Wiper Tracking
Fisheries biologist Dave Kittaka holds a Monroe Lake wiper.
The Indiana DNR is studying the movements of hybrid striped bass at Monroe Lake using radio telemetry. A radio tag has been surgically implanted in some hybrid bass.The IDNR will be tracking the tagged fish throughout the entire lake. The end result will be a better understanding of hybrid striped bass movement and habitat selection throughout the lake. This will in turn allow the biologist to manage for a better hybrid fishery.
"There is not a lot of scientific literature on hybrid striped bass habitat selection and movement, so this study is breaking some new ground," said Brian Schoenung, South Region Fisheries Supervisor. "The first two tracking runs have surprised us with just how far these critters roam. These fish use the entire lake in the same way you use your back yard."
In April, DNR fisheries biologist Kevin Hoffman and his team implanted electronic transmitters in 30 wipers. Every two weeks, the wiper team races around the entire 11,000-acre lake near Bloomington tracking the free-roaming crossbred fish.
Biologists have some hunches about the movements of these open-water fish. And wiper anglers have had success catching wipers near the dam and along beaches in early spring and late fall. But proven wiper-whereabout facts are scarce. The DNR wiper team's research has already yielded surprises.
Schoenung says the tracking team found fish all the way up to Crooked Creek Recreation Area several days after tagging the fish near the dam. Some fish moved into the upper reaches of the lake and back. "We didn't expect the wipers to use the upper end of Monroe Lake as much as they do," said Schoenung.
PLEASE BE AWARE:
Some of the fish have been found above the causeway, which is an idle zone. In order to find and locate all the fish, the tracking boat may be traveling at speeds greater than idle speed. As always caution and courtesy will be used by the boat operator.
Wipers were tagged and released in early April with radio transmitters at the dam. Yellow dots represent wiper postions on 4/20/06 while red dots represent wiper positions on 5/16/06.
(View Larger Image)
Wiper locations on June 7. Two tagged fish have made their way through the dam and are now hanging out in the Salt Creek tailwater. Three tags have the mortality switch on. The mortality switch turns on and emits a signal when a fish stops moving for awhile. These stationary fish are presumed to be dead. One of these three tags, (#1064) was recovered in 3.5 feet of water.
(View Larger Image)
The latest wiper locations on June 19 are in yellow and on July 7 are in red. (View Larger Image)
Wiper locations on July 18, August 2 and August 9, 2006 (yellow = 7/18, red = 8/2, green = 8/9). Hoffman and his tracking team are down to 23 fish. Three tags have been recovered from dead fish and will be implanted in new fish when temperatures cool down. Of the two hybrid fish (923 & 943) that had left the lake and were in the tailwater, one is now dead and is below the dam about a mile. (View Larger Image)
Wiper locations on Sept. 27, 2006. (View Larger Image)
