Squaw Fish/Carp vs. Bass???

[Johnny Southpaw]

Okay I'm pi**ed OFF! My favorite bass pond seems to be overrun with squaw fish and the bass are NOT biting!!! Had great luck earlier this spring but have been SKUNKED the last few outings. I've noticed literally thousands of sucker fish lining the banks since I've been getting skunked and wondered if there is any correlation? Anyone know what effects an explosion in squaw/sucker fish population will/can do to my beloved bass? I'm really disheartened, as this pond CAN really produce. Anybody???

 

[SmallieWorld]

Competing for resources

Competing for resources

Sounds like the Bass are being indirectly out-competed for resources. Hypothesis: Suckers are eating the phytoplankton and organic debris, not leaving left overs for the zooplankton which feed the small fish/crayfish and then feed the bass. You need to neutralize that sucker population with some snagging or gigging. Just get permission from the landowner.

 

[Finneus Polebender]

Okay I'm pi**ed OFF! My favorite bass pond seems to be overrun with squaw fish and the bass are NOT biting!!! Had great luck earlier this spring but have been SKUNKED the last few outings. I've noticed literally thousands of sucker fish lining the banks since I've been getting skunked and wondered if there is any correlation? Anyone know what effects an explosion in squaw/sucker fish population will/can do to my beloved bass? I'm really disheartened, as this pond CAN really produce. Anybody???

Squaw fish are early and prolific breeders, who are notorious for feeding on smaller fish once they attain size. It is a balance issue when enuff larger predatory fish are removed from a given ecosystem the population of adult squaw fish explodes and reaps havoc on the trout/bass populations. With an ability to thrive in waters from the mckenzie to drainage ditches these fish are a pest to me .Dexter resivior is completely overun with them.I never met a fish i didn't like except a squaw

 

[Johnny Southpaw]

Squaw fish are early and prolific breeders, who are notorious for feeding on smaller fish once they attain size. It is a balance issue when enuff larger predatory fish are removed from a given ecosystem the population of adult squaw fish explodes and reaps havoc on the trout/bass populations. With an ability to thrive in waters from the mckenzie to drainage ditches these fish are a pest to me .Dexter resivior is completely overun with them.I never met a fish i didn't like except a squaw

Thanks Finneus. I'm guessing that too many big largemouths (larger predatory fish) have been hauled out of this pond over the last couple years and that has allowed for this explosion in squawfish; it just about breaks my heart, as this pond is where I caught my profile pic. fish, the biggest bass of my life. Any chance the bass will recover if left alone?

 

[Hawk]

imho, Talk to the pondowner about catching & removing most of the squawfish.

Also imho the owner should only allow catch&release fishin' of Bass.

Years ago i noticed a few squawfish in my basspond but they were either eaten or died off. I haven't seen any in the pond fer many years now. I do see some rough skinned newts though that are enemies with the bull frogs.

 

[Finneus Polebender]

imho, Talk to the pondowner about catching & removing most of the squawfish.

Also imho the owner should only allow catch&release fishin' of Bass.

Years ago i noticed a few squawfish in my basspond but they were either eaten or died off. I haven't seen any in the pond fer many years now. I do see some rough skinned newts though that are enemies with the bull frogs.

They may just be held in check. like any thing else the enviornments total size also figures into the equation. a smaller area is more realistically able to be rid of such pests then i think a bass or trout can push past the size necessarry to be an apex predator. At dexter they have derbys and most ive talked to are relentless about removing them from the lake yet due to its size they continue to overun the place. can still catch trout and bass i hear even smallmouth on the 58 side but very rare to see any of large size

 

[Hawk]

They may just be held in check. like any thing else the enviornments total size also figures into the equation. a smaller area is more realistically able to be rid of such pests then i think a bass or trout can push past the size necessarry to be an apex predator. At dexter they have derbys and most ive talked to are relentless about removing them from the lake yet due to its size they continue to overun the place. can still catch trout and bass i hear even smallmouth on the 58 side but very rare to see any of large size

If Dexter had a bounty on squawfish, thar would be many less there..............................

