduction in king salmon? We might want to know that bit of information. Again, this is a hypothetical example but salmon are a great indicator species of what is going on in the environment.

I would add their weights are way down as well.

After taking out some aggression on my finger getting him out of the trap, he met his fate in a steam pot. His downfall was the snakehead carcass in the crab trap

Uglier than sin. Tastier than walleye. Can’t believe it.

I confirmed with him that he was off the Seneca Shoal red buoy. Sorry this was a little late.

A friend went out today off Buffalo near red can and caught a bunch.

There were fish there last weekend showing on graph.

Beauty!

Stripers are funny. They will eat anything and then seemingly nothing at times.

Getting ready for a week of fishing while staying on Kent Island, Maryland. Looking at the salinity charts, it looks like the East side of the bay might have some opportunities to fish for saltwater species. Does anyone have any experience and tips for the area? Hoping I don’t have to fish for white perch or snakeheads. Thanks.

Great reports. This salmon fisherman appreciates it.

I tried to mimic the mayflies with one of those northland butterfly blades with a small piece of worm when I moved inshore and saw thousands of mayflies on the water. It went down on a rigger for 30 seconds and a bass hit it.

There have been a number of posts giving theories that the reason that fish are smaller is because Lake O is bait poor. This is the not the case if you review the recent bait assessments. Something else is in play, therefore, it needs to be studied IMO.

Bull, where in the column were you getting them? We were marking fish in the 20-25’ range and 5’ off bottom.

We marked fish west of the Catt in 72-77’ but they were not in the biting mood. Didn’t see anyone else use their net. Gave it two hours, smelled a rat and went inshore for bass. Mayfly husks everywhere

Mayfly blues

Started a troll off the Catt in 72’. Plenty of boats. Anyone have a pattern going?

It should never happen. Canadian hatcheries have contributed in the past shortfalls in numbers.

Different lake. The lake was almost brown in the 80’s. The amount of fish that were near your lures while trolling was double what it is now based on stocking numbers. The problem is those fish couldn’t see your baits during the dirty water decades so 30-50 hit days were not an option. The issue is more complex than the blanket statement “we have too many fish”. Water quality means predators have less cover to be successful in catching their prey. The food web has also dropped towards the bottom from the invading mussels. Kings coming out of winter into spring look like crap and seemingly always have empty stomachs. Are fish losing three months per year of feeding and therefore growth because they have difficulty feeding on the bottom at 400’ of depth where alewives are wintering? Before the mussels the epilimnion had all the productivity and lots of fatty Daphnia. The food web has shifted the deep chlorophyll layer into the metalimnion and the plankton is now less fatty spiny fleas. Fish will have to evolve to hunt at depth. With fish living only two or three years, I am not sure how much kings are going to learn/evolve new feeding tactics. Tough to compare Lake Michigan. Those fish can travel to three lakes to find bait and have a more diverse diet of whitefish and bloaters. Lake Michigan fish may just be further along in adapting to the changed environment. For example, with ultra clear water, Michigan fish are feeding more at night. Charters often have to leave the dock at 4:30 am because the bite is over by 8:30. For sure the right formula of stocking numbers vs alewife numbers needs to be gotten right by trial and error plus data modeling but it still might not fix the problem. I think this thread was started as a call to action that we need this subject studied. Is the problem environmental (fish maturing faster)? Is the problem man-made (hatchery process)? Is it just the new reality?