Good evening all. I was wondering if I could pick your brains on a topic I've been very curious about concerning the productivity of one lake over another. Within reasonable distance from Eureka, I can target two perch lakes that vary widely in the size of the perch they produce. Both Lower Stillwater and Murphy Lake are loaded with perch, but the former outstrips the latter in terms of their size and I'm very curious as to why that is.
As far as a comparison between them, both lakes have extensive weed beds and offer a refuge of relatively deep water (Murphy bottoms out around 25-30' while Lower Stillwater has two holes that are roughly 50'. Both lakes have a predator population (largemouth bass in Murphy vs. pike in Lower Stillwater). I point that out due to a few research articles I've read concerning how predators can cull out the smaller fish, thereby allowing the bigger fish to spawn/decreasing the genetics of smaller spawners. Both lakes are fed by streams (Murphy has two creeks that feed it and an outlet, while Lower Stillwater is fed by the Stillwater River). I've fished them in the spring and fall and witnessed abundant insect activity on both, indicating the presence of a solid food base.
Yet, despite these similarities, an angler must sort through dozen or so small fish for every worthy keeper on Murphy (a 9" perch is a hog here...at least in my experience), while Lower Stillwater produces good catches with more approaching jumbo status. Any thoughts? I realize there's little to nothing I can do about it, whether I know the reason behind this or not, but I'm extremely curious as to why Murphy doesn't produce larger fish and more of them. Your input is greatly appreciated.
