The web's best fishing magazine
Spring’s here and that means it’s surf perch time all up and down the West Coast. From Baja to Washington State, these little bad boys will congregate along sandy beaches and you can have a ball catching them on light gear.
Here’s how to do it…
Click here to read more…
Hey JD, do you have any input regarding a theory that the non-indigenous Stripers may have a contribution to the current downturn in several indigenous species (i.e. Pacific Coast Salmon, Delta Smelt) populations?
–Don B.
Don, while stripers do dine juvenile salmon, there’s no evidence that suggests that they have big impact on salmon populations. Though non-native, stripers have been coexisting with salmon for 150+ years. In surveys of predators conducted in the Delta recently, Delta smelt have not been found in the stomachs of striped bass and in fact, stripers may actually help Delta smelt by preying on fish that like to eat smelt.
Nope, stripers are not the cause of all this. The main problem with the smelt is poor water quality in the Delta. caused mainly by epic water diversions. Back when we had big numbers of salmon and smelt, the striper numbers were also high…everything has collapsed since record water exports started a few years ago. The salmon are influenced by poor water quality though the major cause in their decline has been lousy ocean conditions.
JD,
I have a friend that caught Red fish in the Gulf waters and brought them home and released them in a fresh water pond 2 years ago. He was fishing in the pond this past weekend and caught one of the Red fish. The fish had survived for two years out of salt water in pond water. The fish has gained weight and doing great. Is this normal for a salt water fish to be able to adapt to pond water?
— Water Wolf
Wolfie, are you speaking of fish that are red or redfish? Sorry, just a geeky journalism major joke there! Anyway, during my stint back in the early 1990’s as editor of the now-defunct Texas Fishing & Hunting News (I swear it wasn’t my fault!), I remember writing stories about freshwater reds in some of the reservoirs. The interesting thing here is that most osmoregulators (fish that can live both in fresh and salt like stripers, shad, steelhead, salmon, etc) need some acclimation time between the two water types. I’m surprised that your buddy’s red made it in the pond, coming direct from salt but maybe they’re just super tough, bad ass fish. Hey — where’s that pond, anyway? Just kidding!
What are the Top 5 California kokanee salmon lakes to keep an eye on in 2008? It’s an interesting question considering the Golden State is home to many excellent koke waters.
Click here to read more…
Are downer steelhead really…well…”downers?” Lots of folks think so because when you catch them they’re usually skinny, colored up and not the greatest of fighters. Some people even get bummed out when they hook a downer (also known as runbacks, kelts or spent fish) but there’s actually a lot to love about ’em.