Otters affect on Bass .

[N Florida Mike]

Just curious what y’all think about otters  and bass. Do they catch and eat many bass? especially bigger bass? I know they clean catfish out wherever they are. 

Had 2 bass fishing friends over and they say they saw several otters in a group. I havent seen any in a long time. I do have nutrias but they arent fish eaters.

Please keep this subject on track. Not wanting the otter lovers fighting otter haters. Not wanting to hear about control - Already know about that...Thanks.

[Russ E]

I am sure they can impact the population on small waters.

around here I don't see many on lakes. they seem to hang out in the rivers.

Now bald eagles are a different story.

There are several around the small lakes here. I have seen them fly off with large bass more than once.

[Teal]

I'm sure there is some small effect on bass, probably mainly on smaller bass or just in competition for the small food sources like bream and crawfish

[Team9nine]

Several diet studies done show that fish make up a big part of the otters diet, at least seasonally, typically between 50-85%. Of those, fish in the bluegill family are usually the largest contributors, with various bluegill and sunfish typically accounting for more of that portion than largemouth. However, in a river scenario, where sunfish species can be more limited, smallmouth often comprise a larger portion of the diet. How this affects the overall bass population likely varies by specific waterbody. There has been some pretty good "fights" between sportsmen and environmentalists and F&G depts. when otter are reintroduced into popular fishing waters.

[TnRiver46]

They catch plenty of bass but they have coexisted for a long long long time. The only time they might be able to “clean out” any body of water is a tiny pond. We will come trap them for ya in exchange for a guaranteed 10 lb bass on the line.........

[MGF]

They sure seem to knock down the river population and they stroll over to any pond that's near the river and clean everything out. They clean it out and move on to the next one.

 

Long ago they coexisted but but the ecology was very different then...you didn't have thousands and thousands of fishermen or all the farm run-off for starters.

 

The otters were gone from here...until the government restocked them. My wife and I really enjoyed seeing them at first. That was before we knew better.

 

I don't think the few eagles, osprey and other birds of prey we have kill nearly as many fish. They get some but not like the otters.

[Captain Phil]

Otters eat fish, bass included.  They have been known to kill alligators. They kill to survive.   They are much better fisherman than we are.   Bass will flee the area if a hungry otter shows up.  Otters can be dangerous in a fight.  When I was young, a fisherman wading in Okeechobee was killed when he was bitten by an otter.   He bled out before he could get help.  Mostly, they stay away from humans unless they feel threatened.  There aren't enough otters left in Florida to harm fish populations.  That's sad as they are among God's most amusing creatures.  

[Whatever]

"That's sad as they are among God's most amusing creatures."

 

Well said, Sir!

They do seem to have a great sense of play, and curiosity.

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, MGF said:

 

 

Long ago they coexisted but but the ecology was very different then..

Ecology is ever changing but if otters were indeed capable of killing all the fish, the fish would be long gone by now. There are lots of

 concerns among fish populations and otters are at the bottom of that list. 
 

I guide trout trips on a 3/4 mile section of

private trout stream. There have been otters there forever and they can’t kill all the trout. And that’s an artificial trout setting, not a chance they could wipe out a wild population. Louisiana is loaded with otters and fish 

 

this is an age old debate, not just otters. Hawks eat all the quail, snakes eat all the rats, bats eat all the mosquitos, coyotes eat all the rabbits, etc etc etc. it’s never actually true, predators would starve if they ate up all their food source. Mother Nature balances herself 

[soflabasser]

From my personal experience seeing an otter is a good thing since it shows the area I am fishing in has a healthy population of fish. I have caught bass and other species of fish while otters where actively hunting in the area I was fishing in. 

[MGF]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Ecology is ever changing but if otters were indeed capable of killing all the fish, the fish would be long gone by now. There are lots of

 concerns among fish populations and otters are at the bottom of that list. 
 

I guide trout trips on a 3/4 mile section of

private trout stream. There have been otters there forever and they can’t kill all the trout. And that’s an artificial trout setting, not a chance they could wipe out a wild population. Louisiana is loaded with otters and fish 

 

this is an age old debate, not just otters. Hawks eat all the quail, snakes eat all the rats, bats eat all the mosquitos, coyotes eat all the rabbits, etc etc etc. it’s never actually true, predators would starve if they ate up all their food source. Mother Nature balances herself 

I didn't mean to suggest that the otters will clean out the entire river. The river is too vast for the number of otters. The otters have though cleaned out many ponds. A small number of otters can clean out an entire pond in a short time.

