Cyprus - Bass Paradise

[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

-

[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!

[Vyron]

Cybassman, nobody is being "attacked" here.

The fellowship we enjoy here is rare, this forum is the best ,hands down  

Talking about sizes:

This is a short fat bass from Dipotamos that weighted 2980gr. (no spawning here)

As u can c this is not a kouris phenomenon only and this bass is not an exception of the rule.(I keep an analytical fishing log that each bass is measured)

Long and thin bass were caught at Asprokremos this year which was strange for me considering the tipalia and crawfish that exist in that water.

I m open minded,and I have 2 say that I agree with some of ur opinions.

U seem 2 be a skillfull bass fisherman with lots of knowledge that I respect ,

again welcome aboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tugabasser]

Hello again,, Cybassman.

What I mean is that our native species are "rheophyllic" (current adapted) by oposition to "limnophyllic" (standing water adapted). This implies that their habitat is no longer available in the impounded systems (at least in the "lake" portion and in the immediate proximities upstream), thus their food sources are unavailable and, in drought situations, since they cannot migrate to the high oxygen current waters to reproduce, there is no imput of new fish. Further more, our native species have evolved without any kind of water predator (with the exception of otter and some water birds). I know of a case in a reservoir in the south were colleages of mine working with the university of Évora netted iberian barbels weigthing 12 to 18 kg that were more than 12 years old and did not reproduce for about 10. The fisheries studies in our southern reservoirs (and some up north also) reveal that the vast mojority of the fish community is dominated (in biomass therms) by carp, bass and pumpkinseed, with the native portuguese species accounting for as less as 2%. It's almost like when you put a polar bear in the Serengeti: it's not supposed to be there. Don't get me wrong: I'm 100% for the conservation of our native species, not only because they're ecologically important for the riverine system equilibrium, but because 80% of them are on the virge of extintion. What I mean is that they're not fit for reservoirs and most deffinitively cannot be considered good bass forage, since there's very little guarantee that they can endure.

I can reveal to you and everybody else that there are plans to create at least one endemic species hatchery in order to compensate habitat loss due to large impoundment construction. And I agree, as long as the fish produced are destined only to de adequate systems and no just dumped into reservois: it's just throwing money away and playing with the tax payers money.

Regarding (again) introductions, in my opinion the main difference between bluegill nd pumpkinseed is that the bluegill grows larger and apparently does not feed on fish eggs as the pumpkinseed does(www.fishbase.org). However, the bluegill preys on small fish and, if not controled, can cause recruitment trouble in bass offspring ("almost" a tie ).

Recently (4, 5 years top) there was an illegal introdution of bleak in our "frontier" reservoirs, probably by our spaniard neighbors and, I must say, they're adapting just fine, increasing theirs numbers and suppling bass with a permanent forage in addition to the other freshwater species. And they form schools, so one of these days I can finally use them jiggin spoons my father bought 20 years ago!

In a more serious note: I 've seen pictures of your reservoirs and steep is the word for them. Is there any kind of live vegetation (I don't mean dead brush) at all?

Great and profitable discussion

Keep your spirits high and lure on the water

[CyBasser]

Hi 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.

Hi CyBassMan,

Well, this is a very friendly "attack" and a well meant one!

[CyBasser]

In a more serious note: I 've seen pictures of your reservoirs and steep is the word for them. Is there any kind of live vegetation (I don't mean dead brush) at all?

Great and profitable discussion

Keep your spirits high and lure on the water

Hi again TugaBasser,

The only lowland reservoir that has had some live vegetation (but I don't know the species) was Kalavasos which I mentioned in my reply to CyBassMan. The reason for lack of vegetation is that the water is too stained most of the year to allow sufficient light for plant growth. There is vegetation though in some smaller, clear, mountain reservoirs.

