# Photos of the Fish Kill?



## fishin geezer (Jul 20, 2004)

:frown: Has anyone taken photos of the fish kill on the middle coast that they could post? I'm not trying to be morbid, I just want to have an understanding of what we're dealing with here.


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## ESCB Factory (Apr 30, 2006)

These are from the POC back lakes.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

and?


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## Texascoast3 (May 7, 2006)

WOW!!! How big are those trout?


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## ESCB Factory (Apr 30, 2006)

According to my source, mostly between 22-28".

Sad for sure, maybe well get lower trout limits as result. Thats the only positve I can see.


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

Very sad day guys, lets hope it doesn't get any worse. 

chuck


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## Txfirenfish (Jan 8, 2005)

awesome haul there. greenie to you.


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## West Bay Wader (Jul 8, 2008)

Why would you take a picture of freeze fish with a fishing pole in the picture???

It would be like getting your rifle out to take a picture of the deer you just hit with the truck? Or more so that someone else hit with their truck!


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

West Bay Wader said:


> Why would you take a picture of freeze fish with a fishing pole in the picture???
> 
> It would be like getting your rifle out to take a picture of the deer you just hit with the truck? Or more so that someone else hit with their truck!


My guess is the rod gives a reference to the size of the fish.


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

railbird said:


> My guess is the rod gives a reference to the size of the fish.


X2...& those are solid fish.


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## jwest (Jan 23, 2009)

*Pringle*

I picked up six dead trout in about 10 minutes today in pringle. The smallest was 25" and the biggest one was 28". I just wanted to get a pic and threw them back. It was a sad sight, the dead fish were everywhere and there were literally hundreds of pelicans on the water eating them. The first pic is of the 28 and the second pic is of the other five we pulled out. I think that it's really important for everyone to use good judgement on how many to keep for the next year or two.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

I sure don't have the time to do this, but, is it legal to keep the fish killed by a freeze. I would assume that if you had been first on the scene then they would be pretty fresh and I don't see the point in wasting them.


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Sad.


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## Captain Hough (Jan 10, 2010)

Big Willy said:


> I sure don't have the time to do this, but, is it legal to keep the fish killed by a freeze. I would assume that if you had been first on the scene then they would be pretty fresh and I don't see the point in wasting them.


I agree it seems like a waste, but according to TPWD regulations it is illegal to take fish with a net.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Captain Hough said:


> I agree it seems like a waste, but according to TPWD regulations it is illegal to take fish with a net.


What about with my hands, lol? I figured it was illegal to take the fish but I was just wondering. It is a pretty sad sight to see all those big girls floating. I love fishing that area and I guess it is going to take a while to recover.


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## Reel Time (Oct 6, 2009)

Big Willy said:


> What about with my hands, lol? I figured it was illegal to take the fish but I was just wondering. It is a pretty sad sight to see all those big girls floating. I love fishing that area and I guess it is going to take a while to recover.


From what I remember from the regs it has to be rod and reel.


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## rotti (May 12, 2006)

Reel Time said:


> From what I remember from the regs it has to be rod and reel.


I guess you could snag them w/ a lure w/ a couple treble hooks??? For the record, i'm in Round Rock and not able to do this....just seems like you could do that legally? Like Willy said, sad to see those big girls go to waste! If they are freshly dead w/ red gills, I would have a hard time watching the sharks and pelicans feast....

Maybe one of the wardens on here could chime in....


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## capt. david (Dec 29, 2004)

you are breaking the law putting those fish in your boat. should have called tp&w and let them know. very sad situation.


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## phil k (May 8, 2007)

can not snag -em either thats a big NO-NO


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## Dipsay (Apr 28, 2006)

Correct me if I'm wrong. But I remember seeing the fish kill back in 83. Granted it was way worse. But I could have sworn TP&W said you could take your limit once they realized the scope of what was happening. All those fish washing up on the beach would have to be cleaned up somehow so why not let peeps take em if they were fresh. At least that's what I kinda remember. At first they were saying not to take em, but then they said go ahead. Might have been special circumstances. I think I still have that edition of that TP&W magazine somewhere. Man those picts were horrible!


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## POC SPEC (Jan 6, 2009)

I was in POC all weekend and I didnt see one dead fish. We were on the water all day Saturday anywhere from Bill Days to Grass Island to Lighthouse Cove to Mule Slough. Hopefully this fish kill was limited to just the back lakes...


