Kentucky Lake and Carp

[NumberOne]

Defintely something different swimming around that I haven't been seeing in years gone by... There's a shad shaped smaller bait fish that is schooling on the fry. I'm used to seeing the skip-jacks school on them and chase fry around. But I hit several schools of a 'threadfin shaped" fish chasing and eating them? That's not something i remember seeing our shad do? perhaps i haven't been paying attention as much as I thought I was.

Thats exactly what I have been seeing as well. Little wolfpacks of bass (3-4 inches long). Its great to see. Just need to stack a couple successful spawns together.

[west_tn]

Bring back the grass and watch the fishing improve dramatically.

[Will Seyler]

^ exactly ^

[ClarkAF]

From what I’ve been told by reputable sources, the vast majority of those balls of baitfish we are all seeing are emerald shiners and silversides. Great size for smaller fish, but we need those threadfin and big gizzard shad to come back if we want these fish to get back to the size we are used to on this lake.

[BloodRiverBandit]

Has anyone seen any gizzards on ky lake recently? I haven’t for years.

[west_tn]

From what I’ve been told by reputable sources, the vast majority of those balls of baitfish we are all seeing are emerald shiners and silversides. Great size for smaller fish, but we need those threadfin and big gizzard shad to come back if we want these fish to get back to the size we are used to on this lake.

Emerald shiners have very very different patterns of behavior from the shad we are used to. People fishing the same ole way they always have aren't having much luck. People adjusting to the shiners are doing a little better.

[bcreek]

I agree w/Maddog. Think back 7-8 years. Almost every boat in a BFL hauled around 2 livewells full of 4,5,6 pounders all day. Add in the big national tourneys and all the other ones going on. Thats not sustainable for very long. There are about 3 year classes of bass missing from the lake population. Lots of 10-14" fish and some big ones. Very few in between. I don't know how long it takes a bass in Ky. Lake to reach 4 lbs., but I think if you look back it would correspond to high water fluctuation years. As others have said, Im not a biologist but I do fish ky. lake 100+ days a year. I also think the fish have adapted. I now catch fish in places I never caught any 5 yrs. ago.

[BULLYFISH]

For all you people that don’t like to Carp in the lake Don’t come here no more find you another place to fish It makes it better for us

[Sokyangler]

I agree w/Maddog. Think back 7-8 years. Almost every boat in a BFL hauled around 2 livewells full of 4,5,6 pounders all day. Add in the big national tourneys and all the other ones going on. Thats not sustainable for very long. There are about 3 year classes of bass missing from the lake population. Lots of 10-14" fish and some big ones. Very few in between. I don't know how long it takes a bass in Ky. Lake to reach 4 lbs., but I think if you look back it would correspond to high water fluctuation years. As others have said, Im not a biologist but I do fish ky. lake 100+ days a year. I also think the fish have adapted. I now catch fish in places I never caught any 5 yrs. ago.

100%, most don't want to admit that the unbelievable fishing pressure affected the bass just like the carp. The same thing will happen to Chick and other lakes. Okeechobee goes through phases all the time.

[jmartin56]

I live on the lake. I see them daily.

I have used a skimmer net to dip them out of the lake to look at.

I can tell they school and act different from threadfin.

So I guess the answer to your question is...me.

Definitely not a fisheries biologist, but I am smart enough to identify a fish.

If you have fish you think are carp fry please catch them if possible and contact Jessica Morris at the Murray KDFWR office.

I find this highly unlikely as they need high current to spawn (as someone said above), but KDFWR will be able to tell you 100% what kind of fish they are if you can catch them.

[ddk201]

Some good news. I was down at the lake this weekend pulling my boat out and there was a guy on the dock throwing a cast net. He had some bait in a five gallon bucket. I asked if I could look at them and he said go ahead. No doubt in my mind they were threadfin shad. The first ones I have seen On Barkley in several years. There are definitely carp fry all over now. I have netted them with a small net.

[jmartin56]

Some good news. I was down at the lake this weekend pulling my boat out and there was a guy on the dock throwing a cast net. He had some bait in a five gallon bucket. I asked if I could look at them and he said go ahead. No doubt in my mind they were threadfin shad. The first ones I have seen On Barkley in several years. There are definitely carp fry all over now. I have netted them with a small net.

Please contact KDFW murray office if you believe this is the case and even better if you bring them the fish you suspect to be carp. All information helps!

[ddk201]

They can go to the back of McNabb and see all they want.