Crane Prairie

[K sled]

Has anybody fished Crane Prairie this year or last year for Rainbows? I haven"t been there for a few years. I gave up on the lake.
K Sled

[itsthewater]

Has anybody fished Crane Prairie this year or last year for Rainbows? I haven"t been there for a few years. I gave up on the lake.
K Sled
Crane Sucks. The only way I'd fish it is if you turned the clock back about 25-30 years. Whoever dumped bass in there should be shot.

[fishon2reels]

Amen Brother.......:twocents:

[Two Fister]

You mean you're not happy about turning the best stillwater trout fishery in the lower 48 into a subpar, mediocre at best, bass/bluegill/crappie/stickleback minnow fishery?

Shootin's too good for whomever polluted Crane with that @#$&!

TF

[fish-on-bend]

There are still some hog cranebows and brookies in there. Like 'em or not the bass fishing can be very good especially early morninghttp://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/DCP_0014.JPG?2895 (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/41653/size/big/cat/)
Can't seem to edit/flip this pic..

[uhmw]

One of my go to lakes for tubin-I launch from my secret spot get in the sticks and flicker a flasher wooly buger black to olive green on the bottem or a brown snail pattern big trout still in the lake-I think the record brook trout will come from crane. The lakes rainbows were desimated by dough ball fisherman IMO. They are still there if you know where to look.

[Two Fister]

The trout in Crane have made a little bit of a comeback because ODFW finally started stocking some fish that were too big for the bass to eat. Strangely enough the bass seem to be struggling since they adopted this program. Hmmm...go figure...

Try fishing an suspended midge pattern near the bottom. It's a pain to cast a long leader with a strike indicator 12' from the tip, but you'll get good results. Most of the swimming bugs in the lake (leaches, dragonflies and damselflies) have been wiped out by the predatory bass, bluegills, crappie, and sticklebacks. Those fish key their prey response on movement and the midges do not swim; they emerge from the mud and float to the surface. The predatory bass, bluegills, crappie, and sticklebacks do not key on prey that is not actively trying to avoid it. The trout, on the other hand are keying on the midges and that's a good thing.

Joe, bass fishing is a lot of fun in the south where the water is warm and the fish are native. That's a big bass for Crane, but not even worth mention in places where bass get big. My point is that the illegal introductions have taken a spectacular trout fishery and damaged it dramatically...and for what...bass that are puny by any bass fishing standard.

Sorry for the hijack. Go to Crane and try fishing midges near the bottom beneath a strike indicator. Cranebows don't taste very good so release all of the trout you catch. Kill every invasive species that you can legally can.
TF

[K sled]

Thanks guys for the info.I think shooting would be to kind to them.I have fish that lake since 1968 5-6 times a year.It was Oregon premier rainbow fishery.I started to back off about 5 years ago.But I can't keep thinking about it . It was my favorite place to fish.I'll be over in the area fishing for a month I'll have to give it a try.

[ommedia]

I will give you a report next Monday :)

I am not a declared "flyfishing" "C & R only" evangelist, because it's just too boring for me to be that exclusive. I am however a "Crane Prairie" purist...lol...maybe better yet a traditionalist.

I primarily fish nymphs still to this day, and have for over 30 years. Growing up in Bend, like many of you, it's been tough to watch this lake change so much. From the quantity (ease) of catching large bows, to having to work for them now (often getting skunked on many trips). However, I too like targeting the large hatches at times, but mostly thrill myself with the nymph and bobber attack.

http://www.ommedia.com/graphics/ifish/rhe062006.jpg

But, if you really study the biology of Crane and talk, historically, with the biologists you'll find that the bass "directly" didn't hurt the trout population, but rather "in-directly". I've kept a lot of my own biological findings (and not the "bucket biology" you are thinking of) and have found that the bass and the two or three other illegally introducted species of warm water fish have eaten the trout out.

As an example, In the mid 80's I found, nearly exclusively, nymphs (of some kind) and leaches in the bellies of the rainbows. Over the years that has changed drastically. Now, the majority of what i find in the rainbow is snails, and an occassional stickleback minnow.

The few brookies that I have caught, in comparison to yester-years, has changed a lot too. You used to find small trout finger-lings being the primary diet along with leaches. Now, when I am lucky enough to catch one, it's mostly stickleback minnows.

The bass, crappie, bluegill all feed on shallow water aqua-culture species like nymphs, and leaches. The bass are definitely feeding on the stickleback, but they are NOT feeding on the trout. If you go into the tributaries where the trout-lings are living, the bass just aren't there until the water warms up enough. Regardless, the bass that we catch seldom, if ever, have had any trout in them. I was honestly shocked about this in the early 90's when we first saw bass, but it's still the same.

