Post by yihunt on Jul 25, 2010 11:24:38 GMT -4
State plans to double spending on catfish
Sunday, July 25, 2010
By Deborah Weisberg
State fisheries biologists think they've fingered the cause of disappearing channel catfish on some of the area's smaller stocked lakes, and are willing to double spending to fix the problem.
The 1-2 inch fingerlings the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission planted in recent years were no match for foraging largemouth bass, according to agency biologist Rick Lorson, who is heading up a redesign of the statewide catfish management plan.
Studies indicate channel cats need to be 6-8 inches long to survive a lake full of predators, so that's the size the agency is now growing at its Lineville hatchery. Lorson said they'll be ready for stocking this fall at all 56 lakes in the commission's catfish program. Most are located in the southern corners of the state.
"We'll see if that solves the problem," said Lorson, who will compare surveys next spring with sampling he and his colleagues performed at Acme and Wisecarver dams, and Peters Township and Lower Twin lakes in recent months.
Acme failed to yield a single catfish during trap-netting in April and June, although largemouth bass were both big and abundant. Their size exceeded the commission's standard for a quality bass fishery, said Lorson, who handled 20 15-plus-inch largemouths an hour. The state standard for bass that size is two per hour.
At Lower Twin Lakes, Lorson's crew captured just one catfish during spring sampling, and large numbers of bass. Although most of the bass were small, they made quick meals of the catfish, Lorson said.
"An 8-inch bass can chomp down on a 1- or 2-inch fingerling pretty easily," he said.
There were no catfish at Peters and Wisecarver. All four of the studied lakes are less than 30 acres in size.
"Catfish at larger lakes appear to be faring much better," said Lorson.
Some of the region's better catfish lakes include Somerset, Arthur, Cross Creek and Shenango, which supports natural reproduction.
"Somerset is 250 acres and the catfish appear to be doing well there," he said. "We stocked a lot of lakes between 1975 and 1995, and some, like Shenango, turned into naturally reproducing fisheries."
Stocking bigger catfish will cost Fish and Boat nearly double what it had been spending -- about $840,000 for 241,000 yearlings -- but Lorson said catfishing is becoming so popular the investment is worth it. He recently returned from an international catfish symposium in St. Louis, where he said his counterparts elsewhere in the country also spoke of a marked increase in angling for the whiskered predator.
"Part of it is that catfish are a species you can target in summer, when a lot of other fish are harder to catch," Lorson said. "And it's a relaxing kind of fishing, so it's ideal for families to enjoy."
Bob Sarnese of Prospect, who fishes Lake Arthur at night with his 15-year-old son Jake, said August is the month to catch the biggest cats.
"When you hit one, it's like a runaway train," said Sarnese, who targets weed beds from his boat in waters at least 10 feet deep. "You've got to pull up your anchor so [the fish] won't dig underneath it, and just let him pull you around. You don't want to horse them at all."
Sarnese sometimes fishes strips of alewife, but said the best bait for channel cats is chicken liver -- the fresher the better. Because catfish are attracted by scent, he marinades livers in vanilla, anise or other flavorings. Sarnese uses a 1.0 or 2.0 circle hook, which is less damaging to the fish, and either a barrel sinker or split shot.
"Cast 15 to 20 feet into the darkness, let your bait go to the bottom and wait," he said. "When a catfish hits, you'll know it."
Sarnese's best channel cat from Lake Arthur weighed more than 16 pounds.
The best bite is after dark, he said. "I'm a morning person, but catching a big catfish makes staying out all night worth it."
River anglers know the waters around Pittsburgh are home to flathead and brown bullhead catfish, as well as channel cats. Venture Outdoors' Downtown TriAnglers routinely catch all three species during their Wednesday afternoon adventures on the Allegheny River's North Shore.
Joey Kielur, 15, of Hays finds the fishing pier near PNC Park productive. While he has caught flatheads up to 42 inches there, he said channel cats can put up an even better fight.
"They don't get as big but they're strong," he said. "Sometimes flatheads will give up when you get them to the surface of the water. Channel cats never stop."
Some anglers overlook the brown bullhead -- considered a trophy at 12 inches -- but they're missing out on big fun, according to Fish and Boat's fisheries management chief Dave Miko.
"Bullheads are small but pesky, and stay active in warm water temperatures when low levels of dissolved oxygen turn off other species," he said. "And they're surprisingly good eating."
While the commission doesn't manage for bullheads, they are naturally occurring and abundant on many rivers and lakes across the state.
"I'd target them like you would channel catfish. You can catch them on a hot dog or chicken liver, but strips of gizzard shad and alewife work really well, since they seem to like any greasy bait," Miko said. "Just throw it out and fish off the bottom. If channel cats aren't biting, you may get a bullhead."
