Too many pike

Yoby · Feb 9, 2016

[h=1]North Dakota reservoir to be poisoned to kill northern pike[/h]By Associated Press Today at 9:12 a.m

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Wildlife officials are using poison to kill all the fish at the Raleigh Reservoir to remove an overabundance of northern pike.

The state Game and Fish Department says the "chemical renovation" will begin Wednesday at the reservoir in Grant County.Officials say northern pike have taken over the reservoir since they were first discovered there in 2009.
Officials say the poison should dissipate by the time ice on the lake has melted. The lake will then be stocked with yellow perch, bluegill, walleye and largemouth bass.(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

http://www.wday.com/news/north-dakota/3943705-north-dakota-reservoir-be-poisoned-kill-northern-pike

KDM · Feb 9, 2016

I am unaware of an instance where Northern pike in small contained bodies of water didn't ultimately wreck the pond so that all that remains are a few bigger pike eating everything in the water and then they die. I've seen it happen in 2 stock dams within my lifetime that started with bass and bluegill and were going fine until somebody dropped pike in there. 5-7 years later........NOTHING!!! There are even some fairly substantial water bodies that have been relegated to almost the same fate. Hope Raleigh Reservoir recovers quickly and folks can fish it again.

Duckslayer100 · Feb 9, 2016

I would have found it interesting to see what would have happened if they just let nature take her course. Pike are hardcore cannibals...might have been a fight to the death between a select few that eventually got to jumbo size!

savage270 · Feb 9, 2016

I know someone who works for the juvenile detention center in the area and they take the kids/inmates fishing there quite often during the spring and summer. They have caught numerous pike between 10 and 20 pounds in the last two years. So, if you want a chance at some big pike, you better get down there today.

H82bogey · Feb 9, 2016

Yoby said:
North Dakota reservoir to be poisoned to kill northern pike

By Associated PressToday at 9:12 a.m

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Wildlife officials are using poison to kill all the fish at the Raleigh Reservoir to remove an overabundance of northern pike.

The state Game and Fish Department says the "chemical renovation" will begin Wednesday at the reservoir in Grant County.Officials say northern pike have taken over the reservoir since they were first discovered there in 2009.
Officials say the poison should dissipate by the time ice on the lake has melted. The lake will then be stocked with yellow perch, bluegill, walleye and largemouth bass.(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

http://www.wday.com/news/north-dakota/3943705-north-dakota-reservoir-be-poisoned-kill-northern-pike

I think you broke the law!!

But in all seriousness, I don't know why almost ever damn lake in this state needs pike. For smaller bodies of water they can just destroy other populations of fish.

Maybe don't stock them in so many lakes? I don't think there is a shortage of pike fishing opportunity in ND.

Lycanthrope · Feb 9, 2016

I hate to see them kill off a whole lake cuz of an awesome fish like pike. Theyll be back in there in 10 years anyway... prolly less.

USMCDI · Feb 9, 2016

Dumb, really dumb. They did the same thing not far from my farm trying to get rid of the bullheads in a particular body of water and that spring we were in awe with the amount of 6-8 lb. walleyes floating, was a damn shame and there are still bullheads in there today. You'd think they would have a better grasp of what's in there before they do it.

Lycanthrope · Feb 9, 2016

If they were planning to kill the lake off, they coulda at least removed all limits for the last 6 months and let some people go down there and load up. Waste of good food, they should be fined!

johnr · Feb 9, 2016

what if the pike were mushky?

Captain Ahab · Feb 9, 2016

The G&F eradicated a lake near my hometown because it was over run with white suckers. They had to kill some nice game fish in the process, but it worked beautifully. Stocked it with catchable trout the first couple years(I kinda wish they would have kept it a trout lake) and then started stocking normal game fish. 20+ years later it is still a nice lake free of suckers.

pluckem · Feb 9, 2016

Lycanthrope said:
If they were planning to kill the lake off, they coulda at least removed all limits for the last 6 months and let some people go down there and load up. Waste of good food, they should be fined!

How many people do you think would really show up?

