Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on April 24, 2020, 12:27:10 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/zv3oQOj.jpg)
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Is it possible to sterilize a bass prior to release? It's a shame if they are releasing breeding adults - but I understand the value of tracking.
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it would be really difficult to release any bass i catch.
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it would be really difficult to release any bass i catch.
As I mentioned on our Facebook page, just to be clear, the project is only requesting anglers to release those fish which are tagged so they can continue to collect data from them. The data will help us understand which part of the lake these fish are using, it'll be beneficial in the long run. The daily quota of bass in region 2 except Mill Lake is 20, so go for it if you'd like to retain the untagged ones. They taste fantastic. :)
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Just had a phone call regarding this project. Tagging will begin in a couple of weeks from now until early June. They'll also hope to collect gut content so may find a way to do that from anglers, once access restrictions are lifted.
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I wonder how big the SMB in Cultus are getting. They've been there for a few years at least?
Back in the day I used to do an annual trip to Saltspring for smallmouth. Mostly smaller ones but sometimes 1-2 lbs. We ate some, they were actually pretty good if I recall... Given the chance I'd probably try it again.
They'll also hope to collect gut content so may find a way to do that from anglers, once access restrictions are lifted.
I assume to try and determine what species they are feeding on? When this topic came up before there was some speculation as to whether SMB would feed on sockeye, pikeminnow, or whatever else. How do I get in on this angler SMB study? ;)
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I wonder how big the SMB in Cultus are getting. They've been there for a few years at least?
Back in the day I used to do an annual trip to Saltspring for smallmouth. Mostly smaller ones but sometimes 1-2 lbs. We ate some, they were actually pretty good if I recall... Given the chance I'd probably try it again.
I assume to try and determine what species they are feeding on? When this topic came up before there was some speculation as to whether SMB would feed on sockeye, pikeminnow, or whatever else. How do I get in on this angler SMB study? ;)
Once the weather gets warm enough and access opens up, we'll go catch and cook a bunch, and supply the gut content. Daily quota is 20. ;D
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Once the weather gets warm enough and access opens up, we'll go catch and cook a bunch, and supply the gut content. Daily quota is 20. ;D
Rod, use your influence and make Cultus a destination lake for a Canadian Pro Bass Tour!
Seriously, if there was more littoral zone for this lake (shallows) I would consider managing the lake with bass included, perhaps even enhanced with increased cover and sunken brush piles. They are the future for this water body, lets get ahead of the curve :D
Bet the diet is sculpins, crayfish and redside shiners.
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Rod, use your influence and make Cultus a destination lake for a Canadian Pro Bass Tour!
Seriously, if there was more littoral zone for this lake (shallows) I would consider managing the lake with bass included, perhaps even enhanced with increased cover and sunken brush piles. They are the future for this water body, lets get ahead of the curve :D
Bet the diet is sculpins, crayfish and redside shiners.
Dam it off, and let climate change take its course
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we'll go catch and cook a bunch,
This isn't meant to be a racist comment, but what is it with Asians eating everything that moves??
I wouldn't even eat trout out of Cultus Lake.....but Bass??? Not a chance. Do you now how much fuel is spilled into that lake each year? Also the itch that swimmers get too...
They still sell cod at Superstore you know.
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Oh no no, you’re not racist at all... not one bit. :)
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Oh no no, you’re not racist at all... not one bit. :)
I'm going to ask again though....does the polluted water of Cultus Lake not bother you enough to keep you from eating fish out of there?
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Rod, use your influence and make Cultus a destination lake for a Canadian Pro Bass Tour!
Seriously, if there was more littoral zone for this lake (shallows) I would consider managing the lake with bass included, perhaps even enhanced with increased cover and sunken brush piles. They are the future for this water body, lets get ahead of the curve :D
Bet the diet is sculpins, crayfish and redside shiners.
It'll be interesting to see the diet composition. My guess is that salmonids will make up the lesser % of it, and the others you mentioned will be the majority. It's quite exciting IMO!
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Rod, you promised me if I asked nicely, you'd answer my questions. My last question was just a normal question.
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Rod, you promised me if I asked nicely, you'd answer my questions. My last question was just a normal question.
I used to be up to speed on Cultus Lake water quality, and unless something drastic has happened to the lake in the last 5 years, I would have no qualms about eating anything but perhaps a 20 year old char.
Afaik, these bass in Cultus are made up of 3 year classes, so exposure to any possible contaminamts would be short lived.
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I used to be up to speed on Cultus Lake water quality, and unless something drastic has happened to the lake in the last 5 years, I would have no qualms about eating anything but perhaps a 20 year old char.
Afaik, these bass in Cultus are made up of 3 year classes, so exposure to any possible contaminamts would be short lived.
True enough, but the trout don't stay in the shallows like Bass are known for which is kind of where the motor oil and fuel seems to go in Cultus.
