05-26-2016, 04:10 PM
And on we go. [
] Indeed.
[quote wormandbobber]I know of no single place where smallmouth bass have been able to control or reduce chub numbers on their own. All of the reservoirs you mentioned have a bigger predator that is more voracious than smallies--Starvation had walleye, Flaming Gorge has lake trout, Deer Creek has walleye...these predators have been able to control chub numbers. Smallmouth have not.
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I'm kind of busy at work, so this will be brief and I will contribute more later. However 1 quick comment on this. According to what I've read from the Flaming Gorge guys, they do blame the smallmouth bass for the decimation of chubs at the Gorge. There were still plenty of chubs when the lake had trophy browns and big lake trout, but the stocking of smallies ended that. As for your southern examples, it may have been interesting to follow things out a few years on these, but Otter creek has been controlled. (wipers are only barely showing up this year) Also, if there are abundant crawdads in a given lake, then the smallies will eat these and dine on minnows less. That is definitely the case in your examples. This is not the case at Jordanelle.
gotta run.
[signature]
] Indeed.[quote wormandbobber]I know of no single place where smallmouth bass have been able to control or reduce chub numbers on their own. All of the reservoirs you mentioned have a bigger predator that is more voracious than smallies--Starvation had walleye, Flaming Gorge has lake trout, Deer Creek has walleye...these predators have been able to control chub numbers. Smallmouth have not.
[/quote]
I'm kind of busy at work, so this will be brief and I will contribute more later. However 1 quick comment on this. According to what I've read from the Flaming Gorge guys, they do blame the smallmouth bass for the decimation of chubs at the Gorge. There were still plenty of chubs when the lake had trophy browns and big lake trout, but the stocking of smallies ended that. As for your southern examples, it may have been interesting to follow things out a few years on these, but Otter creek has been controlled. (wipers are only barely showing up this year) Also, if there are abundant crawdads in a given lake, then the smallies will eat these and dine on minnows less. That is definitely the case in your examples. This is not the case at Jordanelle.
gotta run.
[signature]