Burntside Lake: Smelt + spiny waterflea = ????

[Steve Foss]

Looks like we've understood the smelt dynamic in Burntside pretty well. They are voracious egg eaters. They compete with native fish for the zooplankton/micro-organisms suspended in the water that the native fry of many species need to recruit into the fishery. And they eat fry.

So, through stocking of about 60,000 yearling lakers per year for decades by the DNR, the laker population has been able to withstand the smelt onslaught, and actually thrive, eventually. Of course, no laker stocking since the program was discontinued in 2010.

Now, enter the spiny waterflea, which we first found and reported in Burntside three summers ago, if memory serves.

The invasive species (which, lake many, came to the Great Lakes in ballast water from oceangoing vessels plying the European/Asian markets), feeds on the same zooplankton that Burntside's surviving fry of most species need for recruitment, so that's another whammy on the food web.

And small fish don't eat them, because of the fine spines. Large fish can eat them, but research has found that the spines remain undigested, and the fish have trouble passing them through their stomachs. Often, balls of undigested spines cause problems for the fish, and in some cases the spines perforate the stomachs.

When they were first found in Burntside, it wasn't in great numbers but, as invasives do, they've ballooned in population, and over the last few weeks this season have shown up in really large numbers. They foul downrigger cables and trolling lines, of course, so that's a concern. I doubt they've peaked in population yet, so it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

Now that the lake is no longer being stocked, with fishing pressure is way up over 10 years ago, I'm worried the water flea, coupled with the smelt, will put too much added strain on the laker population. I think, with continued stocking of 60,000 or so yearling lakers every other year, the fishery would be OK.

Now I'm not so sure.

It's also an odd coincidence that the Bside laker anglers I've talked to this season have begun to struggle the last two or three weeks (myself included), which is when the waterfleas have gotten really thick. This coincidence, if that's what it is, came to me as I lay in bed last night trying to figure out why the bite has gotten tough recently. Are the lakers of adult age gorging on them and not hungry?

I'd be interested in any thoughtful discussion on the topic.

[delcecchi]

Perhaps the fleas have caused the forage to change location, thereby changing the location of the lakers.

Do adult lakers really eat tiny things like these if there is another choice?

[Gunflint Guy]

Steve - it would be interesting take a look at some comparable lakes...

I think that Saganaga has spiny water flea and smelt. For sure water flea. Gunflint for sure has smelt. Are those lakes different than Burntside in some way? What has been the lake trout population trends in those lakes since the invasive species populated them? I don't believe either has ever had trout stocked in them. I don't know if laker fishing in them has declined in the last decade or so. I do know walleye fishing has declined in them, but that has been a more recent trend, well after the invasion.

It is my perception that lake trout fishing in those lakes has not been decimated. I can't say they are as good as they used to be (I don't have a reference point), but there are still a few lakers in them. It is also my perception that they have significantly less fishing pressure than Burntside. Sag is mostly in Canada and the American side has very little snowmachine accessible trout water = less pressure. Gunflint is 1/2 in Canada as well. It has more pressure than Sag, but still less than Burntside.

Based on my experience, Burntside today is just as good a trout lake as Sag and Gunflint. It has a better average size, too. Will it stay that way? I guess that is just repeating your original question.

I guess I don't have a real point, but wanted to add some thoughts.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks guys. Gunflint Guy for the perspective. It helps reframe my thinking as time goes on. When I first opened on Bside in winter 11 years ago, I had the run of the lake in my pickup (6 inches of snow, 18 inches of ice). I saw about 15 guys. Now winter opener brings as many as 200 guys if ice conditions are good. That's a firm number based on my conversations with COs, who now do a lot of license and other checking on Bside in winter.

Yes, no doubt the attention I and others have brought to Bside has at least in part led to the increased traffic. Had the stocking continued I think it would have been alright. Maybe it still will be, but I don't think so. Lots of people are killing and keeping trout.

Del, lake trout, like their char brethren the brook trout, dolly varden, arctic char, bull trout, etc., are still trouts, and they often key on hatches of invertebrates. We often find bugs or bug/invertebrate remains and mud and small pebbles in lake trout stomachs from when they suck up bottom muck to eat the bugs. My guess is that adult lakers are eating spiny waterflea, at least to some degree, because they are a very easy and plentiful suspended target and provide nutrition. Whether there will be problems because of indigestible spines or perforated stomachs, well . . . ?

I'm not keeping many trout at all these days, though I always allow clients to make their own choice based on their own desires. Probably I'll keep the next few I catch, unless they are over 5 lbs, and will see what is in their stomachs.