 

There's nothing natural going on here. The ponds aren't natural, the fish populations in them aren't natural and the presence of the otters are NOT natural. Every bit of this is the work of people.

 

The otters and most of their natural habitat were long gone in this area. A small group of people in state government had money from collecting lots of taxes and selling many many fishing licenses thought... "Oh wouldn't it be wonderful to see some little otters running around?". And they made it so.

 

And now some ponds are without fish. 

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

From my personal experience seeing an otter is a good thing since it shows the area I am fishing in has a healthy population of fish. I have caught bass and other species of fish while otters where actively hunting in the area I was fishing in. 

Once the otters empty a pond, you won't see them there anymore.

[N Florida Mike]

14 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They catch plenty of bass but they have coexisted for a long long long time. The only time they might be able to “clean out” any body of water is a tiny pond. We will come trap them for ya in exchange for a guaranteed 10 lb bass on the line.........

Come on, and bring turtleman while you’re at it. He may need work since his show is canceled.?Yee Yee ! Live action! I cant gaurantee a 10 pounder but you’ll have fun trying!

[MGF]

16 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They catch plenty of bass but they have coexisted for a long long long time. The only time they might be able to “clean out” any body of water is a tiny pond. We will come trap them for ya in exchange for a guaranteed 10 lb bass on the line.........

Our state recently opened a trapping season on them. Help yourself...of course you have to purchase a license and get landowner permission.

 

I've been searching these water for a 10 pounder for more than 50 years and I haven't found one yet. I think the otters ate them all. LOL

[soflabasser]

The place I have seen the most otters is in the Everglades which is a one of the best places to go fishing in Florida. You cannot compare a little man made pond to the Everglades. Otters where here before man came so they deserve respect since they are the true natives. 

7 minutes ago, MGF said:

I've been searching these water for a 10 pounder for more than 50 years and I haven't found one yet. 

Have caught 10 pounders, had 100 bass days, and other great fishing days in areas with otters, alligators, and other wildlife that eat bass. I enjoy seeing these animals while I am fishing since I know they are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. 

[MGF]

4 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

The place I have seen the most otters is in the Everglades which is a one of the best places to go fishing in Florida. You cannot compare a little man made pond to the Everglades. Otters where here before man came so they deserve respect since they are the true natives. 

Have caught 10 pounders, had 100 bass days, and other great fishing days in areas with otters, alligators, and other wildlife that eat bass.

I'm not comparing anything in Indiana to anything in Florida. I understand the concept of carrying capacity.

 

This is farm country and nothing like south Florida. The waters are limited and highly pressured on multiple fronts. Likewise the fish populations are limited and pressured. Good otter habitat is also very limited and on the decline. I'm sure the carrying capacity is orders of magnitude less than the everglades. The everglades has a lot of things that northern Indiana doesn't.

 

If it were within my power I would gladly gift to you every single one of our otters. 

[soflabasser]

I would not mind seeing more otters since I see less of them now than I did 10 or more years ago. Habitat destruction is one of the factors that is causing otters to come in those little man made ponds so many like to fish. Urban development is taking away more of the otters natural environment so the otters have forced to go to places they would not go to before. 

[Captain Phil]

3 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

Come on, and bring turtleman while you’re at it. He may need work since his show is canceled.?Yee Yee ! Live action! 

I loved turtleman.   I grew up with a few boys like that.  Brought back lots of memories.  A few of them I wish I hadn't remembered.  ?

[livin2fish]

I enjoy seeing the otters, but wish they would move to another cove.  The dock that I have access to had numerous fish around it until the otters moved in.  That was 2 years ago.  I am sure there are other factor as well, so can't blame it all on the otters.

[TnRiver46]

Urban development doesn’t make them go elsewhere. We trap them in backyard koi ponds 

 

urban wildlife is how I’ve made a living for 13 years now and my boss has been doing it since 1989. People think building houses makes animals run across a map, they actually just adapt and live in your yard . The only mammals capable of running across a map are coyotes and mountain lions. Coyotes are the most successful range expansion of the last 50 years and mountain lions aren’t far behind. We have big cats in Tennessee now, they came all the way down the Missouri River valley. There’s a coyote in every single county in the US and they weren’t on this side of the Mississippi River before 1980. 
 

