Zebra Mussels in Whitefish Chain

[smartguy]

For those of you who fish or have a cabin on the Whitefish Chain, the Brainerd Dispatch reports that mussels have been found in several spots on the Chain, especially Cross Lake and Hay Lake.

[Jeff13]

It was only a matter of time. Hopefully they don't get out of control out there.

[JP Z]

It really was only a matter of time. They'll keep showing up in the area lakes. I don't think you can really stop it no matter how hard the DNR tries.

[mnspearingguide]

I was doing some diving late last fall, I found some in Rutgers bay, by the Big Island, and in the channel by the Warf. They are spread out all over the chain. I contacted the local C.O. and informed them. I knew it was only a matter of time, along with all the other invasives, We won't be able to stop it, But we can really Slow the spread down by taking the extra minute or 2 to clean things at the landings. I know its a pain in the arse, but it's really the best option we have to slow it down.

[fishgutz77]

And once again a big thank you to all those who had the authority and responsibility to stop this years ago, thanks for protecting our waters. Just keep spilling all that ballast water into the great lakes that won't hurt anything will it!

[Moses2531]

Pretty sad, hoping it doesnt disrupt the WFC aquatic environment too much..

[ozzie]

will a hard lake to walleye fish turn into a even harder lake to walleye fish....stay tuned!!!

[anchor man]

..if only the mussels ate 17 inch pike. Then the walleyes might be easier.

[BoxMN]

..if only the mussels ate 17 inch pike. Then the walleyes might be easier.

Ha! No kidding! But after watching the egg stripping each year (missed it this year, if they even did it) it gets you excited becuase you KNOW they are there, somewhere My bro-in-law has been doing okay lately trolling cranks on his pontoon, some nice eater sized eyes. Not gangbuster, but a few each trip.

[anchor man]

I got two last weekend midday for a couple hours, so I was pleased with that. I wonder with all the channels and current in the chain, if that'll increase their rate of spread compared to other lakes.

[fishgutz77]

Yes, it will. the channel between WF and Rush will be packed with them next year as well as the channel between Rush and Cross. With the public access on BT that whole lake is going to get infested as well. Do lakers eat Zebras? NOT!!!!!!!!!!

[jjz]

hey if the zebes clear the water some i think fishing will get better. lakers will have more DO deep. weeds will green up sooner and grow deeper possibly leading to better early eye fishing. but really i dont think they will have a measurable impact and if they do it will be so slow we wont even notice.

[centralmnguy]

Yeah but your forgetting what negative impact they will have on the lake...the reason it will get clearer is because the zebras filter & steal all the important plankton, nutrients & other beneficial foods from the bait fish & minnows on down the chain.

Case in point...look at gull lake & how clear that lake is now & how much harder it is to fish during the daytime for eyes. It effects it faster than you think!

If anything it will make fishing for lakers that much harder in such deep water on big trout.

[walleye18]

centralmnguy...you are correct - to a point.

Let's look at lake Erie. The lake is still a walleye factory. It has not "crashed". Fishing patterns do change, and they have changed somewhat on Erie since the zebes got in there. but its still awesome.

The zebes on gull and any other lake for that matter will affect the sand beaches, swimming areas, etc....sharp edges on those guys!

I think we'll have to see what the effects are on the ecosystems of the lakes. its going to take years to see the effects.

The zebes on gull (today) are not causing the fishing to be tough...in my opinion. There is still tons of fish in there to be caught. Still catching plenty of fish in there in the day time.

I will say the size structure of the walleyes in gull has gone down over, say the past 20-30 years. I think its due to fishing pressure and what people are keeping. Plus todays anglers are better fisherman - better technology, equipment, etc.

I use to catch 25 plus fish each fall on gull over 6 pounds....biggest ever was a 12.3# Releasing all fish over 20 inches. I haven't seen those days in a long time...prolly never will. Just my 2 cents.

[Moses2531]

Great post Walleye18.. I believe that is the difference in the size structure of walleyes between Gull and WFC... seems easier to catch eyes on Gull so unfortunately more leave the lake daily driving down the average size out there. I really hope the Zebras dont make WFC any tougher to fish though, dang its tough enough now! Haha! But I guess looking at some facts about zebra muscles and how they work is that yes if zebras outcompete and begin to dominate the chain than yes there will be less plankton and nutrients for say fry of fish and naturally occurring animals...

My question is which fish species fry and therefore hatches will be effected first?? Does the early spawning Pike get hit first? Maybe the rockbass hatches go down? I doubt it would be so selective but hey just a couple thoughts I had..

[walleye18]

The issue with "Whitie" is that the big fish are all over the place...one here, one there sort of thing.

There is one definite pattern out there that has continued to put big fish in the boat year after year for some folks. Not lots of fish per year for the people doing this particular pattern, but good quality fish (8-10+ pounds).

Hint.....palaegic forage is the key! Now get out there with the leadcore and start trolling the abyss!!! Or follow the loons over 70+ feet of water. They are there for a reason!!! - and so ae the piggies.

[fishgutz77]

Walleye , you nailed it.

Lead is the key to covering ground out there for big fish. been doing it for years on the chain. This year we had a nice strech of about 3 weeks where nice eaters where 10-14 ft near deeper water. Best big fish lure has ben the small black and silver grandma lure that looks just like a cisco. and the rattling rougue has been good as well. Some huge northerns still in the main lake starting to go deep. Good luck.