Because brookies aren't native either, I dont' recall a lot, if any, planting of brookies in Crane. Because they now plant more rainbows (than ever before) in Crane at a much larger size, I think that has had a big impact on the Brookies...sadly.

I am not a bass hater, but, as mentioned before, I am a Crane Purist...and that means I think this body of water is best designed for Trout and not for bass. It looks great for bass, but honestly I don't think a state record will come from there (like it's been predicted for 12 or more years).

The food source has been altered, the fish have had to change how/what they eat. That is far more damanging than the species of fish. However, it is the bass that is ultimately responsible for that change.

Don't even get me started on Cormorants!

I have proposed, to the commission a plan very similar to what was successfully done at Diamond Lake.

[JD77]

Interesting. I experienced the end of the "good ole days" on Crane in the early 90's. My first trip, sadly, was one of the last damselfly years. We went back the next year and fished the same way without a fish. The damsels went away almost over night.

Bass are a part of the problem, but from what I've read and heard, the sticklebacks might be as much or more of the problem. Where the sticklebacks came from I'm not sure.

Apparently, sticklebacks are low protein value food. They are not an efficient food source over time. Plus, many trout don't eat them well due to the spines. Couple that with the impact that the bass are having on the traditional trout foods- leeches, dragons, damsels, mayflies and there isn't much left except midges (and maybe snails).

What you have left are a small number of huge trout that are eating the leftover foods and some baitfish but missing are the large numbers of 14-20 inch trout that made Crane so much fun back then. Also, from what I've heard, the sticklebacks have hurt spawning- swarming into the tribs and wiping out the small food sources that the tiny trout need.

No matter how you cut it, the trout fishery isn't what it once was. Sure, experts will still find some incredible trout, but nothing like it was.

[spinnermaker]

I won't ever go back to that lake I fished it alot until some one put bass in it. The ODFW sould hold to there native fish policy and get those bass out of there.

[steelie817]

rotenone. Same for Davis lake.

[hookjawfreak]

rotenone. Same for Davis lake.

Whoa there. Crane is on the comeback. The bass are on the decline, and the rainbows are on the rise. The newish stocking program is showing good signs of success. A lot of people think Crane has become a worthless fishery because the same old tactics aren't working as well. I only fished Crane a few times last year, and saw quite a few nice rainbows and brookies come to the boat. Not to mention the several biggest fish that broke off the light line I use there (8-10 lbers). I can't post a link, but there is a "Central Oregon Fishing" guide who has a website with photos and this guy would laugh at the talk of the fishing being poor. He puts up a ton of big bows just about every time he goes out to Crane. The big rainbows are there in numbers. People just need to try some new stuff. Even in the haydays of Crane there were trips of catching few fish. It's not always going to be a successful trip, no matter how many fish are swimming around. All of the lakes go through cycles.

Crane needs to be fished. The more fishermen that show interest will generate more incentive for better management.

Poisoning that lake would be an unsuccessful disaster due to the major tribs that flow in. I hate the bass and other invasive species that have moved in, but things are looking up.

I LOVE CRANE!!!.....STILL....

-Dan:twocents:

[Two Fister]

Poisoning that lake would be an unsuccessful disaster due to the major tribs that flow in. I hate the bass and other invasive species that have moved in, but things are looking up.

Actually, that's the reason that rotenone would work perfectly at Crane. You treat the lake in the spring while the trout are in the tribs spawning. Kill the bass, bluegills, crappie, sticklebacks all at the same time. Rotenone can be chemically deactivated by running the outfall through a series of neutralizing filters. That would keep it from hammering the river bewteen Crane and Wickiup.

Crane has had a good year or two, but the local ODFW biologist is "worried" about the bass. He's trying to figure out how to keep them healthy. Everybody that cares about trout should write to Ted Wise (who claims to care about the Deschutes watershed) and tell him to let the bass follow the course of nature now that ODFW doesn't supplement their feeding with fingerling trout to snack on.

ODFW used to do spot treating with Rotenone to keep chubs in check. They would simply go to the high lakes when they started to warm up and they would treat the warmer portions of the lake where the chubs would congregate. Seems like they could do the same thing again without having to treat the entire lake.