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## jwest (Jan 23, 2009)

capt. david said:


> you are breaking the law putting those fish in your boat. should have called tp&w and let them know. very sad situation.


Sorry....I just figured that common sense would prevail in this situation. The TPWD had already been notified and apparently said that it was OK to keep the dead trout if you wanted too. I didn't keep any just picked a few up out of the water and took a couple pics to document something that you don't see everyday and then threw the dead fish back in. My reason for posting the pics was to let everyone know that a pretty significant fish kill has occurred and simply suggest that we all use our best judgement when deciding how many to keep in the future as the trout population has taken a significant hit.


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## TimW Texas (Apr 15, 2009)

Sad and as stated in other post I hope that many did make it. Thanks


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## callsignsleepy (Apr 3, 2007)

yea, you would think common sense would prevail, but some people....geez...


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## Bigwater (May 21, 2004)

My common sense tells me to pretty much leave a dead fish on the bank. 

Does common sense really tell a lot of you to go around picking up dead fish to eat? LOL

Biggie:biggrin:


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

they been livin and dying for a long time, im sure they will be just fine


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## talkshow (Aug 11, 2006)

Right or wrong, it is good to let people see the need for conservation in a fragile fishery. Thanks for the pictures.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Won Mo Kasst said:


> they been livin and dying for a long time, im sure they will be just fine


Thats me.... its part of mother nature... this stuff has happened and will continue to happen in the future...

I guess if someone was STARVING, it may be a good idea to allow people to pick up fish.... but you wont catch me eating anything that I didnt see swimming around....


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## mako 22 (May 26, 2009)

Looks like you are over your limit for the day and over the limit for 25in.


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## 24Buds (Dec 5, 2008)

did ya eat em?


sad pics! I would have loved to catch a few of them.


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## jwest (Jan 23, 2009)

Bigwater said:


> My common sense tells me to pretty much leave a dead fish on the bank.
> 
> Does common sense really tell a lot of you to go around picking up dead fish to eat? LOL
> 
> Biggie:biggrin:


Again...I didn't eat them. I threw back the six fish I took a pic of, maybe I'm the one without common sense but I don't see the harm in taking a few pics and throwing the already dead fish back in the water for the pelicans to eat. I usually throw back the live fish I catch too as I really don't care to eat them all that much. I just wanted to show everyone that a LARGE number of trout have been killed and in my opinion it would be a good idea to practice a little conservation in the future to help these guys make a comeback.


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

jwest said:


> Again...I didn't eat them. I threw back the six fish I took a pic of, maybe I'm the one without common sense but I don't see the harm in taking a few pics and throwing the already dead fish back in the water for the pelicans to eat. I usually throw back the live fish I catch too as I really don't care to eat them all that much. I just wanted to show everyone that a LARGE number of trout have been killed and in my opinion it would be a good idea to practice a little conservation in the future to help these guys make a comeback.


large number? 6 fish? and 30 or so in the other pic? if i saw a few miles of shoreline, 4 feet deep in dead trout, i might start to worry. that could happen the next few days if dead trout start floating... but there is nothing to confirm a massive fish kill yet. there are a few reports of a few fish that got caught with thier pants down in the back lakes, and now we have pictures of 36 trout! last i check, the sky was still stayin high and dry!

think of how many fish are taken every week from fishermen, then think about natural causes... im not saying that we are in the clear, but sky is falling complaining gets old...


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Sounds like some real picky eaters here, lol! 

If it has red gills and has been in near freezing water I would eat it. Wouldn't eat any that hadn't been picked up by Saturday or Sunday but I guess I have to draw the ******* line somewhere.

I just hate seeing good fish go to waste. I really wish that none of the fish had gotten hit with the freeze and hopefully it is not too bad.


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## ExAstro (Jun 22, 2005)

*Dadgum Dolphins eat 36 trout each day!!*


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

Anyone that thinks there is no problem with fish numbers needs to go check out the Aransas Bay system. That same cavalier attitude, 3 tournaments a weekend out of Port A/Rockport, and the recent drought have decimated that bay system if you are looking for a trout over 14 inches.

To make matters worse, most of their giudes fished Baffin all last summer almost as a result. Guess what that means for Baffin? 

How much does it take for folks to finally clue in that modern man (technology too)/overfishing/pollution/habitat destruction do have the ability to negatively affect fish in a bay/estuary ecosystem?

