Redear? For Wayne
- Thread starter KYKevin
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KYKevin
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I'm sorry Len, but I've been here long enough, I'm a mountain billy now. "HE HE" whether they can control the mussel's or not, and I don't care if they grow to world record's, I would love to see 2 pound Shellcracker's in Powell some day. But when they mounted the 65" Striper, that they thought at first, could be a record, it's very possible, that there are other giant's, of all specie's in this huge lake.
Sorry, I meant Redear's, not Shellcracker's.
Have a good one Len.
KyKevin
Sorry, I meant Redear's, not Shellcracker's.
Have a good one Len.
KyKevin
Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
Redears and shellcrackers refer to the same fish. We always called them shellcrackers where I grew up back in Missouri, but they are, in fact, redear
sunfish. I would love to see them in Powell, but I'm not sure how well they'd do here as I normally associated them with brushy habitat. In lakes with thermal stratification they would not go as deep as bluegills would in the summer. I found this true when I caught them out here in Lake Pleasant. When bluegills would be at 20-25 feet the redears would be at 15-18 feet. They are a great fish to catch and are excellent to eat.
Ed Gerdemann
Ed
How did the red ears do in Lake Pleasant? That's where we bought our house boat. Spent a little time there doing repairs before bringing it up to Powell. Never heard any one speak of red ears when talking about the fishing. We did see a lot of mussels there. My dad had them in his ponds in Kentucky. They were not as easy to catch as the bluegill and were a little larger than the bluegill on the average. We would catch a few shell crackers every year that were close to a pound and a half.
How did the red ears do in Lake Pleasant? That's where we bought our house boat. Spent a little time there doing repairs before bringing it up to Powell. Never heard any one speak of red ears when talking about the fishing. We did see a lot of mussels there. My dad had them in his ponds in Kentucky. They were not as easy to catch as the bluegill and were a little larger than the bluegill on the average. We would catch a few shell crackers every year that were close to a pound and a half.
Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
Redears likely got into Lake Pleasant from Lake Havasu in 1992 when the new Waddell Dam was completed and CAP water from Havasu began being pumped into Pleasant. That's how the stripers got in there, too. In the early years after the new dam tripled the size of the lake covering a lot of brush, bluegill fishing went crazy there. I would go out there and catch 40-50 in just two or three hours fishing straight down below the boat at depths ranging from 15 (very early in the morning) to 30 (later in the day) feet. During the course of the day I'd normally catch four to six big redears ranging from 3/4 of a pound to nearly two pounds. After the brush rotted down the bluegill, and I suspect redear fishing as well dropped off and I quit going there except for bass. Eventually I bought the place at Powell and have never been back, but it was really fun while it lasted! 
Ed Gerdemann
Ed Gerdemann
Ed
That was long before the mussels were in there? I haven't heard any thing about red ears in Lake pleasant before? How are they doing now that they have the mussels to feed on? The brush at Powell comes and goes depending on the water levels. Every time the water gets back over the 3620 level and covers a lot of new brush, the LMB - bluegills and crappies have good hatches and rebound there numbers. As far as the red ears in Powell, anything that would feed on the mussels and provide another game fish that is really good eating seems like a win - win!
That was long before the mussels were in there? I haven't heard any thing about red ears in Lake pleasant before? How are they doing now that they have the mussels to feed on? The brush at Powell comes and goes depending on the water levels. Every time the water gets back over the 3620 level and covers a lot of new brush, the LMB - bluegills and crappies have good hatches and rebound there numbers. As far as the red ears in Powell, anything that would feed on the mussels and provide another game fish that is really good eating seems like a win - win!
Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
I have no idea how the red ears are currently faring in Lake Pleasant as I haven't fished there in 20 some years and haven't heard anyone else talk about them. All I know is I caught some there back in the early and mid-90s and would have no reason to believe that there still aren't some there. I'd suggest some Phoenix anglers who have boats in their garages go up there and try for them. There's no reason they couldn't get as big in Lake Pleasant as they do in Havasu!
Ed Gerdemann
richyd4u
Active Member
My wife is from KY, we lived there for 10 years before moving back to my home in UT. We lived in Bowling Green KY and we'd catch them in several waters around that area. There was a city park lake there that was FULL of them! So fun on the fly rod!
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