“habitat“ doesn’t have to be miles of wilderness, animals just need food and A place to raise babies 

 

@MGF, otters lived in Indiana before white people moved in and dug ponds. Even if someone hadn’t reintroduced, they would have done it on their own . 
 

otters were gone from Tennessee around 1990 (so were raccoons and deer and turkey). This had absolutely nothing to do with “habitat loss” contrary to popular belief and here’s why. They reintroduced deer, Turkey, and otters in the 90s and populations have absolutely exploded. That means the habitat was already here. The reason the animals were gone is because people killed them all 

[MGF]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Urban development doesn’t make them go elsewhere. We trap them in backyard koi ponds 

 

urban wildlife is how I’ve made a living for 13 years now and my boss has been doing it since 1989. People think building houses makes animals run across a map, they actually just adapt and live in your yard 

Some critters do well in a more urban setting and some don't. Urbanization isn't what's happening here though.

 

We grow corn. Past generations of farmers left lots of  woods standing. Newer farmers cut everything down to make room for corn. Once you have nothing but crop fields it gets pretty "sterile". I could guide you through many miles of our Midwest farmland where almost nothing lives. Once the crops are harvested you are left with a baron wasteland without enough cover to support even a mouse. You could walk for miles in a fresh snow without ever cutting a track. Nobody who lives there are calling for your services. It seems like I see another woodlot coming down about every week.

 

Most of the ponds here are stock ponds...or started that way. Some of them end up with good populations of fish and usually account for a lot of record fish. Personally I've never had access to any so it's not so much skin off my nose but otters will wipe them out.

 

I'm not sure what provisions our state makes for relocating otters but I can't imagine that folks here would pay you when they have a rifle handy.

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, MGF said:

Some critters do well in a more urban setting and some don't. Urbanization isn't what's happening here though.

 

We grow corn. Past generations of farmers left lots of  woods standing. Newer farmers cut everything down to make room for corn. Once you have nothing but crop fields it gets pretty "sterile". I could guide you through many miles of our Midwest farmland where almost nothing lives. Once the crops are harvested you are left with a baron wasteland without enough cover to support even a mouse. You could walk for miles in a fresh snow without ever cutting a track. Nobody who lives there are calling for your services. It seems like I see another woodlot coming down about every week.

 

Most of the ponds here are stock ponds...or started that way. Some of them end up with good populations of fish and usually account for a lot of record fish. Personally I've never had access to any so it's not so much skin off my nose but otters will wipe them out.

 

I'm not sure what provisions our state makes for relocating otters but I can't imagine that folks here would pay you when they have a rifle handy.

ive been in northwest Ohio all week and drove to Elkhart Indiana Monday. I’m no stranger to the corn. My fiancé grew up here. The critters are in the drainage ditches on the side of the road, even monster bucks. Lots o muskrat . We had an intern from Indiana work with us once, He’s a helluva trapper. A customer

had a possum in her crawl space and said “why do I have possum, there’s no tree near my house.” Danny replies “ma’am I’m from Indiana where you can’t see a tree for miles and there’s possum everywhere” Danny still traps in Indiana all season and lots of people call for his services. The “barren” Midwest corn is full of fur and trappers 

[MGF]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

 

@MGF, otters lived in Indiana before white people moved in and dug ponds. Even if someone hadn’t reintroduced, they would have done it on their own 

White men dug ponds and killed the otters to prevent them from eating their fish. At that point there were no otters. Then the state made it illegal to kill otters and put them back in the ponds. LOL

 

You mention the coyote expansion. As I recall that started when bounties ended. I remember when there were full time professional coyote hunters. Now we have coyotes killing pets in suburban neighborhoods.

 

A few years ago I got permission to deer hunt some private property...which is really rare around here. The property owner actually made it a condition that I make an honest effort to kill any coyote that I saw. He's a sheep farmer.

[TnRiver46]

Otter fur was quite literally currency which is why they were extirpated. People killing them to protect their ponds won’t make a dent 

[roadwarrior]

We need a bounty on turtles around here.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

We need a bounty on turtles around here.

Funny you would say that, they had a huge sale on them yearly out toward Memphis, can’t  remember where. You could bring a whole pickup truck full and get like $2-3 a piece. They have to be alive though