March 2016 CLIFF DAY 22 LBS. 11 OZ. Here with Jim getting his 1st place winnings of $42.00

Transcription

1 1 Lake Norfork Striper Club NEWSLETTER March 2016 CLIFF DAY 22 LBS. 11 OZ. Here with Jim getting his 1st place winnings of $42.00 PENNY AND MOOSE WEST 11 LBS 7 OZ WINNINGS OF 2ND AND 3RD PLACE

2 2 March Fishing Tournament TOURNAMENT DATES MARCH 19TH APRIL 16 MAY 20 & 21 JUNE 16 JULY 14 AUGUST 11 SEPTEMBER 16 &17 OCTOBER 7 & 8 MARCH MEETING TACKLE SWAP MEET BRING A GUEST AND LOTS OF CASH!!! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

3 3 Rob took 4th place with his fish weighing 6 lb 11 oz. Don Kerns (no pic) took 5th place with his fish weighing 5 lbs 5 oz. Jim Schill won the drawing and had a choice of either the reel and rod or a life vest. He chose the reel and rod. It was a very cold tournament, ROB K TUR but everyone had a great time. JIM ILL H SC

4 4 President s Message : Where are the Stripers? All reports say they are in their Spring pattern with good results off the points and into the bays. Also, between the markers 6 and 6A. Take the East fork at Bidwell point to these markers. Blue Lady Resort will be on the left side before Gamaliel. Try the bays by the dam ( early night bite) or Big Creek from marker 1 up brushy creek. BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT John Gerard stripermail@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENT TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Jim Wencker gp_wen@suddenlink.net SECRETARY Penny West beatricew@centurytel.net SERGEANT AT ARMS Jim Shaffer prairiechicken@centurytel.net NEWSLETTER EDITOR TREASURER Vern Berry ozarkloafer@yahoo.com MESSAGE BOARD MASTER John Evers lnsc.striper.msg.board@gmail.com WATER QUALITY Bob North What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall? "Dam!"

5 5 Striper and Broccoli 1 1/2 lbs striper fillets 1can of cheddar cheese soup 3 c fresh broccoli, cut 1/3 c light cream Into bite size pcs dash of hot sauce 2 TBSP butter paprika Salt and pepper parsley sprigs Preheat oven to 375degrees. Butter baking dish and place broccoli on bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with butter. Add fillets. Heat soup, cream and hot sauce to boiling point, then pour over the fillets and sprinkle with paprika. Cover with foil and place in oven for 35 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork. Garnish with parsley. From The Strictly Fish Cookbook Babe and Charlie Winkelman To LineThere are two top grade knots used to join one line to another, where these are approximately of the same thickness. These are the Blood Knot and the Hangman's Knot - also called the Uni Knot by the International Game Fish Association. Where there diameters are very dissimilar, either the Surgeon's Knot should be used, or the thinner line should be doubled where the knot is formed. Be sure to read the article on the next page!

