Well, the ODW said they were coming, and I confirmed they are in Sooner Lake.
Went catfishing at the intake to the plant, where catching blues, is just about a gimme.
Caught two small eating size right off the bat, and then caught, what I initially thought was a sand bass. Something about it didn't look right, so I whupped out the Iphone, and found I was holding a white perch, and that they are considered an invasive specie. I was fishing in about 20 feet of water, and could not get a bait to the bottom before the minnow would get stripped off by the perch. ended up catching a dozen or so, leaving them on the bank to croak, before giving up and going to the house.
Its bad enough that Sooner Lake is infested with zebra mussles, now we have the white perch.
I read up on them. Seems on the east coast they consider them to be a really good eating fish. I only caught two that could have been cleaned. Others were too small.
They have been in the great lakes for many years, and according to biologist, they have contributed to the decline of walleye and sand bass in the lakes.
Seems in the spring, white perch eat nothing but fish eggs, preferring walleye and sand bass. They are also known to hybridize with the sand bass, and each female can produce 140,000 eggs a year.
Other times in the year, they eat anything they can catch, and will soon take over a smaller lake like Sooner according to the ODW.
Great news......
Went catfishing at the intake to the plant, where catching blues, is just about a gimme.
Caught two small eating size right off the bat, and then caught, what I initially thought was a sand bass. Something about it didn't look right, so I whupped out the Iphone, and found I was holding a white perch, and that they are considered an invasive specie. I was fishing in about 20 feet of water, and could not get a bait to the bottom before the minnow would get stripped off by the perch. ended up catching a dozen or so, leaving them on the bank to croak, before giving up and going to the house.
Its bad enough that Sooner Lake is infested with zebra mussles, now we have the white perch.
I read up on them. Seems on the east coast they consider them to be a really good eating fish. I only caught two that could have been cleaned. Others were too small.
They have been in the great lakes for many years, and according to biologist, they have contributed to the decline of walleye and sand bass in the lakes.
Seems in the spring, white perch eat nothing but fish eggs, preferring walleye and sand bass. They are also known to hybridize with the sand bass, and each female can produce 140,000 eggs a year.
Other times in the year, they eat anything they can catch, and will soon take over a smaller lake like Sooner according to the ODW.
Great news......