I wish the DNR intern guy who spent all weekend at the Van Vac public landing was doing a creel survey instead of spiny waterflea removal and education. Not a darn thing we're going to be able to do to stop the spread of that invasive, but ongoing creel surveys will help a LOT in determining how many lakers are coming out of the lake, as well as the percentage of stocked vs native produced fish. It's the type of data that would help managers keep close tabs on the laker population/makeup.

BTW, fished all day yesterday getting Wanderer's pontoon/riggers dialed in (a great day, Tracy!) and half of today with a couple other guys, and no fish. Trolled spoons, cranks and meat on downriggers and Walker divers. Vertical jigged a variety of lures. Even dragged bait on slip/Lindy rigs in deepish water. Marked tons of fish, many of them high up in the water column over deep water. We had one release today but it did not hook.

That's how it's gone the last week or two. I'll be VERY curious to see when the bite picks back up. And if it picks up when the spiny waterflea is winding down for the season, that will, to me, be some evidence of cause and effect.

[JBMasterAngler]

As far as Saganaga and Gunflint lakes go, they have a very small to almost nonexistant smelt population. The prey base is predominantly cisco. Cisco tend to be more nomadic than smelt, so it probably keeps the trout on the move as well.

Sag does have a very high population of spiny water flea though. Based on my limited trolling experience on the lake, I've notice I accumulate alot more of them when I'm trolling on the east side of the lake as opposed to the west side.

Unlike most other invasive species the spiny water flea is probably more likely to be spread via lines on fishing reels and downrigger cables. If you look at most of the lakes that are infested, they are lakes where downrigger fishing is popular, and I don't think it will be a coincidence that the next lakes to be infested will be other lake trout or big walleye waters.

Maybe in the long run the spiny water flea will negatively effect the smelt population more than anything else in burntside.

[Improvedarock]

Out of the 150 lakers I caught last winter outta beside where all native fish from 22-34 inches only one was clipped and it was actually a spake. What concerns me is where's the 1-2 pound native fish year classes. As for the spiny water fleas I found a few in stomachs of late march lakers, I could be wrong but the remains in the stomachs looked actually like the spiny water dingo's!

[Wanderer]

I was pretty amazed for all the fish we marked that they were so turned off. I would also like to know what's in their stomachs right now. The amount of fleas coming up on the lines was hideous. If we're pulling up that volume on lines and cables just think of the mass you could seine outta there - and it still wouldn't make much difference.

Steve, thanks again for the help dialing things in; even though we didn't get any fish it made a big difference on how I'll approach things on later trips. Plus it's just good hanging out.

The 'toon has a future as a troller, I just the hope the lakers have a future out there.

[Surface Tension]

Sort of a hodge podge of thoughts here.

The food chain is something like this.

Phytoplankton

Daphnia & Zooplankton

Smelt and other small fish

Lake Trout

Insert the Spiny Water flea in with smelt and other small fish all competing for Daphnia & Zooplankton. Biggest problem there is the chain stops at spiny water fleas.

In B-Side, smelt would the be the 1st noticeable link in the chain to take a hit from impacts of spiny water fleas.

Back to Phytoplankton. Warm temps, long days, and nutrients. We're there right now so the rest of the chain is in full swing, with that spiny water fleas are multiplying.

With all this regeneration going on, count on species taking advantage of it.

Lake trout will come out of comfortable water temps for a chance to exploit a natural occurring phenomenon of feed. I can't say their taking spiny water fleas but more so small fish including smelt attracted to the Daphnia & Zooplankton. Having the ability to change depth quickly with no ill effects allows then to do that. Its my opinion length of stay outside those preferred water temps has to do with mass. The larger the mass the longer time allowable to spend outside the comfort zone. That sort of brings up lake trout using bellies to the bottom. Water temps might not be ideal but the temp of the bottom substrate allays a constant.

On one particular trip I fished 5 days in a row and the first 4 days not one lake trout was remotely suspended. All trout were tight to the bottom in 110' of water and were happy to be caught. On the 5th day I was marking lake trout suspended. Why, I don't know. Could be feeding, hunting, or changes in pressure but they were again happy to be caught.

We've heard of match the hatch. Feeding lake trout keyed in on a large natural large phenomenon whether that be mayfly hatch or schools of smelt likely won't hit something different presented to them. Notice I said feeding, there is a difference between feeding and hunting. So it could be that theses suspended targets are keyed in on feeding and what your offing isn't on the menu. Hunting lake trout are lake trout looking for anything in an off peak time of abundance of prey. Another phase is when the lake trout are laying on the bottom. At this time they aren't keyed in on anything and you might think they're resting and I guess they could be but IMO they're probably regulating body temp. A lure trolled skipping bottom or within a foot or two of bottom can take those lake trout.

IMO with the amount of smelt in B-Side they've always been a more of a feeder then hunter.

