Dead alewives vs fishing results

[lundfisherman64]

I was planning to go fishing the Sandbar for salmon and the Colchester point for lakers but with all the dead alewives reporting i was wondering how good is the fishing in those area. Is it better to wait a few week?? Is it better to go further south like Shelburne or Converse?? Thanks for the help.

Paul

[raz]

I'd stay away from the dead alewifes...but I could be "dead" wrong?

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Hi Paul,
Nice meeting you last weekend.
IMO, not sure lakers and salmons are feeding on dead alewives floating at the surface, I think they prefer live ones.
We have not seen any reports about good fishing happening in the IS yet.
It looks like it's hit & miss pretty much everywhere presently on the pond.
I might give it a try Sunday at Port Douglas.

[Reelax]

There are dead alewives all the way from diamond to sloop today.... No action for all boats i talked to.

[lundfisherman64]

Thanks every body for the info. I will wait a few weeks till the bite increase a bit. This friday is the opening of walleye season in Montréal region, bet i will be on the water for that, good weather or not!! Thanks again for your time. Paul.

[Sleepswithdafishes]

I dont think the salmon will bother with the dead alewifes but I will bet just before they die that they will pig out on them!!!! Sleeps

[get a grip]

fished around diamond island north yesterday from 7:00am-1:00pm-not one release.I'm really in shock.....last year at this time I was 22-4o something in 6 hours..what is wrong with this lake???all the dead alewives show me there is something seriously wrong...

[brute/felix]

Fished , today from 6am- 1:30 , Dead alwives everywhere! No releases on the "OFF SEASON" we tryed an array of things! Fished NY from Bulwagga north a couple miles then across to VT back to the bridge! I have to believe the fish are full!

[Hairbone]

Are the alewives piling up on shore around Port Henry? Moving the camper up on Friday and want to know if i need to pack a gas mask

[lundfisherman64]

Sleepswithdafishes, i think you'r right on it. Before they die they look like bait fish who have been chase by salmon they swim upside down in circle in the first five feet of water. A real feast for fish on the hunt. Just wonder why those fish as a big die-off this past week because it suppose to be a temperature change that cause them to die but this past week we had no change in weather temp...

[flyguy]

Fished the IS a few days ago when it was FAC. Nice day on the water, but no salmon. There were dead alewives floating near the surface there, too. Marking some fish deep, but no takers. Don't understand what's going on with that, but things are definitely different than in past years. The smallies are eager to take, but there are no cold water species on the bite. I'm headed for Willsboro this weekend, come what may. Flyguy

[FATHEAD]

We caught fish in an area that had dead alewives floating around some nice fat salmon at that. They will still bite with the die off just got to try a bunch of different things.

[dw61]

Fished Sunday 7:30 - 11:30 from the fill to the Winooski River -- nada. Talked to some Princecrafts and they said they got nothing. Seemed to be marking fish regularly but nothing biting.

[tuckhunts87]

I fished dead alewives all day and slaughtered the salmon

[fishhuntadventure]

fished around diamond island north yesterday from 7:00am-1:00pm-not one release.I'm really in shock.....last year at this time I was 22-4o something in 6 hours..what is wrong with this lake???all the dead alewives show me there is something seriously wrong...

You are right about one thing: something is seriously wrong- wrong with ALEWIVES BEING IN THE LAKE IN THE FIRST PLACE. We'd be better off with the burgeoning smelt that used to larger in population according to many accounts. I think alewives can be a benefit as a food source but they have many more downsides.

Like their massive die-offs.

...Just wonder why those fish as a big die-off this past week because it suppose to be a temperature change that cause them to die but this past week we had no change in weather temp...

Since alewives don't live outside the water, the weather we experience to some extent in this scenario is irrelevant. What IS relevant, though, is that the lake is beginning to striate. As temps climb above 39F at the surface, the 39 degree water settles and either wave action or temperature turnovers cause quick changes in temps or preferred temp water winds up with no oxygen. Some fish can move out of this or put up with it for a while but alewives are not one of them. And they die en masse.

I don' think there is anything indicated by alewife die offs that suggest something majorly unhealthy about the lake. The alewives are just doing what they are known to do - which is also why they are risky to depend on for a food source in a fishery. When the alewife crashes often there is no other bait to take up the slack because the alewife displaces native bait populations.