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You know, I would like to understand better how management decisions for AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species ) are made. If it was me, I would decree no limits on Cultus Lake bass and let the haters have at 'er. The limit of just 20 is puzzling. I'm sure there's a lot of AIS management decisions that I have an uninformed, one dimensional, perspective of.
For example, how freshwater AIS (specifically bass) are managed varies a great deal across the province. In Region 1 they have increased the bass limits to unlimited but in other water bodies they are managed with limits of 4. Just a few years ago, there was a closure on bass harvesting during the Apr-June spawn, although that is no longer in place. In Region 2, it's mostly a limit of 20 and in Region 4, it's mostly illegal to fish for bass, period.
Other AIS that are coarse fish, and not game fish (i.e. carp) can be speared and are not managed. But native coarse fish (i.e. pike minnow) are not managed either. I don't understand why invasive species are managed and native coarse species are not.
Consider the hunting regs. Many invasive species can be killed or captured with no bag limit and a hunting license is not even required.
Maybe a good conversation to have with a biologist at next year's Chilliwack's All About Fishing :)
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You know, I would like to understand better how management decisions for AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species ) are made. If it was me, I would decree no limits on Cultus Lake bass and let the haters have at 'er. The limit of just 20 is puzzling. I'm sure there's a lot of AIS management decisions that I have an uninformed, one dimensional, perspective of.
For example, how freshwater AIS (specifically bass) are managed varies a great deal across the province. In Region 1 they have increased the bass limits to unlimited but in other water bodies they are managed with limits of 4. Just a few years ago, there was a closure on bass harvesting during the Apr-June spawn, although that is no longer in place. In Region 2, it's mostly a limit of 20 and in Region 4, it's mostly illegal to fish for bass, period.
Other AIS that are coarse fish, and not game fish (i.e. carp) can be speared and are not managed. But native coarse fish (i.e. pike minnow) are not managed either. I don't understand why invasive species are managed and native coarse species are not.
Consider the hunting regs. Many invasive species can be killed or captured with no bag limit and a hunting license is not even required.
Maybe a good conversation to have with a biologist at next year's Chilliwack's All About Fishing :)
The primary concern which managers have, and I agree with this too, is when you open it up for no-limit retention to cull as an objective, you will have misinformed anglers retaining the wrong species. This is quite evident from what I saw at the Cultus Lake pikeminnow derby, where people were bringing in pretty much everything that doesn't look like salmonids. I also don't think retaining as many fish as possible by angling would make a difference on the population. It may in fact shift the population dynamic, which might even favour it. A better and more efficient approach is probably destroying nests like what the regional biologists have been doing since last spring as a way to control the expansion of the population.
The unfortunate reality is that once they are in there, they are there forever. In five, ten years from now it'll most likely turn into a great smallmouth bass fishery like what Dave said. Once their diet composition survey is done, we'll be able to learn how other species will be affected.
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It may in fact shift the population dynamic, which might even favour it.
Meaning anglers will harvest the more aggressive fish, leaving the less aggressive one behind to fill the gene pool, thereby, in the long run, making them harder to cull through angling?
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No what I meant before was that some harvest would only thin out the population a bit, promote growth of the rest of the fish due to reduction of competition. Bigger fish, resulting in more efficient predation and reproduction.
Most anglers don't realize that culling by angling is an ongoing effort and you'd have to catch a heck lot of fish to have an impact. We don't have enough anglers interested, yet, to have that impact. To really eliminate the entire population, you'd need to just kill off everything by chemical.
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"Other AIS that are coarse fish, and not game fish (i.e. carp) can be speared and are not managed".
Heads up for the Island, Lower Mainland, and Kootenays -- No spearfishing of any kind (includes bow fishing) in Region 1, 2 and 4.
I remember seeing people bowfishing carp in lower mainland sloughs way back when, so when I read this a couple years ago, I was a little surprised to find out it was now banned in these areas.
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With smallmouth bass now confirmed in the Region, there has to be the additional concern they will be moved to other waterways as the Largemouths were. Add to that SMs can do well in streams. May be that they don' predate heavily on salmonids but they will compete with them... as they will with various native and non-native species.
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I think these bass should be in quarantine for 14 days and then self-isolate. Rumour has it they are not staying local and travelling to further destinations. I don't believe they can do that on one tank of gas and will ultimate stop in other communities to refuel and get supplies. Perhaps we should build a wall? I don't have all the answers.
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I think these bass should be in quarantine for 14 days and then self-isolate. Rumour has it they are not staying local and travelling to further destinations. I don't believe they can do that on one tank of gas and will ultimate stop in other communities to refuel and get supplies. Perhaps we should build a wall? I don't have all the answers.
They should be shamed on social media.
