Tagged fish

[Birdgod]

Hi, my friend catch a big gar with a tagged on it. I managed to pull the tag before he gave the fish away. I remember reading about sending the tag but have no idea when to send it. Please advice. Thanks

[SCOTTY1094]

Go to state park office at hillsdale they can help you.

[Birdgod]

Ok , btw it was catch on kansas river at Lawrence , is that ok to bring there?

[Kansasoutdoorsman]

The regional office at 83rd and 7 in Lenexa might be a better option than the HD office. Call ahead and see if one of the biologist can meet you or if they can point you in the right direction before you drive somewhere.

[bluebasser86]

I wonder what the point of tagging a gar is? I caught a big drum in the Kansas River in Desoto a couple years ago that had a tag in it also but nobody seemed to know why when I called about it.

[Ronald Meeder]

It would interesting why they are tagging what I would call ruff fish. Is there reports available on the results or the reasons why. LBM and I both caught tagged crappie at Hillsdale a few years back be interesting to see the results of that testing. Craig I think you might be the man who has or know where to the answers, thanks to you in advance. Ron

[Craig Johnson]

Hi, my friend catch a big gar with a tagged on it. I managed to pull the tag before he gave the fish away. I remember reading about sending the tag but have no idea when to send it. Please advice. Thanks

Bg,

I've checked with a couple of the KDWPT Fish Bios and none of us know anything about tagged gar in the Kansas River. However, since it is a river the fish may have swam in from another state that was conducting a study.

What was printed on the tag? What kind of tag was it? Where was the tag located on the fish? Do you have a pic of the tag you could post?

There have been some studies in the past which have included tagged fish in the Kansas River. Two of the studies species that come to mind are flathead catfish and pallid sturgeon. Not to sound sarcastic, but was the tagged fish definitely a gar?

Another possibility is that an unauthorized person locally tagged a gar and turned it back in to the river...

I wouldn't waste a lot of time running around to multiple KDWPT offices with the tag. We should be able to get you squared away here.

[Craig Johnson]

It would interesting why they are tagging what I would call ruff fish. Is there reports available on the results or the reasons why. LBM and I both caught tagged crappie at Hillsdale a few years back be interesting to see the results of that testing. Craig I think you might be the man who has or know where to the answers, thanks to you in advance. Ron

Ron,

Let me do some checking to see if the crappie study is available somewhere online. I'll see what I can find.

I don't know of any tagging studies that have been conducted on rough fish here in Kansas...at least since I've been around.

[drakewoodie]

Craig do you know anything about the blue cat study that they were conducting at Milford? I believe it was being ran by a couple of k-state students the last couple of years but haven't heard anything about it recently as to what exactly they were studying and if they have completed it and what the results were

[Craig Johnson]

Craig do you know anything about the blue cat study that they were conducting at Milford? I believe it was being ran by a couple of k-state students the last couple of years but haven't heard anything about it recently as to what exactly they were studying and if they have completed it and what the results were

drakewoodie,

The Milford reservoir blue cat study is still underway. The study of blue catfish movements within the reservoir is the primary focus of the study but age/growth and diet study info will also be obtained. The movements of the blues is being tracked with implanted tags that are monitored with receivers placed at numerous locations around the lake. The receivers collect info on location of individual blues as they move around. I've seen some preliminary presentations of what they have found but it was far from complete info.

This study should produce some very interesting data on blue catfish in Kansas and it will be interesting to compare the data to a Fort Hays State University study that is currently underway at El Dorado and Cheney. I believe (don't hold me to this!!) that results from both studies is to be available by the end of 2014.