Over harvesting issue - Bluegill - Big Bluegill2024-03-28T16:35:50Zhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/forum/topics/over-harvesting-issue?commentId=2036984%3AComment%3A227872&feed=yes&xn_auth=noDefinitely want to have a har…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-29:2036984:Comment:2297882011-12-29T21:26:58.873ZJosh Milczski (Omaha)https://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/JoshMilczski
<p>Definitely want to have a harvest plan of some sort in place and you got some great suggestions here. Depending on how compliant the allowed anglers are, you should be able to keep it a very good fishery. </p>
<p>Definitely want to have a harvest plan of some sort in place and you got some great suggestions here. Depending on how compliant the allowed anglers are, you should be able to keep it a very good fishery. </p> Good to know a few facts abou…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-27:2036984:Comment:2293142011-12-27T16:13:53.037ZLeo Nguyenhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/LeoNguyen
<p>Good to know a few facts about carps. The carps in Lake Perris are a mix breed. Some are predatory opportunists, where as other merely enjoy anything they can get to. When I metered the spawning areas of the panfishes, I always see carps and cats linger within the area. A shared habitat or a predation in motion, I can't say without a camcorder rolling the footage. The water is so stained here that you can't see beyond 3ft below surface. However, what I witnessed in the shallow areas got me…</p>
<p>Good to know a few facts about carps. The carps in Lake Perris are a mix breed. Some are predatory opportunists, where as other merely enjoy anything they can get to. When I metered the spawning areas of the panfishes, I always see carps and cats linger within the area. A shared habitat or a predation in motion, I can't say without a camcorder rolling the footage. The water is so stained here that you can't see beyond 3ft below surface. However, what I witnessed in the shallow areas got me baffled. Carps chasing baitfishes along the sandbed, or carps leaped out of the water, hammering floating bugs on the surface of the water, including my flies, like basses. A few who caught carps also found small 2" gills in their bellies. Just scratching my head at what are these carps true diet is.</p>
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<p>Irvine is over estimated on their stock trouts planting. 5,000 per week is way over indulging our eyes and ears with news. More like 2,500 per month. If we're lucky, 3,500. Holdover trouts that can get into the double digits since not many of us drive down to Irvine on a constant basis, and they have quite a huge area to hide form shoreline anglers. People who live in the Orange County areas like to hit the salt water over the fresh water for fishing activities, mainly piers and surf fishing. Trouts in Irvine is known for their voracious appetites for baitfishes and gills. Large trouts will hunt for baby gills at their spawning beds near the eastern shallow area, as well as the southern shore were vegetation can get dense. It's the best fishing ground to get lucky with the double digit trouts.</p>
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<p>However, very rare does Irvine Lake get monitored like Lake Perris. The reason why is Lake Perris is constantly reporting in fish species being captured, and the plenty of angling volunteers willing to share their time to help out DFG with their tasks, and learn a few things in the process. I'm definitely no expert on fishery management, but man, a few things I found from fishing experience just baffle me. Thanks to this forum, I learn more about the panfish's capacity to reach new heights every day.</p> Carp are not a predator - the…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-26:2036984:Comment:2289612011-12-26T06:55:26.722ZWalt Foremanhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/WaltForeman
<p>Carp are not a predator - they're technically omnivorous, but they eat little to no fish; they're bottom feeders, and the animals they eat are mainly invertebrates. And catfish, if you mean channel cats, while certainly predators, don't do nearly as good of a job controlling bluegill as largemouth do. </p>
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<p>I went to the California website for Lake Irvine. I fished the lake once when I lived in L.A., and remember being told that high numbers of trout are stocked into it; the…</p>
<p>Carp are not a predator - they're technically omnivorous, but they eat little to no fish; they're bottom feeders, and the animals they eat are mainly invertebrates. And catfish, if you mean channel cats, while certainly predators, don't do nearly as good of a job controlling bluegill as largemouth do. </p>
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<p>I went to the California website for Lake Irvine. I fished the lake once when I lived in L.A., and remember being told that high numbers of trout are stocked into it; the website says 5,000 pounds per week, which is a heck of a lot of trout for one lake, even a good-sized one. While trout certainly are predators, unlike largemouth they also eat a lot of the same foods - aquatic invertebrates, for instance - that bluegill do. I would venture that the heavy competition for food that the bluegill face from the thousands upon thousands of weekly-stocked trout is the reason the bluegill aren't as big as some other SoCal lakes. And, one of the species listed on the website is carp, so that's another species directly competing with the bluegill for food. </p> Crappie will thrive regardles…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-26:2036984:Comment:2291342011-12-26T05:40:30.600ZLeo Nguyenhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/LeoNguyen
Crappie will thrive regardless if we take the small basses out. Take out the apex predator like the basses and cats/carps, too much of a population of preys over predators, will only have small panfishes. We have an example of that here at one of the lakes, called Skinner. Very healthy level of predators and yields huge panfishes. Too much predatory fishes like Lake Irvine and we only get small panfishes. Too much panfishes but not enough predatory apex species, we got small panfishes like Lake…