And that guide and his pontoon boat have put a huge dent in the population of big trout in Crane. If he could teach his clients to release a few fish the populations would be much healthier. Then again, I guess it's hard to release fish when you're fish a slack line with a tiny treble hook covered in powerbait. My 5 year fishes that way, but he knows only to do so when we're chasing stockers.
TF

[blindluck]

Hey two fister if you see this give me a call 503 842 5717..........Drifer trade

[Eagleclaw]

Actually, that's the reason that rotenone would work perfectly at Crane. You treat the lake in the spring while the trout are in the tribs spawning. Kill the bass, bluegills, crappie, sticklebacks all at the same time. Rotenone can be chemically deactivated by running the outfall through a series of neutralizing filters. That would keep it from hammering the river bewteen Crane and Wickiup.

Crane has had a good year or two, but the local ODFW biologist is "worried" about the bass. He's trying to figure out how to keep them healthy. Everybody that cares about trout should write to Ted Wise (who claims to care about the Deschutes watershed) and tell him to let the bass follow the course of nature now that ODFW doesn't supplement their feeding with fingerling trout to snack on.

ODFW used to do spot treating with Rotenone to keep chubs in check. They would simply go to the high lakes when they started to warm up and they would treat the warmer portions of the lake where the chubs would congregate. Seems like they could do the same thing again without having to treat the entire lake.

And that guide and his pontoon boat have put a huge dent in the population of big trout in Crane. If he could teach his clients to release a few fish the populations would be much healthier. Then again, I guess it's hard to release fish when you're fish a slack line with a tiny treble hook covered in powerbait. My 5 year fishes that way, but he knows only to do so when we're chasing stockers.
TF


:yeahthat: Get those warm water fish out of the lake. I use to love to fish that lake but haven't fished it in years.

[FallRiverGuy]

Google Central Oregon Fishing. This is, I believe, the guide HJF is referring to.

[FISHON67]

And that guide and his pontoon boat have put a huge dent in the population of big trout in Crane. If he could teach his clients to release a few fish the populations would be much healthier. Then again, I guess it's hard to release fish when you're fish a slack line with a tiny treble hook covered in powerbait.

Amen! A prime example that money can't buy common sense.

:cheers:

[Half fast Toyn]

Back in the late 90's Id fish that lake from my 14 ft skiff and catch 5+ footballs a day plus many littler ones. Almost every trip Id get a floater that Id have to eat but I never intended to take any fish from the lake.

If the lake is on the comeback, dont let anyone know. We'll get all the trout killers back to the lake and the pictures on the lodge wall of the breeders that no longer are.....

[Bearden]

Some say rotenone would not work on Davis or Crane....what do you guys think about this idea:

On a high snowpack year fully open the dam at Crane and keep Wickiup extra high for Bend's water source, then when Crane is flushed and the mud is drier, use heavy equipment to push the mud and weeds into islands (if that is even necessary). Crane is a man-made reservoir and should be perfect for flushing and starting over. I wouldn't even worry about the breeding stock in there, it would recover super fast, just look at Diamond Lake. Wickiup already has everything Crane has, so flushing the fish down there wouldn't be a problem (I caught a 4.5lb bass in Wickiup this weekend). The major problem I see is the water rights issue...but maybe a Corp of Engineers person can chime in about the need to check/repair the dam while the reservoir is drawn down.

Bearden

[Mountain Beaver]

Some say rotenone would not work on Davis or Crane....what do you guys think about this idea:

On a high snowpack year fully open the dam at Crane and keep Wickiup extra high for Bend's water source, then when Crane is flushed and the mud is drier, use heavy equipment to push the mud and weeds into islands (if that is even necessary). Crane is a man-made reservoir and should be perfect for flushing and starting over. I wouldn't even worry about the breeding stock in there, it would recover super fast, just look at Diamond Lake. Wickiup already has everything Crane has, so flushing the fish down there wouldn't be a problem (I caught a 4.5lb bass in Wickiup this weekend). The major problem I see is the water rights issue...but maybe a Corp of Engineers person can chime in about the need to check/repair the dam while the reservoir is drawn down.

Bearden

Too much common sense here, Bearden; you know that doesn't mix with environmental issues. They are sacred ground. I say, "just do it." MB.

[Two Fister]

I don't think transfering the problem to Wickiup in full force is really solving anything. Wickiup has some bass, but nothing compared to the problems at Crane.

[NWaddict]

I haven't been to Crane in about 6-7 years, but back then the few big trout we would catch (25"+) were all stuffed with sticklebacks. We caught them on on bobbers/nymphs but they didn't have a bug in their belly.

