I was wondering what effect the Zebra Mussels have had to trout fishing in the Irish Lakes.Looking forward to replies.

I believe they help with filtering the water i.e eating the bacteria/water louse etc.

At the minute they seem to be good for trout but I think they are detrimental to the roach population.

But one thing I have noticed on Lough Sheelin is the improvement in the pearch this year. I have perch up to 2 1/2 lbs and in my coarse fishing days I would have went to the ends of the country for a fish of that quality.

A fisheries guy reconed they can only live for so long before dying of.

I dont think anyone will know the impact they will have untill further down the line.

In the short term beneficial as water clarity increases tremendously due to the mussels filtering out the detritus. They have turned Lough Ree from a waste of time for trout to one of the better loughs, certainly at mayfly time.

I can't help thinking that there is going to be a price to pay somewhere down the line though.

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“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

They can be a pest that can have an effect on fish stocks. I looked at this a few years ago and found these websites.

http://www.gma.org/surfing/human/zebra.html

http://archive.nics.gov.uk/env/040909b-env.htm

http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/pub...ns/Zebra_2.pdf

http://www.invasivespeciesireland.co...20Strategy.pdf

There is more on the web if you search for zebra mussels

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Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

Another thing I remember is about 2 months ago I was fishing Sheelin early morning targeting rising fish. It was between flat calm and slight ripple when I seen a strange shape breaking the surface, it looked odd and out of place but when I rowed over it turned out to be a big bream over the 20 lb mark.

The fish was as black as your boot and was obviously on its last legs struggling to swim back to the depths.

The reason I tell this is Sheelin has had the mussels for years and some recon the mussel has reached its peak and is now on the decline. But between this and the fantastic pearch its hard to see the down side.

But no doubt there will be one.

I am no expert, but the obvious result of improved clarity in water is increased weed growth. This will make some areas unfishable at certain times. On the other hand, extra weed provides extra habitat for the type of food that trout love. Back to the first hand though, lack of microscopic food in the water, due to mussel filtration, will in the longer term lead to a downturn in inverterbrate life and have a detrimental knock on effect up the food chain.

The severity of mussel impact will also differ from lake to lake. My understanding is that they need hard surfaces (rocks) to colonise. Lakes with extensive mud areas would therefore be less affected than those with predominantly rocky bottoms. I don't know where that leaves the Irish loughs?

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But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

20lb bream??/?????????????????????

Would that make this bream some sort of record?

I reckon with all the steroids ben fed to pigs that the slurry been dumped into the lake is making them bream big,

i think 12lb or their abouts is the irish record, maybe 14lb