Sunday funday Lakers/bows

[Mikey topaz]

Finally after the past three attempts today I was able to get the black mamba back in action for a 3/4 day party boat special! Hit the big ole windy valley and made quick work with a few Lakers on the jig. Set up the spread and got to work and started plucking away at the bows... Me and Rocco caught fish on just about every lure and every rod downrigger,flat line, bottom bouncer , lead core, u name it......threw back a bunch and kept some for the new smoker. Water temp was 37. Looking forward to the big breeders coming soon.https://s17.postimg.org/kfmkpwgfv/IMG_20180311_175023.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/kfmkpwgfv/)

[Mikey topaz]

https://s13.postimg.org/7s22ofrgz/IMG_20180311_103343.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/7s22ofrgz/)

[Castaway]

Looks like an awesome day. I guess the 37 degree water explains why the shoreline fishing has been terrible lately.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Team Topaz!!! Black Mamba!!! Always on the meat!!! Can’t wait to see what the boys do at certain contests coming this year. Get em!!! Couple of those bigger Lakers been eating good, damn they’re nice and fat!!!:D

[AndyS]

Nice haul boys !!

[thmyorke1]

Terrific. I'm glad the wind was manageable for once.

[FishOnKV]

That's a solid haul and some fat lakers... Good stuff!

Looking forward to taking the kayaks out on the valley once the water warms a little.

[Mikey topaz]

Looks like an awesome day. I guess the 37 degree water explains why the shoreline fishing has been terrible lately.

Yes they were along the shores good but most fish are being caught in 40_75 feet water....
There's still guys in the boat thinking the same thing trolling the shorelines.....

[Billfish715]

After seeing your picture of some very "healthy" trout, I was wondering about their diet. What were they eating.......besides your lures? There has been talk about the decline of forage fish (herring) in the Valley over a number of years and the amount of aquatic insect life that are or did make up a substantial amount of the trouts' diets. It was theorized that the decline in the population of big brown trout was a direct result of their voracious appetites for herring. They simply ate more baitfish than could be annually spawned. What is your take on the variety and amount of bait in the Valley?

[Jigman13]

Scuds and shiners.

Lakers ate all the herring and the water doesn't have substantial phytoplankton for herring to feed on to prosper.

[Billfish715]

Scuds and shiners.

Lakers ate all the herring and the water doesn't have substantial phytoplankton for herring to feed on to prosper.

So, in your opinion, was the introduction of lake trout into RV a good thing? Something obviously disturbed the food chain and thereby the ability of The Valley to maintain any semblance of its being a trophy trout impoundment. Without food for the herring, their numbers have dwindled. Without the abundance of herring, the growth of the trout is limited. A long time ago, the Valley was loaded with herring and the brown trout fishing was doing fine. The trout were large and could often be caught throughout the water column.

To what extent are the biologists responsible for the disruption in the food chain? Is anything being done to improve the situation? A laker or rainbow has to eat a lot of scuds to grow to a trophy compared to their growth potential when they feast on herring.

[NJSquatch]

To what extent are the biologists responsible for the disruption in the food chain? Is anything being done to improve the situation? A laker or rainbow has to eat a lot of scuds to grow to a trophy compared to their growth potential when they feast on herring.

From my understanding they didn't anticipate the lake trout being able to reproduce.

Round Valley Trout Association's meeting tomorrow 3/15 (open to everyone) will have a presentation by NJDF&W Principal Fisheries Biologist, Shawn Crouse. He will present the findings of the ongoing study of the reservoir. He also presented this topic at the Fisheries Forum in February and it was very good. I would recommend attending.

http://www.fishrvta.com/

[Chrisper4694]

From my understanding they didn't anticipate the lake trout being able to reproduce.

Round Valley Trout Association's meeting tomorrow 3/15 (open to everyone) will have a presentation by NJDF&W Principal Fisheries Biologist, Shawn Crouse. He will present the findings of the ongoing study of the reservoir. He also presented at the Fisheries Forum in February and it was very good. I would recommend attending.

http://www.fishrvta.com/

they may not admit it but, yeah, they were basically stocking lake trout in there for years based on the assumption that they would not successfully spawn. When they finally realized not only were they spawning, but very successfully, it was too late and they population is now stunted in that medium/avg size range (also because of the forage problems). basically someone really screwed up bad when they declared the lake trout wouldn't be able to reproduce in rvr haha.

[Mikey topaz]

After seeing your picture of some very "healthy" trout, I was wondering about their diet. What were they eating.......besides your lures? There has been talk about the decline of forage fish (herring) in the Valley over a number of years and the amount of aquatic insect life that are or did make up a substantial amount of the trouts' diets. It was theorized that the decline in the population of big brown trout was a direct result of their voracious appetites for herring. They simply ate more baitfish than could be annually spawned. What is your take on the variety and amount of bait in the Valley?

