Thread: Tunica

Interesting, and I heard about this last week..

Alligator Gar Being Reintroduced to Kill Invasive Asian Carp

I've heard of the carp die off at Tunica before. Never seems to really stop them though.

I've read the two articles above. I don't think the alligator gar will eat enough carp to matter in the long run. The catfish you catch on the river now are full of them from what I hear but they haven't put a dent in them. I'm also skeptical about introducing herpes into the ecosystem. Ain't no telling what long term issues that could cause. Not enough research to go that route, and proper research could take decades.

It's a huge problem we're going to leave our children with. They may never know the river system like we did in the past.

MDWFP is reporting it as bacteria killing off non native fish, seems like mother nature has a way of controlling itself in it's on way sometimes. And sad to see the report about Mr. Charlie, prayers for the family.

https://www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boatin...ca-cutoff.aspx

Prayers Sent for Mr. Charlie's family. He is an icon on Tunica Cutoff just like Ed (Dawg) Weldon was. True River Rats in the very best sense of the words.

You are so right about the dead carp. My 12 yr old and I went bass fishing 3 weekends ago at Tunica and did really well. We boated 11 and missed at least that many. We got there at 0530 and left at noon. The bite really slowed after the sun got high, but I was still shocked to see us catch those with the reports I've heard from friends. There were several spots on the lake where the stench from the rotting carp almost made us puke.

Yes, we had a massive fish kill on the Cutoff about 7 - 8 years ago. After many attempts to transport "live" but dying Carp to the lab, some finally made it, but we were never informed of their findings.
This past winter we have had more commercial fisherman on the Lake than I have ever seen in 70 years! Which is Great! I just hope they come back! With the price received for Asian Carp so low, it is not economical to harvest just them. But, when you combine the Buffalo, Grass / German Carp, Catfish, etc, one can make some pretty good money, especially if one markets them their selves.
The high Miss River levels in January 2016 was very unusual and affected the supply of fresh caught, wild fish. Prices paid were good. Hopefully, price levels will stay high enough to earn a profit! That's the KEY!
When Cooler Weather returns, I hope the Commercial Fishermen come & catch them all!!
I wish we had a "Twice the Ice" plant around Tunica; we had one & they moved it! Ice can be a limiting factor!! If anybody has a good ice machine let me know!