Zebra Mussels

[Fish Taxi]

That is a valid point that it is not just fishermen who are using the lakes and possibly transporting the veligers. I guess if a ski boat had a ballast tank filled with milford water from Friday and then went to another lake on Saturday and then dumped his tank on the way out, that would do it...

Still, I have to believe that the primary cause has got to be anglers just like us. Fisherman X has a couple fish in his livewell at lake 1 and gets a phone call from Fisherman Y who tells him that "the bite is on" at lake 2.... So he pulls out of lake 1 and heads over to lake 2, and flips on the automatic livewell at the second lake. As the lake 2 water pumps in, it flushes out all the lake 1 water and zebra mussel veligers get spread to the new lake.

To me, either one of those scenarios seems a lot more likely than a pelican taking a mouthfull of water from one lake to another. Birds are dumb, but they are smart enough to know that water is heavy and makes flying harder... Would be my guess anyway... And waterfowl? I doubt it... I've shot quite a few ducks and geese that fell on land and I've yet to find one that was wet or even damp. Generally they are oily enough to make water bead up. Just my personal observation.:o

In the end all we can really do is make sure that we are not personally responsible for spreading zebra mussels. Clean, drain, and dry. Pretty clear and simple formula, I think. If we all observe that plan and make sure that other people are doing it as well, then we should be good to go.Thumbs Up Just my personal opinion anyway...

[wheels70]

That is a valid point that it is not just fishermen who are using the lakes and possibly transporting the veligers. I guess if a ski boat had a ballast tank filled with milford water from Friday and then went to another lake on Saturday and then dumped his tank on the way out, that would do it...

Still, I have to believe that the primary cause has got to be anglers just like us. Fisherman X has a couple fish in his livewell at lake 1 and gets a phone call from Fisherman Y who tells him that "the bite is on" at lake 2.... So he pulls out of lake 1 and heads over to lake 2, and flips on the automatic livewell at the second lake. As the lake 2 water pumps in, it flushes out all the lake 1 water and zebra mussel veligers get spread to the new lake.

To me, either one of those scenarios seems a lot more likely than a pelican taking a mouthfull of water from one lake to another. Birds are dumb, but they are smart enough to know that water is heavy and makes flying harder... Would be my guess anyway... And waterfowl? I doubt it... I've shot quite a few ducks and geese that fell on land and I've yet to find one that was wet or even damp. Generally they are oily enough to make water bead up. Just my personal observation.:o

In the end all we can really do is make sure that we are not personally responsible for spreading zebra mussels. Clean, drain, and dry. Pretty clear and simple formula, I think. If we all observe that plan and make sure that other people are doing it as well, then we should be good to go.Thumbs Up Just my personal opinion anyway...

I agree 100%! This is exactly what I was trying to get across in a previous post even before these were discovered. It can be something as simple as the water on the bunks that can transport them. Even cleaning the boat and trailer there is still areas within the trailer that will have water in it, the tops of the bunks will still be wet with lake water, the water in the engine, even something as simple as a wet sponge, towels, tubes, ect.
I think it is imperative that we as boaters stay away from any other body of water for at LEAST 5 days no matter how well we think we have cleaned the boat. Cleaning the boat is not enough. It must dry completely so as to kill anything left on the boat or trailer or anything else that will be going into the water.

This makes me sick. It is really disheartening for those that are religious about making sure their boat is dry before going to another body of water.
Any bets on how long before they discover them in Pomona or Coffey County?
I will bet by next year they will find them in one or both.


I am going to go cry in my beer now.....

Keith