I agree with earlier comments that the real problem with the bass was that they competed with the forage severely. You could hardly find a log with a nymph underneath it the last time I was there.

If ODFW is having more success stocking larger trout my guess would be it is because of their ability to survive on alternative food sources that were not decimated by the bass and sticklebacks.

Does anyone know if harsh winters like we had this year effect bass very much?

[Bearden]

NWAddict - The harsh winter didn't affect the bass a bit in Wickiup at least, just set their schedule back about a week and a half or so. They are fat and happy. My dad and I did our part on Father's day weekend to save a few trout...I called it Operation Rotenone Senko. :D

Bearden

[ommedia]

To note, the winter/snow pack this year set back the Rainbow spawning in Crane by 2 months. There are anywhere from 15 - 40 breeding pair still in the Quinn River channel (this past weekend anyway). Talked with Forest Service guy and a bio and both said that is usually in early April before the opener.

Water is at 105% capacity and expected to go as high as 115%. The stickleback is everywhere. The water is almost into the overflow parking lot at Quinn River, and the boat ramp is so shallow because of the water depth that it's best to put most boats with any sort of size in at Rock Creek.

The highway is open all the way to Elk Lake, but not all the way to Bachelor (July 1st expected date). Cultus, Lava and Elk resorts are virtually snow free with occassional snow banks on north sides...reminds me of Paulina / East in April.

If you really think that Bass, stickleback, crappie should stay in Crane, then I am astounded. I corrolate that with thinking that pigs, wolves, and mouflon sheep should stay and proliferate because they are fun to hunt. Or maybe a better annalogy, thinking that opossum and nutria are a great addition to our state.

We caught 2 brookies, 6 rainbows, 2 over 22" for the weekend. It was quite slow. Water temp stayed between 53 - 56 degrees where I fished. With all the water that is up into the brush this year, the bass spawn should be incredible this year..unfortunately. I saw one damsel fly. The midge and caddis (I think) were "beginning" to hatch...might have been another fly that is medium in size.

[Stadir]

[quote=Bearden;2053444]NWAddict - The harsh winter didn't affect the bass a bit in Wickiup at least, just set their schedule back about a week and a half or so. They are fat and happy. My dad and I did our part on Father's day weekend to save a few trout...I called it Operation Rotenone Senko. :D

Bearden


What area were you fishing in Wikiup. We will be there at the end of June and are hoping to slam the p*ss out of the bass.

Also were you fishing the Senkos weedless, Carolina, Texas or Wacky. Does it really matter, were the bass agressively feeding on the splash or waiting for the sink or twitch.

Did you by any chance get a temperature reading on the lake and did you notice if the water level was high or low?

[Bearden]

Stadir-I was fishing regular weedless, no weight. They were about 5-10' deep, but should be making beds by now...my recommendation is to go shallow (like 6" to 2') and try to have a delicate splash down close to cover, then just reel slow and hang on. They were not agressive when we were there, but they will be now. The water level was down about three feet (approx.) from high and dropping a couple inches each day, didn't get the temps, but with the sun it was warming nicely in the shallows and there were just a few cruisers. Try the Southeast area of the lake!

Bearden

[TTFishon]

Has anyone ever ripped open one of the sticklebacks? They have parasites. Try it next time you're on a boat doc. They're easy to catch with your hand. Catch a fat one and rip it open. It will have a grub looking worm inside of it.

[Brooder]

I heard that bass with large mouths are eating all the baby trout so the trout fishery has gone down hill.

[leadeyedbugger]

It appears as though the trout population is on the rise.....and the bass population is on the decline......not sure about the sticklebacks....i will say that last year was the first year i caught very many bows under 20".....all bows i caught were in very good shape and extremely healthy. After pumping one stockers stomach i found midges,snails and dragonfly nymphs

[JohnOD]

There are still plenty of Sticklebacks in Crane. I’ve heard that they have little nutritional value for the fish but you wouldn’t know it by the size of the bows puking up sticklebacks in the net :thisbig:.
John

[Two Fister]

Has anyone ever ripped open one of the sticklebacks? They have parasites. Try it next time you're on a boat doc. They're easy to catch with your hand. Catch a fat one and rip it open. It will have a grub looking worm inside of it.

That grub looking worm is a tapeworm. Whoever introduced them into the lake managed to introduce sticklebacks that were infected with them. Insult to injury. Several studies have shown that sticklebacks have so little nutritional value they actually cost the trout calories to digest them.

The black crappie that are in there are diseased as well. Hello ODFW?

