Perch die-off on Mille Lacs??

[Gerry Mahowald]

I just heard a rumor that there has been a massive perch kill on Mille Lacs. A friend of a friend dropped a Aquaview down on a mud flat and saw scads of dead perch - every flat he fished there were dead perch. Anyone know if this is true?? If so, what it caused it? My theory would be that an overabundant walleye population devoured the smaller forage base - leaving only large forage and therefore, starving perch.
Gerry Mahowald

[REW]

Since perch are the basic forage of the Walleye - I would think that the Walleyes would be more likely to eat the perch. This would give rise to the theory that "something other than food shortage -- killed the perch????

Take care
REW

[REW]

p.s.
Based on the virtual non existent perch fishing this winter, certainly gives rise to the theory that there is a much reduced perch population on Mille Lacs right now.

Of course - this also gives rise to the theory that Mille Lacs is headed for the same Crash and Burn Scenario - that happend to Oahe the last couple of years, during the huge smelt - wash down, that caused huge amounts of walleye starvation. This has led to the drastic steps that the SD DNR has taken by giving very liberal limits of Walleyes on Oahe - with the understanding that most of the Walleyes are going to be dead in the next year or so anyway - so you might just as well catch them now, before they starve to death.

If the idea that there has been a huge forage base die off at mille lacs -- it appears that there is a reasonable truth to the rumor -- and the fact that the fishery is such that very large fish are being left to roam on a seek and destroy mission of the remaining forage base -- then common sense might dictate -- that we could be headed for a similar fate.

However, Mille Lacs is a very resilliant fishery - and has seen some tremendous cycles in years past -- all of which just seemed to make it an even bettery fishery in the end.

Will 2003 - 2008 -- 2021 be the year of the "Crash" == Will the fishery -- EVER crash??

--
It must be late!!

Take care
REW

[The Big Guy]

Heh! I am no fisheries biologist, but I can tell you that years of similar circumstance, more recently in the early 1990s, this phenomenom has contributed to "the best" walleye bite we can see. By mid June the new perch hatch become bigger than quarters and become bigtime food for walleyes. This means a terrific early bite in my experience.

Perch have been hard to see with the "aqua cameras" all over the lake this past winter from what I've been told resulting in a tougher than normal bite. Good luck and have fun catching em! It sure beats sitting on the couch if you get them or you don't.

[JEFF HOLUM]

IF THE PERCH WERE STARVING THIS WINTER WHY WERE CATCH RATES FAR BELOW NORMAL?

[JEFF HOLUM]

DOES ANYONE KWOW??? IS THERE SOMETHING LIKE A PARASITE OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES THAT COULD AFFECT PERCH AND TULIBEE? FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD AND SEEN TULIBEE WERE ALSO NEARLY NON EXSITANT THIS WINTER. I ALSO HEARD OF AN ABOVE AVERAGE NUMBER OF LARGE NORTHERN PIKE COMING OFF THE MUD FLATS THIS WINTER. CAN ANYONE MAKE SENSE OF THIS?

[MnWalleyeKiller]

I was reading a local mille lacs digest this winter and the DNR had an article on it.
To make it short I remembering them saying that there were some bad year classes of perch.
They were the prime eating size for walleyes and that the walleyes are going have to persue larger prey.
So the perch are bigger and there are less of them that is true but worms or massive kill of, I dont think thats it?
I am interested in what others have to say.
I think it is just a cycle they are on that will eventually will level.
We should be glad thats less spinner nibblers out there. LOL!
"Its Time"

[NoCaps]

On the left hand side of your keyboard you will find the caps lock key. Press it.

