[john the fisherman]

ten years ago walden ponds was overrun with huge bullfrogs, and you could find the huge tadpoles in various stages of metamorphesis year round. i don't think i have seen a single one out there in about eight years. they suddenly dissapeared. does anyone know why or any theories? it seems to be great habitat for them. and i mean you could find them there by the THOUSANDS and their calls would drown out any other noise.
by the way i did see bullfrog tadpoles at pella the other day.

 

[bassunlimited]

Every time I go to Sawhill ponds including this weekend my kids find a couple of small frogs. I have never seen any big ones though. Maybe the largemouth got them????

 

[Zman]

I know there were zillions of Leopard frogs in Minnesota and it seems they were largely wiped out by disease...I found this...it also said the disease does better in cooler climates...

Chytridiomycosis is a fatal infectious disease that affects amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungus - Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Chytridiomycosis has caused dramatic population declines or even extinctions in western North America, Central America, South America, and eastern Australia. There is no effective measure for control of the disease in wild populations. The disease is contributing to a worldwide decline in frog populations and it has been advanced that it is partially responsible for the dramatic declines of 30% of the frog species in the world in the past 15 years.

 

[rottal]

I hope its a cycle...but ive noticed a huge decline in amphibians in this region also....not only with bullfrogs, but with toads and salamanders. as a kid you it was common to see both toads and those black and yellows striped salamanders all over the place...but now they seem very rare.

Sawhill used to have tons of bullfrogs...i remember catching them on occasion with spinners in the weeds...man, they are aggressive

 

[yakatut]

I think it is due to our polluted enviorment, amphibians are the first to feel tis effects.

 

[bassunlimited]

In this months in-fisherman it talks about the pollution topic, it said Roundup the weed killer gets into the water system because it is "waterproof" for a certain amount of time. It is killing the frogs and all the amphibians in our environment. Probably some fish as well.