Lake Champlain United - Forums

On April 12th we boated a salmon at 1:30 Pm in Bullwagga. It was a a nice 21 1/2" fish that weighed 3.81 lbs. It was wearing a yellow tag so we took down the tag number and web site address to report the fish. We let it go and it swam away happy.
this is the data we received on this fish
stocked in 2019 right vent fin clip
Female
tagged 11/2/2020
Lamoille river
weight in November 4.3lbs
length 21.5 inches

It lost weight? What's up with that????

That is super interesting!
I often wonder how far they travel. It's like the research they do in the Ocean on Whales and Sharks, which shows they travel Ten's of Thousands of Miles in some cases, yet still migrate and revert back to their "Home-Grounds." I wonder, do the Salmon have that same mentality. From everything I have read and learned, they in fact do instinctively return to the river they know for the purpose of spawning. Also, I believe it was Ron (Digitroll), who had posted a similar topic on his You Tube Channel, where the NY DEC, with the help of Trout Unlimited, have created "Pens" that are full of Landlocked Salmon, 26,000 as a matter of fact. The "Pens" are are attached to docks. This is where the Salmon will reside for 30 day's and then let into the wild. If I have it correct, they also stocked the same amount (26,000) up the river. The science and reasoning is to see if there is a difference in the way that the fish are stocked, in regards to the probability of them coming back to the same location to spawn.

I really appreciate this post Crazy Ivan! This type of thing is fascinating! There is so much to learn about this fishery and the Landlocked species. Awesome stuff!

raz wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:12 pm It lost weight? What's up with that????

Hey Raz!
How are you doing?
I would attribute the weight difference to the "Eggs" that the Salmon was about to deliver to Mother Nature, @ the first "weigh-in"?? If not that is really something to think about. For instance, could lamprey cause significant weight loss? Lack of food source most certainly.......

the science behind this thinbg we all Love is truly remarkable, don't ya think?

I was trying to figure out how big this fish was when it was stocked into lake.
Stocked most likely in late spring/early summer 2019
one and 1/2 years later it was already 4.3 lbs...
is that possible?

Crazy Ivan wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:27 pm I was trying to figure out how big this fish was when it was stocked into lake.
Stocked most likely in late spring/early summer 2019
one and 1/2 years later it was already 4.3 lbs...
is that possible?

Crazy Ivan

At the latest it would have been stocked last week of April, but most likely late march/early April. Grand Isle's fish are normally out as soon as they can, often stocked under the ice. Eisenhower's (Chittenden hatchery) the bulk of them are put in early April, with maybe a truck or two late April.

This is still amazing! Not that many years ago a 1 1/2 year old salmon was 2.25 to 21/2 lbs. 5lb 2 year old salmon in lake Champlain, is just fantastic.

awsome tag wow will keep us all guessing. thanks todd for the post

Crazy Ivan wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:27 pm I was trying to figure out how big this fish was when it was stocked into lake.
Stocked most likely in late spring/early summer 2019
one and 1/2 years later it was already 4.3 lbs...
is that possible?

That would surprise me. Likely stocked in 2018 (or earlier). I don't think Champlain fish are growing at that rate, but I'd love to be proven wrong!

That is really amazing!
I didn't realize that the first data was the initial stocking data. I thought the fish had already been in the lake, then recaptured on a later date by the biologists.
Great Stuff.

Great thread, fascinating info. I guess the salmon lost all that weight due to the swim from the Lamoille to Bulwagga, thats about 45 miles as the crow flies !

Very cool Todd! I believe the growth rate.
Salmon are stocked in early spring of 2019 6-9 inches(often referred to as 1 year olds). The first year they can double to 16/18 inches by spring of 2020(2 year olds). These are the fish we like to see good numbers of to ensure a strong future for our fishery. One year later 21 inches(3year old). I believe this is a very typical growth rate for healthy Champlain Salmon that have eluded the toothy swimming predators, Birds and Lamprey. No small task these days. Thanks for sharing Todd!

They put them in the Lamoille, they end up in Bulwagga...pretty depressing for those who live up north. Thanks for the cool info.

the_doctor wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 6:45 am They put them in the Lamoille, they end up in Bulwagga...pretty depressing for those who live up north. Thanks for the cool info.

You get to catch them in the fall when they come back . I used to drive all the the way from Bridport to be the first guy to be fishing below Peterson Dam in late September after a good rain.