Clearwater?

[Smalliebigs]

The problem is, these are bass that normally inhabit the Black River and its three forks. They all run down and gang up in Clearwater during the winter, and I'm afraid this concentrated gathering and fishing pressure (though many catch-and-release) is having a devastating effect on the number of bass left to run back up the river during the spring and spawn. There should be stringent harvest restrictions on Clearwater smallmouth during the winter months.

I couldn't agree more Ron......but, the MDC does nothing fast and they would have to do some lame study first to let some yahoo's get some grant money for a few years......let's just say they are not in the business of protecting our fishes, especially isolated populations like this with swift action.

[Bluff-Bassin]

When I lived over there, every tourney angler knew that from Feb through Mid April, if you weren't fishing Goose Creek North you didn't have a chance to win.

[rFisherk]

I couldn't agree more Ron......but, the MDC does nothing fast and they would have to do some lame study first to let some yahoo's get some grant money for a few years......let's just say they are not in the business of protecting our fishes, especially isolated populations like this with swift action.

Well, one of the smallmouth migration studies they've been conducting for the past few years was on the Black. I did my on investigation of it for a couple of winters, into the spring, and became convinced that nearly every bass from the Black and all three arms runs down to winter in Clearwater, which makes them very concentrated and vulnerable. I believe their study will show the same.

The Black is so clear because it is infertile, and the bass leave when the crawfish burrow away to hibernate. There's just not enough forage left to sustain them. Then they return when the first crawfish and tadpoles appear. I suspect they can smell this happening from the river running into the lake.