# Dead Catfish on Lake Conroe?



## Miles2Fish (Dec 2, 2008)

Since the beginning of July I have been seeing an abnormal amount of dead catfish on Lake Conroe. More than I have ever seen before! There were so many last Thursday while I was on the water I could smell them decomposing. They all seem to be channel cats in the 2-3 pound range. Does anyone know why there are so many?


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## firedog4$ (Aug 24, 2004)

I have noticed the same thing. It might be the heat, or spawned out fish too weak to eat. Last week I even saw some catfish with bugs crawling on them. No telling now days with all the "treatment" to the lake from the home owners spraying God knows what.


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## JohnAkaB (May 31, 2010)

Would it be illegal to go out and just throw out dry bait to feed the fishes?


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

It is ok to feed the fish.
Several things cause summer die off. One that is most notable is trotliners catching fish below the thremocline. They have lots of dead fish which are just thown back in the lake.
Another problem can be blood parasites and or skin deceases called ick.
Normally catfish are the most hardy of the lake dwellers. If it was just heat I believe you would see more more scale fish than cats.


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

In any case I would notify TPW and let them check it out. Trotlines and jug lines below the termocline equals stiff dead fish.


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## Miles2Fish (Dec 2, 2008)

Is it an illegal practice to fish below the thermocline or just an uneducated practice which kills fish? Either way it seems like it should be public knowledge to diminish the fish kill.


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## frank n texas (Aug 11, 2004)

Please explain termocline..have never hear the term


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

frank n texas said:


> Please explain termocline..have never hear the term


I hope I answer this correctly. Generally, as you go deeper in the water column, the temperature decreases. However, at the thermocline, the temperature not only decreases, but it decreases at a quicker rate than the rest of the water column. There can be a huge temperature difference in a small amount of depth change. The problem with the depth of trot lines though is the dissolved oxygen in the water, not the temperature. When a lake gets a very pronounced thermocline, the oxygen level below the thermocline is not sufficient to sustain life for long periods, so the fish will die. These facts have a very pronounced affect on where to fish this time of year.


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