6 6 Why Do We Stock Stripers in Lake Norfork? By Jim Wencker First, let me say that my favorite memories of fishing revolve around BIG fish, and the largest fish that I have caught in fresh water are stripers. The most exciting catches of my lifetime are stripers busting a top water plug or watching as a big striper streaks away with my bait suspended below a balloon casually following behind my boat! Watching with anticipation for the strike and sharing in the excitement of the fight with a friend as he catches a big fish, or having them as a witness to my memory fish, is a high priority with me. I am fatally addicted to these fish and have been since 1981 when I caught my first big striper from the forebay of the Toledo Bend Dam in Texas. I was there to transport a million striped bass fry from the Louisiana striper hatchery at the base of the dam to the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in Oklahoma. A Texas biologist was collecting brood stock stripers for the hatchery by casting a heavy, white bucktail jig from the shore at the dam. He invited me to join him in this highly technical scientific endeavor called striper fishing! Even though I am now a retired fisheries biologist, my inquisitive nature led me to ask why stripers are stocked in Lake Norfork. I learned the answer to this question from two of the most knowledgeable authorities on the subject, Mark Oliver and Ken Shirley I consider both not only professional colleagues, but friends. Mark is the current Assistant Chief of Fisheries and the former District Biologist for North Central Arkansas. Ken was his assistant for many years and recently succeeded him as the District Biologist for this part of Arkansas. The question is complex in that there are reasons for stripers being initially stocked in Norfork and there are reasons why they continue to be stocked in Norfork. I will reserve the latter question for the next issue. Lake Norfork is a very deep and fertile lake with vast areas of open water. In addition, the lake was cleared of all standing timber before the gates were closed to impound the water. Fish holding structure is virtually non-existent over much of the area of the lake. Most of the larger predatory fish species, such as bass and walleye, tend to relate best to the shallow water areas where there is some fish holding structure. Many native forage fishes such as sunfish and minnows hold in the shallow water where they have some protective cover. On the other hand, gizzard shad and threadfin shad inhabit the deeper, more open areas of the lake far away structure and nearly all of the large predators. Lacking sufficient biological population controls in the form of predators their numbers are subject to wild fluctuations. Although large numbers of available forage fish may seem desirable if you happen to be a predator, the down size is that their populations can outstrip the available food causing the shad to be weakened and stunted in size. In their weakened condition, they also become susceptible to disease and parasites that can be passed on to other species of fish. In addition to fish health, threadfin shad in North Arkansas are very near the Northern edge of their biological range. During colder winters, as the lake temperature approaches 45 degrees, the threadfin become stressed and begin dying. Large die offs are common with many dead threadfin being drawn through the generators of the dam to feed the trout downstream in the river. Since the water is so cold, the shad available for warm water sport fishes in Norfork Lake are under utilized. This is because it takes several days to digest a meal. During warm winters, the numbers of threadfin are not diminished and the stage is set for explosive reproduction in the spring. Gizzard shad on the other hand are very hardy in this part of the country and therefore do not suffer the winter mortality experienced by threadfin. In addition, they are long lived and have been known to grow up to three pounds! Facing this set of circumstances, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) decided that the stocking of striped bass could provide a partial solution to the shad problems. Stripers grow large enough to eat the larger shad and are voracious feeders to help control the high populations. Striped bass are very active in the temperature ranges found at Norfork in the winter time, also. Because stripers are not native to inland waters, they need to be stocked annually in order to maintain sufficient populations to be effective in shad control and to offset natural mortality and angler harvest. This is a good thing because if the experimental stockings of stripers went awry, they would just die off eventually with no additional environmental consequences. The added bonus to this whole scenario is that stripers can become a desirable large trophy fish, under the right circumstances. Over the decades, it has been definitively shown that there is no significant competition with other desirable species. In fact, other species are more susceptible to angling by sportsmen because stripers are controlling the shad populations. Because stripers have done so well in Lake Norfork, stockings have continued over the years. Interest in striper fishing has grown over the years and is now a major factor in attracting visiting anglers and their families to the Twin Lakes area. Local anglers have become more proficient in catching these trophies. The Lake Norfork Striper Club (NorforkStripers.com) was formed in April, 2004, and exists to promote striper fishing and to support, advise, and consult with AGFC about striper fishing and other issues related to the species. Lake Norfork is now one of very few true trophy striper fisheries in the country and appears to be able to sustain that reputation for the foreseeable future. In the next issue of the Twin Lakes Angler, I will discuss the other side of striper stocking; why do we have to continually stock stripers to maintain fishable populations?

7 7 Lake Norfork Striper Club 115 Excaliber Pl Mountain Home, AR Next Meeting Monday - March 28th - 7 pm Eastside Baptist Church Tackle Swap New or Used Items The equipment you are not using might be just what another member needs. When? Monday March 28 at 7:00PM 8:30PM (after short meeting). Setup from 6:30 East Side Baptist Church, Hensley Bldg. LNSC Sponsors are welcome. Tackle swapping for cash dollars is the best choice. Fishing Rods - Fishing Reels - Lures of all types - Downriggers and accessories - Boats, motors, trailers & accessories Anything related to fishing. Price it and bring it in. You can set up your own little store or go into partnership with other members. Tables will be set up. Remember, if you use the term or best offer means you will probably take less!! It will be ok to bring a guest. Tell them to bring cash, Lots of it. (This swap is not open to the gen. public)