lake arthur/moraine st park

[bikerfish]

with the warmer temps this week, been thinking the gills might be into the shallows soon, anyone been there yet this year? also, the pike will be lurking around too!

 

[tomgamber]

I was just thinking that myself. Of course today was the first time I had an hour to myself if I wanted to push the issue but as of today, my blue gill lake is closed until the 17th and then it'll be crowded.

 

[David]

I've been there numerous times this year targeting muskies. The gills were there, but in limited numbers...this warm weather should get them serious. The bass were there in good numbers on warm sunny days, but not on cold, gray days. The musky seem to have vanished. The pike are around.
I was attacked by a turtle while kicking around in my float and have seen numerous snappers lounging in the shallows, so careful where you step!!!

 

[gfen]

I just read a very interesting treatise on fishing during the spawn at FAOL:

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/articles/readerscast/2010/readerscast20100329_StevenMcGarthwaite.php

With every spawn there are some fish that have genetic miscoding that causes them to mature too early and stop growing. If these genetic “Runts” are allowed on the spawning beds they will pass off their damage genetic material to future fish.

The health “Big Boy” fish normally chase these smaller runts off of the spawning beds, so they do not pass on their damaged genetic inheritance.

But if you interfere with the spawn, these runts have a chance to sneak in and spread their roe over beds where the eggs have already been deposited, and the damage is done.

There's much more, based on personal and anecdotal information, but its enough to make me wonder about it.

 

[PennKev]

There was a very good article in In-Fisherman many years ago that described the interaction between full grown and runt bluegills during the spawning season. I wish I had kept that issue. I think Dave Whitlock even did the illustrations for the article.

I don't think it ever referred to "damaged genetic material" however. The small gills were believed to be an adaptation if I recal correctly. Lots of small fish rather than fewer larger fish. The article described the balance between the larger adult fish and smaller adult fish and the factors which led to unbalanced populations.

Kev