Question for Wayne about large stripers

[davew]

Based on my understanding from Wayne past comments -- the lake does not grow a lot of large stripers because ---- as stripers grow, they need to stay in colder water-- because of this, they are not able to compete for food that then goes to the smaller, faster younger stripers that are able to spend a longer time in warmer water--- The really big stripers are those few that find food that allow them to grow to a size that their mouth is big enough to eat a larger bait fish.
My question --
With all of the bait in the water now will the lake have a large "class" "year" "group" of fish that would have normally died from starvation survive because of all the food, and reach that "magical" size that they will be able to eat larger fish, and continue growing? Can we expect the number of "trophy" fish in the lake to significantly increase because of the bait available right now?

Just wondering

 

[wayne gustaveson]

Stripers are a schooling fish that feed as a herd as they surround shad schools and then attack. With plenty of shad, as we have now, all fish will grow quickly and be bigger and fatter in the spring.

Some fish will be genetically superior as they become adults and grow more quickly than their younger schoolmates. These bigger fish must then make a choice whether to stay with the school and compete with school mates for shad or head out on their own. As they mature they need to stay in cooler water. That is why you often see stripers of the same size in each school encountered. If continuing to chase shad then they need to have school fish to help surround and trap the school. If they go out on their own and have a mouth big enough to eat year-old gizzard shad, or bass or catfish they can survive without the school. Walleye seem to be their favorite perhaps because of their slow swimming nature.

The real answer to your question is "what will happen next spring". The 2019 shad explosion is unprecedented. If we have a second grand shad year then the number of large stripers that mature and feed in deep water will increase exponentially. If we have a normal year with only gizzard shad then stripers will be healthy and grow a bit larger. However, they will eventually over take the shad schools and food supplies will run out. Then we have to wait for the next threadfin spawn which usually comes only every third year.

Seems its all about the weather. Snow runoff from the mountains of UT, CO, WY and other areas supplying water to Lake Powell will determine the fate of the stripers. Regardless stripers will be fat next spring. If shad are still abundant then fishing techniques will be different. Anchovies at the dam will be ignored and stripers will remain in the backs of the canyons. Time will tell. There have been some years when stripers ignored bait in the spring. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2020. I will still be here and let you know what is happening.