Bass and brook trout

[4x4bassin]

A couple of the lakes I fish are strictly lake trout / smallmouth waters and when summer comes around all

the big smallmouth are caught roaming open water and at the thermocline . We catch them jigging for lake

trout !

[kickingfrog]

At and below are very different things. Are thermometers used or is it with sonar?

[solopaddler]

In the summer brook trout typically hang out along the thermocline as well. A good graph will pinpoint the thermocline, but usually I just drop a thermometer down. And yeah, in my experience the trout cruise right along the thermocline in the summer.

 

As far as smallmouth and brook trout coexisting, I don't believe it's possible unless you're talking put and take stocked waters.

 

The introduction of bass in natural brook trout lakes is typically a death sentence. If the trout do survive the fishery will be a shadow of what it used to be.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Mike Borger

[Dozer]

As few members have mentioned, the degradation of habitat, over fishing and pressure from other species have great effects on brookies...

 

Perch vs. brookies - can cohabitate as long as the larger brookies are keeping the perch population under control. If that balance is disrupted by the removal of large dominant brookies, the brookie population will collapse because the perch will overpopulate quickly ( quick maturing, prolific breeder vs. brookies ). Decreased number of dominant, big brookies = increased perch numbers which leads to the competitive exclusion of young brookies.

 

Smallies vs. brookies - competition for same resources and something to do with spawning ( especially with lake populations ). Because brookies can only spawn in areas where ground water seeps from the ground there is high competition for these spots. Bass can spawn anywhere therefore once a population is established, they outcompete the brookies for resources. I hope I remember that correctly.

[netminder]

In the summer brook trout typically hang out along the thermocline as well. A good graph will pinpoint the thermocline, but usually I just drop a thermometer down. And yeah, in my experience the trout cruise right along the thermocline in the summer.

 

As far as smallmouth and brook trout coexisting, I don't believe it's possible unless you're talking put and take stocked waters.

 

The introduction of bass in natural brook trout lakes is typically a death sentence. If the trout do survive the fishery will be a shadow of what it used to be.

I think that's exactly what happened at a lake near where I gre up. Used to be able to catch trophy sized specks, and now the lake is overrun with lunker bass. No idea the actual history of this place (I should ask my grandfather), but I suspect the trout were actually stocked there for a while when there was a small hunting/fishing camp there. Once the stocking stoped the perch and bass took right over. Just a guess on my part... Although I was told you can still find small trout in the creek that feeds this lake. But like most here I'm having trouble believing they can coexist