Throw in another one of natural phenom food sources and that isn't helping on the hooking end of things.

The question of will B-Side be able to sustain numbers of lake trout by natural recruitment. I don't think it can, after all if you stop stocking 60,000 lake trout every other year there has to be some effect.

Stocking to create or enhance angling opportunity is done all over the state. IMO B-Side was and still is a good candidate for that and with the increased interest in B-Side it would make good sense and good candidate to resume stocking. After all we already know that previous stockings were successful.

[Steve Foss]

Sort of a hodge podge of thoughts here.

The food chain is something like this.

Phytoplankton

Daphnia & Zooplankton

Smelt and other small fish

Lake Trout

Insert the Spiny Water flea in with smelt and other small fish all competing for Daphnia & Zooplankton. Biggest problem there is the chain stops at spiny water fleas.

In B-Side, smelt would the be the 1st noticeable link in the chain to take a hit from impacts of spiny water fleas.

Back to Phytoplankton. Warm temps, long days, and nutrients. We're there right now so the rest of the chain is in full swing, with that spiny water fleas are multiplying.

With all this regeneration going on, count on species taking advantage of it.

Lake trout will come out of comfortable water temps for a chance to exploit a natural occurring phenomenon of feed. I can't say their taking spiny water fleas but more so small fish including smelt attracted to the Daphnia & Zooplankton. Having the ability to change depth quickly with no ill effects allows then to do that. Its my opinion length of stay outside those preferred water temps has to do with mass. The larger the mass the longer time allowable to spend outside the comfort zone. That sort of brings up lake trout using bellies to the bottom. Water temps might not be ideal but the temp of the bottom substrate allays a constant.

On one particular trip I fished 5 days in a row and the first 4 days not one lake trout was remotely suspended. All trout were tight to the bottom in 110' of water and were happy to be caught. On the 5th day I was marking lake trout suspended. Why, I don't know. Could be feeding, hunting, or changes in pressure but they were again happy to be caught.

We've heard of match the hatch. Feeding lake trout keyed in on a large natural large phenomenon whether that be mayfly hatch or schools of smelt likely won't hit something different presented to them. Notice I said feeding, there is a difference between feeding and hunting. So it could be that theses suspended targets are keyed in on feeding and what your offing isn't on the menu. Hunting lake trout are lake trout looking for anything in an off peak time of abundance of prey. Another phase is when the lake trout are laying on the bottom. At this time they aren't keyed in on anything and you might think they're resting and I guess they could be but IMO they're probably regulating body temp. A lure trolled skipping bottom or within a foot or two of bottom can take those lake trout.

IMO with the amount of smelt in B-Side they've always been a more of a feeder then hunter.

Throw in another one of natural phenom food sources and that isn't helping on the hooking end of things.

The question of will B-Side be able to sustain numbers of lake trout by natural recruitment. I don't think it can, after all if you stop stocking 60,000 lake trout every other year there has to be some effect.

Stocking to create or enhance angling opportunity is done all over the state. IMO B-Side was and still is a good candidate for that and with the increased interest in B-Side it would make good sense and good candidate to resume stocking. After all we already know that previous stockings were successful.

Thanks, bud. I'd already been changing a few things up in my mind and in the shop/tackle room, and your perspective, as always, has sharpened the point on my spear.

[fishgutz77]

Steve, you got me going now.

couple of questions for you cause you know I know nothing about lakers.

what speed with spoons and standards or mags?

Have you tried flashers with spin n glo's?

your boys and girls maybe feeding at night.

lakers 5-15 lbs this time of year are voracious feeders with current water temps do you really think they care about water fleas?

they are eating small whities, burbot,smelt and even little lakers that get in their way because B side doesn't offer much more than that.

Speed up and go large big fella. just a thought.

[Improvedarock]

Why not introduce 60,000 a year Brook trout, I'm sure the lake trout, northerns, walleye, and lawyers would eat just as many yearlings. But I'd rather catch a trophy smelt feed Brookie than a gillis strain laker. Just saying.

[Steve Foss]

Well, just for the curious, here's a lineup of how we've been fishing the last couple of weeks.

1. Standard trolling with downriggers, spoons med, large and small, speeds 2.3 to 3 mph. Erratic S-curves to add slow-down and speed-up. Over 35 to 120 FOW.

2. Same but with flashers, dodgers and umbrella rigs.

3. Same but with Rapalas and spinners and meat rigs.

4. Vertical jigging with a variety of lures, including some tipped with meat, in depths from 35 to 80.

5. Rigging with live bait as if for walleyes, but deeper water.

Some more: According to DNR netting results, there are no small whitefish left in Burntside. Only a few large individuals. And yes, I think lakers might care about waterfleas when they are so thick that all a fish has to do is open its mouth, flick its tail a few times and get fed.

