152 replies to this topic

[Nightfall]

Hi all. My name is Alex and I live in Greece. I like all kinds of fishing but freshwater fishing is among my favourites (since my univeristy years in Switzerland, no sea = lake fishing). One of the closest places where you can have some great bass fishing is the island of Cyprus. It sound kinda weird that a hot mediterrenean island like Cyprus provides good fishing but it's true. There are more than 15 dams most of them stocked with largemouth bass. Other species include : Channel catfish, carp (mirror, grass, leather, common), crucian carp, zander (european walleye), rainbow trouts and more. The quantities are great. I just made this post since many tourists go to Cyprus without knowing that there are such great fishing opportunities.
Here are 2 pictures of me with some common sized bass (you can catch easily more than 10 of that size a day, all fish where returned to the lake apart from 1 fish a day. There are no restrictions though but try to support catch & release). Thank you

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[George Welcome]

Beautiful place, beautiful fish.

[FlyRod]

Wow! I had no idea. It's nice to know that such a small
and faraway island has bass!
Say "Hi" to Zorba for me!

F.Rod

[Rattlinrogue]

I'd have never dreamed that there are bass in the Mediterranean area.Man,small world.Beautiful pics !

[Vyron]

Yes ,I m cypriot and Cyprus is bass paradise   Unfortunately I visit Cyprus only 2 times per year

[Cybassman]

Hi there,
I come from Cyprus and I have to tell you that, yes, Cyprus has some good bass fishing but due to the limited rainfall, the bad water management from the state and the negligence from the fisheries department, the future of bass fishing is not so good.  Bass has been introduced here in 1971 and has established very well.
Dams were built to store water since we have very long drought periods that can last for 4-5 years with limited rainfall. Some fish species were introduced including the largemouth bass.  More than 35 years later, the government officials still insist that dams are for storing water and nothing else.  Unless this mentality changes the future of freshwater fishing and especially bass fishing looks grey.
It's a pity really because we have many dams (more than 20) that could offer great bass fishing along with carp, zander, roach, trout, etc...
By the way, for 2007 onwards there is a bag limit of 10 bass and minimum size of 25cm.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

[tugabasser]

Welcome aboard! I think bass is almost everywere around the world with a few execptions like Australia and part of the Indo-Pacific countries.Here in Portugal the Northern strain was introduced around 1950 in the mainland and almost a century before inthe vulcano lakes of the Azores islands. I believe we also hold the european record of 4.7 kilos (a bit over 10.3lbs), cought with a silver/blue zara spook in January 1992. I'll bet there's a bigger one wating for me somewhere ;D ;D

[Cybassman]

I wish you catch the 4.8kg bass soon. By the way, what sort of forage fish do you have in Portugal? Do you have by any chance the American Bluegill?

[tugabasser]

Ho there Cybassman!
Here in Portugal, we have a fairly number of "forage fish" species, like the nases (for instance the Iberian nase Chondrostoma polylepis), and other endemic nase species that have no english name, also chubs (gen Leuciscus) and roach (gen Rutilus). Recently, there was an illegal introduction of bleak (Alburnus alburnus), wich seems to be spreading throughout the Southern reservoirs. The main forage fish, at least in the south is the pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), an North American fish, that was officially introduced for tournament fishing puposes (speed fishing actually - huge rods, no reels, size 18 hooks, you get the picture) and is a member of the sunfish familly like the bluegill. Also introduced (now illegally) was the chamaeleon cichlid (Cichlasoma facetum), but this one is quite rare.
Hope this answers to your question  

[Cybassman]

"The main forage fish, at least in the south is the pumpkinseed..."

Do you have any problems with overpopulation of the pumpkinseed, or does the bass manage to control their numbers?  Do you think bass grow bigger and in better quantities in lakes with pumpkinseeds than other lakes? The reason I'm asking is that we need a good forage fish like the bluegill (or maybe pumpkinseed - I don't know) for the largemouth bass and the fisheries department finds it difficult to import from the USA due to European laws (at least that is their excuse).  If a good forage fish that could be used for bass and also for fishing was available in Europe then things would be easier (or the fisheries dept would not have an excuse any more).

