Zebra Mussels

[Wayne SW/MO]

I cannot help but wonder if that had something to do with the almost instant disapearance of the big blues on LOZ.

I think that has been determined to be overfishing of the big breeders. There's a slot now and you can only keep 2 over 34".

I don't think any fish eating zebra mussels would cause them a problem if that were the case there wouldn't be any of those fish. They've been eating fresh water mussels forever. They feed the same way.

[fishinwrench]

I'm just thinking that before a fishes digestive system could cycle through a belly full of mussels they'd die of malnutrition.

Maybe I am underestimating how fast they can poop them buggers out ?

[Riverwhy]

A few years back In-Fisherman sold a catfishing book that listed some of their top catfishing lakes based upon growth rates. One of those lakes is a 240 acre impoundment in north Missouri where the predominant diet of the catfish are freshwater mussels. As a side note this also makes the catfish a bit hard to catch for anglers using conventional methods.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I'm just thinking that before a fishes digestive system could cycle through a belly full of mussels they'd die of malnutrition.

Maybe I am underestimating how fast they can poop them buggers out ?

They "say" that a carp crushes them in a hard place in their throat, kind of like teeth, and that there system is almost a straight line. Don't know about cats and I haven't heard that they eat them.