 

[Finneus Polebender]

dexter squaw bounty

dexter squaw bounty

that would be fun ifin they was worth even a quarter each. had days out there trollin when i fed the ospery 2dozen in a couple hours tryin for trout on wedding rings towed behind fenders. Thats why i know they have no prob chasing down moving prey. have pulled a couple out that were pushing 18 in and 2-3 lbs once they reach that size"think thats pretty big for a squaw" it takes one big mean ass fish to eat em

 

[Hawk]

that would be fun ifin they was worth even a quarter each. had days out there trollin when i fed the ospery 2dozen in a couple hours tryin for trout on wedding rings towed behind fenders. Thats why i know they have no prob chasing down moving prey. have pulled a couple out that were pushing 18 in and 2-3 lbs once they reach that size"think thats pretty big for a squaw" it takes one big mean ass fish to eat em

A Striped Bass population wood probably eat the Squaw.................butt also a lot of the other fish tooo........................:shock:................

 

[Finneus Polebender]

Rather pull rebels for stripers than wedding rings for Squaws. would trade stripers for trout sorry guys

 

[steelhead1]

are those squaw fish brown with an orange belly?Did you notice if their mouths face forward or down?

 

[Finneus Polebender]

are those squaw fish brown with an orange belly?Did you notice if their mouths face forward or down?

Brownish to almost gray hew depending on where caught forward facing mouth very predatory will chase down lures orangeish on belly could be left from post spawn. but sounds right

 

[Johnny Southpaw]

are those squaw fish brown with an orange belly?Did you notice if their mouths face forward or down?

They were brown with a dark horizontal band in the middle; thought they were bass at first, then I noticed they were all sucker fish, with their kissers down. Their bellies were more of an off-white than orange. I could be wrong about them being squaw fish, but they are all suckers of some sort, and there are zillions of them.

 

[Commodore S]

they were brown with a dark horizontal band in the middle; thought they were bass at first, then i noticed they were all sucker fish, with their kissers down. Their bellies were more of an off-white than orange. I could be wrong about them being squaw fish, but they are all suckers of some sort, and there are zillions of them.

bonk!!!

 

[Finneus Polebender]

wonder what ya got

wonder what ya got

get a pic of one. mouth down does sound like sucker fish. if thats the case and they are small your hogs probably aint bitin cause they bellys be full o suckers. Suckers however do not hammer trout /bass population. tons at delta make great bass chow for the little guys .They are always around at delta cause they eventually outgrow the threats of waters apex predator only have man and bird to fear once adult. The largest bass i ever caught"between 7-8 lbs" had an 8 in bullhead in its throat when i got her

 

[Thuggin4Life]

I kill every squaw fish i catch. I think that a squaw, northern pike minnow, and chub are the same fish and they are bad on population of other fish. However sucker fish are just part of a balanced ecosystem.

 

[FishSlayer420]

I share the same feelings as Mr.Thuggin(What up Andy). Squaws are dirty little things bank em all.

 

[steelhead1]

Sounds like the carp you are seeing are of a native type.They are gathering near the edge of the pond to spawn,just like the bass do.These fish are present all year but are very shy and elusive.This type of carp isn't considered a predator,but would probably inadvertantly suck up some fry if it happened onto an unguarded bass redd,more of an opportunist.As far as slaughtering these animals,consider that bass are an introduced and invasive species(but more fun to catch)so whats the point in further distubing an already unbalanced system?Just my point of view,do what you think is right!My favorite hole has the same scenario with the fish you described,the bass are still around and aggresive, but just not in the same area.

 

[Johnny Southpaw]

Sounds like the carp you are seeing are of a native type.They are gathering near the edge of the pond to spawn,just like the bass do.These fish are present all year but are very shy and elusive.This type of carp isn't considered a predator,but would probably inadvertantly suck up some fry if it happened onto an unguarded bass redd,more of an opportunist.As far as slaughtering these animals,consider that bass are an introduced and invasive species(but more fun to catch)so whats the point in further distubing an already unbalanced system?Just my point of view,do what you think is right!My favorite hole has the same scenario with the fish you described,the bass are still around and aggresive, but just not in the same area.

Thanks man. I hope the bass in this pond have just moved camp. Need to get a boat out there if landowner will let me. I'm also hoping that the sucker fish population didn't EXPLODE, but rather they are just spawning and that's why I'm seeing so many...I'm just a little concerned due to being skunked the last few times out, which has never happened in prior years. I know bass are tough fish, so I'm betting they just moved somewhere else in the pond.

 

[Finneus Polebender]

moved or full

moved or full

We are rooting for one of those two give her time then try again