[CyBasser]

Here is a photo of the eastern (shallower) shore of Kalavasos Reservoir mentioned above. Keep in mind that the water level is now about 3 meters less than shown in the photo (March 2006)

[CyBasser]

... And a view of the western, deeper shore of Kalavasos. I personally believe some of the largest Cyprus Bass live in these waters. I have personally seen two huge specimens swimming in one of the bays on an April 2003 (postspawn) morning. I have seen 3Kg+ bass being caught, those two were far bigger with amazingly huge heads. They refused anything I threw to them before heading for the depths out of sight. By the way, we were there with CyBassMan that morning though he (and our other two friends) were in other bays.... and CyBassMan himself had lost a very big bass there himself in late 2002.

The biggest Kalavasos bass I know of is a 3.1Kg lunker taken later in 2004.

[Cybassman]

I fully agree that Kalavasos holds a few huge bass.  Bass usually feed by sight, and clear water in Kalavasos certainly helps them to grow big.  I lost my biggest fish there and I will never forget the feeling when I had it hooked and I saw that huge head emerging out of the water.  I also agree there is some good offshore structure.  But this is mostly true when the dam is full or almost full.  Now the water level is below 19%.  This structure is out of the water, the dam looks like a pond, the water is stained and still there is no sign of bass.  Surely this is not normal.  As for the presence of Tilapia, I believe they did not survive.  I think they never had a chance to grow.  Last time I saw one, was almost 1.5 years ago.  The small bass appear there every year and then disappear mysteriously. They never live to grow.  Something must be wrong.

Cybasser, you say that we should keep in mind that there are people fishing for Roach and introducing other species might not be to their benefit.  What do you think trout fishermen will say if half the amount of trout produced, is used as forage for bass?  (They do it at Lefkara dam feeding the pikeperch, but not many people realize it).  You know very well that the fisheries department will not grow the trout before releasing them and you also know why.  Releasing 1lb trout is just out of the question.  It is either 20000 small trout or nothing.  I don't think we have a choice.

As far as the shape of the bass is concerned, they are not made using forming blocks, so there are exceptions. You can find for example this shape in Evretou but in Kourris it is the rule. And I am NOT talking about fully grown bass.  In kourris most adult bass (~2lb) are short and fat but not in other dams.  A fully grown male bass will seldom exceed 40cm in length; a fully grown female will usually reach about 55cm in length, but both will still gain weight.  Guess what happens to their shape.  That is why fully grown bass appear short and fat. I am not talking about fully grown fish but adult fish.

Regards to you all !!!

[Cybassman]

"The only lowland reservoir that has had some live vegetation (but I don't know the species) was Kalavasos which I mentioned in my reply to CyBassMan. The reason for lack of vegetation is that the water is too stained most of the year to allow sufficient light for plant growth. There is vegetation though in some smaller, clear, mountain reservoirs."

Couldn't the lack of vegetation be due to the fact that there are big water level changes every year in our dams?  I mean areas with 1-2 meters of water now, will be really deep water in a few months (depending on the rainfall) and vice-versa.  So any vegetation will either be in deep water with not enough light or completely out of the water in a few months.

:'(

[CyBasser]

I fully agree that Kalavasos holds a few huge bass. Bass usually feed by sight, and clear water in Kalavasos certainly helps them to grow big. I lost my biggest fish there and I will never forget the feeling when I had it hooked and I saw that huge head emerging out of the water. I also agree there is some good offshore structure. But this is mostly true when the dam is full or almost full. Now the water level is below 19%. This structure is out of the water, the dam looks like a pond, the water is stained and still there is no sign of bass. Surely this is not normal. As for the presence of Tilapia, I believe they did not survive. I think they never had a chance to grow. Last time I saw one, was almost 1.5 years ago. The small bass appear there every year and then disappear mysteriously. They never live to grow. Something must be wrong.

Kalavasos was indeed the oddball regarding our reservoirs. To be totally honest, both of us may be right or wrong - the only way to know 100% sure what's going on in there might be by a thorough scientific study, taking water and bottom samples, electrofishing to take fish samples from various areas, and analyzing the whole results. We both know that the goverment agencies "responsible" for such a study will never bother to undertake such a task. Probably only time will tell what's really going on there.