I am as much of a keep a fish fisherman as anyone, not a hippy environmentalist and I sure don't buy into Al Gore's global warming ****, but there aren't going to be any fish left for my kids to catch if everyone keeps filling their ice chest, and that plain sucks IMHO!


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## Solid Action (May 21, 2004)

Aggieangler said:


> Anyone that thinks there is no problem with fish numbers needs to go check out the Aransas Bay system. That same cavalier attitude, 3 tournaments a weekend out of Port A/Rockport, and the recent drought have decimated that bay system if you are looking for a trout over 14 inches.
> 
> To make matters worse, most of their giudes fished Baffin all last summer almost as a result. Guess what that means for Baffin?
> 
> ...


What he said! Aransas Bay is definitely the perfect example.


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## jwest (Jan 23, 2009)

Won Mo Kasst said:


> large number? 6 fish? and 30 or so in the other pic? if i saw a few miles of shoreline, 4 feet deep in dead trout, i might start to worry. that could happen the next few days if dead trout start floating... but there is nothing to confirm a massive fish kill yet. there are a few reports of a few fish that got caught with thier pants down in the back lakes, and now we have pictures of 36 trout! last i check, the sky was still stayin high and dry!
> 
> think of how many fish are taken every week from fishermen, then think about natural causes... im not saying that we are in the clear, but sky is falling complaining gets old...


Look, I'm sorry I even mentioned it then. I'm not saying that the sky is falling I'm just saying that I saw with my own eyes hundreds of dead trout everywhere I looked in Pringle. This seems like a pretty significant amount to me, but what do I know. Not to mention, these were good size trout from 25" on up. I guess I'll just keep my posts to myself from now on. Sorry if I ruffled anybody's feathers, I was just trying to help. I'll leave the technical stuff to all the experts on the internet from now on.


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## Poon Chaser (Aug 22, 2006)

JWEST... Thanks for the pics and posted up what you saw...


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

Aggieangler said:


> Anyone that thinks there is no problem with fish numbers needs to go check out the Aransas Bay system. That same cavalier attitude, 3 tournaments a weekend out of Port A/Rockport, and the recent drought have decimated that bay system if you are looking for a trout over 14 inches.
> 
> To make matters worse, most of their giudes fished Baffin all last summer almost as a result. Guess what that means for Baffin?
> 
> ...


I agree that the Rockport area doesn't have great fishing but Galveston/Sabine shouldn't be included in a lower limit. Through the summer and fall most years (when there isn't a hurricane), catching 50+ trout per day on lures is commonplace. Of course, tarpon fishing interrupts that streak in the late summer but you get my point. Our fisheries up here are outstanding year after year since I was very young. From what I've seen, I also don't think Galveston can match POC and Rockport with the number of anglers on the water, either.


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## capt. david (Dec 29, 2004)

wading i agree with you. we are lucky in a way to have deep water nearby. also the ship channel itself provides a highway for the fish. seems like the other part of the coast has more troubles than just fisherman.


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## Sow Trout (Jun 28, 2004)

We should have had lower limits even before the freeze. I used to think 7 would be a good number, but now I think 5 is the better number. Ten filets per person is enough. If that is not enough fish then go to the grocery store. We need to eat the Talipia out of this country.


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## silver reflections (Aug 30, 2008)

Yeah, would not pick up a dead fish out of water. Who really knows how it died, how long it has been dead, etc. Look at some of the eyes. Been floating for awhile.


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## BAMF32 (Feb 12, 2005)

*Dead fish*

Those pictures are horrible. jwest and SCB - THANKS for taking the time and sharing the pics with us. Some of us can't get out on the bays to look and we appreciate yall keeping us informed.


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## yellowmouth2 (Aug 16, 2005)

Wading Mark said:


> I agree that the Rockport area doesn't have great fishing but Galveston/Sabine shouldn't be included in a lower limit. Through the summer and fall most years (when there isn't a hurricane), catching 50+ trout per day on lures is commonplace. Of course, tarpon fishing interrupts that streak in the late summer but you get my point. Our fisheries up here are outstanding year after year since I was very young. From what I've seen, I also don't think Galveston can match POC and Rockport with the number of anglers on the water, either.


Commonplace? I have to disagree with that statement. I, for one, don't know too many people who can run out and catch that many trout on any given day. If you can, that's great, but I think that statement is a little overboard.


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## Brine Jake (Aug 12, 2005)

ExAstro said:


> *Dadgum Dolphins eat 36 trout each day!!*


Just pass a law that they can point out the trout, but they can't eat 'em.


