07-18-2015, 02:43 AM
[quote TheWhizzle]I've got a theory about the boils guys....
In the past, threadfin shad were the main forage species in the lake. Gizzards were not present in large numbers until recently.
Threadfin become pelagic in warm months; that is, they roam open water. When there were only threadfin in the lake, the stripers were almost forced to boil on these open water schools of threadfin during the warm months, and we would see the boils pop up like clockwork around July every year.
Now, we have an abundance of gizzard shad, which do not become pelagic in the warm months (they can still be found in coves in the summer). With all of the large (2 pound plus) gizzards spawning twice a year, we have small shad in abundance all over the place. The stripers are therefore not forced to roam open water looking for tight schools of threadfin to get a meal. They can get their fill of baby gizzards without having to expend the energy of pack feeding in a boil.
Thus, I believe that the good old days of chasing striper boils every day in the summer may be over.
That's not to say they wont boil, but I really think we will be seeing less of this activity.[/quote]
Buzzkill... Chasing stripers was as close to chasing schools of tuna back home in Hawaii as I could get here... Realistically, I think pack feeding is probably the least energy intensive action, since you condense everything into a ball that can't escape.
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In the past, threadfin shad were the main forage species in the lake. Gizzards were not present in large numbers until recently.
Threadfin become pelagic in warm months; that is, they roam open water. When there were only threadfin in the lake, the stripers were almost forced to boil on these open water schools of threadfin during the warm months, and we would see the boils pop up like clockwork around July every year.
Now, we have an abundance of gizzard shad, which do not become pelagic in the warm months (they can still be found in coves in the summer). With all of the large (2 pound plus) gizzards spawning twice a year, we have small shad in abundance all over the place. The stripers are therefore not forced to roam open water looking for tight schools of threadfin to get a meal. They can get their fill of baby gizzards without having to expend the energy of pack feeding in a boil.
Thus, I believe that the good old days of chasing striper boils every day in the summer may be over.
That's not to say they wont boil, but I really think we will be seeing less of this activity.[/quote]
Buzzkill... Chasing stripers was as close to chasing schools of tuna back home in Hawaii as I could get here... Realistically, I think pack feeding is probably the least energy intensive action, since you condense everything into a ball that can't escape.
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