Smallies the new poop fish

[Fredrick]

I don’t want to hear anyone try and tell me Smallies are a more pristine fish than Snakeheads or Bowfin anymore.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/08/feces-related-bacteria-abundant-in-harrisburg-waterways-due-to-sewage-overflows-environmentalists-claim.html

 

[Dave_W]

Fredrick's link above is a a good read about the problems with sewage mixing with storm water in Harrisburg.

The numbers are really bad, especially E coli. By contrast 2016, a dry year, saw roughly half the crap (literally).

It's a tough budget issue but Harrisburg needs to get to work on this.

 

[Mike]

Frederick makes a point that is more true than he likely knows. It was not unusual to electrofish SMB directly from variously treated sewage discharges. That is also true for some other species, such as striped bass and channel catfish. We even electrofished wild ST from a well treated sewage treatment plant discharge and stocked fingerling RT grown to adult size from a mix of poorly treated sewage and fresh water.

 

[jifigz]

Except for those snakeheads that are now moving up the Susky, right? I guess they're just as poopy. But yeah that is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

 

[Fredrick]

jifigz wrote:
Except for those snakeheads that are now moving up the Susky, right? I guess they're just as poopy. But yeah that is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

Not up there yet . I wonder if this is why the smallies are always bigger around Hburg because they love the pooh :lol:

 

[afishinado]

Fredrick wrote:
I don’t want to hear anyone try and tell me Smallies are a more pristine fish than Snakeheads or Bowfin anymore.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/08/feces-related-bacteria-abundant-in-harrisburg-waterways-due-to-sewage-overflows-environmentalists-claim.html

I linked the same article earlier today in the Conservation forum, where it belongs. How did such a disconcerting article about a serious pollution problem in our biggest river become a diatribe about how pristine are smallmouth bass.

Why are you so negative against smallies?

They are a great gamefish, native to the northern US and enjoyed by millions.

Just because you enjoy fishing for snakeheads doesn't diminish smallies, the fish or fishing in any way.

Ironically you rail against those that chide you about fishing for snakeheads, and yet do the exact same thing to others about fishing other species.

Why not just fish where you like, the way you enjoy, for the fish you like to catch, and have a good time.

 

[Fredrick]

I have nothing against smallmouth, people are always busting my chops saying snakeheads/bowfin live in pooh water including you . With the majority of them being avid smallmouth anglers. But in reality smallmouth non native to the Susky BTW have been living in it for a while now, and that section of the river the fish are supposed to be the largest in the river. Nothing wrong with busting chops or a little fish species rivalry but don't dish it if you can't take it when your turn comes up or your fish turns out to grow larger if they live in the pooh . :lol:

afishinado wrote:

Fredrick wrote:
I don’t want to hear anyone try and tell me Smallies are a more pristine fish than Snakeheads or Bowfin anymore.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/08/feces-related-bacteria-abundant-in-harrisburg-waterways-due-to-sewage-overflows-environmentalists-claim.html

I linked the same article earlier today in the Conservation forum, where it belongs.

Why are you so negative against smallies?

They are a great gamefish, native to the northern US and enjoyed by millions.

Just because you enjoy fishing for snakeheads doesn't make fishing for smallies a bad thing.

Ironically you rail against those that chide you about fishing for snakeheads, and yet do the exact same thing to others about fishing other species.

Why not just go out where you like, fish the way you enjoy, for the fish you like to catch, and have a good time.

 

[afishinado]

Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, radioactive waste and feces being released into our rivers and streams is not a joke.

It should be a wake-up call.

Wake-up!

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Unfortunately as the population continues to rise the sewage problem will become more of a issue. Local plant has pumped 2.1 million Gallons of sewage into the aquifer here in Florida. Long term effects :unknown. Yet the building boom continues especially in apartments and condos. It's going to get worse,I'm afraid. GG

 

[jifigz]

I agree about fishing for whatever floats your boat and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. All types of fishing is fun and all fish are fun (with Rock bass being the lousiest fighters I've ever caught.)

