Red Ear, aka Shellcrackers

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NO! After that first stocking (without appropriate permission); We continued to stock smallmouth bass annual WITH PERMISSION for another 4 or 5 years.
They were stocked at different locations all over the lake. I remember flying with the pilot to stock fish at Bullfrog and I asked my Bullfrog Biologist to meet us out there on the water to show us where he wanted the fish stocked. We saw him and his boat in Bullfrog Bay and passed over him and dumped a load of fish where he suggested. We may have been a bit too close to him as some of the fish landed in his boat. But he was able to gather them up and put them in the lake and watch them swim away.

Being a fish biologist was always a lot of FUN! ;)
 
wayne gustaveson said:
NO! After that first stocking (without appropriate permission); We continued to stock smallmouth bass annual WITH PERMISSION for another 4 or 5 years.
They were stocked at different locations all over the lake. I remember flying with the pilot to stock fish at Bullfrog and I asked my Bullfrog Biologist to meet us out there on the water to show us where he wanted the fish stocked. We saw him and his boat in Bullfrog Bay and passed over him and dumped a load of fish where he suggested. We may have been a bit too close to him as some of the fish landed in his boat. But he was able to gather them up and put them in the lake and watch them swim away.

Being a fish biologist was always a lot of FUN! ;)
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Wayne, since we’ve got you here. What is your opinion of stocking Red Ear in Lake Powell? They have an ample food source there’s no doubt about that.
Even if it made sense to help quell the mussel problem, is it actually something that would ever be considered?
Thank you for your expertise. I loved your book. Great read! I read it in two evenings. Couldn’t put it down.
 
This is a very interesting subject; one I have followed since first hearing of it several years ago. Having no personal experience with Redear Sunfish myself, much of my opinion of them has been formed by reading the many discussions on this website. As the new biologist I very much appreciate the passion of Lake Powell anglers and your desire to protect and improve the fishery. It’s critical management decisions are based on the best information and facts we have available while also considering the opinions of the anglers that are the backbone of our fisheries across the nation. As mentioned, studies have been conducted to investigate to what extent sunfish (and other fish species) already in the lake are feeding on quagga mussels and how redear sunfish might fit into the food web. One of the most interesting findings was how many veliger’s (early life stage of quagga mussels) are consumed by various fish species at Lake Powell. Additionally, the research suggested that it’s unlikely that redear sunfish would significantly alter the food web or do anything different from what bluegill are already doing (ecologically speaking). We all know quagga mussels drastically alter ecosystems they invade, with any environmental change there are always winners and losers. Could redear sunfish introduction be considered a “winner” or success? Certainly, the Lake Havasu comparison is very compelling, and no doubt has created a fantastic opportunity to catch massive sunfish. I personally don’t see a downside to their introduction, or anticipate any unforeseen negative consequences, however history is full of examples of well-intended species introductions that end up creating problems no one expected. The introduction of a new species would require approvals from not only the state agencies but also at the federal level. I know Wayne worked hard on this and I have had some conversations with him regarding redear sunfish, however I need to learn more about how far he got in the process, I’m sure there are concerns I’m not aware of. I know the potential for migration of redear sunfish upstream or downstream to new areas they are not wanted is one.

Sorry for my late reply, I was made aware of this discussion today.
 
I've had a lot of catching experience with red ears, mostly in Missouri but also some down here at Lake Pleasant. Most red ear waters I fished in Missouri were shallower, brushier type lakes. I've never seen them associated with deep, rocky environments devoid of significant brush. Even when I was catching a few out of Lake Pleasant it was in the early to mid-1990s shortly after the new Waddel Dam was completed and the lake flooded a lot of new brush.

I have not heard of any significant red ear catches from Pleasant in recent years. The lake has mussels just like Powell and Havasu so one would think they could get big there. I would think if there was a significant population of red ears there we would hear of some big ones just like Havasu. Since Pleasant doesn't have the amount of brush it had back in the 90s it may be it's just not good red ear habitat. If that's the case then they might not do well in Powell, either, which does not have a lot of brush or similiar habitat. Again, I'm not a fisheries expert so I defer to Dan and Wayne for any further opinions.


Ed Gerdemann
 
Edward Gerdemann said:
I've had a lot of catching experience with red ears, mostly in Missouri but also some down here at Lake Pleasant. Most red ear waters I fished in Missouri were shallower, brushier type lakes. I've never seen them associated with deep, rocky environments devoid of significant brush. Even when I was catching a few out of Lake Pleasant it was in the early to mid-1990s shortly after the new Waddel Dam was completed and the lake flooded a lot of new brush.

I have not heard of any significant red ear catches from Pleasant in recent years. The lake has mussels just like Powell and Havasu so one would think they could get big there. I would think if there was a significant population of red ears there we would hear of some big ones just like Havasu. Since Pleasant doesn't have the amount of brush it had back in the 90s it may be it's just not good red ear habitat. If that's the case then they might not do well in Powell, either, which does not have a lot of brush or similiar habitat. Again, I'm not a fisheries expert so I defer to Dan and Wayne for any further opinions.


