Off day; lots of dead fish; we (also) need fishing lessons

Dec 04 2021

Bill Nowlin

Fry

Member Since :
1999
Number of Posts :
17

Reservation Number : 30561
Property Name : Nix Ranch: Lake TCU
Reservation Date : 12/03/2021 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 6 bass; 14" to 2.5 lbs
Lures Used : everything

Glenn Wiebe and I fished TCU yesterday, December 3rd.  Overcast; low 60s warming to mid 70s; wind SSE 10-15 until late afternoon.  Gin clear water; visibility 6-8 feet.  Similar results to prior post on TCU.  Fished from boat, from shore, and from the two islands closer to the dam.  Threw chatterbait, square-billed crankbait, swim bait with underspin.  Nothing.  Couple of bumps on Texas-rigged creature bait but no fish.  Caught one and missed five or six on Texas-rigged Senko; VERY subtle bite, or a few taps and then they would drop it.  Several bites but no fish on wacky-rigged Senko.  Went to Clark’s for lunch and then managed a bunch of sunfish from dock (bread for bait) for a much-needed morale boost.  In afternoon, caught 5 on drop shot with Senko (Glenn 4, Bill 1).

We noticed the remains of a dozen or more bass (good sized, not cull fish) on the bank, as well as a large grass carp.  It appeared they had been there for a while.  Also saw several dead sunfish and a huge tiapia floating in the lake.  The dead fish, very slow fishing on what should have been a reasonable day, prior fishing report, and extremely clear water make me wonder if something has happened to this lake.  We have fished this lake several times before with great results.  We saw several cars going to and from the house but never saw Dub.

Dec 04 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Were the fish head eaten off?  

Dec 04 2021

Glenn Wiebe

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
15

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

Were the fish head eaten off?  

Bill got the better look but of the dead bass there were a few heads (only) on bank. 

Dec 04 2021

Bill Nowlin

Fry

Member Since :
1999
Number of Posts :
17

Originaly Posted By Glenn Wiebe

Bill got the better look but of the dead bass there were a few heads (only) on bank. 

Primarily the heads were all that remained, but there were a few skeletons as well.  One was actually on the old, dilapidated dock by the dam.

Dec 04 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Originaly Posted By Bill Nowlin

Primarily the heads were all that remained, but there were a few skeletons as well.  One was actually on the old, dilapidated dock by the dam.

Otters normally start head first.  I’ve wrestled with otters for the last 6 years on our club lake – smart animals, tough to catch.  Coons normally take the fish away to eat. 

Tilapia will start to die off this time of year and that wouldn’t be a worry but in conunction with sunfish and bass that is something to look at.  Our tilapia haven’t started dying yet, but the temp got close recently (54ish degree water) though TCU is much smaller so maybe they dropped below that. 

I suspect this was a dissolved oxygen issue TCU has alot of pounds of fish per acre – a slight oxygen fluctuation from a quick turnover after the recent rains could be the cause.    Then, the predators pull the fish up from the water onto the shore (everything from dogs/coyotes/coons/vultures, etc).  Tough to say without testing the water.   

Could be a disease. Sometimes fish just die as well. My best guess is D.O. in a lake under 15 acres, but I’m no biologist, I just play one on T.V. 

ATB, Joshua

Dec 04 2021

Glenn Wiebe

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
15

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

Were the fish head eaten off?  

@joshua. What do the bitten off heads mean?  Beavers?

Dec 04 2021

Glenn Wiebe

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
15

Originaly Posted By Glenn Wiebe

@joshua. What do the bitten off heads mean?  Beavers?

Disregard. Just saw your reply. 

Dec 04 2021

Glenn Wiebe

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
15

Originaly Posted By Glenn Wiebe

Disregard. Just saw your reply. 

Great reply Josh. The good news is that I learned a a great new technique yesterday (thanks YouTube and thx to bill for having the correct hook and weight). I'd never rigged or fished a drop shot before. 

Dec 04 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Originaly Posted By Glenn Wiebe

Great reply Josh. The good news is that I learned a a great new technique yesterday (thanks YouTube and thx to bill for having the correct hook and weight). I'd never rigged or fished a drop shot before. 

Getting those few extra fish from a new technique when you wouldn’t have otherwise is exceptionally satisfying – we’d all like to catch bunch all the time, but sometimes you can only catch what you can catch, nice adjustment Glenn/Bill – tight lines. 

Dec 05 2021

Mike Nicoloff

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
182

It's  a strange time of the year to see a fish kill for bass or carp. I have seen carp live in pretty extreme conditions like shallow warm water, high turbidity and low oxygen.  Aside from hungry otters as previously mentioned, fertilizers that are directly or indirectly (run off from nearby land) applied are common culprits.   Copper Sulfate often used in residential lakes to kill algae, and also give the lake the unnatural green hue, can be easily be misapplied. Too much will cause algae to rapidly die-off thus significantly reducing the O2 levels.