06-06-2016, 04:09 AM
The thing that you have to remember, though, is that fewer pike is GOOD because now the growth rates of those remaining will be much higher. The few pike that do spawn successfully or that are hatched will have the opportunity to grow fast and get big. The same could not be said during the "boom". The problem during the "boom" was that those small fish had no forage--they couldn't eat most of the carp because they were too big and there were really no perch to eat. So, they couldn't grow big. Now, because we are left with a fair number of large fish. Those small pike will not have a lot of competition to eat carp fry or the remaining perch. Unless, of course, the walleye numbers are up.
The "good" pike fishing that we had there for a couple years was similar to the great striper fishing at powell right now....the forage was gone and the loads of pike were hungry. Right now, the pike fishing is much tougher. Not because the fish aren't there, but because the fish that are there have plenty of food and competition is down. That is a good thing!
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The "good" pike fishing that we had there for a couple years was similar to the great striper fishing at powell right now....the forage was gone and the loads of pike were hungry. Right now, the pike fishing is much tougher. Not because the fish aren't there, but because the fish that are there have plenty of food and competition is down. That is a good thing!
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