Ed Gerdemann
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Ed, Your experience fishing for redear sunfish and your observations on the habitat you find them are very helpful. Habitat and forage are the basic ingredients for any fishery (not to mention H2O… let’s hope for another snowy winter!) Redear sunfish appear to be doing well on quagga and we have no shortage of stinky bivalve groceries at Lake Powell (unfortunately). The idea of introducing a species (redear or others) that can benefit from the quagga problem has merit, and should continue to be investigated, however due to differences in habitat we have to keep our expectations in check. Again, thank you Wayne, Bart, all of you that contribute to this website in any way, it really is an incredible resource!
 
Dan Keller said:
This is a very interesting subject; one I have followed since first hearing of it several years ago. Having no personal experience with Redear Sunfish myself, much of my opinion of them has been formed by reading the many discussions on this website. As the new biologist I very much appreciate the passion of Lake Powell anglers and your desire to protect and improve the fishery. It’s critical management decisions are based on the best information and facts we have available while also considering the opinions of the anglers that are the backbone of our fisheries across the nation. As mentioned, studies have been conducted to investigate to what extent sunfish (and other fish species) already in the lake are feeding on quagga mussels and how redear sunfish might fit into the food web. One of the most interesting findings was how many veliger’s (early life stage of quagga mussels) are consumed by various fish species at Lake Powell. Additionally, the research suggested that it’s unlikely that redear sunfish would significantly alter the food web or do anything different from what bluegill are already doing (ecologically speaking). We all know quagga mussels drastically alter ecosystems they invade, with any environmental change there are always winners and losers. Could redear sunfish introduction be considered a “winner” or success? Certainly, the Lake Havasu comparison is very compelling, and no doubt has created a fantastic opportunity to catch massive sunfish. I personally don’t see a downside to their introduction, or anticipate any unforeseen negative consequences, however history is full of examples of well-intended species introductions that end up creating problems no one expected. The introduction of a new species would require approvals from not only the state agencies but also at the federal level. I know Wayne worked hard on this and I have had some conversations with him regarding redear sunfish, however I need to learn more about how far he got in the process, I’m sure there are concerns I’m not aware of. I know the potential for migration of redear sunfish upstream or downstream to new areas they are not wanted is one.

Sorry for my late reply, I was made aware of this discussion today.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your inputs Dan.
 
Dan Keller said:
Ed, Your experience fishing for redear sunfish and your observations on the habitat you find them are very helpful. Habitat and forage are the basic ingredients for any fishery (not to mention H2O… let’s hope for another snowy winter!) Redear sunfish appear to be doing well on quagga and we have no shortage of stinky bivalve groceries at Lake Powell (unfortunately). The idea of introducing a species (redear or others) that can benefit from the quagga problem has merit, and should continue to be investigated, however due to differences in habitat we have to keep our expectations in check. Again, thank you Wayne, Bart, all of you that contribute to this website in any way, it really is an incredible resource!
Click to expand...

I would love for Powell to be full of giant redears (shellcrackers as we called them in Missouri). They fight like all getout and are great eating. They are generally thicker and heavier than a comparable length bluegill, and I could never tell any difference in flavor between the two.

They do not readily hit artificial flies, popping bugs and small spinning lures like bluegill so live bait is needed to consistantly catch them. In Missouri I mostly used crickets which could be purchased cheaply at any bait shop back there, however at Lake Pleasant I had to use worms as live crickets, only available at some pet stores, are too expensive to make them practical for using as bait.

Generally fishing for them is the same as bluegills, and I normally caught the two together. The catch ratio was normally three to four bluegills to one shellcracker where I found them together. One difference, however, was i deeper lakes big bluegills once they spawned would often drop into 20-35 feet of water. That was common at Lake Pleasant. However shellcrackers usually didn't go quite as deep. If the big bluegills were at 25 feet the shellcrackers would normally be found around 18 feet.

I loved to fish for bedding shellcrackers. I normally used a fly rod then. I would use a homemade strike indicator mad from a small cork and a toothpick, Hildebrand spinner and a #8 gold Aberdeen hook baited with a cricket. I'd lob it over the beds, and the spinner would flutter as the bait settled. The big redears and bluegills would usually hit it on the fall. A 1 1/2-pound shellcracker is quite a load on a limber fly rod!

When the redears and bluegills went into deeper water I broke out my ultalight spinning tackle. I used the same hook but not the spinner. I put on a 1/16 oz. bullet weight pinching it off 12 to 16 inches above the hook with a split shot. I'd fish directly below the boat. Back in 1993-94 on a summer morning on Lake Pleasant I'd average 40-45 big bluegills and perhaps 10-12 pound-plus redears. I took my kids out there and they had a ball catching all those sunfish. I spent many a hot summer's afternoon in my back yard filleting 50-plus sunfish. It was hard work but the family fish fries were worth it! But, alas! By 1996 those sunfish started getting smaller and less numerous as the brush rotted down and the lake turned less fertile.

If I were doing this today, I'd replace the Aberdeen hook and bullet weight with a circle hook and a drop shot weight. Having the weight below the bait would be better.

Ed Gerdemann
 
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