BL overfished?

[trouttracker]

Thought i would ask this simple question. Is Big Lake over fished? And that question applies to not just trout & redfish but all other harvested species. In the good ole days (minus the strike nets) it was almost automatic to go out and throw a peice of white plastic and catch all you could handle. Those days are only a memory. Even on the better trips these days it takes a lot of work to hit a school. 2012 was a good year but last year was terrible and it seems to be running over into 2014.

[marshrunner757]

I'm not sure that it's over fished or simply just a matter of too much traffic. Way too many idiots who have no business on the water.

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[Reefman]

I don't think its a matter of over-fishing but a matter that BL isn't holding the fish it use to.

[mriguy]

Weirs

[Feesherman]

Originally Posted by Reefman

I don't think its a matter of over-fishing but a matter that BL isn't holding the fish it use to.

You dredge all the oysters out of the lake and it certainly won't hold the fish it used to

[Reefman]

Originally Posted by Feesherman

You dredge all the oysters out of the lake and it certainly won't hold the fish it used to

Yep, this and erosion of the ship channel allowing high salinities through out the whole lake.

["W"]

over oyster fished

[jchief]

Originally Posted by "W"

over oyster fished

Agree.

It is more than just one issue, I believe.

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by "W"

over oyster fished

Didn't you know CCA was building new reefs for you???

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[Jadams]

No fish in bl everyone stay home !


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[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by Jadams

No fish in bl everyone stay home !


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I think I'll go find out for myself!


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[Natural Light Kid]

Will Drost is the reason people don't catch fish on BL anymore lol.

[MathGeek]

Big Lake is not over fished.

There are a lot of fish and they are eating very well, especially the specks and redfish. Black drum and gafftops are not eating as well. There are plenty of gafftops (likely overpopulated), but the bulk of black drum population has moved out (lot to Sabine) in search of more oysters.

The absence of oyster beds and weir management has the specks and reds following different patterns than usual. However, we recently measured that specks are 106% of their expected weight and redfish are 102% of their expected weight, so they are not going hungry. Weir management, low crab stocks, and low shrimp numbers suggest redfish and specks are eating well on fish (menhaden, croaker, mullet, and small fish of many species).

If specks and reds have shifted to piscivory rather than eating crustaceans, then they are chasing schools of small fish and will be hard to catch using the techniques and locations that work when they are chasing mostly shrimp and crabs.

The attached graph shows a recent estimate for the interactions between species over the past 4 years. Note that each species has a 1.00 interaction with itself. Specks and reds have a measured 77% interaction (high, as expected). Specks and black drum have a 9% interaction, because their forage habits are so different.

What was somewhat unexpected was the 49% interaction between specks and gafftops. It seems that since the destruction of the oyster reefs that began in 2010, gafftops have turned much more piscivorous (fish eating) rather than eating bottom dwelling benthos. As a result, they are likely both competing strongly with the specks and also eating a lot of juvenile specks in the 4-8" range. I bet a lot more gafftops have been caught on topwater plugs and shallow diving crankbaits since 2010 than in the earlier years, since they show lots of evidence of feeding in schools of fish.

[marshrunner757]

Last year was my first to water gafftop and could have caught a ton. It was a huge school feeding on top.

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[Goooh]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

Big Lake is not over fished.



There are a lot of fish and they are eating very well, especially the specks and redfish. Black drum and gafftops are not eating as well. There are plenty of gafftops (likely overpopulated), but the bulk of black drum population has moved out (lot to Sabine) in search of more oysters.



The absence of oyster beds and weir management has the specks and reds following different patterns than usual. However, we recently measured that specks are 106% of their expected weight and redfish are 102% of their expected weight, so they are not going hungry. Weir management, low crab stocks, and low shrimp numbers suggest redfish and specks are eating well on fish (menhaden, croaker, mullet, and small fish of many species).



If specks and reds have shifted to piscivory rather than eating crustaceans, then they are chasing schools of small fish and will be hard to catch using the techniques and locations that work when they are chasing mostly shrimp and crabs.



The attached graph shows a recent estimate for the interactions between species over the past 4 years. Note that each species has a 1.00 interaction with itself. Specks and reds have a measured 77% interaction (high, as expected). Specks and black drum have a 9% interaction, because their forage habits are so different.



What was somewhat unexpected was the 49% interaction between specks and gafftops. It seems that since the destruction of the oyster reefs that began in 2010, gafftops have turned much more piscivorous (fish eating) rather than eating bottom dwelling benthos. As a result, they are likely both competing strongly with the specks and also eating a lot of juvenile specks in the 4-8" range. I bet a lot more gafftops have been caught on topwater plugs and shallow diving crankbaits since 2010 than in the earlier years, since they show lots of evidence of feeding in schools of fish.

Great post

[bobo23]

Thanks for that input, MG.

[Jadams]

Bl being overfished has about the same chances as landing a 3way off christianmingle.com!


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[ChrisD]

Originally Posted by Jadams

Bl being overfished has about the same chances as landing a 3way off christianmingle.com!


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Lmao

[Sasparilla]

[QUOTE=Jadams;695734]Bl being overfished has about the same chances as landing a 3way off christianmingle.com!


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LOL. So True.

[Goooh]

Originally Posted by Jadams

Bl being overfished has about the same chances as landing a 3way off christianmingle.com!


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They got some freaks on that site...