Upper Red Lake Zebra Mussel

[papadarv]

Bemidji Pioneer reported the DNR confirmed Zebra Mussel in Uupper Red. 

 

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/4583184-dnr-finds-zebra-mussel-larvae-upper-red-lake#.XIbgAigU57I.facebook

[Mike89]

just heard it on the news too...

[gim]

Its probably only a matter of time before it gets in virtually all of our lakes and rivers here.  Its not all doom and gloom though.  Let's just wait and see what happens.

[Bigfatbert]

Imagine that ! Like I said before , it’s just a matter of a short time that more lakes will become infested   ,and eventually most if not all will fall to the “Zebes” or other invasive things ..  yup let’s just throw away more tax money on stupid programs that are not preventing things like this from happening . Maybe next time they will pressure wash my truck along with my boat because I had backed it partially into a infested lake like  Winnibigoshish , and left when the bite was bogus, and packed it up and headed to Red to give it a whirl there also , all in the matter of a couple hours , jus saying....  I don’t have answers, but I can see that a awful lot of money is being wasted here . Maybe the DNR should shoot and kill all the Ducks , Gulls , Herons , Loons , Eagles , as this seems to be the only answer with other problems that our DNR addresses , but just don’t shoot a wolf when they decimate our deer , nope , that’s a no no .

[kelly-p]

47 minutes ago, Bigfatbert said:

Maybe next time they will pressure wash my truck along with my boat because I had backed it partially into a infested lake like  Winnibigoshish , and left when the bite was bogus, and packed it up and headed to Red to give it a whirl there also , all in the matter of a couple hours , jus saying....

    So you are saying that you didn't bother to clean your boat after being in infested waters?

[papadarv]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Its probably only a matter of time before it gets in virtually all of our lakes and rivers here.  Its not all doom and gloom though.  Let's just wait and see what happens.

30 years ago Eurasian Water Milfoil was a major invasive plant going to destroy our lakes. Didn't happen, lakes still great and we seldom hear about it anymore. Zebras eat algae. Algee blocks sunlight that plants need to grow which supports food for desirable fish. There is evidence after 5 or so years game fishing significantly improved in lakes with zebras. Water clarity went from green to super clear, desirable weeds grew, fish population increased and Zebras started to die off. Sunfish eat Zebras and there growth rate triples. Be nice to see the slab Crappie return. Time will tell.

[BIGFISH.JZ]

I agree. Folks in the metro see the results of species invasion on Minnetonka. I've only been there one time for a bass tourney but I was impressed with the fishing. A combo of zebes and milfoil has created some major structure for hiding from the millions of people... Weeds from top to bottom in 20'+ of water is exactly what a high pressure lake needs to provide steady supply of trophy fish. I live near Leech Lake and its been 'infested' for years, I can't say that weeds are a 'problem' anywhere on the lake. The main lake (Leech) fishery will change with zebras now but fisherman are the greatest at adapting to changes. Great fishing will continue on upper Red. Just my morning 2 pennies...

[kelly-p]

52 minutes ago, papadarv said:

30 years ago Eurasian Water Milfoil was a major invasive plant going to destroy our lakes. Didn't happen, lakes still great and we seldom hear about it anymore. Zebras eat algae. Algee blocks sunlight that plants need to grow which supports food for desirable fish. There is evidence after 5 or so years game fishing significantly improved in lakes with zebras. Water clarity went from green to super clear, desirable weeds grew, fish population increased and Zebras started to die off. Sunfish eat Zebras and there growth rate triples. Be nice to see the slab Crappie return. Time will tell.

But URL isn't "green" it doesn't have too much algae so the zebras will be cleaning up the ingrediants needed for a healthy food chain.

[AlwaysFishing23]

Seemed odd to me why they stated ( listening to the radio driving in this morning) “We found zebra mussel larva but no adults”. Well seems to me it takes adults to reproduce and make young. So obviously there’s a population in the lake already before this. The amount of traffic URL gets all year I’m surprised it lasted this long without them. 

[papadarv]

14 minutes ago, kelly-p said:

But URL isn't "green" it doesn't have too much algae so the zebras will be cleaning up the ingrediants needed for a healthy food chain.

Algee come in multi colors. Green is most common in MN lakes. Brown algee exist in northern cold water lakes. Jan. 11, 2019 fishing URL out of Waskish I dropped my camera down could see a max of 3 ft. in 12 FOW due to brown color. 

[PRO-V]

That brown color you see on Red is bog stain.

[Hoey]

7 minutes ago, PRO-V said:

That brown color you see on Red is bog stain.

From the tamaracks.  

[Bigfatbert]

10 hours ago, kelly-p said:

    So you are saying that you didn't bother to clean your boat after being in infested waters?

 

I clean my boat and trailer after leaving any lake I put it into , I do my part totally Kelly ...

What I meant is , if the state wastes money to pressure wash boats at some landings throughout the state ,well why don’t they waste more money and pressure wash my truck also as it was somewhat submerged in the water also . Hey if we’re gonna waste ,let’s really waste then . 