[David Anderson]

I am a huge Mille Lacs fan and watch with interest on the whole fisheries issue. The Mille Lacs perch remain a mystery. I have a very good friend who runs a bait shop there and has heard the rumors but question there validity. He claims that the lake had a record shiner take this year, much higher than the norm, which indicates a good population of baitfish. As well, the DNR claims higher than normal perch in nets this fall during their annual survey. Ice fishing produced only a handfull of perch this year, and looking back at the year as a whole, they were noticeably missing on the flats and the gravel during my nightcrawler rigging, which I do alot of. Have they switched locations, have they been ate, are they dead? Who knows. I relate it to Devils lake. Been there the last 2 years and the promise of great perch fishing turned out to be a bust. Too much forage. Do we have the same problem at Mille Lacs? Personally I doubt it. Unfortunately I have come to distrust most published lake conditions from sources as my own experiences tell me different. Everyone has an agenda with Mille Lacs including myself. I just leave it at that.

[risor39]

Who cares.

[Vickie]

I heard the same story about dead perch on the bottom of the lake.
I was at Mille Lacs every weekend since Christmas until the last weekend of walleye fishing. We had the Aquaview down during the day and we did not see any dead perch. We didn't see many live ones
either but we did see and catch some of them. There are many fishermen, I know that use the cameras and I'd like to find out too if anybody else saw this massive die out. Can any one confirm this story?

Vickie

[Tim FRick]

After reading everybodies suggestion the only other thing would be lack of oxygen in the water. I know that up north in canada this can be a big problem with smaller lakes. Who really knows?!?! I would let your local DNR know and get them in on it.
Good Luck!!
Tim FRick

[stevefellegy]

No time to panic yet....but it is interesting in the new "aqua view age", that the perchy's don't show up this year very often.
I discussed this with the main Mille Lacs fisheries biologist recently. They have a concern, no doubt. They have listened this winter and observed firsthand, the 'shortage' of perch in the buckets and on the screen. The netting survey's this past fall were half of the latest five year average, but much higher than averages in the 80's, when perch buckets were harder to carry. Go figure. We DID observe, along with the fisheries people, a large die off of adult perch last spring at Mille Lacs. But studies didn't show signs of disease that would point to further, major, problems. This kind of thing IS NOT uncommon for perch. When you add a few springs of low perch hatch rates, which has been the case the past couple springs, things happen. And the fisheries people ARE on it, don't worry. If it becomes an obvious, threatening, population decline, tighter catch regulations, luckily, might have to be put in place, temporarily. By next fall, we will know.....

[Vickie]

So what is your take on the story of all the dead perch at the bottom of the lake? Was any thing mentioned/asked about that? Have you or anyone you know seen these supposed dead perch? or do you believe that this is a "story"? I am really curious about this because I just heard the EXACT same story just last weekend, and I didn't believe it then but it did make me wonder.

Vickie

[stevefellegy]

Vickie,

We, brother Joe and I, have heard this "dead perch on the bottem story" for sometime now. We have tried to hunt it down or hunt a similar story down that can be proven as well. Guides, local perch hounds and every other level of fishy person at the big lake that uses a camera, has not seen this." Typical fish story." I think!

[Vickie]

That's what I wanted to hear.

Thanks.

Vickie

[eyewitness]

I heard no stories of dying perch this winter. However, I offer this explanation for the lack of perch seen and caught this winter. Due to litorally NO snow cover, the light penetration was much better than it would be normally allowing the weeds to continue growing in many areas that would normally die off. That being the case, the forage (perch, etc..)were using those preferred areas more this winter than their normal routine of moving out to the flats and deeper water areas. I caught many walleyes, big perch, and big pike in 18-24 ft. of water this year along the shoreline flats where we noticed nice green vegitation coming up on our lines when landing fish. I am just thinking that this was mainly due to the fish being where the bait was. I did hear of some reports of folks doing well out on the flats, but it just seemed much more consistent in the areas I mentioned. Could all just be coincidental as well. I guess that's why they call it fishing......

[Magic]

We had it in Montana, see this story. Maybe it's the same disease or parasite.

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2002/02/10/build/sports/wcolumn.inc

Magic
See you on the water!!!

[Otter]

Just my opinion, but I think the decline is due to the tremendous number that have died as a result of collisions with Aqua View camera lenses. ;-)