May 15   TBD  Informal

June 4-6Leighton LFormal 2

June 22-25NW IdahoGil N

July 10Stillaguamish Steve R

Jul 30-Aug 1Skagit Rpt.Formal 3

Aug ?TBD

Aug 21-22Indian Island

Sept 10-12Cady Lake

Sept 24-26Yakima Ellbg.

Oct 8-10Crescent Lk., Elwah

Oct 30Ala SpitR. Dodd

If you have questions, comments or suggestions please give me a call or an email. We will discuss upcoming outings each month at the Club meeting. We’ll try to get you up to speed on where, how, flies etc etc in time for you to be ready to catch fish as

soon as we get there.

Ron Cooper

Grass Carp Bait Tips – (from various websites)

My go to bait is a cherry tomato when I see them near the surface. Gotta love the adrenaline when they suck in that tomato and I set the hook. The other bait is a homemade strawberry dough bait that works equally well

At a local golf course the workers dump grass clippings in the ponds and the carp devour it. For a killer bait, mix some wet grass clippings into a dough ball.

Though if you are allowed to catch them try a "wad" of tree leaves

I love the idea of the cherry tomatoes. Try a few blueberries too.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1197355226/15

We've been doing some pretty good Carp catching lately, we chum with corn mixed in corn syrup and vanilla. I made one batch with Anise and one with Garlic, all three work pretty well. It's kinda of slowed down some since the water cooled.

Corn is a good grasser bait (sweetcorn), but fishing it with a float close to the bank is the best technique. They are skitish and often very gentle on the bite, so a small float helps you spot the pull down or lift up of the bait. Some guys use small cherry tomatoes on the surface too! There is a source of really great corn (italian), and carp stuff from Wackerbaits.com out of chicago. Breadcrust also works! Since it has cooled off, I have had trouble catching, but a friend in St Louis has caught carp in park ponds all winter. Hannibal Mike

ive heard of people snagging them, but I heard to actually have one bite your bait, then use a small piece of bannana peel..........I'm not sure if this is true, but it came froma reliable source........grass carp are great for keeping a pond or small lake very clean..........

If you can find it. They love cottonseed cake on a limb line about 6"-8" from the surface. Use very strong tackle.

Me and a buddy caugth a few off a hot lake on...nightcrawlers...yes, nightcrawlers on a slightly modified slip rig. The same rigs we catfish with on the lake. We just put on a smaller circle hook and gob on two nightcrawlers. The always hit in a certain feeding lane though, and we never catch any on any more than one rod! The just keep coming back around hit that same rod, like they're travelling a certain path, and don't deviate from that "lane". Also, we haven't caught any under 40lbs. Really fun though!

Lone Lake Carp Reduction Plan

May 21, 2010

Objective – Reduce number of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella Val.) currently foraging in Lone Lake.

Background - Grass carp were introduced in 2007 to control an invasive aquatic plant, Brazillian Elodea. The most recent vegetation survey, August 2009, showed a severe absence of aquatic vegetation after rake sampling at 150 points and diver surveys at 30 points. Also, the lake now has toxic levels of cyanobacteria, a blue green algae, driven by nutrients, sunlight and temperature. Nutrients became available to the cyanobacteria after the removal of aquatic plants.

Lake Characteristics – 101 acres, max depth of 17’ mean depth of 9’ shoreline length of 1.6 miles

Carp Density (Initial) - 808 grass carp stocked in 2007 (8/acre). Estimated 15% mortality first year, and 10% mortality each year since results in a 2010 estimated density at 5.6/acre. Grass carp can grow up to 2 lbs a month in warm water, and can reach a size of over 40 lbs and a life span well over 10 years. Grass carp are not normally considered an effective method to control many types of algae. The carp is a grazer, tends to feed on the surface and in shallow water, preferring submerged plants.

Target grass carp reduction - ~ 160 fish, leaving an estimated 400 fish for invasive plant control. If target is reached this year, and natural mortality continues at 10% annually, grass carp populations will decline to less than 200 individuals in 7 years (2017). Lake vegetation monitoring should continue annually during this period.

Target Grass Carp Density - 4/acre at end of 2010.

Public Notification – There will be a public community meeting scheduled at Lone Lake after plan approval and prior to start of the targeted fishery.

Timeline – Fishing under this program will commence on June 15, 2010, and will suspend November 30, 2010 unless targets are reached earlier. At the point of suspension the program will be evaluated for effectiveness and modified as needed.

Participants – Participants will be limited to members of Whidbey Island Fly Fishing Club or Evergreen Fly Fishing Club or their guests. All anglers participating will be required to register their intent with the Project Coordinator, Jake Jacobson, prior to fishing under this program. Contact him at 425-353-2346 (h), 425-330-2441 (c) , or jcjacobson1@verizon.net.

Fishing Methods – To reduce the impacts to non-target fish stocks, hook and line using barbless hooks baited with baits attractive to only grass carp will be used at this time. These include lettuce, spinach, alfalfa, sunflower sprouts, grass clippings, cherry tomatoes and fresh fruit. If needed, trot lines will be employed. These will have barbed circle hooks using the same array of baits. Individuals wanting to participate in the trot line fishery will need to coordinate their efforts through the project coordinator prior to setting out gear.

Baited Areas - To attract a concentration of fish to make fishing more successful, bait stations will be established at certain designated areas along the lakeshore. Grass clippings and lettuce will be used to attract grass carp to the area.

Fish Disposal – Grass carp will be killed, measured for total length (from end of nose to end of tail) and weight (to nearest ••• pound), and then returned to the lake after gutting. Captured grass carp will not be relocated to other ponds or bodies of water.

Reporting – At the conclusion of each grass carp fishing day, fishermen will report the date, time and length of effort, bait used (for each fish caught), and success rate. The length and weight of each fish harvested will also be reported. When the target numbers of fish have been harvested, the Project Coordinator will contact all participants to suspend the fishery. A summary report will be prepared by the project coordinator in December, 2010 that details the effectiveness of this grass carp reduction plan. The report will be distributed to WDFW, WDOE, Island County Noxious Weed Board, SW Parks, Lone Lake Homeowners Assn, and both EFFC and WFFC.

References –

Bonar, Scott, et al, 1993, Capture of Grass Carp from Vegetated Lakes, J. Aquat. Plant Manage. 31:168-174.

Mallison, Craig, et al, 1994, Public Angling as a Method of Triploid Grass Removal, Proceedings, Grass Carp Symposium, 72-75.

Stewart, RM and Boyd, WA, 1999, The Grass Carp Stocking Rate Model, Aquatic Plant Control Technical Note MI-03.

Kirk, James et al, 1990, Population Response of Triploid Grass Carp to Declining Levels of Hydrilla in the Santee Cooper Reservoirs, South Carolina, J. Aquat Plant Manage. 38: 14-17.