Re: NANFA-- summer rains

Todd Crail (farmertodd_at_buckeye-express.com)
Wed, 27 Aug 2003 22:10:50 -0400

Hey Rick... Sorry to hear of your disappointing trip (Man I'd just be
kicking myself if all I caught was a lousy single redline darter ;).
Hopefully before it gets too cold, you'll be able to really get in with the
fishes and see what's going on.

Many times, I actually embrace high water around here in NW Ohio. The
turbidity and ag run-off has long done away with submerged vegetational
cover, and the survivors have habits that don't require it. The only
vegetation frequently seen in the streams is water willow in the Maumee (our
principle stream here) and occassional other emmergents. Everywhere else,
well, it kinda needs high water to have "vegetation" a part of the game...
If you know what I mean ;)

The high water sends many species right up into the cover (the good part in
this story). The Maumee, again, is very broad and flat (5000 sq mi drainage
with 1.3' per mile gradient ;) with lots of rock habitat and open pools...
So it's difficult to sample at normal pool. With the high water, comes
concentrations of smaller fishes trying to avoid the nasty currents, and
easy conditions for a single seiner to let the current make up for not
having a partner.

Drop, float, kick, lift, repeat. :)

The responsiveness for the fish to move is immediate. They're going to go
where they're comfortable and can eat. If any of that is compromised,
they'll keep on going until they find a place that's comfy and the "fridge"
well stocked. This is the burden of the "fisherman" and I don't think
there's much difference between the seiner and the rod n reel angler in
these cases. I was kicking this idea around in my head a bit as I was
trying to sample a very flat Maumee the other night with just a dipnet. The
In-Fisherman Formula for Success (tm) rang very true.

(F)ish + (L)ocation + (P)resentation = (S)uccess

You miss out on any of F, L, or P and you'll minimize S :)

Certainly, with decent nets, a huge burden is lifted from the P... But if I
were randomly and haphazzardly slamming my dipnet like my better half the
other night... Crayfish are all that's going to show up.

This is just an example, as I'm sure you were working the P just fine... I
guess my answer is "Yes, I would expect that to happen" in my long winded,
round about way to avoid going to sleep yet :)

On the plants a bit... It wouldn't suprise me if the plants had just gone
into dormancy for the year, reserving their energy stores for another swing
at it next year. They probably haven't gotten the normal photo stimulation
with the increased particulate matter in the water as what they've
conditioned to live with. If the "tides" change tho... I wouldn't be
suprised to see stuff that normally bloomed or grew earlier in the year
poking out and doing their thing in the upcoming months, long out of their
normal range of reproduction.

Todd

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Phillips" <philipsr_at_chartertn.net>

>
> I was just wondering if others in areas with above average precip this
summer
> had seen this pattern and what sort of effects you might expect from such
> conditions?
>
> Rick
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