Salinity Levels

[marty f]

How important is this in the means of catching fish?

I would think that its a major player. I have used this site
http://m.waterdata.usgs.gov/ to get salinity levels

Yesterday was 4.5 PPM at the north end of the lake, and I wouldn't think that was very good, but peps are catching

The south side was 18.5 PPM and plenty of peps have said stay to the south to catch fish.

So how important is this? when people are still catching in the North side.

Thanks, just trying to figure in the science part of this equation

[keakar]

not as much as you would think but you will have much better success overall if the areas you are fishing are within the salinity levels specks prefer.

specks get very particular when spawning because they need salinity to float their eggs but the rest of the time in general you will still catch them in lower salinities then is normal for them but they do need certain levels to be happy or they move out of the area to find those salinities.

I don't think reds care one way or the other, I have caught them in such low salinity areas it was damn near straight fresh water before.

in short, its like the tides, it is very important to pay attention to for speck fishing but I don't think you should plan your trips around it. there are exceptions so it is not always needed to be where the book says it needs to be in order to catch fish.

I have been catching regular limits of specks on the west side of lake ponchartrain where the salinity is NEVER close to the salinity the book says you need for specks to live yet they are there year round. maybe they just visit and go back to saltier areas but they are constant populations of good fish there all the time.

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

My cousin in Mouton Cove has redfish in his pond to eat the little bream. Been there ten years and still living. Those reds in Cabelas and BassPro are in freshwater doing fine just can't spawn. Caught a buncha trout at 2 ppt last year at Caldwell Reef

[BassYakR]

Trout will leave the area or go deep to get to an area with higher salinity levels. Redfish and flounder not so much... But also usually what causes the water to get fresh is rain.... so therefore you will get much dirtier water. Harder to catch anything in muddy water.

[meaux fishing]

Redfish just need saltwater to spawn. They can live in freshwater no problem

[Jman121799]

Specks only need high salinity to spawn, i was fishing in grand isle and ran way way north, caught 50 trout and 7 blue channel catfish out of the same spot