Jigman pretty much got it... The Lakers are kinda of like a freshwater bluefish to me they eat anything and everything.... Most of the diet of the fish over there are tiny shrimp. There's bait in there but few and far between most of the time u will mark what looks to be bait balls but are actually small Lakers which the lakers eat as well a few of them i been cleaning have had them in their stomachs....

[thmyorke1]

Curious to know more about the story of lake trout, such as why they initially thought lakers wouldnt reproduce. From what I hear they are currently seeing if Golden Shiners can fill in that high demand from the lakers.

[Chrisper4694]

Curious to know more about the story of lake trout, such as why they initially thought lakers wouldnt reproduce. From what I hear they are currently seeing if Golden Shiners can fill in that high demand from the lakers.

I'm no biologist, but i would imagine a pelagic species of bait fish (like herring) would be the best solution in a deep reservoir like rvr...unfortunately, as was said already, the lake can't support herring in it's current state apparently.

maybe there is another pelagic bait fish species they could look into, idk if that's a viable option..probably some regulation preventing it (just like everything else that makes too much sense in this state)

[Jigman13]

Not pelagic but what about gobies?

[NJSquatch]

Jigman pretty much got it... The Lakers are kinda of like a freshwater bluefish to me they eat anything and everything....

To Mikey's point.

Shawn's presentation showed a lake trout with 5 or 6 senkos in its gut and another one that was stuffed with young of the year sunfish.

[AndyS]

Lake trout will eat just about anything.

[reason162]

Lol Andy wtf!!

Now my question is, what are those 20lb lakers in RVR eating? Surely they're not chasing scud?

[Jigman13]

Lake trout will eat just about anything.

Ahhh the rare keitech 9" DEEP impact veiner... knocks em dead in the Midwest LOL

[Jigman13]

Lol Andy wtf!!

Now my question is, what are those 20lb lakers in RVR eating? Surely they're not chasing scud?

Smaller Lakers, eels, catfish, shiners...whatever they can get their mouths on basically. Few gulps of scuds can hold em over too.

[Billfish715]

Here's an interesting archived article about lakers and their reproduction. The concerns about the effects of stocking lakers goes back a number of years and the points that were emphasized still are valid today. Since the time of this article, it has been revealed that lake trout have been reproducing naturally and stocking additional lake trout has been reconsidered. If the consensus is that the lakers are a threat to their own growth rate as well as to the other trout species, then perhaps the creel limits need to be increased and the size limits decreased. How can it hurt?

https://roundvalleyfishing.com/tag/merril-creek-reservoir/

[GetANet]

The lake trout DID NOT eat all the Herring in the Valley! I can't believe you guys!

[gypsy]

I have a question, how large are the scud in Round Valley?? Length? Are they small like the ones in the rivers? Or are the lake varieties larger

[Chrisper4694]

I have a question, how large are the scud in Round Valley?? Length? Are they small like the ones in the rivers? Or are the lake varieties larger

Tiny. Good sized lakers will barf up piles of tiny scuds. Anyone ever try a sabiki rig to target lakers on rvr haha

[Mikey topaz]

Tiny. Good sized lakers will barf up piles of tiny scuds. Anyone ever try a sabiki rig to target lakers on rvr haha

Crazy idea but actually may work Chris lol😂

[Chrisper4694]

Crazy idea but actually may work Chris lol😂

no joke, i bet it would! had nice avg sized lakers 22-24" puking up piles of little scud and i don't know about you guys but jigging at rvr is usually rough and i've always though about trying it or little scud flies on a drop shot or something but then i just started going to the other laker res and never gave it a go. I think it's the only food they can gorge on year-round consistently...

[FISHOFF]

The lake trout DID NOT eat all the Herring in the Valley! I can't believe you guys!

I agree. The lakers are eating the browns. Same problem in the Roundout in NY. Locals are releasing all browns even double digit ones. They are killing all legal lakers. Roundout receives annual stockings of thousands browns. Still they are not caught on a regular basis anymore. It wouldnt be a problem for a laker of some size to eat a 9 to 10 inch brown freshly stocked and dumb as can be.

[Chrisper4694]

I agree. The lakers are eating the browns. Same problem in the Roundout in NY. Locals are releasing all browns even double digit ones. They are killing all legal lakers. Roundout receives annual stockings of thousands browns. Still they are not caught on a regular basis anymore. It wouldnt be a problem for a laker of some size to eat a 9 to 10 inch brown freshly stocked and dumb as can be.

good! i hope the real fish (lake trout) eat all those dumb stocked fish hahaha

[FISHOFF]

good! i hope the real fish (lake trout) eat all those dumb stocked fish hahaha

Easy pickens. Just like what happens at Clinton. Those stockies that survive the meat hunters are devoured by the pickerel and large mouths that cruse the shoreline after stocking, I seen it happen. And, with the water Clinton supports, depth, temp and bait, (sawbellies). Why isn't more browns being caught of any size???? I spent enough time there when I should have lucked into some browns of size. Smallies?? Crazy big and plentiful.