[kelly-p]

46 minutes ago, Bigfatbert said:

I clean my boat and trailer after leaving any lake I put it into , I do my part totally Kelly ...

Good for you. I was confused at what you meant.

 

9 hours ago, papadarv said:

Jan. 11, 2019 fishing URL out of Waskish I dropped my camera down could see a max of 3 ft. in 12 FOW due to brown color. 

Tannin from the Bog. Part of the reason the lake is named Red Lake. Also why the walleyes have a little different taste coming from the Red Lakes.

  Anybody thought about what this is going to do to the spot tailed shiner supply next Opener? Red was one of the last big lakes left where shiners could be trapped for bait. With Zebras in the lake there will no longer be any shiner trapping.

 

[kelly-p]

10 hours ago, papadarv said:

Water clarity went from green to super clear,

Just noticed this. Walleyes don't care for a lot of light so they go deeper if it is too light. The State waters of URL are fairly shallow so if the water clears up the walleyes could move to deeper and darker water. The deeper water is all on the Bands side of URL and in LRL.

  URL is mainly a sand/mud bottom with some rock piles here and there. Don't Zebras need a hard surface to attach to? 

[PRO-V]

Yeah, zebes only attach to hard surfaces like rocks, docks, motors etc.

[gim]

19 hours ago, kelly-p said:

Just noticed this. Walleyes don't care for a lot of light so they go deeper if it is too light. The State waters of URL are fairly shallow so if the water clears up the walleyes could move to deeper and darker water. The deeper water is all on the Bands side of URL and in LRL.

  URL is mainly a sand/mud bottom with some rock piles here and there. Don't Zebras need a hard surface to attach to? 

Yes, that is correct, they need a hard substrate to attach to.  If they find it in URL and proliferate, the water will clear up at least some.  I'm not totally familiar with the tamarack reddish stain in the water on that lake so that could also play a role.  But its obvious that clear water does not favor walleyes and they will seek out deeper water if that happens.  The water on Mille Lacs used to be pretty clear 15 years ago and zebes played a big role in increasing water clarity, which has helped turn it into a smallmouth bass mecca now.

[Sculpin]

Kelly may be making the best, and ultimately the most important observation on this issue, and that is the remark about the disruption of the food chain.

Mille Lacs may be the best example of this effect of the mussels. The water is now much more clear than it was a decade ago, and the DNR is pretty certain that the lack of microscopic organisms in the lake is causing very low survival rates for walleye fry. Mussels are capable of virtually eliminating many of the valuable microscopic organisms in a body of water. In addition, other, more toxic algae is able to bloom, and the whole dynamic of the lake has changed, and water clarity has become a huge issue. There are of course LOTS of issues at Mille Lacs, but the mussels have played a significant role in the overall deterioration of the walleye population. 

The Zeebs don't need much of a hard bottom to thrive, gravel is fine, rocks are better, but they don't need much of a foothold.  

Edited March 13, 2019 by Sculpin
additional renmarks

[Borch]

That just sucks!

 

They will attach to almost anything.  On Cass Lake we see them attached to weeds,  native mussels and snails, gravel, rocks, and any foriegn object dropped it.  Snagged an old fish basket last year.  It was almost unrecognizable due to all the zebras attached. 

 

Comment about walleyes going deeper isn't necessarily true though.   Lots of shallow fish that are very spooky during the day.  The guides there use side scan to find shallow fish and clients cast to them.   Very effective approach for ultra clear water eyes during the day in shallow water.

[Wanderer]

I’m with Borch on the movement theory.

 

Also, you can have clear, dark stained water.  The stain isn’t algae.  Hopefully the stain will help keep daytime fishing productive.

 

That being said, I can’t think of another lake I’ve been on that is created the same as URL and has zeebs.  This seems like it could be an entirely new dynamic we have to learn about.  I hope for the best!

[papadarv]

On 3/12/2019 at 8:25 PM, kelly-p said:

Just noticed this. Walleyes don't care for a lot of light so they go deeper if it is too light. The State waters of URL are fairly shallow so if the water clears up the walleyes could move to deeper and darker water. The deeper water is all on the Bands side of URL and in LRL.

  URL is mainly a sand/mud bottom with some rock piles here and there. Don't Zebras need a hard surface to attach to? 

 

Zebras also like to attach to young northern milfoil and other plants of subtance. And any other hard object as Broch pointed out. Most plants we hooked had from 2 to a dozen zebra attached. Zebras were discovered in Ottertail in 2016.

Fishing walleye last summer in 7 to 9 FOW flats with enhanced weed growth, a change from years past in 12 to 18 FOW humps and breaks, seems to point thay walleye also move to a most desirable food source. I'm not a guru, just made observations of needed walleye fishing changes due to changing conditions. Doing our part in preventing invasions and educating others is about all we do as individuals. When they do occur, research and plan accordingly.

 

BTY the 2018 walleye hatchery harvest on the Dead river connected to Ottertail had there quota ahead of normal giving an abundant harvest. Look at the April 2018 Ottertail post.