Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > Overfishing? How many fish can be taken out of small lakes
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Allison
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Allison
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 11:13 am 
You should think about coming to the Hi Lakers meeting tonight. I imagine there might be a few people there willing to answer all of your questions.

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Tom
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 11:30 am 
And/or you could post your questions/suggestions at the trailblazers forum too.

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MtnGoat
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 12:37 pm 
If you're interested in preserving the fishery in a small lake, the last thing you want to do is post detailed notes on what you caught there.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Damian
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 1:45 pm 
Another way to preserve a fishery is to arrive while the lake is still frozen. Ok, ok, maybe I've beat that one to death.

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MtnGoat
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 2:12 pm 
Ingrate. I'll never live that one down.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Allison
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Allison
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 2:18 pm 
Ha ha, add that one to Tom losing his pack, and the clogged water filter on the 2002 Lost World Plateau trip. There are more of these Itchy and Scratchy type of interactions between members, but these come to mind.

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jackchinook
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 5:41 pm 
Jamin Smitchger wrote:
1. So what does it take for a population of trout to be naturally reproducing?
If you're talking about rainbows, cutthroats, goldens, etc. it'll take inlet and/or outlet streams with small gravel and reliable flow. That's the most common habitat used. Occasionally, you'll see redds on the shoreline or on flats but these need springs or reliable wave action to keep the eggs and fry oxygenated and remove their metabolites....anywhere but in the outlet or inlets, spawning isn't going to be very successful. Some char, noteably brook trout can spawn in the lakes themselves so their populations won't be limited by spawning habitat. If reproduction is too successful and harvest and predation aren't sufficient, they'll consume all of the food and start sexually maturing at a very small size and cease growing - i.e. a stunted population.
Jamin Smitchger wrote:
How do you tell? Can small, high lakes have naturally reproducing populations or are they all pretty much artificial populations?
Naturally reproducing lakes will have a few signs of nat. repro. including a bunch of different sizes present (i.e. multiple year classes). Another hint will be fish spawning in the outlet and inlet streams and/or lots of trout fry present. A stocked lake will often have maybe 2 year classes present...that is, all the fish you catch will be about 8" and maybe another year class at 13" or something like that. With 4 or 5 exceptions, all highlakes in Washington are 'artificial' populations. However, there are quite a few lakes in the Cascades with naturally-reproducing (AKA wild) populations of cutts, brookies, rainbows, even grayling. Humans put them there but they've established a stable existence in the lake. the best lakes are the ones where there is no reproduction but the TB's stock them regulary or where natural reproduction is limited enough that there is more than enough food to go around and all the trout are well-fed, grow big, don't get fished too much, etc.

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Jamin Smitchger
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 6:40 pm 
So if you catch 5 fish and all are the same size except one which is three inches shorter than the others, does that indicate a stocked population. What do you guys think about that pot below pt. 5043 that I posted in my trip report. I would be willing to haul fish up there if someone would give them to me. I wasn't really too impressed about the fishing in the dollar lakes, but I thought that that puddle was pretty. I would have even liked it better if it had any fish in it. The water did not seem to have a lot of aquatic life and the pond is on a north facing slope so I do not know how good it is for fish. The water was very green, and I could only see about 8-10 feet down:)

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borank
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PostWed Jul 20, 2005 11:11 pm 
As has been stated before, the TBs & WDFW are becoming more "scientific" in their approach to fish planting. There are numerous factors considered to determine stocking densities and intervals, or even advisability, so each lake is being looked at individually. I can tell you for certain that virtually every body of water in the Cascades around the Seattle metro area has been appraised, and some lakes are purposely left unplanted. Generally speaking, lakes with reproducing populations produce fish of every size up to maybe 10-11" and sometimes a little bigger. Many times the fish are quite thin with large heads and often will bite anything you throw out to them. If you notice fish lengths falling into distinct size ranges, then it is likely a managed lake. The period between plants is one of the variables considered, so the difference between size ranges can vary dramatically. Fishing is almost always slower at managed lakes, mainly because there are fewer fish to begin with. The lakes are managed for the opportunity of quality fishing with minimal impact on native biota. In a small out-of-the-way lake, that may result in an extremely low stocking density, perhaps 25-35 fish planted every 4 or 5 years. I was at a managed lake this last weekend and didn't see a fish for over an hour. The first fish I saw was 4-5 lbs. The 2nd was bigger still...

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salish
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salish
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PostThu Jul 21, 2005 5:44 pm 
Jamin Smitchger wrote:
So if you catch 5 fish and all are the same size except one which is three inches shorter than the others, does that indicate a stocked population. What do you guys think about that pot below pt. 5043 that I posted in my trip report. I would be willing to haul fish up there if someone would give them to me. I wasn't really too impressed about the fishing in the dollar lakes, but I thought that that puddle was pretty. I would have even liked it better if it had any fish in it. The water did not seem to have a lot of aquatic life and the pond is on a north facing slope so I do not know how good it is for fish. The water was very green, and I could only see about 8-10 feet down:)
Jamin - borank is right on with his comments. If you are interested in finding out more about this, or if you are interested in stocking a lake you should go to a Trailblazers meeting and see what it's all about. There are others here on nwhikers.net who can put you in touch with folks who can help you. Odonota had a great idea in suggesting you take a look at the Hi Lakers web site. Cliff

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
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sooperfly
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PostThu Jul 21, 2005 10:51 pm 
borank wrote:
I was at a managed lake this last weekend and didn't see a fish for over an hour. The first fish I saw was 4-5 lbs. The 2nd was bigger still...
We'll find out this fall just how big he is.... this time he ain't throwing the hook. biggrin.gif if yer talking about where I think yer talking

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