Tracking device attached to a bass in Delta ?

[ChuckP]

Last Friday, I caught a Large Mouth bass in the Delta that had a device attached to the back of the fish with a wire loop. The device was black, about 1" by 1/2" by 1/2" and had what looks like a LED at one end. Curved on the top, with numbers on the sides. The wire loop went from the device, through the back of the fish behind the dorsal fin, and back out to the device.

Any idea what this thing is and what to do with it?

[crawdaddy]

Sounds like a DFG tag. They like to know the size of the fish and where you caught it. Some offer a monetary reward for doing so.

[cib11b]

I cought a Striper in the feather river with a tag. It said DFG on it and had a number I logged the number and threw it back. I sent DFG an e-mail and they told me I released a $50 fish.

[Steve]

Thats no basic tag. Sounds more like a telemetry device.

[DanIsaac]

THAT was one of Cooch's electronic tracking devices!

[meagain]

department of water resources has a study going also. they released fish with tracking devices last winter to follow thier movements. it might have something to do with the pumps effects on the bass in the delta? pm me i have a number for the senior biologist in sac he might be able to verify if it is one of thier devices

[BassManDan]

I'm not 100% on this, but I belive there is a grad student from Davis that is using telemetry tags on bass to monitor their movements, I believe it is to see the habitat usage of bass in relation to Delta smelt.

Again, not 100% sure, but it's a good guess.

Best thing to do, when you catch a tagged fish, record the numbers and let it go.

[ChuckP]

I have the device, but there are no numbers that I can see. Looks like there may have been numbers that wore off. Maybe a 5 or 3. I do have photos and would be glad to send them to you but would need an actual email address to attach photos. I don't know how to do photos on this site. Thanks.
Chuck

[ChuckP]

This is a link to photobucket.


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[jimmy87]

why did you remove it? I think I would have left it on the fish.

[RyanThoni]

Since it's been removed, hold onto it. There is a good chance they cost a pretty penny, and it will probably be very helpful to the Fisheries Biologist running the project. Plus, most biologists who are studying bass are fellow bass fishermen, so, you might make a friend

I will shoot an e-mail to my old boss at DFG and some colleagues with UC Davis try to track it down.

Ryan

[whatabunchofidiots]

That can get you 20

[ChuckP]

The bass had two large 1/4 inch sores where the wire entered and exited. The wire loop was too large and the wires were cutting into the bass. My thinking was that if it was not removed then the bass would soon die. I removed the device so that I could save a fish. It was about 5 pounds and otherwise in good shape.

[jimmy87]

sounds kind of nasty. I would have done the same in such case.

[big_limits]

Isnt that thar one thems new fandangled thingamajigs called a lazer lure or sumptn like 'at. Juss need u sum dem ro-taten treble hooks an yer good2go.

[CharleyA]

So where can we find more info on Delta Bass tracking studies? How many of those big fish slid down the chute at Russo's actually make it back home?

[Cooch]

The bass had two large 1/4 inch sores where the wire entered and exited. The wire loop was too large and the wires were cutting into the bass. My thinking was that if it was not removed then the bass would soon die. I removed the device so that I could save a fish. It was about 5 pounds and otherwise in good shape.

Hey ChuckP, ya know, fisheries experts have been tagging fish for a long time, and not just bass. That bass prolly runs accross more life threatening instances every day, versus the sores created by that small device. Certainly in today's age of animal rights, if that device was indeed life threatening, they'd be outlawed. I've caught fish with tags in them that have resided in the fish fer over 5 years, it really is not life threatening to the bass.

Secondly, if it indeed was part of a study in relationship to all this water crap and a bass' affect on the Delta Smelt, by removing that device, you've really not help the bass here, cause certainly that tracking device would have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that black bass have no affect on the declining Delta Smelt here.

And lastly, I personally would have been reluctant to remove that device with out the express direction of whom ever put it there ta do so. Ya just never know in today's age of electronics and terrorism, what might happen if'n ya cut that wire. There are some sickies out there!

Thanks for the post and pics though, this is the first I've seen of one of these and am sure we're going to see more in the coming years with the passage of AB2336! In the future, leave them in the fish, it's the only way we're gonna prove the ignorance of these Big Water Ag groups that are attempting to divirt from the real problem of this fishery's declining path, EXCESSIVE Water transportation out of the SYSTEM!

[BassManDan]

Dang Cooch, you're onto my terrorist plot, aka "Weapons of Bass Destruction" That fish (Agent LMB 007) was supposed to swim up to the Delta King in Old Sac and sink it!

Seriously, all that Cooch said is sound advice/information.

Best thing you can do is to find out who the tag belongs to and try to give them as much information you can about where you caught it, and of course give them their tag back.

Now you know not to mess with science next time.

[ASD]

Looks like a way to cheat!

1 catch some big bass and tag them with a lojack transmiter/eng kill

2 on turrny day track them down with your lojack tracker

3 when you get on one turn on the eng kill (this will shock em)

4 net fish

5 get paid

[tALLkAN]

BASS ARE GONNA DO WHAT BASS ARE GONNA DO!

they can study, research, examine....the whole 9 yards. NOBODY is gonna change a bass.

EXCEPT for a sea lion

i would have took the device out too and threw it in puddingstone. now figure out how that one got there biologist!

[cowboy2]

So what would happen if this fish, with the tracking device attached, was brought to a weigh-in during a tournament?

[Cooch]

So what would happen if this fish, with the tracking device attached, was brought to a weigh-in during a tournament?

I believe if it was an individual fish, nobody would care Cowboy, but if a guy was dumb enough to plant these on a fish, catch 5 of them and weigh all 5 with the tracking beacons still in place at the scales, this might raise some suspecion! LOL

[rexford]

Those are not tracking devices. They are corrective
training pods. Andy has an entire division of these
T3 fish that he is training to accept only a certain
secret bait. They can also bark on command and
fetch sunglasses and pliers that have fallen overboard.