Fish dead from the drought!!

[woodjin]

Not long ago I posted about chubsuckers and a fish inventory I took in the clarks branch west of 206. This morning I went out fishing in the sleeper branch (had lots of luck) then visited the clarks branch near Parkdale where I took the inventory.

I decided to go upstream (a now non-existent stream) and see if I could find any water at all. I went to the second bridge, now in ruins, near Parkdale, I was surprised to find that there was only two small puddles still existing there. In the puddles were a bunch of dead fish. About 15 dead pickerel up to approx. 20" a bunch of dead sphangum sunfish and even three dead chubsuckers of some size. I raked the puddles with a net to find still living pickerel, chubsuckers, sunfish, and a 2 ft eel.

It was a disturbing sight to see so many dead fish and I began to wonder if the drought is fully to blame. The clarks branch is fairly well established as evident by the fish populations inhabiting it. It seems unusual for a drought to be this devastating on an entire creek, not just one section of it. I did see this happen a few years back during a drought in one of the friendship bogs, but in a stream? I wonder if something or someone didn't upset the water flow near the headwaters. I will be away this weekend but when I return I plan on walking the branch to see what other devastation and possible causes exist further upstream.

Jeff

 

[Teegate]

Interesting!

You may find a river when you get back on Monday


Guy

 

[bobpbx]

That does seem kind of severe for a drought. Meanwhile, Cedar Creek bubbles along just nicely. I would maybe send an email to a local watershed expert too Jeff.

By the way, yesterday, I was in my knee high boots walking in the water of Bamber Lake. I was right next to the bank, where the underwater weeds hide the fish. All of a sudden a decent sized minnow darted out ahead of me as I spooked him. He was about 2 inches long with a nice girth. All of a sudden, as I was looking him over right in front of me.....FLICK-BAM! An 8 or 9 inch pickeral darted out from the weeds and snapped him up in his jaws. It took about 1/10th of a second. The pickeral just hovered there for a few seconds with the minnow's lower half in his jaws, with the minnows upper half and head sticking out, like...."oh man, what did I get myself into".

 

[NJSnakeMan]

I remember of my friend Al (he use to be on this site, haven't talked to him forawhile, wusup man you still out there or what?!?!) and he told me about some lake that dried up due to a drought. Said there were dozens of water snakes down there picking off easy meals.

 

[woodjin]

Well, I have returned from New England, where it also rained 24/7. I am eagar to revisit the creek. I suspect it will look a bit more like a creek again. I think the fact that I saw so many dead fish is testiment to how quickly those fish died. Buzzards, racoons, water snakes, etc. should have cleaned those puddles up in no time flat. I will report back once I have a chance to revisit the creek.

Jeff

 

[woodjin]

I had a chance to stop by the clarks branch today and wasn't surprised to find it flooded. What a difference from last week. I am sure there are a bunch (well a few) relieved fish swimming around in there. It is a shame it had to get to that point though. It will take years for those fish populations to regrow. I will be keeping an eye on the branch after the floods subside to see how it responds. Oh yeah, I saw a beaver today in the branch near the northern bridge ruins.

Bob, that is a pretty cool thing you witnessed in Bamber. It has long been accepted that all members of the pike family only attack there prey head first, but as you witnessed and as I have also, the pickerel around here are not so prone to ritual. They are the kings of the ambush huh? When they attack like that they form an "S" shape and go off like a loaded spring. I often think of the pickerel as lions in the african plains and all the other fish as grazing zebras or antelopes.

Jeff

Jeff