09-20-2013, 05:19 PM
[quote FishingLunatic]3-Taking large fish home home obviously eliminates the ammount of the type of fish you want and it takes a long period of time for fish to grow that way. The larger the fish, the longer its going to take another one to grow that big and make up for it.[/quote]
No it doesn't.
when you remove a 5lb bass, you don't replace it with a fry or fingerling. You replace it with the 3lb bass that's been waiting to fill the niche that the 5lb bass was occupying. Once that 3lb bass fills the niche, then the 2lb bass fills the void left by the 3lb bass, and on, and on.
That's where you guys fail to understand. You're not replacing the "big" fish with an egg. There are other fish just waiting to fill the void.
in a situation where growth rates are high, you will never miss that removed 5lb bass, because another bass will QUICKLY grow and replace the removed fish. However, in a situation where population numbers are too high and growth rates are slow, then it will take significant time to replace that big bass, if it happens at all. So, how do you correct the issue of slow growth rates due to overpopulation? YOU HARVEST MORE FISH. Regardless of size, you want to remove more fish to reduce the population so that you move back to a higher rate of growth.
Why do new reservoirs always seem to have great fishing for the first few years? It's because of high growth rates! Rotenone a lake and stock it with new fish, and BOOM! you'll have high growth rates with lots of nice fish.
Look at an older reservoir (ie: Jordanelle), and what do you have? Slow growth rates, high, high, high numbers of small fish......why? too many fish.
this is EXACTLY why you see trophy brook trout on the Boulder mountain -- but ONLY in lakes that have poor spawning habitat or partial winterkill. You have to keep the population of all fish in check so that the growth rates stay high. As soon as you move out of that zone, the growth rates slow and the average fish size goes down.
but, you guys just keep saying "protect the big ones" and we'll continue to have a fishery full of small ones. Sounds like that's the consensus.
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No it doesn't.
when you remove a 5lb bass, you don't replace it with a fry or fingerling. You replace it with the 3lb bass that's been waiting to fill the niche that the 5lb bass was occupying. Once that 3lb bass fills the niche, then the 2lb bass fills the void left by the 3lb bass, and on, and on.
That's where you guys fail to understand. You're not replacing the "big" fish with an egg. There are other fish just waiting to fill the void.
in a situation where growth rates are high, you will never miss that removed 5lb bass, because another bass will QUICKLY grow and replace the removed fish. However, in a situation where population numbers are too high and growth rates are slow, then it will take significant time to replace that big bass, if it happens at all. So, how do you correct the issue of slow growth rates due to overpopulation? YOU HARVEST MORE FISH. Regardless of size, you want to remove more fish to reduce the population so that you move back to a higher rate of growth.
Why do new reservoirs always seem to have great fishing for the first few years? It's because of high growth rates! Rotenone a lake and stock it with new fish, and BOOM! you'll have high growth rates with lots of nice fish.
Look at an older reservoir (ie: Jordanelle), and what do you have? Slow growth rates, high, high, high numbers of small fish......why? too many fish.
this is EXACTLY why you see trophy brook trout on the Boulder mountain -- but ONLY in lakes that have poor spawning habitat or partial winterkill. You have to keep the population of all fish in check so that the growth rates stay high. As soon as you move out of that zone, the growth rates slow and the average fish size goes down.
but, you guys just keep saying "protect the big ones" and we'll continue to have a fishery full of small ones. Sounds like that's the consensus.
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