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[RalphH]

You think I got Silver Lake in Whatcom confused with the multitude of other Silver Lakes in Washington? Could be! Whatcom Lake definitely has SMBs as do many other watersheds, many of which cross the border. Pretty hard to find definitve info as to where they is and where they ain't.

The  first  documented  introduction  of  smallmouth  bass  in  Washington  occurred  in  1924,  when a shipment of smallmouth arrived from the “east” and was released by a private individual into  a  small  lake  on  Blakely  Island  in  the  San  Juans  (Lampman  1946).  Other  early  plants  were  made into Lake Washington in 1925 and into the Yakima River in 1926 (Lampman 1946). Since then,   smallmouth   have   become   widely   distributed   across   Washington,   and   significant   populations are now found in a fairly large number of Washington streams and lakes, including the  Columbia,  Snake,  Yakima,  Okanogan,  and  Grande  Ronde  Rivers,  and  Lake  Washington,  Lake   Sammamish,   Lake   Whatcom,   Lake   Stevens,  Lake  Osoyoos,  Moses  Lake,  Potholes  Reservoir, and several other smaller lakes on either side of the Cascade Mountains (Wydoski and Whitney 1979) (Figure 8-2). WDFW has expanded the range of smallmouth bass in Washington through  a  program  of  selective  transplantation  aimed  at  increasing  fishing  opportunity  and  success  rates  for  this  highly-prized  sport  fish.  In  recent  years,  smallmouth  bass  have  been  successfully transplanted into Banks Lake (1981), Mayfield Lake (1982), Lake Whatcom (1983), Palmer Lake (1983), and Lake Goodwin (1984) (Fletcher 1986).

https://www.nwcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Vol._III_Ch._8__Smallmouth_Bass.pdf

this site lists 64 waters  as where to fish for SMBs.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/micropterus-dolomieu#locations

[CohoJake]

You think I got Silver Lake in Whatcom confused with the multitude of other Silver Lakes in Washington? Could be! Whatcom Lake definitely has SMBs as do many other watersheds, many of which cross the border. Pretty hard to find definitve info as to where they is and where they ain't.



https://www.nwcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Vol._III_Ch._8__Smallmouth_Bass.pdf

this site lists 64 waters  as where to fish for SMBs.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/micropterus-dolomieu#locations

Yeah, there are lots of Silver Lakes!  Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish both have SMB but both drain to the ocean in small streams, not via the Nooksack.  I still favor my theory that LMB's got into the Fraser system via a flood event and Judson/Boundary lake. I know it has no natural outlet most of the time, but I also know that area floods when the Fraser floods.

[sbc hris]

I think there's also a good chance they (LMB) spilled over from Silvermere lake. During freshet, the Fraser actually backs up into Silvermere (or within inches). I first encountered LMB in Stave river around 2003.

[sbc hris]

I'm not sure if Judson or Silvermere had LMB first though..

[colin6101]

Doesn't Hatzic also have a large population of bass in it? That directly connects to the Fraser as well.

[CohoJake]

I'm not sure if Judson or Silvermere had LMB first though..

I caught my first LMB out of Judson in March of 1990 or thereabouts.  It was well known as a bass fishing lake already at that point.

[Dave]

I caught my first LMB out of Judson in March of 1990 or thereabouts.  It was well known as a bass fishing lake already at that point.

I caught bass in Judson Lake about 1970, think there were black crappie in the lake as well back then.

[RalphH]

I've got some good memories of Silvermere from the late 60s and 70s. There was an old dock with a diving board on the Highway. Starting Labour Day my Dad and I would fish worms from a float from there and had good catches of small cutthroat plus some very large Black Crappie. The spot became popular as did the eastern shore by the highway. There was a grassy field and was mostly used by sunbathers. It was about then the private rights to lake was asserted. Then the highway was widened and the shoulders posted as No Parking. We also caught crappie in come of the local soughs and lakes in the 60s. Whonnock had them by then. Where did they come from?

[Rodney]

Here is the replay of that webinar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGyi6c8kYSw

[Dave]

Thanks!

[wildmanyeah]

I liked the part about them needing more money for more studying. Absolutely refreshing hearing scientists come to the conclusion

[RalphH]

I liked the part about them needing more money for more studying. Absolutely refreshing hearing scientists come to the conclusion

Then can expect a donation from you!

Have watched it all but they clarified that the 4% diet of salmonids were sockeye smolts and the data was gathered when the smolts exit the lake. I'd guess that a significant take for this endangered run?

Dave do you think that's so?

[Dave]

Then can expect a donation from you!

Have watched it all but they clarified that the 4% diet of salmonids were sockeye smolts and the data was gathered when the smolts exit the lake. I'd guess that a significant take for this endangered run?

Dave do you think that's so?

If I thought Cultus Lake sockeye could be saved, then yes 4% would be significant. Thing is I don't believe these fish can be saved. 
Rather than destroying bass nests for IMO misguided reasons, this could be a great opportunity to study the impacts bass can have on other fish species.
On another note, I wonder what percent sockeye would be in the resident Bull Trout?
 

[DanL]

Here is the replay of that webinar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGyi6c8kYSw

Some interesting info presented. Hope they continue to get the resources to continue their study.

Now that the SMB are there, and there's no possibility of eradication, now we'll have to live with it. Will be interesting to see if they can be managed in some way to limit negative impact...

[clarki]

Watched the recording.

What I found interesting was the amount of predation of SMB adults on juveniles and the research that extensive culling of adults had the opposite intended effect by increasing bass populations due to decreased predation on juvies.