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## Blue02 (Jul 1, 2009)

SCB and jwest, thanks again also for your pics. It's a good point for all of us to see how fragile our fishery can truly be at times in our lives. I live in Austin and don't get to fish as much as you all but in my years of consistantly fishing the Rockport, Aransas Pass, and Port Aransas area this last year was really tough in catching trout. I am particular to the Reds and don't really target trout but with as few as we caught this year unlike any other you have to know that something is going on and that the fish are at unusual population lows. I think it was a perfect storm between the drought and fishing pressure. You throw in any type of freeze kill and it doesn't help the trout situation at all. It's a great reminder to me personally to only take one or two home to eat and practice catch and release with the others. I want to be able to show my son someday what its like to catch a trout, not talk about what use to be. I echo the folks on the message board going down to a lower limit. I wish they would do a 3 limit maximum per day like the Reds. It would be great to see the fishery rebound.


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## Shallow Sport68 (Oct 14, 2008)

Aggieangler said:


> Anyone that thinks there is no problem with fish numbers needs to go check out the Aransas Bay system. That same cavalier attitude, 3 tournaments a weekend out of Port A/Rockport, and the recent drought have decimated that bay system if you are looking for a trout over 14 inches.
> 
> To make matters worse, most of their giudes fished Baffin all last summer almost as a result. Guess what that means for Baffin?
> 
> ...


 I agree 100%


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## Shallow Sport68 (Oct 14, 2008)

West Bay Wader said:


> Why would you take a picture of freeze fish with a fishing pole in the picture???
> 
> It would be like getting your rifle out to take a picture of the deer you just hit with the truck? Or more so that someone else hit with their truck!


My guess is to tell folks he cought them.h:


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

yellowmouth2 said:


> Commonplace? I have to disagree with that statement. I, for one, don't know too many people who can run out and catch that many trout on any given day. If you can, that's great, but I think that statement is a little overboard.


I should have specified commonplace for good anglers who fish regularly. My point is that fish are there to be caught by those who know how to catch them. In Rockport, even outstanding anglers are striking out .The quality of the fisheries between Rockport and Galveston/Sabine is vastly different.


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## Cork & Jig (Jan 5, 2010)

> I echo the folks on the message board going down to a lower limit. I wish they would do a 3 limit maximum per day like the Reds. It would be great to see the fishery rebound.


BTW, every sexually mature female trout produces lots and lots of eggs every year. And, they release them every 3 to 5 days from Spring until Fall. Luckily, it doesn't take a very old fish to be able to reproduce, either. Twelve inch fish are already mature and are contributing to the overall population. That's a lot of eggs! And, thank goodness, large trout are not necessary to repopulate the systems, either.

Also, the trout populations rebounded very nicely after all the other freezes. The one in '83 took the longest, but we were catching lots of fish within 3 years. The two smaller freezes we had in Feb.'89 and Dec '89 resulted in much smaller die-offs, and the fishing rebounded pretty quickly without lowering the limits.

And, very few fisherman even catch 3 legal trout a day let alone 10! The 30+ year average is .5 trout per person per boat. So, lowering the limit isn't going to affect most people "limits", and will have little overall effect on the total populations.

Personally, I have not seen a decrease in overall numbers or size of the fish that my buddies and I have caught, over the last couple of decades. In fact, I would have definitely say that it has only gotten better.

As far as the overall impact of this freeze, we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, with any luck, the impact has been mostly restricted to that shallower sections of a few back bays. For example, I know for a fact, that there are people who have been catching fish consistently, over the weekend. To me, that's a good sign.


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## KingTut (May 19, 2005)

The last time I wrote of the destructive capabilites of technology combined with the "cooler full" mentality, some one posted-up a request to "show us your cooler picutures" and the show was on. Post after post with coolers full of bloodied fish and comments about anyone uncomfortable with such pictures is just compaining because they lack the fishing prowess to produce such numbers. 

Keep in mind quality publishers won't accept cooler picutures for their magazines as they consider them less than respectful to the species. I am reminded of an atricle in Outdoor Life thirty-five years ago that was written to appeal to deer hunters to stop tying thier kill to the hood of thier vehicle, a practice VERY common back in the day. Their concern was that it turned the average non-hunter into a anti-hunter because of the tastless mannor it cast of hunters in general. Outdoor Life was appealing to the outdoorsman to police itself before the general publc stepped-in with strong negative public oppinion. That was before the anti-gun lobbyists and PETA! 