Thanks and tight lines!

[tugabasser]

That's a very tricky question, Cybassman. Were goes:
"Do you have any problems with overpopulation of the pumpkinseed, or does the bass manage to control their numbers?" That depends: I'm a biologist and my graduation paper was on freshwater ecology, so I know for a fact that bass need to reach a certain size (over 20/25cm) in order to control the population of any kind of forage fish it encounters, so we here in Portugal face at least two situations: in reservoirs were bass numbers are relatively good, there are very few problems with pumpkinseed density, inspite of rather heavy harvest of small bass, wich means that the amount of larger bass is sufficient to keep them under control in a relative balance. This normaly happens in reservoirs that have poor access from the banks, thus very tough to fish to the majority of portuguese anglers even those that don't respect the law. On the other end, in reservoirs that sustain an intense bass fishing pressure with heavy harvest, the pumpkinseed population is huge and very difficult to control.

"Do you think bass grow bigger and in better quantities in lakes with pumpkinseeds than other lakes?" I honestly can't give you a straight answer, because it's not the only forage available: we also have other species of prey such as the Luisiana crawdad (Procambarus clarkii) that appears to be favoured in some places. Furthermore, there are those endemic cyprinids that reproduce in the upper portions of the riverine systems and, after spawning, move to upper reaches of the reservoirs and can also be a part of the great equation. I believe that the correct formula for big and healthy bass, at least in Portugal, is an improved control on anglers and the inforcement of the law, habitat improvement and the notion that our native species cannot survive in reservoirs: they're just not fit.

"The reason I'm asking is that we need a good forage fish like the bluegill (or maybe pumpkinseed - I don't know) for the largemouth bass and the fisheries department finds it difficult to import from the USA due to European laws (at least that is their excuse).  If a good forage fish that could be used for bass and also for fishing was available in Europe then things would be easier (or the fisheries dept would not have an excuse any more)" That may not be that simple because of Europe's nature conservation laws. In case you didn't know, as we speak, the whole European Union is working on an improved water directive that includes not only physical and chemical paramethers, but also ecological ones, in wich natural occuring fish communities are included. As I believe Cyprus has no natural occuring freshwater fish species, it might not make a great deal of difference but, neverhteless, bass should be considered an "exotic" species, even potencially a pest. So it's tricky...very tricky to try to intoduce another foreign species...One thing that you could do is to find out what is the difficulty in the precess: is it the origin? is it the actual introduction of another species? In the fist case, bass LOVE rainbow trout  ...If it's the second case, you could start a hatchery with the already available species, since Cyprus has no natural occuring freshwater species...It 's a very interesting subject and you should find out more with your fisheries department.
Keep'em cominn', Cybassman and, if you or anybody else need more info, PM me, I'll get back asap

[CyBasser]

Hi Tugabasser and CyBassMan,

It is very interesting to watch this thread. I am glad that Tugabasser confirms several of the points that I have stressed out out to CyBassMan (in personal conversations) over the last few months.

Indeed, Cyprus has no indigenous freshwater fish except the Eel. Mosquito fish were introduced in 1903, Carp around 1930 and in 1948, and Brown Trout in 1948. Rainbow Trout followed 1n 1967, with many species being introduced between 1968 and 1985. Largemouth Bass themselves were introduced in 1971. Practically all reservoirs that have Largemouth Bass are now at least 8 years old, and the ecosystems are quite balanced. Bass feed predominently on Roach (Rutilus rutilus), Silver Bream (Blicca bjoerkna), and baby Carp (Cyprinus carpio). In some reservoirs they also prey on Tilapia (Oreochromis sp), Bleak (Alburnus alburnus), and crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Both tilapia and crayfish do provide a higher nutritional value than cyprinids to bass. The forage is plentiful; a quick look at the shape of the bass being caught will confirm that (check threads by Vyron or myself at the "outing" section of the forum).

