Zebra Muscles In Table Rock

[Phil Lilley]

My father in law works for DNR. He told me yesterday of a story about a couple who bought a boat and moved it from Lake of the Ozarks to Table Rock. They had a boat dealer located on Hwy 13 in either Kimberling City or Branson West (he didn't know who it was) move it but they refused to launch it in Table Rock until it was cleaned. It was full of zebra muscles. The couple put up a fight but ultimately they ok'ed the cleaning. The service people steamed and bleached it twice and then bleached the area it was clean at.

MDC and DNR got involved at some point.

It seems there was another boat bought and moved to Table Rock this summer from the same cove at LOZ but it wasn't moved by a boat dealer nor cleaned by a professional, maybe not cleaned at all. They are still trying to locate the boat. But both these boats came out of a cove at LOZ that's known to have the largest concentration of zebras in the lake- Gray Cove?? Dave wasn't sure of the name of the cove.

We talked about people doing stupid stuff in regards to fishing and boating but it only takes one ignorant, non-caring person to drastically affect a major reservoir such as Table Rock Lake, in this case of zebra muscles.

[Guest]

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[mosouthpaw]

Great, TR, then taney, then Bull Shoals, then the white river....Then up the norfork.....

[Phil Lilley]

They're already in Taney.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Funny you mention this. Just the other day I read an article in In-Fisherman that spoke of Zebra Muscles. Give me a couple of days to locate the issue to give more detailed and or accurate account of what I read but, in my opinion, it seemed to speak favorably.

Anyway it stated that this river, way up north, is now flowing clearer because the Zebra Muscle is a filter feeder and has cleaned the water way. It is claimed that a direct result of this is a larger number of smallmouth in the 4 - 5 lb range being caught. But before I go to far let me find it and quote it.

Let it be known that I am not in favor of them being in any waterway in the US. Just gonna report some news that is showing something that could possibly be good news about these little trouble makers.

[denjac]

Think of the hundreds of boats that come to Table Rock from LOZ that go unnoticed. Just a fluke that they caught that 1 boat.

[Phil Lilley]

This one was kept in the water on LOZ year round so it's alittle different. But I agree with you- the premise that there are alot of boats being used on LOZ and then on other lakes without any cleaning at all.

ZM so filter the water. But that's the problem in some fisheries- they clean it too good. Plus the problem with attaching to everything and becoming a problem cutting fishing line.

[bigredbirdfan]

Sounds a lot like killer bees and starlings. Something eventually you have to live with. Good luck with "public education".

How about a stiff penalty ($500??) and "education" of that stiff penalty in the way of a bill of sale with each boat?

[taxidermist]

In Bull Shoals last year, near Leadhill.

[trout fanatic]

From what I have learned of zebra mussels, phil hit it right on the head. These little guys are filtering machines. They eat much of the zoo plankton and much of the other matter that small baitfish feed on. Fewer baitfish ultimately end up as fewer fish period. The fish returns throgh the various weirs on the great lakes show fewer returns every year. While the fishing is still good (great by some standards) it is not nearly as good as in years past.

We knew back in the early 60's when the sea lamphrey invaded the GL that there was a problem. We chose not to deal with the direct cause (ballast water) and instead poisoned them. It has turned into a political fiasco. Lamphreys=zebra clams=gobies=???.