I've got a few more things I'm going to try, but it's probably a period of doldrums that simply needs to be fished through. These happen periodically on Burntside, and my fantasies about the impact of smelt and waterflea likely are just the result of an overwrought imagination.

Thanks for all the input, fellas. Hope to hear more.

[fishgutz77]

With the fleas so heavy it makes lead core a none option but the 200 copper might be good. Mid summer turnover! LOL I know you'll get'em again Steve.

wish I could bring the little blue boat up to join you.

to bad the whitey's are gone that's another trophy builder for lakers.

20 lb lakers love 1-2 lb whitefish.

[Improvedarock]

All b-side needs now is the Asian carp. Never know the lil pesky underwater critters could do damage to da smelt and flea stackers. If burntside has fleas snowbank probally does to along with every other lake north of highway 2. Does anyone actually have a answer why the MN DNR stopped stocking bside in 2010? Political answers don't count!

[Steve Foss]

Leadcore and copper aren't great on Bside because there aren't long fairly straight trolling runs like there are on the Great Lakes.

The reason the DNR gave for suspending the stocking was part budget, and part belief that natural laker reproduction had turned the corner.

[Improvedarock]

Steve we both know there is great year classes. But really I think we both know the answer.

[JBMasterAngler]

If there were no smelt in burntside, there's no doubt in my mind this could remain a quality lake trout fishery without any stocking. But with the voracious feeding habits of smelt, and the pressure this lake gets, I can't see it maintaining a good fishery in the long run without stocking. Instead of eliminating it altogether, they could've at least cut it in half.

[Improvedarock]

dam Lake Superior lol

[Steve Foss]

Steve we both know there is great year classes. But really I think we both know the answer.

[Improvedarock]

Yep burntside is slow time ta hit canada

[Improvedarock]

Yes makes sense Steve. What explains that heathly year class from my guess mid 90's to say 2003?

[Improvedarock]

Well now I'm thinking. Take B/side and snowbank and think of it as the same lake. Forget the lake trout, smelt, water fleas, and whitefish. Let me say both lakes are polluted with stunted Smallmouth and Rock Bass. Both lakes have 20+ inch smallmouth but nothing compared to lakes such as basswood and Sag. While I fish walleyes on both lakes I tend to weed threw a lot of b.s bass in depths of over 40-50fow. Snowbank has more pout than burntside if you ask me, what's with that? Burntside lakers feed different than snowbankers what's with that? Lets look at the bass first they where non native species.

[Steve Foss]

We picked up an 11 yesterday on a half-day trip, so that was nice. Many more active fish than in the last couple of weeks. Lots of high flyers and fish coming up to look at the balls. Got the 11 trolling, though spent a couple hours vertical jigging as well.

[laker1]

Well now I'm thinking. Take B/side and snowbank and think of it as the same lake. Forget the lake trout, smelt, water fleas, and whitefish. Let me say both lakes are polluted with stunted Smallmouth and Rock Bass. Both lakes have 20+ inch smallmouth but nothing compared to lakes such as basswood and Sag. While I fish walleyes on both lakes I tend to weed threw a lot of b.s bass in depths of over 40-50fow. Snowbank has more pout than burntside if you ask me, what's with that? Burntside lakers feed different than snowbankers what's with that? Lets look at the bass first they where non native species.

Was walleye native to Snowbank?

I know once the lake trout were fairly abundant, than about 8 years later the walleye population exploded and lake trout numbers dropped(walleyes were present in low numbers than). A few years later walleye numbers came down. Trout stayed at the lower numbers,unless this last few years it came back.

Go back to the 50's 60's and 70's Snowbank was a much better lake trout lake than Burntside in my opinion. For years the stocking in Burnside did not take very well. Recent years,meaning the last 10 it has done much better.

[laker1]

Burntside stocking program if the population drops below a certain level could be started up again. Just maintain your contacts on a concerned and cordial dialoge(sp).

[Great Outdoors]

The early stocking programs in Burntside didn't work out because Smelt were eating the fry that they put in the lake.

Once the DNR realized this, they switched to fingerlings and the population increased.

[Steve Foss]

Jim, do you remember when they switched from fry to yearlings?

Laker1, I definitely will talk with the local DNR folks about Bside as time goes on. And, for the record, I'm not ripping on the DNR. They have a tough job, and they are working hard to do it well.

[Great Outdoors]

Yo Steve,

Cannot remember the year they switched from fry to fingerlings, but it was quite a few years ago.

I remember Andy L. telling me about it, and how the walleye numbers climbed immediately upon doing so.

[Steve Foss]

Second day in a row the waterfleas have thinned way out and the bite was good. Hmmmm.