Shad Kill ? Oh yes indeed.

[MoCarp]

Eliminating too much prey species effects fish growth, very short term lots of free food in dead and dieing shad...long term less food means less growth thinner fish, smaller recruits for future catches....the hyper cold event like this has not happened since the mid to late 70s, even then might not have been as severe....the smaller benthic critters, plankton etc are unknowns hoping they get through this.....prob see fewer if any  armadillos for a few decades, I’m sure it’s killed back fire ants ( no loss) the old line was about Jackson Mississippi south, now it may have wiped out most in western gulf coast states...many plants will freeze out, non native on the edges....coastal fisheries have experienced huge fish kills...ironically pest species like hard head cats, puffers.....sea turtles hit hard....makes you wonder what kind of critters nature will give us in the next ice age 

[MoCarp]

https://www.fox29.com/news/more-than-4500-cold-stunned-sea-turtles-rescued-from-frigid-texas-waters

[Devan S.]

Ice has not moved much at Eagle Rock today. I'm sure its melting but its A LOT thicker than I thought. 

Water is wet at Beaver town upstream.
 

Up Kings-

Sweetwater was frozen solid and the area just off the bluffs was 3-5" thick. We couldn't bust through with 10-15lb rocks thrown on it. 

Running river at Romp hole but frozen at a minimum to the state line. 

[bobby b.]

12 hours ago, MoCarp said:

fewer if any  armadillos for a few decades

that would be good

[Champ188]

Here is my 2 cents worth on the shad kill --- from a totally different perspective than Babler. 

The older members here know that I'm a skinny-water guy (not to be mistaken with a skinny guy, which I'm not  ). For years now, and for multiple reasons, Table Rock bass have been living more and more offshore. And why not? There have been shad by the truckload swimming around in the middle of the lake. The spots do this by nature, but I believe a lot of the LM have joined them. Smallmouth seem to be everywhere but they are their own species.

With fewer shad out there to gorge on, my hope is that some of the green fish (LM) will go back to their former shallow, structure/cover type areas and get back to hunting perch and crawfish. And when I say shallow, I mean 25-30 feet and in. 

I doubt this shad kill will mean curtains for offshore fishing. You guys with live scope, spot lock and all the other toys will be fine ... plenty of fish left out there for you and I really doubt the shad population is going to take a long-term hit. But I do believe this could put some fish back in shallower areas where old dummies like me can catch one every now and then.

I appreciate that we have all sorts of anglers here and some very good ones at every style of fishing.

Best of luck of 2021!!! 

[MoCarp]

Granted Stockton is gizzard shad they too experience a winter kill...one reason yellow perch as an angling opportunity and prey species would be a help,.....all your eggs in one basket is never good....YP will eventually get into TR from bullshoals, I would imagine a few are in Taney...hitting some weeds might produce interesting results

[jeb]

Hitting some weeds? I've never seen weeds in TR or Beaver, but have never fished Bull Shoals. Does it have weed growth?

[Dutch]

2 hours ago, jeb said:

Hitting some weeds? I've never seen weeds in TR or Beaver, but have never fished Bull Shoals. Does it have weed growth?

Not that I have ever seen but Taney is full of them.

[Dutch]

19 hours ago, MoCarp said:

Granted Stockton is gizzard shad they too experience a winter kill...one reason yellow perch as an angling opportunity and prey species would be a help,.....all your eggs in one basket is never good....YP will eventually get into TR from bullshoals, I would imagine a few are in Taney...hitting some weeds might produce interesting results

That eventuality may be a very long time since they have been in Bull Shoals for decades.

[vernon]

3 hours ago, jeb said:

Hitting some weeds? I've never seen weeds in TR or Beaver, but have never fished Bull Shoals. Does it have weed growth?

It's been a long time ago now but I still remember fishing grass beds in the James River arm with my dad in the 70's and early 80's.  Used to have great success with Bagley's Killer B crankbaits in the fall.  Baby Bass was a favorite color as was Tennessee Shad.

Piney, Schoolhouse, Woolly and Buzzard were our best spots in those days.

Especially Buzzard.

Electric Blue Texas rigged Larew salt impregnated worms (used to buy 'em hot outta the molds direct from Gene while staying at his place at Shadrack) and Charlie Campbell's CC spinnerbaits worked too but those crankbaits ticking the tops of the grass beds for largemouth and the "occasional" Kentucky are what I'll always remember best.

Good ol' days for sure.......☺️