Lampreys and Forage

[Digitroll Fishing]

I have had several people approach me ie. guides and rec fishermen commenting on the uptick on lamprey hits and lack of forage seen this season.

The fish seem thinner and have shown an increase with hits and lamprey's attached. One warm water guide has seen more hits on northerns this Spring. Another Lake Trout guide has seen a lot of skinny lakers.

Hopefully not a trend.

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Ron I have been noticing the same!!! Did they treat the rivers this year or last??? I hope that there are no thoughts of cutting back!!!! Hopefully just a blip??!!!! Sleeps

[Reelax]

Ron, I also agreed 100% with your findings... It seems worse the farther south you go in the lake. I got a salmon Friday out of Converse that had a 6" and a 14" lamprey on it... We feel like we saved his life when we cleaned them off and put him back...

I wonder if the high water last spring/summer caused the lamprey better conditons to spawn in the rivers or something.... This is the worse year in the last 3-4 I have seen....

The Inland sea isn't as bad for lamprey (if you can find a salmon). As a result the fish we do find seem to be more energetic. (very few jumpers this year down south for us..??)

Not sure of the cause of this, but the trend and data seem very alarming....

[dreamcatcher]

Hey Ron; seem that way for me also. While hunting around for salmon this year I'm picking up lakers with 1 or 2 on them alot not good!

[Trackertroller]

I think its hit or miss. Out of 3 dozen fish we have boated we have seen less than 5 lamprey to date.
Though we have seen hits on many fish.

[MarknFish (Mark)]

I certainly don't spend the time on the water as others but we have boated a lot of fish this year from all over the lake and I have killed two lampreys and had two drop of at the back of the boat. 2 salmon and 2 lakers. I think it's hit or miss to some degree and we have to remember this is when the lamprey's are coming out of the streams to begin the parasitic stage of their life so we are bound to see more.

Agree with the lack of forage seen, especially in the sea. But there again I think the lakers are trending large and healthy this year. My .02.

[sundown4570]

Found this on the NYS ENCON web site

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7238.html

Steve...........aka...Sundown

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Sundown thanks for the info!!!! Good to see that the ball hasnt been dropped!!! Sleeps

[raz]

There is no doubt in my mind that the ball wasn't dropped.
Thanks Steve for the link.
I'm glad to see the use of the granular Bayluscide on the Boquet River Delta. A Lamprey Control meeting I attended a few years ago, the biologists mentioned that sea lamprey ammocoetes/larvae had been discovered in the sediment of the delta in water as deep as 80 feet!
I'm not sure...but I think this is the first treatment for the Boquet Delta. That means it should be on-going every 4 years! Great news and great progress!!!

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Raz I know you have had your ear near the issue on Lampreyes!! In your opinion why if we have seen an uptick in lampreyes has this happened? !!! I am not on the lake as often as a lot of the forum members but what I have seen and read there seems to be more this year than in the last few!!!! I am glad very glad to hear that treatments are on going!! Sleeps

[raz]

Not sure Sleeps. Maybe the lamprey have broadened their spawning grounds. Grounds our biologists have yet to discover. Such as the discovery of them spawning on the bottom of 80 FOW. ?

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Gerry thats a possibility for sure !!! These creatures are survivors for sure!!!! Im sure they will be keeping the biologists on there toes for some time to come!!! Sleeps