It is true that the addition of another, high-nutritional-value prey species could benefit the overall growth rates of bass. It appears that Cyprus bass caught at Asprokremmos, where both crayfish and tilapia exist, have faster growth rates than bass from Dhipotamos, where roach is the main forage (this was tested by aging scales). At the same time though, adding another species now could well upset the overall balance, and our reservoirs are quite balanced at this time. CyBassMan has been long campaigning in Cyprus for the introduction of sunfish (crappie, bluegill, and now pumpkinseed) as the ideal forage for bass. I can readily see his point: Sunfish are highly nutritious, loved by bass, grow to a good enough size to be an anglers' quarry themselves, and are excellent table fare (I can confirm all of the above, as I have caught and eaten crappie, pumpkinseed, and bluegill in the US). The issue though is not so simple.

We may not have indigenous/endemic freshwater species. But our freshwater ecosystems have adapted both to the climatic conditions of the island and to the species present in them. Adding a completely new species is likely to upset this balance, to a lower or higher degree. In the past (2005) I prepared a detailed study which was submitted to the Fisheries Department regarding the possibility of introducing a new species after they talked with me about the issue. To prepare that study I drew both to the extensive scientific literature available, along with my own training as a biologist (I specialized during my studies in ecology and evolution). Through this study, I showed that the introduction of a new species (or species) of the Centrarchidae family (sunfishes) might not be a good idea. The life histories of these species are such that they are likely to have a considerable negative effect on the already established cyprinid species, especially Roach (don't forget that all sunfish are predators, and in addition they are egg consumers). It is quite possible that after many year (12 or more) things will probably balance out again, but in the meantime it is quite possible that their introduction could result in a negative "domino" effect, which would even affect the bass themselves. I have to make this clear: I would not mind at all catching bluegills myself, they sure are a lot of fun. But I would rather continue catching nice bass rather than risk with bluegills!

Based on the various factors involved, I suggested that if a completely new forage species would be introduced the one likely to cause the least negative effect would be the Threadfin Shad, and then only if it was introduced in the two largest reservoirs only (Kourris and Asprokremmos). And even then, there was no guarantee that there would be no negative effects on the established cyprinids.

My own idea regarding this issue (which CyBassMan should remember from our conversation in the car returning from the Fisheries Dept after getting our licences) is that heavy stocking of the larger reservoirs with hatchery rainbow trout at regular intervals between October and April might well be the ideal "solution" (if a solution is indeed needed at all) for providing bass with a nutritious forage fish. Knowing the way of thinking of the Cyprus Fisheries Department it will be quite hard to persuade them to "throw away" thousands of trout just as forage to bass, although there is the selling point that trout can also be caught by anglers. The fact that trout will not reproduce also provides a safety key in case the results are not as expected: Stocking stops and little damage occurs. I am very glad to see that Tugabasser also suggests - independently - the same solution. In S. Cal this system has produced WR-class bass and keeps both bass and trout anlers happy!

Regarding importing new species, things are easier if a species is imported from an E.U. country. There are still though many regulations that need to be addressed before such an introduction, unless the species already exists here. Thus it was no problem importing new stocks of Brown Trout in 2006 from Austria. It would be no more difficult to introduce Florida Bass either - provided the stock is imported from an E.U. country as well.

For the time though, our best bet would be to persuade our Fisheries Dept to release rainbows in a controlled situation at an experimental phase, and then wait a couple of years to see what effect these stockings would have both on the growth rates of bass but also on the existing forage species...

Tight lines!

[Vyron]

Cybassman 1st of all welcome 2 the forum

I would like 2 post some replies I got the previous year from american buddies.

what do those bass feed on and become so chunky?

true "Football" ................. American

I can't believe how fat those bass are! What have those hogs been eating??!!

and so on

Cyprus bass are short and fat. A 3kg cyprus bass on average is 53-55cm.

An american 3kg bass is >60cm!!!!!!!

I agree with u that the available forage is not the most suitable but again they get fat and more fat!!!

tugabasser said something very correct :Bass love rainbow trout (its like steroids for them)

Ask our cali friends what they ve been feeding their bass and they get huge :
trouts!!!!!!!!