Crappie will thrive regardless if we take the small basses out. Take out the apex predator like the basses and cats/carps, too much of a population of preys over predators, will only have small panfishes. We have an example of that here at one of the lakes, called Skinner. Very healthy level of predators and yields huge panfishes. Too much predatory fishes like Lake Irvine and we only get small panfishes. Too much panfishes but not enough predatory apex species, we got small panfishes like Lake Gregory. We have a bit of sample here. However, only one lake I know that is well balanced, which is my favorite Lake Perris. have you ever thought of thro…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-26:2036984:Comment:2290472011-12-26T01:23:54.402ZMark Barretthttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/MarkBarrett
<p>have you ever thought of throwing in some crappie in and taking out alot of those small bass? I dont know what this would do but I imagine that the crappie would act like those smaller bass and you have a bonus when fishing for those big bluegills.</p>
<p>have you ever thought of throwing in some crappie in and taking out alot of those small bass? I dont know what this would do but I imagine that the crappie would act like those smaller bass and you have a bonus when fishing for those big bluegills.</p> 11" is considered extremely r…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-20:2036984:Comment:2282122011-12-20T20:49:15.484ZLeo Nguyenhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/LeoNguyen
<p>11" is considered extremely rare in our waters. Like Tony said, best to preserve as much of the large ones over certain length. I, and a few of us who love panfishes over here, preserve anything larger than 9" when possible. We will harvest females after they off-load their eggs. Otherwise, try to keep those wonderful size fishes. Wow, 11-inchers. Man, that would be the day when I can land a few of those.</p>
<p>11" is considered extremely rare in our waters. Like Tony said, best to preserve as much of the large ones over certain length. I, and a few of us who love panfishes over here, preserve anything larger than 9" when possible. We will harvest females after they off-load their eggs. Otherwise, try to keep those wonderful size fishes. Wow, 11-inchers. Man, that would be the day when I can land a few of those.</p> Uncontrolled ice fishing can…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-20:2036984:Comment:2281902011-12-20T13:20:34.240ZTony Livingstonhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/TonyLivingston
<p>Uncontrolled ice fishing can decimate a population of big BG's. Lots of times they school tight in the winter, and , once located, can be hit hard. I would recommend the same thing I always do, returning the biggest males, and harvesting the smaller ones. A fish that is 11.75" and 21 ozs. has a relative weight of around 91%, that's not too bad but it could be better. I would try and remove some of the smaller BG's, say 8" and under. Do you feed the fish on this lake? It makes all the…</p>
<p>Uncontrolled ice fishing can decimate a population of big BG's. Lots of times they school tight in the winter, and , once located, can be hit hard. I would recommend the same thing I always do, returning the biggest males, and harvesting the smaller ones. A fish that is 11.75" and 21 ozs. has a relative weight of around 91%, that's not too bad but it could be better. I would try and remove some of the smaller BG's, say 8" and under. Do you feed the fish on this lake? It makes all the difference in the world.</p> What Ryan said. If you are i…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-20:2036984:Comment:2279332011-12-20T06:32:24.929ZWalt Foremanhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/WaltForeman
<p>What Ryan said. If you are interested in big bluegill, which I'm guessing you are to some degree since you're here, harvesting bass will mess that up. Ponds with 11" bluegill in your region don't come along often; that pond right now is something special. It would be a shame to mess it up. There are probably other ponds in the area that have better bass fishing - I'd suggest fishing those for bass, and leaving this one the way it is.</p>
<p>What Ryan said. If you are interested in big bluegill, which I'm guessing you are to some degree since you're here, harvesting bass will mess that up. Ponds with 11" bluegill in your region don't come along often; that pond right now is something special. It would be a shame to mess it up. There are probably other ponds in the area that have better bass fishing - I'd suggest fishing those for bass, and leaving this one the way it is.</p> If you harvest any bass the b…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2011-12-20:2036984:Comment:2278722011-12-20T04:04:57.099ZRyan McCawhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/ryanmccaw
If you harvest any bass the bluegill will get smaller. Right now the bass are saturated and eating most of the new fry every year. This reduces competition for food and allows the big ones to get really big. If you take out bass more of the young will survive and competition for food will stunt the bluegill population. Right now the bass are either stunted or headed in that direction. Of course I am assuming you are more interested in a strong bluegill fishery.
If you harvest any bass the bluegill will get smaller. Right now the bass are saturated and eating most of the new fry every year. This reduces competition for food and allows the big ones to get really big. If you take out bass more of the young will survive and competition for food will stunt the bluegill population. Right now the bass are either stunted or headed in that direction. Of course I am assuming you are more interested in a strong bluegill fishery. Chris,
I personally would lik…tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2009-01-25:2036984:Comment:178822009-01-25T16:14:23.417ZTony Ihttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/TonyI
Chris,<br />
I personally would like to harvest bass under 14 inches at least for one year. The only problem fish biologist have with taking out the smaller bass is the population of the bluegill in the next spring may increase too much and the then the balance is off. I have planned to bring the biologist over to check out our pond and let us know if he agrees with us. The bigger bass would be a nice bonus.<br />
Tony
Chris,<br />
I personally would like to harvest bass under 14 inches at least for one year. The only problem fish biologist have with taking out the smaller bass is the population of the bluegill in the next spring may increase too much and the then the balance is off. I have planned to bring the biologist over to check out our pond and let us know if he agrees with us. The bigger bass would be a nice bonus.<br />
Tony