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Location: Orland Park, IL | Well, took a ride up to Malone WI. Stopped by the lake winnebago, pipe launch and found it frozen. No one ice fishing. Ice looked nasty, dark and slushy. Not a good base come cold weather time.
Most of the lake out about 500 was open water. Most of the southern and western sides looked completely open. Got me thinking that the ice I saw was pushed by the wind to the east side.
The shad kill was ENORMOUS. Hundreds of thousands easy. Mostly big shad too, ie, 8 to 12 inches. A few small ones, but wow, lots of fish on the ice and in open water. |
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Location: OSHKOSH, WI | Hopefully the walleye don't go on a gorging fest and eat all of them...could put a hurting on the walleye bite out there. Does anyone know if walleye would scavange like that? |
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | It's possible, Flyman, but I suspect the big vacuum cleaners of the system (sturgeon) will put a hurtun' on those dead shad. The walleyes would be most likely to eat the near dead ones that are swimming sideways, making them look like an easy target. |
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Location: Chilton, WI | If anything I could see the walleye bite being better this year because of less forage. From what I've seen, there are a hell of a lot of shad that died, but for all I know it could be only a small percent of the whole shad population and not have an affect at all on the walleye bite.
I'd have to agree with Jerry, I think a walleye would have to be pretty hungry to start eating dead fish. |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | I would think the smaller dead shad would have more impact on the walleye fishery than those super large ones I seen. A lot of these fish were 7 to 9 inches. Only a few in the 2-4 range. I figure 10 to 1 big to small. I dont remember seeing this many last year or the year before. Why this year? |
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| End of their life cycle! Drop the camera down and you'll still see plenty of 4-8"ers |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | I believe the big shad were the most effected when we had the first cold snap. Shad cannot take drastic changes in water temps. Graduall is better. Alot of them died when the temps dropped fast before the lake froze over the first time. The east shore guys had large amounts on there beaches. It is not something that just happened. |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | I didnt realize shad got that big on winnebago. I seen some big shad on the illinois and mississippi rivers. Also, I underestimated the amount of shad in the system. Didnt think I'd say this, but those sheepsheads are a hardy fish.
(PS Chicken still good at Pipe Express. Fishermans Road Fishing club has a raffle for a shanty with wheels for sturgeon. Nice. Jim and Lindas still open. Tripps has deer and walleye mounts for sale. Capones meat lovers pizza not bad. And that will conclude your pipe/malone update.)
Edited by M_komo 12/27/2006 6:39 AM
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| Man, I haven't been to Jim and Linda's for Prime Rib in a long time! I'm hungry!
I also like to stop at Schmitty's Oar House for the Bluegill/Perch combo plate. Yummy! Yummy! |
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Location: Darboy USA | Guess I know where my sturgeon shack will be should we get some ice this year!! Those big girls love to suck up those big dead shad and I'll be waiting, pitchfork in hand! ha ha |
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| Shep, I'll second Jim and Lindas Prime Rib, been awhile for me too. Another suggestion is the Fish Tail at the entrance to Calumet CO Park. I have to say that their Perch is probably the best on the East Shore.
Good Luck
Tyee |
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| I have caught two shad on hook and line in the last five years over 16" on Winnebago. I have pictures because I had no idea they got that big. Even cleaned one to try to eat it, big mistake. If the die off is this big already, we will be seeing some monster weights come in '07. Now we just need a bunch of snow to get the spring water levels up. |
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | Maybe it's time we schedule an outing to Jim and Linda's for a WF/prime rib tasting night. You can count me in!!! |
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Location: Neenah, WI | Good idea Jerry. Us west shore guys can come by boat right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Rich,
Did that shad taste just like they smell? 
Remember, bait is bait or all of us western WI guys would be eating Willow Cats and leaches. |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | Still a ton of shad, and sloppy ice as of today.
Hey guys, what about Cedar Lodge and that place in brothertown, gobblers or something? |
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| I will try anything..........once. The reality was I was not 100% positive it was a shad because of its size. I thought it might be a mooneye. It was pretty gross as the meat did not hold any shape. It was just a pile that ended up in the bottom of my garbage can. I will post a picture when I get a chance. |
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| We've been catching those 12-14 inch Shad at the Menasha Dam for the last 5 years. On some days, you can't pull a lure through the water without hooking them. On a rare occasion, they will bite. The big ones are as oily as a Mooneye.
If you have a younger kid who just wants something to tug on the line, it's a great place to go... and I get to relive all my childhood memories.
I've seen days where you could walk across the water and never get a toe wet there were so many.
Does anythig eat the bigger ones and are they in the Bay of Green Bay?
