# Smelt Decline - G&F Release



## Nick Roehl

North Dakota Game and Fish Department
March 5, 2012

*Despite Decline of Smelt, Fishing on the Missouri River System Should be Good*
Hydroacoustic surveys conducted by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks last July showed exceptional smelt populations in Lakes Sakakawea and Oahe. However, record releases from Garrison and Oahe dams resulted in substantial losses of smelt from the reservoirs during the later stages of summer.
Dave Fryda, Missouri River System supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said entrainment rates with the record flows were very high and reduced the smelt population in both reservoirs.
"Smelt numbers in July in Sakakawea were equivalent to the good years of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Oahe had possibly its best smelt reproduction in at least a decade," Fryda said. "As coldwater habitat declined and smelt concentrated lower in the reservoirs during August and September, losses accelerated. It appeared most young-of-the-year smelt in Lake Oahe were lost, as well as a significant portion of the adult population."
Smelt losses for Lake Sakakawea were also substantial, Fryda said, but likely not as severe.
"Now we are coming into spring knowing we lost quite a few smelt in both reservoirs," Fryda added. "Given high to record number of fish predators, smelt spawning conditions this spring will be critical. We have good water levels in both reservoirs, habitat conditions should be good and we still have plenty of adult smelt in both systems. If we can pull off a good smelt spawn, especially in Oahe, we could recover very quickly."
Despite losses of smelt, Fryda said there is some good news in the short-term for anglers as both reservoirs have healthy walleye populations and northern pike abundance has never been higher.
"Fishing should be good this summer in Oahe and the Garrison Reach of the Missouri River because of the suppressed forage issues and the high numbers of walleye and pike," he added. "In addition, both reservoirs have a lot of young walleyes out there, and they likely will be on the bite."


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## BirdJ

I went to our Fishery Meeting here in Pierre Feb. 6th and I think we will have the same if not worse out come like we did back in 1996 when they dumped the water after that winter!!! They said that we lost around 84% of our bait fish here after their surveys were taken. Salmon, Herring and Smelt took the biggest hits. Salmon were caught all the way down to Yankton SD. even.

There wasn't even a salmon run up the ladder at the Whitlock Salmon Station this last fall! All the eggs that were gathered came from below Lake Oahe.

GF&P will also be stocking Shad this year to help supplemnt what we have left for bait fish. Surveys or not, I don't see anything good coming out of this last summer!!! We will have a better idea in a year or two on how hard are fishery was hurt but I have a bad feeling that it will end up like it did after 1966 if not worse. Fish will be starving again because of more game fish and less feed. The adult smelt are nice to see but whats going to take over for them when they die off if we lost a lot of the young ones?


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## KurtR

We are catching fish in mobridge that are full of smelt and the numbers you stated are on the high side. Some are saying 40% smelt lose. With the recent influx of perch and crappies we are going to be just fine. No need to stock any shad as they are all ready here from the grand river coming from shade hill. if we have stable water and a couple good years for the smelt to spawn we will be just fine. There are alot of differneces for the bait fish situation this year versus 96 it is not even really comparable


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## nodakoutdoors.com

We're catching fish with smelt in them all the way up to Bismarck.


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## BirdJ

KurtR said:


> We are catching fish in mobridge that are full of smelt and the numbers you stated are on the high side. Some are saying 40% smelt lose. With the recent influx of perch and crappies we are going to be just fine. No need to stock any shad as they are all ready here from the grand river coming from shade hill. if we have stable water and a couple good years for the smelt to spawn we will be just fine. There are alot of differneces for the bait fish situation this year versus 96 it is not even really comparable


KEEP DREAMING!!! How was the spawn up there this spring for smelt? We had pretty much of nothing if at all here for a smelt run because of lack of smelt and weather. Northerns eating walleyes already!!!!!!!! Caught northerns already with 18 and 14 inch walleyes in them already. NOT a good sign. The northerns are everywhere uke: With all the vegetation under water over the last couple of years they have had one heck of a spawn!!! We have a TON of 20 inchers everywhere!


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## KurtR

yep it is all over oahe is done might as well quit fishing. The only people that ***** more than farmers about conditions are fisherman. I would not mind catching a northern big enough to eat a 18 inch walleye. Maybe it would have been better to let the water go over the spill way than through the tubes for the people in pierre that would have saved a bunch of smelt guess they did not think of that


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## dakotashooter2

When dealing with a flood control stuctures, baitfish and fish loss is and always will be a fact of life and they are going to have their ups and downs. Doesn't do any good to complain about it.


