lamprey eel?

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cxp138
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lamprey eel?

Post by cxp138 » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:09 am

Caught a 30"+ northern in the rapids by the brasie corners rossie road bridge and it had a lamprey attached to it. I knocked it off before releasing the fish. Is this normal, or did I identify a potential invasion issue? Wanted to put this information out there in case it was important. This was my first trip to black lake so wasn't sure if that was a normal sighting.

MrSimon
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by MrSimon » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:07 pm

I've never seen one and I've caught hundreds and hundreds of fish out of that lake.

Did you kill the eel?

cxp138
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by cxp138 » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:28 pm

Everything happened so quickly and I was definitely not expecting to see that or I would have snapped a picture. Only reason I knew what it was a parasite was from an episode of river monsters. Stuck a pocket knife point into it's head and flicked it off the fish. Was difficult with the pike thrashing around and trying to handle and release it gently. Left a round wound on the pike where it was attached. Hopefully the fish survived. He seemed strong and active? What an amazing fishery, I truly hope this isn't a sign of a future problem.

Fishpro
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by Fishpro » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:50 pm

Lamprey eels have been from time to time in the lake for a long time. Their numbers have been relatively small thanks to long standing DEC eradication efforts to control them. As for actually seeing a lamprey on a fish - I have never encounted this situation but I'm sure it may happen. My camp has been in the family over 55 yrs. I can remember my Dad saying he used to see large Pike and Muskies actually jumping out of the water to rid them selves of lampreys. He used to spend a lot of time just sitting and watching the lake. Other than other same reports from the old timers this may have been just a fish story - :lol: However for the most part I believe they are under control. Only wish the Zebra mussles and other invasive species were under control. Oh- well - cant have everything. Catch & Release!

ShaneO19
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by ShaneO19 » Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:37 pm

I have heard people mentioning catching fish with lamprey marks on them but have never seen one myself here. Kind of strange since I think of them as being in deep water attaching to Lake Trout. Probably why it was down near the deeper water in Rossie.
Speaking of invasive species I am surprised and relieved that there aren't Gobies in Black Lake yet. At least that I am aware of. Seems like they would get here somehow being so close to the St Lawrence.

MrSimon
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by MrSimon » Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:36 pm

I know gobies are invasive, but man oh man do they make for some FAT smallies in the river.

cheftommy70
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by cheftommy70 » Sun Jul 06, 2014 12:15 am

Left the lake Thursday... We caught at least 10 pike in lonesome bay(not deep water) that had marks on their sides... At first I wrote it off to being attacked by bigger fish or scars related to mating... But after a few I noticed that they were mostly round spots and not slashes... After reading this post I'm almost positive that they were marks from a lamprey...

snakedoc
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by snakedoc » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:56 pm

Last year I saw two occasions where lampreys were attached to two different Smallmouths. The lampreys were about 6-7 inches long.

492VS
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by 492VS » Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:51 pm

Columbus weekend I Came across a 10" catfish with a lamprey stuck to its head. Both were floundering around on the surface making some ripples in the water. Took a little bit of effort but I got that eel unhooked and the catfish swam off.

Romeyn
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Re: lamprey eel?

Post by Romeyn » Mon Jun 24, 2019 7:10 pm

WHAT PROFISH said. We've had a family camp on Black Lake for well over 55 years and we've come across many fish with lamprey eel marks, I've seen a few on a fish and they do jump out of the water to try and knock them off their bodies. Kill them if you see them, but they're relatively rare.

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