I’m puzzled biologists. Care to explain this?

[M R Dux]

Rickie and I were out today, wrapping up our crank trips and saying goodbye to my 2 year old Excel BayPro 203 (no questions about that— post coming in a few days). Crappie in our usual hot-spot were non-existent.

We kept seeing the 1199HD 2D light up with fish and our poles would start jumping and shaking but no fish. After a couple of decent keepers, my left side dropper rod bent over with either a nice fish or hung up. As I started reeling, I could tell it was a nice fish. With the Arkie 220 and it’s tiny hooks, I took my time reeling it to the waiting net. When we got our first glimpse of it, I thought it was a lazy green carp.

AS I got it to the net,we both realized what I had......a Silver Asian Carp about 18” long and hooked squarely in the roof of its mouth. This is the 3rd one we’ve caught on cranks this year. The 60 pound Bighead we caught a week ago was foul hooked. This one wasn’t. I had Rickie take a couple of pics of it but when I got it out of the net, the hook came loose. I ripped its gills out then tossed it back in for the otters and other fish eaters.

The F&W biologists keep trying to convince us we are foul hooking these fish. I say loud and proud....BS!!! Maybe these fish strike by instinct? Maybe they want it out of their way? Whatever!! Maybe they can also explain the total lack of shad baitballs in many areas where the screen would be covered with them in times past?

Something is happening to our lakes and it ain’t good.
Top pic is my 2D. The entire huge bay was like this today.


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[armyman]

Very sad, Doug.

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[Slow Retrieve]

I would guess some sort of reaction strike. If they were actively feeding on them and with the kind of numbers they have in the lakes people would be catching them like sport fish by now.

[ET Fish]

It’s obvious that he’s not alone! That’s gotta be thousands on your screen! I know they’re coming, but I dread the day they show up here.

[Alphahawk]

I have had several of them hit a Trout Magnet and ThunderHawk Dancer below the dam at Pickwick......I’m not talking about snagged.....it was in the mouth.

Regards


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[Dutch552]

Unfortunately I’ve had several days this fall with the same scenario on KY Lake. The sonar would show a blanket of fish 3-5’ thick near the bottom and the rods would jump as crankbait bills deflected off of the fish. I confirmed what they were when the silvers started jumping as we trolled through them and snagged one. It’s sad to see such a great lake be overtaken right before our eyes.

[1187mg]

Last week was my first trip to KY lake. We caught a bunch of crappie. Only 20 or so we're under 9 inches. I never saw a school of shad. We saw a few skipping on top of the water but none on the fish finder. We could not figure out what the crappie we're eating. We got the rod shaking hits to. We wondered if it was yellow bass but we usually didn't catch them like you would think when they were doing that. The biologist need to get them under control if they can.

It is not all doom and gloom or anywhere near it at KY lake though and don't want people thinking it is. That was the best "traveling" crappie trip I have ever took. Our last day we caught over a hundred fish over 9 inches. The fishery needs to be proctected though! I will definitely be back!



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[Ketchn]

Probably similar to the ole theory that tilapia won’t hit bait and only eat vegetation , I know that’s pure bla bla and it seems it’s a similar type of thing with those ugly things.....I sure hope they don’t come west to visit here like everyone else in the us .....

[BIGBADDAD]

With 3 boys under 13 those waggling poles from the bait on bottom was bad....Is that one? Is that one? Is that one?

Rickie and I were out today, wrapping up our crank trips and saying goodbye to my 2 year old Excel BayPro 203 (no questions about that— post coming in a few days). Crappie in our usual hot-spot were non-existent.

We kept seeing the 1199HD 2D light up with fish and our poles would start jumping and shaking but no fish. After a couple of decent keepers, my left side dropper rod bent over with either a nice fish or hung up. As I started reeling, I could tell it was a nice fish. With the Arkie 220 and it’s tiny hooks, I took my time reeling it to the waiting net. When we got our first glimpse of it, I thought it was a lazy green carp.

AS I got it to the net,we both realized what I had......a Silver Asian Carp about 18” long and hooked squarely in the roof of its mouth. This is the 3rd one we’ve caught on cranks this year. The 60 pound Bighead we caught a week ago was foul hooked. This one wasn’t. I had Rickie take a couple of pics of it but when I got it out of the net, the hook came loose. I ripped its gills out then tossed it back in for the otters and other fish eaters.

The F&W biologists keep trying to convince us we are foul hooking these fish. I say loud and proud....BS!!! Maybe these fish strike by instinct? Maybe they want it out of their way? Whatever!! Maybe they can also explain the total lack of shad baitballs in many areas where the screen would be covered with them in times past?

Something is happening to our lakes and it ain’t good.
Top pic is my 2D. The entire huge bay was like this today.


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[Cane Pole]

West Sandy Creek, where I stays sometime, is filled with these big gill devils. The crappie of any size is all but gone. West Sandy is a big creek. It is about 3 miles in length and about 1/2 mile wide in our area.

I believe the carp poop is damaging the bottom of the sea here.