Glad to hear from you Jim!!!!tamiron wrote:mhf (Matt)
The increase in natural reproduction and successful growth of Lake Trout after the "discovery" of Alewives would appear to indicate that the impact by Alewives on Lake Trout and Atlantics is going in opposite directions!
In many lakes on the West Coast, Lake trout are the Apex predator that prefer Kokanee Salmon and grow in almost grotesque size because of the oil rich salmon. Can that be having an affect on the Salmon population in Champlain? More Lakers eating juvenile Atlantics?
This frostbite season I don't hear about the birds. Is surface frenzy gone? Are there Gobies in Champlain yet? In the past year we heard about Atlantics eating perch (Inland Sea), silver bass, etc. Do we know what their preferred forage is? If it is smelt or alewives, is there a size preference?
If there is a size preference, could that change their preferred location in the Water column?
Will try to provide some feedback;
I haven’t seen many birds working bait on surface at all... and I have been looking hard.no bird tornadoes yet... but I’ll keep looking, cause they are like striking gold. I have only seen them between November and March... so they are overdue... Gobies are not here yet as far as I know.
Do you really think a laker would eat a juvenile salmon...???? I’m not sure it would catch one... if that is the case that is a game changer... maybe that is where our age classes went a couple years ago???
Things that make ya go hmmmmmmm
Thanks for chiming in...