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--Each lake, waterbody should have a specific management regime adjusted as required. In some, non-native species can co-exist and are not invasive. In others, native species may have an unintended competitive advantage, in particular where other competitive species are targeted by anglers. Getting some real data will help to make informed management decisions, we should be supporting the efforts rather than whining about them.
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[/quote author=Rodney link=topic=43456.msg411786#msg411786 date=1588132268]
No what I meant before was that some harvest would only thin out the population a bit, promote growth of the rest of the fish due to reduction of competition. Bigger fish, resulting in more efficient predation and production.[/quote]
Got it. Makes good sense.
I think these bass should be in quarantine for 14 days and then self-isolate. Rumour has it they are not staying local and travelling to further destinations. I don't believe they can do that on one tank of gas and will ultimate stop in other communities to refuel and get supplies. Perhaps we should build a wall? I don't have all the answers.
LOL. Maybe a sign would help "Non-local bass not welcome. Go back to where you came from"
we should be supporting the efforts rather than whining about them.
Was that directed at me? I said I didn't understand, that I am uninformed, and wanted to have a conversation. That's not whining. That's acknowledging that I don't have the whole picture and want to know more. I've learned to be curious. Often, positions fall by the wayside when you ask questions and seek to understand, rather than being understood.
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--I attended several fisheries meetings over the years. We made suggestions that seemed acceptable and even endorsed at the local level. Once the suggestions went to the provincial bodies the whiners from other regions just could not seem to live with a different approach. One suggestion that I thought had Merritt was to actually manage and enhance the Bass fishery in designated waters, along with strictly enforcing no fishing for Bass in new areas and further measures to reduce Bass numbers in areas that it was possible to do so.
--So no, was not intending to point fingers at individuals here when there are so many deserving candidates elsewhere.
-- Overall, one of my biggest complaints is with what I call Lazy Management. It is OK to have some general rules of practice, like single barbless hooks for all streams..which was hotly protested at the time, but has become generally accepted. I would much rather see the subject be Cultus Lake Smallmouth Bass monitoring and understanding...maybe we will find that the Bass do not require suppression or that they can be kept at a level where the impact is acceptable.
--Maybe a parallel study on Northern Pikeminnow would show who the Cultus Culprit is, assuming there are some as I don't fish the lake I don't know. In area studies done in USA in some areas, Smallmouth just displaced the Northern Pikeminnow thus when the Bass were removed or suppressed the Pikeminnow returned and ate the same critters.
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Well, it's pretty obviously who the real culprit is when it comes to the demise of Cultus Lake sockeye salmon... ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b1aGIVJZEw
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--I attended several fisheries meetings over the years. We made suggestions that seemed acceptable and even endorsed at the local level. Once the suggestions went to the provincial bodies the whiners from other regions just could not seem to live with a different approach. One suggestion that I thought had Merritt was to actually manage and enhance the Bass fishery in designated waters, along with strictly enforcing no fishing for Bass in new areas and further measures to reduce Bass numbers in areas that it was possible to do so.
--So no, was not intending to point fingers at individuals here when there are so many deserving candidates elsewhere.
-- Overall, one of my biggest complaints is with what I call Lazy Management. It is OK to have some general rules of practice, like single barbless hooks for all streams..which was hotly protested at the time, but has become generally accepted. I would much rather see the subject be Cultus Lake Smallmouth Bass monitoring and understanding...maybe we will find that the Bass do not require suppression or that they can be kept at a level where the impact is acceptable.
--Maybe a parallel study on Northern Pikeminnow would show who the Cultus Culprit is, assuming there are some as I don't fish the lake I don't know. In area studies done in USA in some areas, Smallmouth just displaced the Northern Pikeminnow thus when the Bass were removed or suppressed the Pikeminnow returned and ate the same critters.
I’m with you on this one Skaha. Cultus Lake is no longer a nice place for salmonids (although a few char might not agree), and Cultus does have history of being managed in specifically.
The bass, as Rodney says, are here to stay. They were transferred at the perfect time, as a Northern Pikeminnow removal program left a perfect niche for these guys to thrive. Whoever or whatever group that did this knew their stuff. This will be a quality fishery when these guys reach about 4-5 lbs
Imo, this bass eradication program should change emphasis and actually become a bass study, the focus being interactions with other species considered of valu.
As for bass getting into the Vedder, rumour has it they are in Sweltzer Creek already so expect to hear of one caught in the Vedder very soon.
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I’m with you on this one Skaha. Cultus Lake is no longer a nice place for salmonids (although a few char might not agree), and Cultus does have history of being managed in specifically.
The bass, as Rodney says, are here to stay. They were transferred at the perfect time, as a Northern Pikeminnow removal program left a perfect niche for these guys to thrive. Whoever or whatever group that did this knew their stuff. This will be a quality fishery when these guys reach about 4-5 lbs
Imo, this bass eradication program should change emphasis and actually become a bass study, the focus being interactions with other species considered of valu.
