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Re: Sunapee salmon

Not definite about Sunapee, but most stocked lakes are stocked with fish of that size. Believe it or not, those fish grow VERY quickly once in the lakes eating smelt and such! Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe these stockers are typically 12-15" in length by the end of summer. I'm sure some are eaten by lakers, rainbows and other salmon... but a good majority make it.
If F&G kept those fish for another year in their pools/ponds/tanks they would run out of room quickly. OR the fish just wouldn't have the room or feed to grow much more (stunted).
F&G is able to introduce the HIGHEST QUALITY and LARGEST QUANTITY by stocking fish of this size. They do know what they're doing... and this is how WE get the biggest bang for the buck.
You know... its not all bad if we have fish large enough to be feeding on "stockers" from time to time... I like catching BIG fish. Hehe

Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

I think you gave him correct information and I agree on the Yearling Salmon being perfect eating size for Lakers. But in Squam I don't think they ever share the same depths, Squam has plenty of big Lakers but they seldom come up from the bottom.

What I don't understand is this and I'm hoping Fish and Game (or someone) can shed some light on my question.

Yearling Salmon are typically 8 to 9 inches when stocked, but the Rainbows (I assume the same age) are 12 to 13 inches. We are told that the Salmon grow extremely fast once in the Lakes, but what happens to the Rainbows that are stocked, at Squam (and most area Lakes) we never hear about any 4 to 6 pound Rainbows ?????????

I will try to find out if there is a reasoanable explantion for this, if anone else has an explanation, fire away.

John S.

Re: Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

From what I understand, the rainbows like to emigrate to new waters, so if there is an outlet in the lake,or even a dam that is controlled by a series of removable boards, they move!! I have the same problem in Ossipee. There is a dam they control and I'm told the bows go over. A friend of mine has gotten 5 tagged bows this spring right at the dam, so this should tell you something. They stock the lake with the tags a few miles from the dam.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

I was told that they can't hold em in Winni either and that when they get a little bigger they end up in Winnisquam.

Not sure where they would go in Squam except over the dam like you say ??????

Seems like a waste, putting all those undersized fish (12/13") and having most exit the Lake before they are legal length ????

I have the question in to John Viar, I'll post his reply.

John S.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

Hmmmm.... 12-13" rainbows.... sounds like great bald eagle munchies !!!

I'm gonna have to make the long drive (hehe) to Winnisquam and give it a try one of these fine days. Can you believe... its right across the street and I haven't trolled there in years??? Shame on me.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

Those that fish there are very secretative, must be a reason ???????

John S.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sunapee salmon

Below is a detail response from every NH fishermans friend John A. Viar, Fisheries Biologist I,New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. A very detailed
response I might add, Thanks John.

Both landlocked salmon and rainbow trout achieve excellent growth rates with ample forage fish (primarily rainbow smelt) abundance in New Hampshire lakes. Yearling salmon are stocked at approximately 6-7 inches and will double in size by the end of their first growing season (12-15 inches); by age-2 they will be over 18 inches (our management goal/benchmark). In netting studies on Winni, yearling rainbows stocked at 10-12 inches grew over 5-6 inches in one growing season! Although not common overall, we certainly see 4-5 lbs. rainbow trout in our netting activities, as well as Trophy Fish Applications and angler reports. However, confirmed 6+ lbs. rainbows are indeed a rare commodity - a true trophy in NH water bodies (those which have grown from yearling stock that is, not brood fish, obviously). For landlocked salmon, the percentage of more quality-sized fish in the 4-5 lbs. range is much greater and occasional 7-9 lbs. fish are taken, depending on the particular lake and status of the smelt population and corresponding stocking rates.

The size of yearling salmon currently stocked provides the best combination of numbers/biomass/stocking rate, survival, size for preying upon invertebrates immediately upon stocking and soon thereafter age-0 smelt (key to explosive growth), and hatchery cost efficacy/logistics. Yearling rainbows are stocked at a larger size (10-12 inches) since unlike landlocked salmon, they simply disappeared (predation and/or downstream or upstream emigration) and did not provide a fishery when stocked at smaller sizes, per past experiments in the early '90's at the onset of the large-lake rainbow program. Additionally, since rainbows frequently emigrate out of lake systems, this stocking size allows them to be taken when they achieve legal/quality size after 1-2 years before they may head out of the lake (in fall or spring heavy rain/flow events such as this past year, there is definite and confirmed emigration by both salmon and rainbows out of our lakes and into rivers and/or other lakes - anyone who fished the Winnipesaukee River in Laconia is well aware of this fact!). Another factor for fewer rainbows in general in particular lakes such as Winnipesaukee is simply the lower stocking rate/fewer chances of encountering them compared to landlocked salmon; although rainbows will feed on a wide variety of food items they will consume smelt, hence conservative stocking rates (even if high smelt abundance) when stocked in the same lakes as landlocked salmon. Additionally, rainbows can be harvested through the ice (which was the genesis of the large-lake rainbow program, although they obviously have become very popular open water as well), while it is illegal to take salmon.

John Viar goes on to say in response to my question stocked Salmon, Rainbows, etc. being eaten by Lakers.

Also keep in mind truly big lakers will eat 12-16 inch prey (salmon, trout, sucker, perch, bass, you name it) without even blinking (actually they can't blink they don't have eyelids). Trophy NH lakers 15-20 lbs. taken the last several years, when sent to the taxidermist, have contained up to four 12-14 inch rainbows in their stomachs, and big lakers taken in Sebago have been confirmed to eat 12-15 inch salmon. No doubt it's a jungle down there. (end of John Viar's response)


Back to me, again I want to thank John Viar and the entire NH Fish and Game for it's dedication to provide an excellent fishery of all species for in all NH lakes, rivers and streams.

John S.