[jjz]

clean water act likely had much larger impact on great lakes than zebes. and to say zebes are going to filter all out all nutrients micro organisms overlooks the fact most zebes are on the bottom and most algae, micro organisms concentrate near the surface or suspend in the water column pending light penatration. so unless zebes grow fins they have limited access to the majority of the base of the food chain. time will tell.

[centralmnguy]

To think that zebra mussels will have a positive effect on a lake is absurd...really!!! And the plankton & micro organisms are so small you can't see them with the naked eye so how would you know that this is were they are concentrated at the top jjz. They are all over in the water.

[walleye18]

CentralMNguy....no one is saying that zebes are going to improve fishing or for that matter, have a "good" impact on the lakes.

I think time will tell what the impact will be....we just dont know what that impact will be at the moment. I hope it doesnt destroy the fishing and the lake quality as we know/enjoy today.

[centralmnguy]

Well if you look back about 10 posts on this...jjz posted this:

(hey if the zebes clear the water some i think fishing will get better. lakers will have more DO deep. weeds will green up sooner and grow deeper possibly leading to better early eye fishing. but really i dont think they will have a measurable impact and if they do it will be so slow we wont even notice.)

I just find that post absurd...just sayin!

[JBMasterAngler]

I was told that the zebra mussels are to blame for the algae blooms in gull lake. When I fished it last fall, there was more green slime in the water than I've ever seen in the previous 5 septembers I had been there. Plus the weeds were absolutely covered in juvenile zebes. That can't be good for plants in the long run.

[Moses2531]

Hey Walleye18.. how deep do you like to run your Grandmas lure when you're pulling lead?? Probably changes by lake.. but on average I mean.. I pull some cranks over open water moving between spots and I had more hook-ups when I pulled them up to 15-20 FOW at least the last couple years it seems!? Just curious where you were at! Thanks

[walleye18]

I run a lot of rapala style lures...also some Storm thundersticks. depending on where im marking fish in the abyss, i try to run my spread right thru them.

i'll run mono (10 pound), 3 colors of lead (18 pound) and mono - and get down in the 20's as far as depth.

I do run all lead at times too with a 15 to 20 foot leader of fluorocarbon.

I've caught eyes and snakes on down riggers for lakers running 40 ft/50 ft down too....all on big trout. Never caught any decent lakers with open water on trout....biggest over the years was about 6-7. many dinks/smaller fish though and some dandy whitefish too!

Follow the "bait balls, clouds of bait you see on your locator. Lots of times the loons will be working them all day long....over deep water.

[jjz]

central

To say my posts are absurd is very narrow minded. The truth is we have at best circumstantial evidence to the real good or bad impacts zebes have on lakes. If u want to read something absurd read some of the stuff lake associations are saying about zebes. They base their views on politics, dnr tries to use science but they are controlled by politicians. I still think impact will be hardly noticable, except when fishermen cant catch anything they blame it on zebes instead of their lack of ability because that is what we do in this state.

[CaptainMusky]

We will notice the affects. Water clarity will improve which isn't necessarily a good thing. Mille lacs is like an aquarium now. This in itself will cause great changes. Weeds grow deeper. These will all be obvious changes to us and you don't need to be a fisheries biologist to observe it. What happens beyond that may be harder for the naked eye to see though.to think this is a good thing is assinine. Have you seen the inconvenience to boaters? How about folks with property on the lakes? Everything covered in these little suckers. Stuck to every surface of the boat that water touches. Boats that will no longer plane out because they are stuck to the hull. These are things I've seen.

[jjz]

our families lift and dock on gull only gets zebes in areas fish cant pick them off. round posts have almost none, u channel supports get some, our rocky shoreline i havent seen any yet. maybe it will get worse, but overall the trouble has been small. worst case I will use some copper based paint marine paint on the posts and supports, it repells barnacles it will repel zebes too. I do hate the trouble it causes with transporting boats etc... blaming all of mille lacs troubles on zebes is too convenient. I am just saying i dont see fishing getting much better or much worse due to zebes. the last gull lake association newsletter i read indicated they are accepting donations for "aqua sonic research to kill zebra mussels" feel free to donate, i will not.

[CaptainMusky]

Gull is virgin water compared to Mille Lacs. You just wait a couple more years. I would pull your lift now and do what you think will work. Its going to change dramatically in the years to come.

A story I read about Mille Lacs is that they are so thick on the reefs that they are able to filter the entire, yes entire, water column in 30 feet of water DAILY.

The population explodes at first because they have no shortage of food, but eventually it plateaus. How long that takes is anyone's guess.

Gone will be the days you can walk barefoot in the water without cutting your feet. I experienced this issue a couple years ago already on Gull when we were skiing in Hole in the Day bay.. I cant imagine what its like now.

Im really hopeful they find something to control them once they get into a lake. I know they are close, but who knows how pricey it will be to implement.

[jjz]

On ossie, which i live right by and fish plenty, i have found zebes in the guts of most of the panfish I eat and by most accounts fishing is the best its been for quite a while on ossie. i think ossie has had zebes for nearly long or maybe longer than mille lacs. i have heard smallies and perch eat them too but havent kept any out of infected lakes so not sure if they do or dont. I guess in ten years we might know something usefull. Right i think the battle against zebes is over and the state should focus everything on fighting asian carp, they are only getting a foothold and they might be able actually stop their progress.

[CaptainMusky]

Since you reference Ossie. Here is some interesting information from DNR Acquatic Surveys done in 2005 and 2009. Interesting how much changed in just those few years...

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/water/lakes/vegetation_reports/18035200.pdf