Owasso survey

[jvm1]

Don't know if this is known yet,

DNR survey muskie count = zero.

Press release coming next week. Pretty sad.

[RuKiddingMe]

Quick let's just pick up the rug and kick this under - I mean after all that is how it's been handled so far. Nothing to see here looky lous...

Real sad - the whole population in that fishery depleted. I remember seeing some quality fish in there now nothing.

[jvm1]

I wasn't going to post anything else about this subject cause I fell like I beat it to death in silly town, however, this annoys me to no end. Here is the Message I received from the East Metro Fishery when I asked about the survey results:

We will be posting the info on our HSOforum and will do a media release in the next week or so. The muskie count was zero but pike, and crappies were sampled in good numbers, three years classes of walleye were sampled and we caught lower numbers of bluegill, bass, and perch. Other than the muskie issue, the lake could benefit from this partial winterkill as the fish that made it will grow very well.

"Other than the muskie issue"...

A whole species goes puff and gone and it's meh, it'll be alright, them crappies will be huge soon.

Are they going to hide the issue behind the severe winterkill other lakes suffered this winter?

[CaptainMusky]

The only caveat I would have is muskies are typically not surveyed well using traditional survey gear. How extensive was the survey and in what methods? Its possible there are still fish in there.

No muskies were sampled in the 2012 survey either.

[RuKiddingMe]

Having no factual answer to that question - I would imagine given the circumstances surrounding the lake at first ice last year that the DNR spring survey would have been more extensive as compared to "non-issue" lakes. Then again this is the DNR and Owasso so we may never know the answer to that question. ha

[jvm1]

It was a specific muskie assessment from my understanding

DNR survey page

[bobbymalone]

Just the fact that you guys are discussing it sounds like it's not swept too far under any rug.

[CaptainMusky]

That survey page being referenced by the link is 2013.

[Nick Kuhn]

Even if it was a specific muskie survey, late ice outs make for poor capture rates. Wisconsin I know came up short on muskie production last year because they caught very few to take eggs from with the late ice out.

I doubt all of them are gone. It wasn't the easiest lake to catch a fish on before anyways.

[jvm1]

That survey page being referenced by the link is 2013.

The info according to them is for 2014, must have been typed wrong.

[tolle141]

Keep in mind that the weather and where they can place nets plays a huge part in this. Eagle Lake in MG, for example, showed terrible numbers in their previous assessment. The reason? Cold spring delayed when the fish could show up and the DNR couldn't place nets where they feel most of the spawning takes place. Anyone who fishes that lake with some regularity will tell you that population is fantastic.

We'll see what happens when things warm up. Hoping for the best.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I went and looked at the kill around ice up and I didnt see any dead pike. I assumed there had to be some left but never gave it any effort this winter. On opener I went out there for an hour just to get a feel for the lake. I trolled around the west basin marked a group of fish in one area other wise pretty sparse. I did however land three pike between 22-26".

I assumed that not every fish died and expected the pike to be there as they seemed to fair ok this fall (speculation). I thought the same thing as the DNR is saying, the fish that did make it should do well for a few years but its crazy to just say it was a good thing. It wasnt widely known but this lake had a pretty significant kill about 5 years ago as well. The DNR needs to figure out why this is happening.

Is it even worth stocking more muskies here for it to be wiped out again in a few more years?

[CaptainMusky]

The info according to them is for 2014, must have been typed wrong.

Could be. The survey data on their lakefinder site where I referenced no muskies were surveyed was from 2012. I thought I would just clear that up since I left that open for interpretation earlier.

[jvm1]

Here is the DNR report

DNR report

[CaptainMusky]

Thanks for sharing. Hoping for a speedy recovery for folks who frequent the lake and no repeat die offs like this.

Frustrating I am sure, but it would sure be nice to see more specifics to what caused the die off and if there is any merit to the concerns over spraying, etc, but that may never surface.

Sometimes these types of events result in very good fishing in a few years, so hopefully that rings true here as well.

[JackPineGuy]

never buy an okuma. read the reports. dont even last a day on the water

[JackPineGuy]

line counter convector..... garbagggggge

[JackPineGuy]

not undersized either the full size rig