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Show Sunday. September 13, 1987 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Page 9 Lowly grass carp to the rescue CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -The white amur, or grass carp, saying it improves fishing because bass and other game fish use it as cover. But Richard Noble of North Carolina State University said that which fisheries biologists are trying to use to clear out exotic weeds infesting many of the country's lakes, will change entire fishing patterns, biologists say. Lakes from coast to coast are isn't true. After a seven-yea- r study on Lake Conroe in Texas just north of Houston, Noble said introducing grass carp to eat the hydrilla apparently doesn't change the amount of fish in the lake, just the packaging, and the fishing. being infested with hydrilla and other weeds, but hydrilla is the biggest culprit. Just a sprig stuck on a boat propeller can lead to an entire lake filled with mats of weeds extending from the surface to depths of 20 feet or more. Many fishermen like hydrilla, "Catch rates go down, the average size of fish goes up and the pounds caught per hour of fishing doesn't change," Noble said in an interview. His study showed it is not the bass which use the hydrilla for cover, but the small sunfishes which provide bass food. It makes it much more difficult for the bass to feed and grow. In addition, hydrilla robs nutrients from open waters of the lake, making life tough for small shad, another prime bass food. The hydrilla, however, makes fishing simple for those who like small bass. The bass are concentrated in a band of water outside the hydrilla, Newton reservoir year-classe- ing. First, Noble said, the fish are scattered throughout the lake. "There's no obvious target" the to fish. edge of the hydrilla beds 10-t- Shop weekdays awaits planting- 4mm ''':' ' 10-- i. 10-- Saturday 9, The fisherman who knows how to find fish at other targets, underwater ledges, fallen trees or rock piles, will catch nice bass, he said. "The casual fisherman is going to find fishing more difficult," Noble said. "The expert fisherman is going to find fishing more des unable. He'll catch larger fish. "Where he used to go out and catch 100 fish, and get two keepers, (12 inches long or longer), now he can go out and catch 20, all keepers," Noble said. "But for the average fisherman on Lake Conroe, it's no longer easy to go out and catch a lot of fish." pound fish that will hang on in the lake for about 10 years. Fewer young bass, who also hide in the weeds, survived, but those that did had easy pickings on the sunfish which no longer had hydrilla in which to hide. Their growth s rate doubled from previous of bass, up to as much as 10 inches in the first year, Noble said. It's meant major changes in fish- "hoping to eat anything that pokes its head out of the weeds," Noble said. "They're concentrated, the water's relatively clear and you can catch a bunch of them," he said before presenting his study at the Bass Research Foundation's 1987 bass symposium. "But the size distribution is awful." Lake Conroe was stocked with h 270,000 o grass carp and by 1983 all the vegetation, except water lilies, was gone. The grass carp lost weight, some died of starvation. But tens of thousands 12- o live on, a population of 7 V:?:W:y::;v.' I'' Siiltl NEWTON, Utah (AP) Using the chemical Rotenone, fish in the Newton Reservoir have been killed to make way for planned restocking with trout, bluegill, bass and catfish later this fall, says the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Division fisheries biologist Tom Pettingil said Saturday that the has necessitated Newton Reservoir being closed to boating and surface water uses throughout fish-ki- ll the Labor Day weekend. .Pettingil said the experimental treatment project is poisoning fish only on the upper layer of water. The chemical used was shipped to northern Utah from South America. He said it is part of a larger project planned for eastern Utah's Strawberry Reservoir in 1988. "Although they differ greatly in size and water quality, Newton and Strawberry reservoirs are very similar in the way they stratify into layers of cooler and warmer water," Pettingil said. Most of the dead fish at Newton are bluegill and perch, with few fish exceeing six inches in length. Pettingil said Newton was selected for restoration after biologists learned during an April 1986 survey that the lake was overpopulated with stunted yellow perch. "The reservoir has a history of A 4 25 off Carters and Curity layettes A. & B. Entire stock of undershirts, training pants, gowns, sheets, washcloths, towels and receiving blankets. fV, gill-netti- 25 playtvear C. Overalls, tops and in the early 1980s, one- - to 2.99 Carters bodysuits , ' , i ', 'st, ".fx ', s (?t tit KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -When the sun is bright, when there isn't a cloud in the sky, and when the temperature is noticeably cooler, it means a cold front has passed through. And that means it's time for fishermen to start sweating. D. Reg. $5 Choose from assorted pastels in toddlers' sizes - 2-- 64 '! p, t,' 25 off t'' Sleepwear ' , E. Selected styles in and "The cold front is probably one of the biggest enemies a fisherman has," said Al Lindner, a nationally ' recognized fisherman from Minn. "There are few conditions that can slam the door on Brai-ner- & bottoms; rainbow trout were not uncommon and anglers would like them there again," he said. three-poun- d Cold fronts affect fishing off Osh Kosh failed fisheries, but for a short period ' ' mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMm 25 off d, ' fishing as quickly as a big front. "With four or five days of stable weather, you might have as much as 60 to 70 percent of fish population that is active and catchable. But once a front comes through, you might have 80 percent that is totally off. And of that remaining 20 percent, you might be able to catch if you do everything only a few ' 4 Diaper bags, bibs j and stuffed F. Reg. H. Entire stock of 25 plush toys . - right." Indeed, the day that is viewed as a beauty by some people is a beast for fishermen. Fish that had been roaming the shallows in search for food suddenly head for heavy cover or deep water and become sluggish. And bringing them out of that "coma" often is an exercise in futility. Yet, Lindner is one of those optimists who believes that nothing is impossible, and that includes catchcold-froconditions. ing fish under "I've learned to adjust my fish'that you ing. The bottom line is have to fish harder, smarter, for less. "There still are fish to be had. In many cases, they don't pick up and swim five miles away. It's just that they're reacting differently. And you have to react differently, too, or else you aren't going to catch fish. " The first step to fishing a cold front is understanding why it has such a drastic effect on the fishing, Lindner said. He believes that much of the problem lies with the amount of light that penetrates the water. "Prior to a front coming through, the sky gets that soupy, hazy look to it," Lindner said. "That's when the fish often go on the bite. They'll ends of points gather on the rounded baits and they'll hit faster-movin- g such as crakbaits because they are aggressive. "But as the front clears that haze skies, and you get those mile-hig- h will change." things All 1.49-54- 9 G. Reg. $l4-$2- 3 Diaper bags .... 10.49-16.9- 9 '4 . , toys 0 bibs y's mm" 2.25-7.5- . . Off 59.25 Reg. $79 Strollce Carriage stroller. 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