As for bass getting into the Vedder, rumour has it they are in Sweltzer Creek already so expect to hear of one caught in the Vedder very soon.
Soon you won't be able to keep up with the custom bass stick orders. ;)
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Soon you won't be able to keep up with the custom bass stick orders. ;)
My older age retirement plan!
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--Bass, Walleye and other species throughout the Columbia...yes they eat fry and eggs and I am in no way suggesting we need to "help them along" in an already stressed Fraser system. They are here so let's figure out a strategy. I'm not all that optimistic and realize, in the end, management decisions will be based on the politics of the day. The maybe. is that we will learn more about the different critters, their behavior, and interactions allowing for the possibility of effective strategies. I don't like research where we are only trying to justify an already approved strategy but hopefully, we will learn something useful. I don't fault those doing the work, I'm sure the research will be done in good faith. We need more.
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--Bass, Walleye and other species throughout the Columbia...yes they eat fry and eggs and I am in no way suggesting we need to "help them along" in an already stressed Fraser system. They are here so let's figure out a strategy. I'm not all that optimistic and realize, in the end, management decisions will be based on the politics of the day. The maybe. is that we will learn more about the different critters, their behavior, and interactions allowing for the possibility of effective strategies. I don't like research where we are only trying to justify an already approved strategy but hopefully, we will learn something useful. I don't fault those doing the work, I'm sure the research will be done in good faith. We need more.
None of those species would be thriving like they are without the dams. Because of the dams, the Columbia and Snake (it's larges tributary) have lots of warm-water off channel habitat for young bass, perch, bluegill and crappie. It would be a shame to see the Fraser imitate the Columbia in this manner.
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The smallmouth bass tagging and sampling at Cultus Lake have begun this week with 17 fish tagged yesterday, more will be tagged in the coming weeks. If you are out there fishing and encounter a tagged fish, please release it. Each tagged fish has an acoustic tag implanted in the stomach to track their movement. They are not cheap and will collect valuable information for biologists.
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A buddy and I are planning on going tomorrow.
He was raised on Vancouver Island and loved the bass fishery over there. He prefers catching bass over trout and was absolutely giddy when he learned that bass has shown up in Cultus.
I told him if I go bass fishing, it will be a whack 'em and stack 'em kind of day. I think I'm still welcome as a boat partner. :)
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Hey Clarki, did you guys get out for Smallies? If so how did you do?
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I’m curious as well about how you guys made out
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Welll... :)
We opted to not go Sat in the rain and went yest instead.
I will add the caveats that it was our first time fishing Cultus from a boat and our first time exploring the lake for bass, it was windy and there were whitecaps on the lake, we had motor trouble so I was on the oars while my partner fished, we stayed in one small bay, and I think we were on the water for about 2 hours.
Having said that, my partner hooked 2; landed a small one and lost a gooder. And I had a very brief hookup that popped off as quick as it was on.
Given our unfamiliarity with the water, the conditions and our issues, relatively happy with our results.
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That’s fantastic considering I tried a bunch of times last year and got zero. Care to share your tactics ?
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Clarki, were you able to see the lost fish good enough to confirm it was a bass?
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Relatively shallow water and structure ( downed timber).
My buddy was using his favourite plug, a Rattlin’ Rap
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Clarki, were you able to see the lost fish good enough to confirm it was a bass?
Can’t confirm 100%. We saw the white flank underwater and it had the shape of a bass and not a trout/char or NPM.
It was caught shortly after, in the same area, and on the same lure as the first smaller fish, so not 100% confident, but relatively.
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I have a 12 foof jon boat and a small gas motor. I have never been to cultus. Is that suitable? I am not new to boating or being on water.
Not trailering...any ideas on a good launch ?
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Clarki,
Any suggestions on starting points....you are exactly one trip ahead of me in your learning curve
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AFAIK, the park has two launches: Jade Bay and Maple Bay. Maple Bay was closed but my understanding is that it is a seasonal closure and will open shortly. Yesterday, the Jade Bay launch was taking the full brunt of the waves from the south westerlies so we didn't try to put in there. Rather, we put his cartopper in at Spring Bay picnic area. There's no launch there but it's a short carry from the parking lot to the water.
If you want to see something cool, go to Maple Bay and check out Watt Creek. During the atmospheric river event back in Feb Watt Creek blew out. The destruction it caused, the channel it dug and the alluvial fan that it deposited in the forest is amazing.
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Thanks Clarki ..that helps..I was hoping for some kind of access like that.
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19 more specimens were tagged today, biggest was just under 4lb. Only one more fish needs to be tagged. After that, more fish will be collected for stomach samples next week.
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There is also a launch at the foot of Sunnyside blvd, which is straight down to the lake from the waterslides.
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What’s the best things to use to catch them ? Is bait the best ?