The trout are rebounding a bit because ODFW, after years of complaints from trout fishermen, finally started stocking trout that were a bit larger than most of the bass could eat. As such, bass are having a hard time making it and the trout are managing to stick around a bit longer. That's great for hatchery trout, but it likely puts extra pressure on wild fish as they don't get to grow to size under the watchful eye of the hatchery warden. Their saving grace is that the wild fish likely stay in the tribs and northern end of the lake where the water is colder.

Hopefully all of the illegally introduced species will starve now that ODFW isn't feeding them trout fry. Then again some idiot put crappie, bluegills, and sticklebacks in there to feed the bass in the first place.

TF

[ommedia]

Yet again I must disagree with you guys a bit. I have been there twice this year already, and watched 2 dozen paired rainbows spawning (not something we usually get to see this late in the year)...most of them were adipose-less. Meaning, your beloved wild fishery is not all that wild according most trout fisherman's religious believes. A trout with his 'A' fin isn't necessarily wild, he's just not marked...(same argument that used to go on and on about stealhead). Although I say, native is where you were born, not your parents :)

JohnOD- interesting to hear that you are finding trout with sticklebacks in them. I for one am NOT at all. I am seeing more than 80% snails and the rest is usually small fly larve (could be midge or whatever) in their system. I find small %'s of stickleback in the bass, but not like I would hope or expect.

Brooder - the bass really don't eat the trout much at all. I disect all bass I catch up there and I don't find trout in them.

I do think that the change in stocking size has made a difference, in that a larger stocked trout has a better chance at getting to the food sources that are left compared to a smaller sized trout.

I talked with a few guys the other day at the boat ramp and they said that a few of the rainbows they had kept had worms in them (not nightcrawlers either). That is not good.

on a good note, we caught 25% brookies these last few trips, of which I hadn't seen many in the last 6 or 7 years. Could just be the water temperature and that they aren't typically in the areas I fish.

keep the reports coming.

[JohnOD]

I fished Crane today and caught fish. We harvested some brook trout & kokes and released several adult rainbow trout… here’s a pic of some stomach samples including tape worms.
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll94/johnod2/P1000219.jpg
Whether native or hatchery I always release the rainbows so I don’t get to see what’s in their stomachs but later in the summer it’s not uncommon to have some of the big rainbows I see landed puking up sticklebacks and tapeworms in the net.

Now I’m not a biologist by any means but many of us have heard that the sticklebacks have little nutritional value for the trout and that may be true but it doesn’t make much sense to me as the sticklebacks are still basically a minnow (i.e. meat). Two Fister you may be right about the it costing the trout calories to digest the sticklebacks but personally I can’t imagine the rainbows being any healthier. If the bows are ill or not in top shape I sure can’t tell by their fight or by looking at them. They are still superb specimens and from my experience there are plenty of adult class rainbows left in the lake.

I have heard and tend to believe that the tape worms pass harmlessly through the digestive tract of the trout but again I don’t have any scientific facts to base that on.

As far as the catch ratio of rainbows to brook trout I am seeing close to a 50/50 split with lots of kokes in the mix.

From my experience the fishing has been betting progressively better the last few years.

John

[garyk]

It's too bad that the district bio is 'worried' about the bass.

I wish his predecessor has shown that concern for the trout when we raised the alarm about the bass when they were discovered in the latter half of the 1980's. Couldn't get him to take action...so what we have is what we have.

Remember the damsel fly hatch? It seemed it was damsels and dragonflies that were so important to producing Cranebows.

So now that stripping damsel patterns is a thing of the past how do we adapt to the new techniques? I've never fished a fly that far under an indicator...are you using a bit of yarn for the indicator? Do you try to hold in one place, or do a slow wind drift?

We have some great memories of Crane but haven't been back in more than 10 years.

[Two Fister]

Yet again I must disagree with you guys a bit. I have been there twice this year already, and watched 2 dozen paired rainbows spawning (not something we usually get to see this late in the year)...most of them were adipose-less. Meaning, your beloved wild fishery is not all that wild according most trout fisherman's religious believes. A trout with his 'A' fin isn't necessarily wild, he's just not marked...(same argument that used to go on and on about stealhead). Although I say, native is where you were born, not your parents :)

I don't think this discussion has been framed on wild versus hatchery trout in the slightest. Wild fish spawn in the wild; they may or may not be native. Brook trout (and bass for that matter) are wild spawners, but are obviously not native. As long as Crane is going to be a put an take fishery (something I personally would like to see altered with less retention, wild fish release, and tighter slot limit) I think you are going to need stocking. I don't like that ODFW biologists take spawning trout from Quinn and Cultus Rivers, collect their eggs, rear them in a hatchery and share the "bounty" with other lakes in the area. Crane's trout are struggling to make a rebound and putting the wild fish (different than native fish) in other lakes isn't helping.

