Flood waters

[derwood]

With all of the resent rains the waters of the Withlachochee river and some of the local lakes, Includeing mine, Have had alot of extra water added to them.<br /><br />In my opinion they are where they are supposed to be. Everybody is so used to where they have been for so long that most don't remember the way it was to begin with and call them flooded. <br /><br />Anyway....the fish bite is way off. My brother-in-law was downriver on wednsday and met up with a biologist that told him the reason the fish were not feeding.<br /><br />He said that there is'nt enough oxegen in the new water so the fish are'nt wasteing energy chaseing down food as they normaly would....so....If we wanted to find feeding fish we had to find where the springs in the river are (don't know any and in deep black water I doubt i'll be finding any) and fish downriver from them.<br /><br />He said that the water comming directly out of the spring had too much oxegen in it and we had to find where the oxegen content was diluted enough to make the fish comfertable (hence the "downriver" part).<br /><br />I wonder how long it will take for the oxegen levels to come back to normal in the lakes, paticularly mine, because there are no springs in them to help it go a little faster.<br /><br />Guess I'll have to FISH IT ALOT to find out for sure when it has....The tortures we have to be subjected to in life....Fishing....whoda thunk it. <br /><br />Floodwood.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Flood waters

this is probably old old news to you, but since i haven't looked a map to see just where your county is, i guess you're fishing 'up the river' from the salty stuff. <br /><br />when i just had to fish and the river was real high & muddy, i'd catfish. i didn't know it for the longest until i went on a crazy, floodwater boatride in a little johnboat in 10mph current that was usually 2mph. and we tied to a tree limb just past an inside curve of this raging river that looked like red mud. we had to wait a little while (overnight camping trip) but when they found the liver, they were all over it. every cat we set into felt huge, cause (1) they came up downriver and had to be winched back up to the boat (2) were so bloated and fat it seemed they were about to pop from overeating. <br /><br />we did it(this campout during flooding) several times, so it wasn't a coincidence, those puppies made good use of the high water and high amt of food washing by...<br /><br />you might better make your family fishfry right now...

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Flood waters

A couple of things. <br />1 The water is up higher than what was normal means the fish spread out more.<br />2. Less o2??? I don't think so the water falling from the sky hitting the water as well as tumbling through creeks washing over things tends ti stir the water and should bring in more o2.<br />3. The rain water could be acidic changing the PH if it was acidic enough and there were enough of it.<br />4. Too much o2???? is there such a thing?<br />5. Springs bringing in o2??? How the water comes up out of the ground. How would it get the o2 to bring it in?<br />6. I know a guy that dives the springs and he sees fish in them all the time just not in the fresh incomming water.<br />While I am no means an expert on any of the subjects except for #1 and i realy don't think #3 is happening.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Flood waters

1. The fish are so gorged on all that food that has been offered to them by the higher waters.<br />2. Water vapor in the form of clouds are mixing with OXYGEN.<br />3.Pelting rain drops on the water surface oxygenates, as does wave action, as does rippling current.<br />4. The Biologist grew up in 'burbs of Chicago, was spoon fed half an education at a junior college, graduated with a 2.0 average. He doesn't know, he doesn't know.<br />5. Give it a week the bite will be back on.

 

[derwood]

Re: Flood waters

Now see, Thats what I thought as well.<br /><br />I was always told that turblance where air and water meet, no matter how this happends, creates oxegenated water.<br /><br />The water comming from a spring does'nt come into contact with air so how could it have MORE oxegen than water that does come into contact with air?<br /><br />Now maybe The rain water has alot more debries in it from runoff and acids from the swamps, The brown color in the water comes from acids in cypress and other trees and stuff right, excess silt and small non edible things suspended in the water is kinda like poluted air for us.<br /><br />The water comming from a spring would be clear and clean, not much oxegen, but alot less gunky than flood waters. Add to that: road runoff witch contains oils and gas, lawn runoff witch contains pesticides and fertilizers, and the natural runoff that has added silts and acids and whatever elese, It seems to me that if I were a fish I would seek to find better quality water to feel comfertable and a mix of oxegenated flood waters and clean, clear spring waters would be better than one or the other by itself.<br /><br />However thats just my opinion and I'm sure that there is a lot more to it than that.<br /><br />I would think that with the added acids the PH would be a little off balence right now....good point Peter.<br /><br />With flood waters there has to be extra food availible alog with the silts and stuff so the fish could be gourgeing on other foods that they don't normaly eat, this would probly be something they do out of instinct, forgoing their natural food for something that expels less energy to catch....and this has got to be buffet for bottom feeders such as catfish....also a good point Ebb and Skinnywater.<br /><br />I have wittnessed first hand how a dramatic change in the water compesition, be it temp. or debries or PH, affects how fish behave....I have both F.W. and S.W. fish tanks in my home. Any change in the quality, maybe a better term would be constant water quality (They will adapt to a declined water quality as long as its stable and consistant), this will make them act abnormaly.<br /><br />Feeding habits give way to more lathargic and stressed out fish actions as they wait for things to return to normal or to at least become stable.<br /><br />This happens most notibly in shy or less adaptive fish when moved from the sea or lake to the fish store and finaly to the aquairm in your home.<br /><br />They become more active and return to normal habits as soon as they feel safe and comfertable in their new "stable" suroundings.<br /><br />A fish is a fish....so I don't see why it would be any diffrent out in the river as opposed to my fish tank.<br /><br />It crossed my mind when he told me what this man said that maybe he was busy and my Brother-in-law was bugging him and he told him something to get him to go away. I've done it to pepole that are trying to get info from me at work and are getting in the way of me doing my job....Its not their property and they don't realy need to know why anyway.<br /><br />See, this is what fourms like this are all about, a little feedback can put things into a new light so they can be looked at from a better point of view.<br /><br />Thanks Gents. <br /><br />Derwood.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Flood waters

I ain't no genius by no means, but all I know is that when the water gets up at Lake Barkley, or Ky. Lake, man throw the spinner bait right up against the trees and stuff and hold on. That has been my experience at them two lakes. <br />Now my lakes at home, when the water gets up, the fish head torward the backs of creeks, I guess to find any incoming food that is being washed in. Lord throw a worm or lizard in there and catch fish.<br />Just my .02 worth.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Flood waters

Hey Derwood... Is Sumpter county under the control of the South Florida Water Management District???... Just wondering..

 

[derwood]

Re: Flood waters

Yes, I belive so.<br /><br />Derwood.