This has historically been a panfish/bass lake like many of the small reservoirs in the western half of the state. There are dozens of pike lakes within 1 - 1.5hrs drive of Bismarck that are underutilized.

I am in favor of balance.

- - - Updated - - -

Captain Ahab said:
The G&F eradicated a lake near my hometown because it was over run with white suckers. They had to kill some nice game fish in the process, but it worked beautifully. Stocked it with catchable trout the first couple years(I kinda wish they would have kept it a trout lake) and then started stocking normal game fish. 20+ years later it is still a nice lake free of suckers.

Another example closer to Raleigh Res.... They did the same thing with Crown Butte Dam just west of Mandan a number of years ago. The past few seasons it has seen a lot of action, both ice and open water. Bluegill, Crappie, Bass, and Trout. Very nice place to take a kid in the summer and within 20 miles of Bis/Man. Id say it was worth the effort and $$ there.

Lycanthrope · Feb 9, 2016

"How many people do you think would really show up?"

Quite a few if they put an ad near some Hmong communities Id recon!

Vollmer · Feb 9, 2016

Lycanthrope said:
If they were planning to kill the lake off, they coulda at least removed all limits for the last 6 months and let some people go down there and load up. Waste of good food, they should be fined!

Genius

fullrut · Feb 9, 2016

If they're gonna kill the whole damn lake, turn they guys loose with gill nets. Hell, the Hutterites figured out how to net through the ice years ago. Sure seems like a waste. Last 8-10 years the G&F just keep sliding backwards.

Brian Renville · Feb 9, 2016

I gotta agree with some of you, do whatever but advertise no limits and say there are tons of fish so go get them. People will show up. I hope 4 years down the road people don't complain about the massive amounts of stunted bluegill in the place.

Mort · Feb 9, 2016

I was thinking....why not catch them and release them in the lake or pond that could use them...now now you pike hates settle down, just merely suggestion they at least could net them up, transfer them or sell the filets...not kill them off...think the G&F forget how to use their brains of logic.

Just like Brian said, advertise a free for all pike fest on that lake...they'll be gone a hurry.

If I'd a known that, I'd a spent a weekend fishing that pond...my relatives don't live far from that lake and its the area I deer hunt, how come I'm the last to know everything....lol

Lycanthrope · Feb 9, 2016

I wonder if they would just remove limits for PIKE for that lake for a couple years, put it in the regs, if that would make a difference. If I was trying to figure out where to go and wanted to fill a freezer and had a choice between a regular lake and one that had no limit on pike, Id give the no limit place a shot at least!

rodcontrol · Feb 9, 2016

Yeah open the limit. Then every Tom, Dick and Harry with an overlimit of pike would say, Dont worry Mr. Game Warden I was fishing Raleigh Reservoir. Oh I already know the comeback to this, Who the bleap would take over their limit of pike!!

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tc6ywqoL6o

I found the link to the Raleigh Reservoir if you opened the limit on pike

arrowdem · Feb 9, 2016

rodcontrol said:
Yeah open the limit. Then every Tom, Dick and Harry with an overlimit of pike would say, Dont worry Mr. Game Warden I was fishing Raleigh Reservoir. Oh I already know the comeback to this, Who the titty sprinkles would take over their limit of pike!!

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tc6ywqoL6o

I found the link to the Raleigh Reservoir if you opened the limit on pike

fixed it!

Lycanthrope · Feb 9, 2016

Easy enough to add a 'fish must be cleaned onsite' restriction and you cannot exceed your possession limit? I dunno, just hate to see them kill off a healthy lake to remove some gamefish, I could understand better if it was an ANS species or even carp/suckers.

rodcontrol said:
Yeah open the limit. Then every Tom, Dick and Harry with an overlimit of pike would say, Dont worry Mr. Game Warden I was fishing Raleigh Reservoir. Oh I already know the comeback to this, Who the bleap would take over their limit of pike!!

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tc6ywqoL6o

I found the link to the Raleigh Reservoir if you opened the limit on pike

Too many pike

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