It's no great surprise that you don't see bass in Quinn or Cultus Rivers in the spring. They are maybe 45 degrees right now. Bass don't tolerate those temperatures very well.

John, I'll try to dig up the articles on the nutritional value (or lack there of) of stickleback minnows. The jist of the study was that they are primarily cartilaginous tissue that requires a significant amount of energy to digest. The trout are also not well suited to handle the spines on their back and it damages their mouth and gill structure, making them less efficient at eating in general. Just because they are a forage fish for some species doesn't mean that Red Band Trout can thrive on them. Tui chubs are native to Klamath Lake and the Williamson/Klamath strain rainbows devour them. The trout stocked in Diamond Lake (historically devoid of fish) were not piscivorous and as such, were out competed by them. Red Band Trout are the same. I wish you could have fished the lake "back in the day". I just really caught the tail end of the hey day and it was likely the best stillwater trout fishery in the Lower 48. It may be rebounding, but it'll never be what it was as long as the damsel flies, dragon flies and leaches are at such low levels. The water used look like it was simmering during the damsel fly hatch. It was alive with life and food for the trout.

As far as bass not eating trout fry I'd have to wholeheartedly disagree. There's a reason that bass fishermen like to refer to trout as "bass food" (their term, not mine). Before ODFW started stocking larger trout you could watch bass fishermen follow the stocking truck from ramp to ramp. As soon as they started unloading the truck they would start casting a broken back rainbow rapala or similar lure. I spoke with one of them and he claimed that the biggest bass on Crane were caught when the state "rang the dinner bell" with the stocking truck. It's no coincidence that the trout have only started their rebound (and seemingly the bass are in decline) since the state has started stocking larger trout. It may be anacdotal, but there's a reason why bass fishermen use 8-12"" Castic Rainbow Trout Lures.

Does this remind you of anything...

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/10Sb.jpg

That's a 12" Castic soft lure. Is anyone using those in Crane, probably not, but I think you get the point. They wouldn't make it if it didn't work somewhere. Smaller versions are certainly available.

The biggest mistake that ODFW made was allowing an illegal act (illegal introduction of bass) to stand. More then letting it stand, ODFW created a policy that protected the bass. That only encouraged other idiots to illegally introduce other species as forage fish for the bass once they had started their first decline in the early 90's. The bass had wiped out the tui chubs that were in Crane and their size had started to decline. An old timer who has since passed away (who claimed to know who put bass in Crane; I think it may have been him) told me they were introduced because ODFW had stopped their spot treatment of Tui Chubs and they were getting out of control. He gave the same reason for the introduction of bass into Davis. The same decline will happen at Davis unless ODFW starts managing that lake for bass as well.

Maybe I'm cynical (OK I am cynical), but all of the glowing reports of fly fishing for bass in Davis are only encouraging the ODFW to welcome it as another revenue stream. If it were up to me I'd close all fishing at any lake that has fish illegally introduced until it was treated with Rotenone and replanted with native species. I'd also aggressively pursue the criminals with the same intensity that the Feds pursued the Earth Liberation Front nutjobs. Illegal introductions of non-native species are a serious form of environmental terrorism with enormous environmental, economic, and societal implications.

[lake creek charlie]

Over half the lakes in oregon have been RUINED by idiots stocking bass in the GOOD lakes. Too bad ROTENONE:twocents:

[Bearden]

I enjoyed reading several of the posts on this threads. Thank you to those who have obviously done some research or put thought into this.

Bearden

[Brooder]

STURGEON! They would kill those bass. Sturgeon don't eat trout or any salm on species because for some reason they have evolved with them and don't have a liking to eat them for some reason., This is evident by the fact you go to Bonneville, where Herman and the big other sturgeon are and they have trout there also living with Herman. Herman and the other sturgeon just ignore the trout. Sturgeon would kill the bass. I don't know why the ODFW doesn't stock sturgeon in lakes infested with bass.

[steelfreak]

Sturgeon certainly will eat trout or salmon, as long as it is dead or dying. They are more scavengers than hunters when it comes to fish. I don't think adding sturgeon would affect the bass populations at all. Sturgeon aren't going to hunt down and eat bass. It would just be one more non-native species consuming and competing for food.