Rich, I can't believe you actually tried to clean one of those. I can't stand to get the oil on my hands, the smell is there for the next 2 days despite every Bath and Body works soap and lotion in our house and that's a lot. |
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| Once again you beat everyone P.S. How do you always seems to be catching anything before everyone else and you always catch more than anyone else. You should be a pro cause your the best! |
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Location: Chilton, WI | I can't say I've ever caught a shad but I did have one jump in the splashwell of the boat once. I was coming in to Brothertown harbor and I looked back to make sure the motor was tilted up far enough, and thats when I saw it sitting there. I'm not sure when it jumped in. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI. | Hey Skeeter, you never impressed me as the bath & body soap kind of guy. LMAO Pat |
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| Took a ride up to High Cliff today and what a mess on the lake... there are dead shad just like Mark described every where you look. I did not think it could be this bad. For about 500 yards out, all along the shore, it is littered with piles of dead shad. Even in the worst days of Lake Michigan as a kid I have never seen anything like this.
Also observed 3 docks that were torn away by the ice that are now about 500 yards from shore. Looks kinda funny to have 3 docks all intact thatfar from shore, I'll probably hit the dam things in spring.
PS |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | Yep, fugly to say the least. I remember all those alewifes on the lake michigan when I as younger. But this takes the cake. Just think whats under the ice. Love to hear some impact estimates from the DNR. Thinks its anything to be worried about? |
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| Mark,
It's hard to believe that a fish die off that hugh does not have a major impact on the environment. I would think that just by the sheer amount of dead crap in the water that the health of the system has to be affected. It is really hard to describe the amount of dead fish that have washed up along the East shore. You have to see it to believe it. I've never seen anything like it in my life.
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Location: Orland Park, IL | This really isnt a comparision, but a what if.
About 3-4 months ago, there was a huge asian carp kill on the illinois river. As with all conspiracy theories, loosely based on fact, primarily conjecture, and "dock talk." The dead asian carps in the Peoria pool was huge. You could walk across the water on the dead carcasses. The smell was awful, and a few people said the dead fish was almost 5 feet deep on the bottom.
Dnr said it was a some viris hitting the fish, that became active once a water temp was achieved. This virus is supposed to hit the walleye/sauger family too (never heard dnr, secondhand info). So, not sure of that info.
A week or so later, I attend a local club meeting and some fellow slips a me a flyer about"killin" off the illinois river and starting fresh.
Could this die off have been anything BUT environmental. |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | Pic doesnt do justice, but worth seeing. This is east lake side right at jim and lindas "ramp".
Edited by M_komo 1/1/2007 6:52 PM
Attachments
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 shad.JPG (42KB - 94 downloads)
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| I think Rich S nailed it on the head. Gonna be some impressive weights next year.....errrr.....this year.
It may look like a disaster to most, but I think it's a beautiful site.  |
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| I'm with ya Jayman, Rich said it right, thank god we don't have a slot or size limits a couple years like this and the forage base would be decimated and those could wind up being walleyes floatin! No need for live bait this year they will be hittin whatever crank we put in front of them all summer! |
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| I'm no expert, but is it possible the shad die off isn't any worse than other years, but because of the lack of ice, they have just been more visible or got pushed to the shores more than usual because of more open water later into the year?
Dave S |
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| Does anyone have any pictures of the dead shad along the shoreline. be interesting to see how bad it is. Inlaws have a cottage on the East side but being from Racine, I do not not get up there much during the winter months. Hope we get ice up there soon for you guys!! Looks like the ice fishing equipment will be staying stored for this year. Big maintenance outage at work for 2 months at the end of January.
But for you guys that want to get some open water brown trout fishing in and want to take a ride down here to the Oak Creek Power Plant they are getting quite a few fish when the weather lays the lake down. Trolling is the key for the bigger fish but, anchoring the discharge will get you alot of 3 to 5 pound fish, along with drifting 3 ways in the current along the rock wall south of the discharge.
Shadman |
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| Thanks for the heads up Shadman. What cranks are working at Bender and what depth? |
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| Saw an interview with the DNR last night on the news... he said that the die off is normal and it happens every year. This year we get to see it firsthand because there is no ice. In a normal year, the fish die and sink to the bottom and because they are under the ice no one ever sees that vast amount of shad that die.
FYI
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| thumper - 1/3/2007 7:48 AM
I'm no expert, but is it possible the shad die off isn't any worse than other years, but because of the lack of ice, they have just been more visible or got pushed to the shores more than usual because of more open water later into the year?
Dave S
I think that's a pretty good guess Dave. I saw a recent TV news report where a DNR biologists was completely unphased by the die-off. I've only lived here three springs, but each of those years we've had huge amounts of shad floaters appear as the ice melted and the seagulls follow in Hitchcock proportions. |
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Location: Appleton wi | You mean the sky not falling and I cant blame Goerge Bush for something else!LOL |
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