I am not a biologist so i cant give a pro opinion, but i believe importing a new species is not the way 2 go!!!

As far as cyprus bass fishing in general, check this post

You and I have somthing in common, we are both very fortunate to be able to fish some awesome water.  Your country has some of the heftiest, slobby, fat laden bass I've ever seen.  we might have to sttart a foreign exchange program here.....




Cybasser : nice reply ,thanks for taking the time 2 write it

[Cybassman]

Hi Tugabasser,

Thank you for the info.  What do you mean by saying that your native species just don't fit?

Anyway, I have to clarify a few things as I am being “attacked” by my friend Cybasser (and I am not surprised at all), but never mind. Well, first of all, “CyBassMan has been long campaigning in Cyprus for the introduction of sunfish (crappie, bluegill, and now pumpkinseed) as the ideal forage for bass”.  I am not campaigning for anything.  The fisheries dept. told us at the beginning of 2005 that they are looking into the possibility of introducing new species for forage fish and better angling opportunities.  I am not an expert on the subject, and I never claimed to be.  I studied the subject a lot thru the internet, and I just repeated the opinion of most experts on the subject ie that a suitable fish would be the bluegill.  I also gave the opinion of scientists on the pros and cons of introducing the crappie.  I NEVER suggested the pumpkinseed.  I just asked you about it since you have this species in your lakes and it has a similar behaviour as the bluegill.  I wonder how my friend cybasser came to this conclusion.

My opinion on the subject is that, bass would grow bigger, faster and in more quantities with the right forage fish along with better management from the fisheries department. In one particular dam there seems to be a serious problem (maybe of forage fish shortage – the fisheries dept agrees on that).  Thousands of small bass appear in the lake in the summer time and then they disappear.  The fishing opportunities in this dam which is one of the biggest on the island are very poor. For this particular dam I strongly suggested the introduction of bluegill or tilapia along with water testing for plankton etc…

I even suggested the introduction of tilapia in some of our dams as this species is already present in Cyprus.  The fisheries department does not like the idea as the fish do not survive in low water temperatures.  As far as the balance is concerned, we all were surprised with the big sizes of bass present in Asprogremmos dam the last few years.  Then we found out that the dam is full of tilapia (Sizes up to one kilo).  Nobody noticed any effect on the balance.  In fact the only thing that changed is the numbers and sizes of the bass in the dam.  Another example of the introduction of tilapia is Yermasogia dam.  We all noticed that the size of bass we caught the last couple of years changed compared to previous years with more and more bass weighing more than a kilo.  I personally caught hundreds of them.  Then two months ago we found out that there are many tilapias in the dam.  Again there was no effect on the balance.  Unfortunately due to bad management from the government officials the dam is now almost empty and close to destruction.  I would say that introducing a new species whether that is bluegill or tilapia in other dams would be a good idea. But even if the numbers of Roach are reduced and bass and tilapias (or bluegill) thrive, is that an unwanted result?

Also, I would like to remind my friend cybasser that at the beginning of 2005 he prepared and submitted a “scientific” report, to the fisheries dept suggesting the introduction of both the Gizzard and Threadfin shad as a positive step for our freshwater fishing with the threadfin shad as ideal for our dams for the larger growth of bass.

By the way, grown bass are short and fat in one particular dam only (Kourris).  I don't know why.  In other dams I have caught and seen bass 50cm long weighing only 1.3kilos or less.

One last thing. Our dams do not face intense bass fishing pressure (not yet anyway) and that might very well explain the fact that we still catch quite a good number of bass.  The bass anglers (and I mean those that know what they are doing) are not more than 50-60 people, maybe even less.  Of course there are an increasing number of anglers that catch small bass while fishing for roach or other species.  Tilapia or bluegill would provide good fishing opportunities for them as well.

I think that the fisheries department will never agree to use rainbows as forage fish due to the high cost involved in breeding them.

Thanks and tight lines!