But, Kalavasos is not unique. Since last winter Evretou has also been abnormally clear - the visibility which used to be less than 3 feet has been about 15ft (5 meters) throughout 2006. Guess what: Bass have suddenly become exceedingly difficult to catch - and the same is true for roach, which used to be everywhere. But, during a rainy period last October when there was a large water inflow to the reservoir, several nice (to 2Kg) bass were caught near the feeder creek - where the water had again become very stained. So, by not catching / seeing bass from the shore does not necessarily mean that the population is gone.

Cybasser, you say that we should keep in mind that there are people fishing for Roach and introducing other species might not be to their benefit. What do you think trout fishermen will say if half the amount of trout produced, is used as forage for bass? (They do it at Lefkara dam feeding the pikeperch, but not many people realize it). You know very well that the fisheries department will not grow the trout before releasing them and you also know why. Releasing 1lb trout is just out of the question. It is either 20000 small trout or nothing. I don't think we have a choice.

I am 100% sure that any serious trout angler would rather catch 3 or 4 1lb trout rather than 10 or 15 6" trout. At least that's what about 110 people members of an Association all agree on. Even the illegal anglers would rather catch bigger trout rather than sardine-sized ones. You know that I totally agree with you regarding the usual stocking of Lefkara with those tiny trout that become ideal forage for the large numbers of zander (European walleye) which live there. So, in effect, the Fisheries Department is already practicing (without them realizing it of course!) what we are suggesting except that they mainly add forage for zander rather than bass (which though have started to show up in this reservoir as well and maybe in the furure the trout-fed bass will prove us right!). I believe that it is possible to persuade the FD to release trout in traditional bass reservoirs - if you remember, they did release some trout in Asprokremmos and Yermasogeia back in 2003, so it might be possible to persuade them again. And if they start releasing small trout in the large reservoirs, then they will no longer have an excuse for not releasing larger trout in the mountain reservoirs as it will become easier to grow them in their Kalopanayiotis facility.

As far as the shape of the bass is concerned, they are not made using forming blocks, so there are exceptions. You can find for example this shape in Evretou but in Kourris it is the rule. And I am NOT talking about fully grown bass. In kourris most adult bass (~2lb) are short and fat but not in other dams. A fully grown male bass will seldom exceed 40cm in length; a fully grown female will usually reach about 55cm in length, but both will still gain weight. Guess what happens to their shape. That is why fully grown bass appear short and fat. I am not talking about fully grown fish but adult fish.

This is not a fast and steady rule. I have caught long (but still well-fed) bass in Kourris, Dhipotamos, Asprokremmos, and Yermasogeia as well as short and stubby (football - shaped) ones. And I have even caught 25cm bass with that football shape. As a comparison, Vyron's 3.120Kg Kourris' bass was in the "long"category rather than in the "football" one. I don't think that one or other form prevails - it might be even due to the genetic make-up of each individual (there are people who eat a lot but remain thin, and there are people who eat less but aattain a "rounder" shape!

Man, I really enjoy our discussions !

[Cybassman]

Hi there Cybasser, I also enjoy this conversation.

You said it yourself. When the water in Evretou got stained, some good bass were caught. This was not the case with Kalavasos. Maybe some fish were caught, but not to the extent that I would consider the situation as being normal. Anyway, you are right in saying that we could both be correct or wrong, but knowing that the fisheries dept will not do anything to find out more details, I still believe that our best bet would be Bluegill or even Tilapia. Then, everything else being normal, bass will have a continual supply of different size forage, as these fish reproduce throughout the warm months. If there is something else wrong there, the introduction of forage fish will not have any negative effect anyway.

With the exception of last year, trout fishing was good in our mountain dams. I don't think the fisheries dept would ever keep the fish in Kalopanagiotis facility until reaching 1 or 2 lb. Don't forget that in June the temperature is very high and trout will be in serious trouble. Have a look at the photo below. It was taken on Feb 2005. I think the sizes of trout are very good (check the knife in the photo). I believe serious trout fishermen will be very happy with these sizes and the occasional 2-3lb ones.

As far as trout being used as forage for bass, we will have to wait and see what happens to Palaichori dam. You know that this is a traditional trout dam and bass was introduced there 3-4 ago, if I am not mistaken.

Regards and tight lines!

(See u at work)