Zebra Muscles In Table Rock

[Chief Grey Bear]

I'm sure they will talk about our time as the good old days.

I am sure they will. I fear what it will be like when my son is my age. Just like I think my fathers time and when he fisrt had me out on the creeks and lakes was the good old days, my son will think the present is the good old days as he and my grandson will be doing some type of fishing somewhere. I hope.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Amazed to hear anything positive about Zebra Mussels. Always heard they took over traditional spawning areas so the fish couldn't use them. Would like to hear any input from LOZ ( Lake of the Ocean, that's a good one ) dock and lift owners about the impact to docks and boat lifts due to invasion of Zebras. Heard several rumors about them weighing down both so heavily they had to be cleaned or both started to slowly sink.

I think you just quoted what was running through my mind when I read those two bits.

[bigredbirdfan]

It's not the lake I knew 25 years ago before all of the development.

I don't think DNR approved development including proper stormwater retention and hooking up to sewer systems is the culprit behind "not the same lake." Try looking at the development prior to 25 years ago and their antiquated septic systems. I personally think anyone with a septic system around the lake is the problem and they have no reason to complain about the quaility of "their lake."

With respect to the Zebra Mussels and motor oil. Isn't oil lighter than water and stays on top?

[trout fanatic]

Big red. True oil is lighter than water but my point was an illustration. A toxin is a toxin and if it is in a waterway, having a zebra mussel ain't gonna make it all go away.

[Wayne SW/MO]

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

The problem with using the Great Lakes and its tributaries is the sheer size of the biomass. The end results of the invasion won't be known for decades, but lakes the size of TR or BS are drops in the bucket in comparison. Fingerlings of any species need more than cover to survive, they need food and the Zebra's are in direct conflict with the fry.

I you're fishing for fewer fish with 100# Power Pro, then the invasion may lack any positives.

[CentralIowan]

Purely wanting to share observation/first-hand experience w/ the zebra mussels.....I grew up just south of Chicago and my dad and I would go down to the lake and fish for Perch right by the Shed Aquarium (if anyone is familiar w/ the area). We could catch some huge perch down there and enough for a fish fry or 2 before the mussels exploded. Afterwards, the perch population took a HUGE hit and there were laws implemented on certain times throughout the year when fishing was prohibited altogether for the perch (it coincided w/ spawning and migration patterns of the perch). It's taken about 10-12 yrs now w/ the laws in place for the perch population to rebound partially (it's still not even close to pre-zebra mussel life) and they are gradually letting the fishing return. On the flip side of that, the smallmouth and walleye population have increased in number and size. Less places for the baitfish to hide from the predators, but it's not going to be a neverending supply of baitfish either. Short-term benefit but it is far out-weighed by the long term effects (at least in my opinion)

That said, I dont know what kind of impact they would have on TR but it sure gives me an uneasy feeling to hear about 'em at TR.

[mosouthpaw]

well looking up some research, it seems crayfish/crawdads eat ZMs so if the population of crayfish is up maybe the explosion will kept at bay but its unlikely.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Finally I found it. From Field and Stream 2004:

Tiny ZM invaded Lake Erie from overseas in the late 1980's and now cover virtually all of the lake's hard rock and grabel bottoms. They feed by filtering the water, resutling in a dramatic increase in water clarity. How have smallmouths resoponded?

"The fishing has always been good, but now it's just beyond belief," says vetern Lake Erie smallmouth guide Bob Troxel, who docks at Ohio's Catawba Island. "Erie's producing more smallmouths over 5 pounds than ever."

Again, don't shoot me, I'm just passing on what I read.

[bclift65706]

all I have ever read is stop them they clogg water intakes in boats and burn up the engin. I found some weird looking shells atached to my boat trailer about the size of my pinkey fingernail on my old boat trailer they grew all in rowes atached to the wire and frame and tail lights probley 100 of them the last year it was in the water the olny place it had been was below the dam at tunnel dam. I dont know if it was zebras or what they were they wasent striped like pictures of zebra muscels but they were all dried up too so I dont know tunnel dam is olny 13 or so miles above backwaters of LOZ.

[HeavyC]

SHHHH, this is scary stuff. I sure don't want the Colorado boys getting this conversation stirred up again as it is finally starting to quiet down. We had our first confirmed case of ZM over the winter in Lake Pueblo in southern Colorado and this subject left many an angler with sleepless nights earlier this year. Guides, marinas, bait shops and such were hit pretty hard since several agencies closed, or delayed boat access until they could have inspections in place! It was a long spring, let me tell you! You never really knew what lake was changing what rules, let alone whether they were even open to boat access! Several lakes are now just plain closed to ALL WATER CONTACT, and I would not doubt several more will close later this winter and next year, and possibly permanantly! Many folks are flat freaking out. We have never even had fishing seasons, but now lakes that have always been open year round for whatever are going to close. Many agencies are going high-tech next year too, with different testing equipment and ESPECIALLY 'cleaning' equip! They need to pay for it somehow and I have a sneaky suspician that it is going to be me. It is said that the "Hotsy" type pressure spraying above a certain temp does the job. Apperently if during the inspection they find 'anything' they will have you wash the boat for a fee! Now I would just bet that state and other agency managers are already thinking "we better find something suspicious on every boat and charge them suckers so the program will assist in paying for itself! Then tax and up the fees to pay for the rest"

If you happen to be familiar with our problem here in Colorado; our biggest is that since we are a high desert and have absolutely no darn WATER to drink and farm w/, they pump all our 'front range' drinking water to us from the middle of the mountains! (Shhhhh again, don't tell California. That water is supposed to flow west towards southern Cali) There are literally hundreds of miles of under mountain tunnels that carry our water to us through undermountain power plants. They progressivly run through one mountain to another and lake to lake until I do my business in it and send it downstream! If those little buggers get into those systems then we are toast! We owe all the rest of our water to states on downstream.

Heck, I sometimes think I no longer wash my body as much as I wash the boat! (sometimes it is less.. )I doubt much of anything will really help anyway; heck I did not realize until just now that they had not been confirmed in TR! Really, is that true? Please be rest assured, I wash my boat thouroughly uh completely between ALL waterways and I am most certainly doing 'paying' my part to help control them.