Randy Jarrett

[RANDYJARRETT]

If anyone wants to get together and fish, let me know

[wvsportsman]

Randy, welcome. if can get healed up maybe we can get together some later this year.

[PBUG2009]

anytime randy any time...have a boat???? i wana get into turney fishing for crappie

[RANDYJARRETT]

I haven't logged in for awhile because there is never anything new, then I thought well you don't write anything either. So I will try for awhile and see if anyone join's in. Fished Stonecoal lake last couple days, caught several nice Bluegills yesterday on night crawlers mostly. Went back this morning at daylight, forgot my crawlers, so had to try other things. Found fish in a channel with grass, thought they were Gills, no, crappie, caught about 40 most still had eggs. I am going to talk to biologist and see if he thinks they will still spawn or absorb the eggs back in their body, water temp hit around 77-78 by 1:30. Also had a fair trip to Buggs Island about 6 weeks ago, seemed funny, on a bad trip to still catch 12-14" crappie not many but nice. Our guide gave us a lesson on spider rigging, was fun but a lot of work, 8 rods in front, 4 in the middle an 6 on the back, some 18 footers.

[PBUG2009]

going out in the morning...try to catch me some eaten ones

[RANDYJARRETT]

Investigation Shows Columnaris Infection is Likely Cause of Recent Stonewall Jackson Lake Fish Kill
Preliminary laboratory results from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analysis of crappie from Stonewall Jackson Lake indicate that the recent fish kill is the result of a heavy columnaris infection found in the fish, according to Bret Preston, Assistant Chief of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Section.

“While we are awaiting final reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Fish Health Center in Lamar, Pa., initial findings suggest that the fish died from a bacterial infection,” said Preston.

Columnaris bacteria are commonly found in water and generally do not cause problems in fish. Fish health can be affected by a number of environmental conditions. Individually, these conditions usually do not pose problems for fish, but a combination of conditions may cause enough stress to allow a disease to spread rapidly through a population.

DNR fisheries management staff are cooperating with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review water quality data to determine if conditions such as water temperature or dissolved oxygen could be associated with the fish kill involving more than 1,000 fish, mostly crappie.

“Columnaris outbreaks and fish kills in other areas of the country have been linked to unusually high or rapidly changing water temperatures or low dissolved oxygen levels,” said DNR District 3 Fisheries Biologist Kevin Yokum, who is investigating the fish kill at Stonewall Jackson Lake. “We are looking at the possibility that high water temperatures and earlier than usual stratification of the lake may have coincided with the spawning period of crappie in the lake. The added stress during spawning may have affected crappie and made them vulnerable to a columnaris infection.”

The DNR also has sent fish samples to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Leetown Science Center and the Cornell University Veterinary School for additional analyses. The preliminary report from Cornell showed that the crappie did not have viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a disease that has caused fish kills and concern in Great Lake states. The Cornell sample also did not indicate a heavy presence of columnaris bacteria. This could be related to a smaller sample size and a later sample collection date. The primary reason for the Cornell analysis was to rule out VHS, according to Preston.

The DNR has consulted with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health and there is no indication of a human health concern associated with the columnaris infection.

**DNR**

[PBUG2009]

they finally got to the bottom of it..im going to do alittle check on the bacteria and see where it comes from

[wvsportsman]

Thanks for posting the info Randy.