Just sayin'...........


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## Centex fisher (Apr 25, 2006)

Dang, hope the kill is limited to the back lakes.


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## typo (Apr 11, 2008)

*Could have been much worse*

Sad that we lost fish, but all early indications - in line with pre-freeze predictions by folks who best understand such events - are that this one will not be nearly the disaster as were the freezes of 1983 and 1989. 
It would have been a lot worse to see temperatures drop so low and awake the next day to no floaters at all. That would have been cause for real alarm. There were significant losses of striped mullet in parts of the upper coast, a variety of fish surfaced in the Packary Channel, and you know there are gray snapper floating from Galveston to Port Mansfield. Overall, however, the numbers of trout lost so far to this event might not even add up to what's caught on an average summer day. We'll know more as water warms and more fish float, but for right now, we can be cautiously optimistic.


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

Big Willy said:


> I sure don't have the time to do this, but, is it legal to keep the fish killed by a freeze. I would assume that if you had been first on the scene then they would be pretty fresh and I don't see the point in wasting them.


illegal,, that's why 'm wondering why anyone would post a pic saying that they are from the kill... you can't jack with them period.. like a dead owl on the side of the road.. sounds fishy. surely these guy aren't taking pics of themselves hold freeze killed fish and posting it for the world to see.. floating one thing,, in the boat is illegal and stupid!


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

Why do people think it is a waste, to see dead trout floating? Leaving them in the water is the best thing for the bay. It just like those huge salmon runs up north! When you have a large fish kill, think of all the nutrients that are hitting the bays and turbocharging it to help it come back stronger. Dont worry about your bellies, there are cheaper ways to eat... and safer!


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## JohnnyWalkerRed (May 3, 2007)

Wading Mark said:


> I should have specified commonplace for good anglers who fish regularly. My point is that fish are there to be caught by those who know how to catch them. In Rockport, even outstanding anglers are striking out .The quality of the fisheries between Rockport and Galveston/Sabine is vastly different.


I agree with what WW has said. Galveston does not need lower limits due to a shortage of trout like other areas of the coast may. G-town seems to be one of the hottest systems on the Texas coast now IMO.


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

JohnnyWalkerRed said:


> I agree with what WW has said. Galveston does not need lower limits due to a shortage of trout like other areas of the coast may. G-town seems to be one of the hottest systems on the Texas coast now IMO.


sssshhhhhhhhhh,, no no no,, POC, Baffin and west matty are hottest!


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## YoungGun1 (Jan 8, 2009)

justinsfa said:


> Thats me.... its part of mother nature... this stuff has happened and will continue to happen in the future...
> 
> I guess if someone was STARVING, it may be a good idea to allow people to pick up fish.... but you wont catch me eating anything that I didnt see swimming around....


x2! My thoughts exactly!


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

waterspout said:


> sssshhhhhhhhhh,, no no no,, POC, Baffin and west matty are hottest!


Exactly, you all keep going down there , way more fish...........................................and more people.


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## jwest (Jan 23, 2009)

*Stupid?*



waterspout said:


> illegal,, that's why 'm wondering why anyone would post a pic saying that they are from the kill... you can't jack with them period.. like a dead owl on the side of the road.. sounds fishy. surely these guy aren't taking pics of themselves hold freeze killed fish and posting it for the world to see.. floating one thing,, in the boat is illegal and stupid!


I guess you didn't read the part that said that TP&WD had already been notified and stated that it was ok...but I'm the stupid one for taking a few pics, right? Carry on keyboard cowboy.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I've posted some pics I took today, of dead snook in Florida. I saw 100 big snook dead on the bottom, that haven't floated up yet. You could see about eight feet down. Saw a dozen floaters and took some pics. Also buzzards around one snook that was a few days old, nice and soft. The photos and commentary is in my blog, top of the page, at Seafavorites.com

Looks like Florida just lost a bunch of snook. In Gainesville, it's been freezing the past 11 nights in a row. Here's one of the photos:


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## Brine Jake (Aug 12, 2005)

jwest said:


> I guess you didn't read the part that said that TP&WD had already been notified and stated that it was ok...but I'm the stupid one for taking a few pics, right? Carry on keyboard cowboy.


There it is. Chairborne rangers. Shoot first, read your entries later. In a large population like this, there's bound to be a few who enjoy riding herd, trying to keep the mavericks in line.

I appreciate your taking the time and trouble to put a face on the POC reports with some pics.


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