After running into an ice skating rink in some shallows this morning I was concerned about the impact in the back lakes on fish populations there. Sure enough, about mid-day, the reports started coming in concerning big Trout in Pringle, then Contee, and finally Power. Fish to 30" took it hard in these locations. Out of respect for the fish, I'm not including photos but it is sickening. This is not a rumor or second hand information, I've seen it first hand. This is reminscent of the White Christmas fish kill of 2004 when Pringle Lake lost a number of big fish.
No Redfish floaters as of yet.
Travelling a large stretch of the bays today, I did not see any signs of a fish kill. I did see something I'd never seen before (besides frozen lakes, and ice up to 150 yards off shorelines) and that was Blue Catfish in a 1/4 acre swarm, shoulder to shoulder and porpoising through the water like Salmon.
I'll keep you posted as things progress here on the middle coast. Keep your fingers crossed for a little warming trend through February. February will be the month to keep an eye on, when we have traditionally gotten severe freezing and devestating fish kills.
Good News - Update!
In talking with everyone, the die off appears to be limited to those three major back lakes, Pringle, Contee, Power. We aren't seeing any floaters on the bays so it looks like we dodged a bullet so far.
We've got to get the month of February out of the way, then it should be smooth sailing. We experienced a kill in December of 2004 in some of the same locations and had a "White Christmas here in Seadrift and up and down the coast".
2005 was an awesome year for fishing, we've got plenty of fresh water inflow, the drought is broken, and I'm expecting solid catches moving into the New Year.
Capt. Kris Kelley
