Ice fishing Eloika - a lake on the decline??

[tluedeke]

Loaded title, I know. I've ice fished Eloika for near 12 years, with a huge 8 year absence due to work relocation. This year, plus nearly all feedback last year, indicates that Eloika may be on a decline. That is, with respect to perch populations/size. Last year, through the ice, I caught some very nice crappie (13"+), plus some nice largemouth bass. However, the perch size was quite small, and the numbers similarly small. This year, multiple reports seem to indicate that my experience was not unusual.

Now I recognize that yellow perch in WA is always a dicey prospect, with decent size fish hard to come by, and highly dependent upon finding the right school or location.

That said, what is all y'all's (just moved from VA) opinion on Eloika? Is is observation bias, or is there something going on (e.g. poor predator-prey balance) that is causing the small perch size??

Any responses highly appreciated....

- Tom

[YellowBear]

This trend seems to be happening all around the State.
We have watched the panfish getting smaller and fewer for many years now.
In the late 60s and 70s you could fill a bucket with 25 to 30 Perch.
Today you can get 60 to 100 fish in the same bucket.

[Anglinarcher]

Perch tend to go in cycles. I grew up in Southern Idaho, fished in Colorado while stationed at Fort Carson, lived in South East Idaho, all with huge perch populations. I have observed the same here in WA since 1999.

If you lack sufficient predators, your perch will overpopulate and you get nothing but very small perch in the body of water. If you have too many predators, you get very few perch, but they will be big. If the water temperatures are too cold, or too warm, in the early spring then you get pour spawn. If you get perfect conditions, you get so many that it may take several years for the numbers to come down. In short, pan fish, perch especially, are cyclic.

I agree that the perch are down in Elokia right now, both in size and quantities. The cover is excellent, but the LMB populations are up, as are the Crappie. I have noticed a reduction in Bluegills or Pumpkins Seed as well.

I have an underwater camera I intend on taking up for a trip soon. This should tell me if the population is higher than our fishing results. Sometimes fishing is not a great way of determining fish quantities. They will get lock jaw if the food is just too abundant.

What I expect has been happening is that our abnormal springs have had some impact. It seems we are having late springs, or early springs; we are having super high water years, or we are having low water years. This will have an impact. I also expect that the increase in LMB is having an impact as well. I have noticed a larger number of smaller Bass the last few years.

I also expect that in a few weeks we will be reading the reports and the fishing will be so good that this whole conversation will make both you and I look like fools. Oh Well, such is life.

[blane956]

I don't know what's going on with that lake. I did however catch a large-mouth bass that got my attention yesterday. The bass was 11" long and by the back fin, (between the fin and tail) it had a bite scar. There was about 4-5 teeth marks approx. 1/2" apart making a mouth around 3" wide. The marks had been a little over 1/8" wide x 1/2" long. the other side had a few more marks but the marks were only 3/16" apart. I wish that I had a camera on me to take a pic of it.

[Anglinarcher]

Otter?? I know that I have seen otters in Elokia, Sprague, and Rock in the last couple of years. Frankly, they can be both fun and a bother when they follow the boat around barking at you.

This sounds a lot like an Otter attack. I wish you had a camera as well.