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## KurtR

dakotashooter2 said:


> When dealing with a flood control stuctures, baitfish and fish loss is and always will be a fact of life and they are going to have their ups and downs. Doesn't do any good to complain about it.


that is a fact that is why the number one most determining factor of fishing quality are water levels. and only the coe and god controls that.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Chris Hustad said:


> We're catching fish with smelt in them all the way up to Bismarck.


Things have changed since March...haven't seen a smelt come out of a fish in AWHILE.


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## BirdJ

dakotashooter2 said:


> When dealing with a flood control stuctures, baitfish and fish loss is and always will be a fact of life and they are going to have their ups and downs. Doesn't do any good to complain about it.


It shouldn't have happened in the first place!!!


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## KurtR

31 inches of rain in montana is a regular ocurance. mother nature gave us the middle finger and she always wins in the end


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## BirdJ

KurtR said:


> 31 inches of rain in montana is a regular ocurance. mother nature gave us the middle finger and she always wins in the end


Kurt, not trying to be a smart a$$ here but if this is a regular occurance why doesn't the CORP keep the water levels at normal level year round even with electricty being shipped out? I think the CORP gives us the middle finger. I know that recreational activities are close to the bottom line in their way of thinking. Flood control, barge traffic please!!!! They ruined a lot of peoples lives big time again. Well they sure messed up on the flood control and the bardges got their freakin water. We fought for years just to keep the water levels up in the spring so (ALL) of us had a chance to be able to have are gamefish and baitfish have a chance to spawn and survive and we got the job done when we had the right people in government.


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## KurtR

sarcasm is hard to convey on the interweb that 31" of rain was an anomily and hard to have planned for. hydrologist have told me that is one event you could of had a dry river and flooding would have still occured. i agree the core could mess up a wet dream


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## jpallen14

BirdJ said:


> KurtR said:
> 
> 
> 
> 31 inches of rain in montana is a regular ocurance. mother nature gave us the middle finger and she always wins in the end
> 
> 
> 
> Kurt, not trying to be a smart a$$ here but if this is a regular occurance why doesn't the CORP keep the water levels at normal level year round even with electricty being shipped out? I think the CORP gives us the middle finger. I know that recreational activities are close to the bottom line in their way of thinking. Flood control, barge traffic please!!!! They ruined a lot of peoples lives big time again. Well they sure messed up on the flood control and the bardges got their freakin water. We fought for years just to keep the water levels up in the spring so (ALL) of us had a chance to be able to have are gamefish and baitfish have a chance to spawn and survive and we got the job done when we had the right people in government.
Click to expand...

Yea all the people that got their life ruined are moved back in and rebuilding their houses. You would think you could pick up a house really cheap on the flood plain in Pierre and Ft. Pierre. Nope..... Don't really feel bad for anyone. You can't control mother nature and when you do it bites you in the ***.


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## BirdJ

Got a news letter via email from SD. GF&P yesterday. After the latest update on the smelt population survey its pretty much a bust on the spawning run this year do to lack of smelt!!! and all the wind we had in April didn't help matters what so ever either even with the water being stable and even rising a little bit!!! They also mentioned that below Lake Oahe (Lake Sharpe) the bait fish down there is also very thin! And the fish are looking like that also!!!


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## southdakbearfan

I actually witnessed a 29" walleye caught last week that was 6.5 lbs at mobridge. Fish are skinny and hungry.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Wow, that is skinny. How's the fishing around Mobridge lately? I heard it's going well, getting tough on the ND side.


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## KurtR

if you cant catch fish here now it is time to get some golf clubs. not alot of big fish but 14-16 inchers it is non stop


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## BirdJ

southdakbearfan said:


> I actually witnessed a 29" walleye caught last week that was 6.5 lbs at mobridge. Fish are skinny and hungry.


Have a couple of photos of a catch and release walleye that a fella caught on one of my trips back in 1998. The walleye messured 32.7 inches long and only weighed 7.7 lbs. On an average year with normal bait fish conditions, that fish should have weighed around 13 lbs.


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## KurtR

had fish puking smelt in the livewell around akaska last weekend


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## southdakbearfan

KurtR said:


> had fish puking smelt in the livewell around akaska last weekend


Had the same, doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason, skinny, then looking pretty good, hmmmm. Fish sure looked better than the last time I was out there.


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