Sunday, July 25, 2010
By Deborah Weisberg
State fisheries biologists think they've fingered the cause of disappearing channel catfish on some of the area's smaller stocked lakes, and are willing to double spending to fix the problem.
The 1-2 inch fingerlings the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission planted in recent years were no match for foraging largemouth bass, according to agency biologist Rick Lorson, who is heading up a redesign of the statewide catfish management plan.
Studies indicate channel cats need to be 6-8 inches long to survive a lake full of predators, so that's the size the agency is now growing at its Lineville hatchery. Lorson said they'll be ready for stocking this fall at all 56 lakes in the commission's catfish program. Most are located in the southern corners of the state.
"We'll see if that solves the problem," said Lorson, who will compare surveys next spring with sampling he and his colleagues performed at Acme and Wisecarver dams, and Peters Township and Lower Twin lakes in recent months.
Acme failed to yield a single catfish during trap-netting in April and June, although largemouth bass were both big and abundant. Their size exceeded the commission's standard for a quality bass fishery, said Lorson, who handled 20 15-plus-inch largemouths an hour. The state standard for bass that size is two per hour.
At Lower Twin Lakes, Lorson's crew captured just one catfish during spring sampling, and large numbers of bass. Although most of the bass were small, they made quick meals of the catfish, Lorson said.
"An 8-inch bass can chomp down on a 1- or 2-inch fingerling pretty easily," he said.
There were no catfish at Peters and Wisecarver. All four of the studied lakes are less than 30 acres in size.
"Catfish at larger lakes appear to be faring much better," said Lorson.
Some of the region's better catfish lakes include Somerset, Arthur, Cross Creek and Shenango, which supports natural reproduction.
"Somerset is 250 acres and the catfish appear to be doing well there," he said. "We stocked a lot of lakes between 1975 and 1995, and some, like Shenango, turned into naturally reproducing fisheries."
Stocking bigger catfish will cost Fish and Boat nearly double what it had been spending -- about $840,000 for 241,000 yearlings -- but Lorson said catfishing is becoming so popular the investment is worth it. He recently returned from an international catfish symposium in St. Louis, where he said his counterparts elsewhere in the country also spoke of a marked increase in angling for the whiskered predator.
"Part of it is that catfish are a species you can target in summer, when a lot of other fish are harder to catch," Lorson said. "And it's a relaxing kind of fishing, so it's ideal for families to enjoy."
Bob Sarnese of Prospect, who fishes Lake Arthur at night with his 15-year-old son Jake, said August is the month to catch the biggest cats.
"When you hit one, it's like a runaway train," said Sarnese, who targets weed beds from his boat in waters at least 10 feet deep. "You've got to pull up your anchor so [the fish] won't dig underneath it, and just let him pull you around. You don't want to horse them at all."
Sarnese sometimes fishes strips of alewife, but said the best bait for channel cats is chicken liver -- the fresher the better. Because catfish are attracted by scent, he marinades livers in vanilla, anise or other flavorings. Sarnese uses a 1.0 or 2.0 circle hook, which is less damaging to the fish, and either a barrel sinker or split shot.
"Cast 15 to 20 feet into the darkness, let your bait go to the bottom and wait," he said. "When a catfish hits, you'll know it."
Sarnese's best channel cat from Lake Arthur weighed more than 16 pounds.
The best bite is after dark, he said. "I'm a morning person, but catching a big catfish makes staying out all night worth it."
River anglers know the waters around Pittsburgh are home to flathead and brown bullhead catfish, as well as channel cats. Venture Outdoors' Downtown TriAnglers routinely catch all three species during their Wednesday afternoon adventures on the Allegheny River's North Shore.
Joey Kielur, 15, of Hays finds the fishing pier near PNC Park productive. While he has caught flatheads up to 42 inches there, he said channel cats can put up an even better fight.
"They don't get as big but they're strong," he said. "Sometimes flatheads will give up when you get them to the surface of the water. Channel cats never stop."
Some anglers overlook the brown bullhead -- considered a trophy at 12 inches -- but they're missing out on big fun, according to Fish and Boat's fisheries management chief Dave Miko.
"Bullheads are small but pesky, and stay active in warm water temperatures when low levels of dissolved oxygen turn off other species," he said. "And they're surprisingly good eating."
While the commission doesn't manage for bullheads, they are naturally occurring and abundant on many rivers and lakes across the state.
"I'd target them like you would channel catfish. You can catch them on a hot dog or chicken liver, but strips of gizzard shad and alewife work really well, since they seem to like any greasy bait," Miko said. "Just throw it out and fish off the bottom. If channel cats aren't biting, you may get a bullhead."