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| I'd like to get some input and opnions when it comes to Otters and there effect on Muskies and other gamefish. My main concern is the effect Otters have on small rivers and streams. After years of observing otters and fishing the same rivers, I've noticed a diffinant change in a couple of our local rivers here in the Middle Tn. area. The steams that once produced Black Perch up to 12 inches, and many a bass have declined to the point that action should be taken in my opnion. The question is "can anything be done? We have a trapping season, but only a couple guys that target Otters.
Thanks for any suggestions on the matter.
Hickster |
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Posts: 551
Location: Columbus, Georgia | I would assume that a comprehensive, scientifically-based study should be commissioned to make sure that the Otters are (factually) the ones responsible for the decline in the species you have mentioned.
Sounds like a great point-of-study for a grad student looking for a PhD thesis topic. Try contacting the Department heads in Biology or Fisheries Management at some local Universities to see if there is someone willing to "take the bait".
Otters are pretty cool, intelligent, and social animals. Always a favorite of mine when I spot them out on the water -- though I would imagine that they might impact a stream differently than the ecosystem of a large lake.
I can understand why Otters like to eat Black Perch. I find them pretty tasty myself.
Edited by cjrich 1/23/2011 4:28 PM
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Location: Warroad, Mn | Trade you for Cormorant's! Doug Johnson |
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Location: Brookfield, WI | This site has a well known beaver expert, but I've yet to see a claim of significant otter knowledge.
Kevin |
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| Well, somebody 'otter' know something that can help...:)  :) |
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| Thanks for the input, especially the otter'know one. funny stuff! May check into that college project thing. I love to watch Otters, but not when it come to damaging a river system. A state guy told me the otter day (pun) that re-introducing Otters in our local streams was in his opnion " the worst mistake we've made in years". Worth more investagation.
hickster |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | I've got otters dining on my dock all season long. They tend to stick to crappies and bluegills but I have a photo of one chowing down on a very nice smallmouth. The biggest problem I see is that the volume of crap they produce is rivaled only by Canadian geese... |
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| It is a well known fact that otters will kill any musky they can get their vicious little paws on. Especially big muskies. Here in the wilderness of Southwestern Pennsylvania, otters have been known to carry weapons in their hunt for our once abundant muskies. But what can you do? River otters are a protected species and we have to let them alone. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Otters are very cool animals. I wouldn't worry much about any impact that might have on the muskie population; we have otters here, and they don't seem to bother anything much. They like Crayfish, that's for sure. |
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| It is a well known fact that otters will kill any musky they can get their vicious little paws on. Especially big muskies. Here in the wilderness of Southwestern Pennsylvania, otters have been known to carry weapons in their hunt for our once abundant muskies. But what can you do? River otters are a protected species and we have to let them alone. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | dfkiii - 1/23/2011 11:19 PM
I've got otters dining on my dock all season long. They tend to stick to crappies and bluegills but I have a photo of one chowing down on a very nice smallmouth. The biggest problem I see is that the volume of crap they produce is rivaled only by Canadian geese...
Here's that photo I mentioned. That was one nice smallie....
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| Does the river have alot of canoe traffic? Canoe rentals? This is whats destroying the river I guide on! I counted 13 smallies in one evening with their guts ripped out because the city folks and lazy rednecks that didn't want to retie a hook on! 13 in one day and the owner rents out over 10,000 canoes a summer! The beer cans and every other type of beverage floating and on the bottom of the river is really taking its toll! I love to see people enjoy the river, But they have no respect for it what so ever! Its a beautiful place!
Brian
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| The river I fish on has little traffic, mostly in the summer. You don't see many boats in the winter and mostly it's musky guys. Trash is problem and that' a shame although the upper part of this "home" river is absolutly beautiful with hardly any trash. But these Otter are cleaning out our small streams and rivers. I know of a couple guys that have small lakes within a few hundred yards of the river and Otters came in and left nothing but heads and the outer remains of most of his bass he had stocked. I know not much a body can do, but my point is this: Muskies get the BLAME around here! No perch? Da-- Muskies eatin um up? No smallmouth? Same story. Kinda get sick of hearing it, but what can you do? Nuttin I guess. Otter be something though. ha. haa |
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| The only otter I know was in Animal House and he's pretty harmless.
Really I find it hard to believe that they could really have a huge impact on fish population.
Otter are my favorite critter and if i believed in reincarnation ,well, that's what I want to be. They just enjoy life. Maybe it's because all they do is fish and play around.
Kurt
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| We have otters on the chain where we have a cottage in Oneida county and I have watched them a lot and they seem to always be chomping on bluegills. Watched a family group just off my dock for a long time one day and they ate bluegill after bluegill. So close I could hear the crunch when they bit down and see the blood on their whiskers. They would just look at me from time to time, making sure I was not up to something. Amazing swimmers and fearless. As to muskies? I would bet the muskies eat a lot more muskies than the otters do. |
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| I haven't heard of otters killing a fishery. They are pretty fierce little guys. I helped a friend set snares on a river bank last fall for beavers, with the bleak hope of getting an otter. First morning we came around a bend and heard hissing and looked down at a nice otter. It tried to charge and swipe and had no fear. There was one that bit and clawed a kid while he took a cell phone video of it last fall.I would not be too surprised to see one take on some prey that seems a little too big. |
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Posts: 536
| been watching this one and thought I would finally chime in. My family has been trapping for generations and are quite knowledgeable about otters, so I may tend to be a little bias for trapping but I really do believe this. Otters are ferocious they are very dominant and aggressive critters, mink and beaver and rats will stay clear of them they are not to be messed with. Alot of people doubt this because of there cute playing and all this can be decieving. Otters consume a ton of fish and when I say fish any fish they can get there paws on and they are very good at what they do! if a otter moves into a small pond thats holding fish it's game on for the otter and they will and I've seen it clear the whole pond leaving just the heads and sometimes eating them too, alot of time I believe they this is just how they are wired and it's in there nature but I think they like the fun in catching and all the killing when they dint need to at all. A family group wich they are mostly in can clean out alot of fish and I mean alot. Now around here they move around alot from lake to lake pond to pond but possibly in a small stream or river system wich they could be living there entire life at and the population is high I could see a ton of fish all the time disapearing and I dont doubt that for a minute that is what's happening there. Most of the time you shoul'nt see otters at any given time it should just be hit and miss every now and then but if your seeing them all the time all over you might have a problem and should get too trapping them! |
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| Thanks for the replies guys. I'll only say one more thing and then let it be. Leech lake strain hit on something I agree with, actually all of it. These cute little guys are aggressive. A family will work a 5 to 10 mile stretch of our rivers, and move on, hittlng any ponds while in the area. And all locals say the same thing. Fish heads left and Otter scat abounds. Not that much can be done, but it's a shame that Muskies(once native and re-introduced) into our plataue rivers are getting pretty much all the blame. But the fight goes on in Muskies defence!
I'll let er lay now.
Hickster |
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Location: Oconto Falls, WI | If you can trap then why not start trapping them if you are that concerned? |
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