Smallies are awesome fish (probably my favorite) but I'm sure snakeheads are great, too. They've been in my bucket list for A LONG time but I'm just too lazy to drive that far to catch one..but yes, our rivers have a lot of problems with pharmaceuticals, wastewater, etc but they sure are in better shape than they were several decades ago.

 

[Fredrick]

This isn't anything new someone just wrote about it , Every plant/business on the susky and the Delaware didn't choose their waterfront property because of the view they chose it to take water or discharge pollutants in the river and they pay the state to do so. The state DEP is to underfunded/undermanned to make sure that companies/municipalities are following the regulations set on the withdraw/discharge permit they paid for. Or they just turn there eye to it if repairs cost to much to make them in compliance with the permit, And they act like they didn't know about it when it gets reported.


For example AG Bar saying that he didn't know about the staffing problems at MCC new York before Epstein's death .

afishinado wrote:
Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, radioactive waste and feces being released into our rivers and streams is not a joke.

It should be a wake-up call.

Wake-up!

 

[D-nymph]

Smallies are a more pristine fish than Snakeheads or Bowfin

 

[Fredrick]

D-nymph wrote:
Smallies are a more pristine fish than Snakeheads or Bowfin

:lol: Word on the caulk stream is that muskies just have big teeth and that snakeheads and bowfin fight allot harder .

 

[D-nymph]

^^^Could be true. You're not even good at trolling brah

 

[Fredrick]

D-nymph wrote:
^^^Could be true. You're not even good at trolling brah

Thanks

 

[jifigz]

Muskies definitely don't fight all that hard, but they are always impressive to catch for a variety of reasons. A smallmouth smokes a musky's fight. Bowfin are near fish and good fighters. I can't speak of the snakes.

 

[Fredrick]

From Bob Clouser today

 

[MKern]

Talk to a scientist and he/she will tell you that the river has hit a tipping point. Between warmer water temps, ag. runoff, hormones in the water, and other pollutants; there are too many stresses on the fish.

They could fight many of these items on their own, but in combination they are struggling.

(Same for ticks as well)

But we don't believe scientist anymore. Even when our male fish can't reproduce because they have female parts. Or have melanoma patches, or body fungus and fin rot.

As someone with aquariums, these things pop up when tank maintenance is neglected and the water is killing the fish.

 

[Mike]

Any idea when that pic was taken and on what section of the river? Was it a few weeks ago, last year, a few yrs ago? It says posted on 10/12 but is that when the fish was caught? Was it in the lower, middle or upper Susquehanna? Such details can be helpful to those who may be tracking these occurrences.

 

[afishinado]

MKern wrote:
Talk to a scientist and he/she will tell you that the river has hit a tipping point. Between warmer water temps, ag. runoff, hormones in the water, and other pollutants; there are too many stresses on the fish.

They could fight many of these items on their own, but in combination they are struggling.

(Same for ticks as well)

But we don't believe scientist anymore. Even when our male fish can't reproduce because they have female parts. Or have melanoma patches, or body fungus and fin rot.

As someone with aquariums, these things pop up when tank maintenance is neglected and the water is killing the fish.

Here is what John Arway wrote concerning this photo >

John Arway

There was an ecological theory published by Cairns et al back in the 70s, 1970s, that likened natural systems to rubber bands, gum bands if you’re from the Burgh! You can stretch (stress) them quite a bit but once they break they are almost impossible to put back together. We keep stretching the Susqy and it is almost to the breaking point but not quite. Bass population improved from 2012 through 2017 despite man’s actions or inactions. My theory is that Mother Nature intervened and gave us higher flows causing dilution to minimize algae blooms and cooler water during critical spawning times. We were fortunate. Unfortunately that took some of the pressure off of regulators to do something. This isn’t a farmer problem, it’s a societal problem. Hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico, red tide in Florida, toxic algae blooms in the Great Lakes.... Leopold once wrote if we take care of our land, we’ll take care of our water.... and fish. Not time to give up, time to start fighting again. The fish and our grandkids deserve it!

Here is a recent article I just read about the River >

https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/more-than-just-the-bay/susquehanna-river/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0EaOzH6gOy46AJuB1yxZQOSLH4UV-8tXDahPuB9vChae33-dP7EBm9oag