So, how many people want to have more (at least 1) trophy rainbow trout stillwaters in Utah?
A very good opportunity is presenting itself, and all it will take to get this is for some people to present a regulation change to the RACs in April. April is the month that any proposed reg changes need to be presented to the RAC, then next fall those proposed reg changes can be voted on for submission for 2008.
Here's why we have a good opportunity:
1. The DWR's director is asking the DWR for simplification of the fishing regulations. This has been an ongoing goal of the DWR for the last couple years.
2. Many Utahn's want more trophy stillwater rainbow trout action.
Solution? STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR
Last year the UDWR took a step backwards with their goal of simplifying fishing regulations with the new change to the regs on slot cutthroat at Strawberry. Fishermen have a chance to kill two birds with one stone here. Let's approach the RAC from a simplification standpoint at Strawberry to include ALL TROUT in the slot (15"-22"). This would simplify the regs at Strawberry, and eliminate any possible confusion or mis-identification of cutthroat trout. It also brings the regs to a closer to other waters, like Panguitch Lake, further eliminating possible confusion by anglers.
The sweet part is that we get ourselves another trophy rainbow fishery at the same time.
So, let's here some comments.
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Sounds like a good idea to me. However, it may be a tough sell at Strawberry. You are right, it would eliminate a lot of the confusion
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[cool][#0000ff]No doubt about it, Strawberry probably offers the best shot at a truly hefty bow. Those triploids grow big and fast.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now that the cutts have pared down the minnow population it might be time to swing the balnnce back to having more bows and a universal slot. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Can't think of many other lakes that could make it work. Otter Creek used to pump out some bodacious bows. And Yuba was doing fine until the perch blasted off again. Always subject to weather and habitat.[/#0000ff]
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I think that putting all fish caught a Strawberry on the slot limit would be a great Idea. I know there are some big rainbows in there. Including rainbows in the slot limit there would be many more. It does not take that long at Strawberry for a fish to gain size.
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[black][size 3]Agreed ![/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Strawberry would be a great place for trophy rainbows. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Of course, I generally release everything I catch there already so, there would be little difference for me as far as my fishing experience on that particular body of water. And your point of reducing the angler confusion on which fish can be kept and which cannot is a good one as well. [/size][/black]
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Oh but it would change your experience as you would potentially be catching more and bigger bows! This is a great idea and one that we should all continue to push for.
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I'd love to see more trophy lakes to take some pressure off the ones we already have. But considering the problems trophy lakes bring why bother to make more when the DWR can't seem to minimize the problems with the trophy lakes we already have.
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Whatever produces bigger fish in the area sounds great to me.
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My two cents worth:
Make strawberry 100% catch and relase, and 100% artificial only!
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I'd love to see more trophy lakes to take some pressure off the ones we already have. But considering the problems trophy lakes bring why bother to make more when the DWR can't seem to minimize the problems with the trophy lakes we already have.[/reply]
That's the great thing about this suggestion at Strawberry. Instead of creating more problems, it's simplifying things and fixing existing problems. Currently, there are too many excuses and allowable excuses to break the law at Strawberry, and harvest slot cutts. The other problem that has been created is enforcement. The Wasatch Co. Sheriff's office isn't going to write tickets now, because they got burned last time they wrote a ticket (DWR didn't back them...).
however, if we simplify this regulation to include ALL trout in the slot, there won't be any room at all for error! This will make it easier for law enforcement to regulate - not harder. It makes it easier for anglers to know what they can and cannot keep. Right now, an angler needs to be able to recognize cutthroat characteristics - with the exception of throat slashes - then decide whether or not the fish can be kept. Nothing is definitive - it's a judgment call. It is an opinion. It isn't enforceable.
What we need to have happen is extremely simple. The RACs don't need a proposal for a regulation change in May. All they need is for some willing people to speak up at a RAC and suggest to the DWR that they explore the possibility of changing the reg at Strawberry to include all trout. That's it. Then, the DWR will have to look at the possibility of this change. They will find out what kind of support or resistance there is. Then, next fall we ask for the change.
So, the thing we need now is a few people to raise this question at the RAC meetings in May. If this was brought up at EVERY RAC, I think this would go through.
Who's in? Pat? FlyandDrive? Drewski? Anyone else?
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A universal slot will work for me; however, I still find it amazing how difficult it is to get people to read the rules themselves, instead of relying on others (who also don't understand the rules) to teach them. My last trip to Strawberry I found two older teenagers who had kept a 19 inch cutthroat. I told them that it could cost them about $100 for keeping it and they said, we thought the rules were that we could only keep one cutthroat over 22 inches. I explained to them that was true, but that they had to release all cutthroats between 15 and 22 inches, and they could only keep two under 15 inches. I don't think that they were playing stupid, I think that they were actually ignorant of the law.
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I'm all for it.
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Sounds good for me. It makes it good for both the angler and law enforcement. As far as making it completely artifical that sounds good, but come ice season wow that would be hard with out my little bit waxie on my jigg.
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This maybe a dumb question that I may already know the answer to, but what is the 15-22 inch regulation for Cutt's really doing for Strawberry anyway? I have yet to hear of a Really Nice Cutt caught out of there in a very long time. Now I have heard my fair share of Good Cutt's caught (i.e. 24"-28"), but when is the last time a nice 15 pounder has been caught? There was the guy last year that caught two Rainbows over 15 lbs and there isnt a regulation for rainbows. To the best of my knowledge the state record was caught by a woman over 70 years ago when there wasnt a regulation. I love strawberry to death, but I think they should up the limit a bit or change the regulation a bit to get a few of the Cutts out of there, like TD said they will just eat everything in the place and the rainbows wont get as big as you want them. Sorry if this sounded like a dumb reply, but just my opinion I guess.
J A K
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[size 1]"This maybe a dumb question that I may already know the answer to, but what is the 15-22 inch regulation for Cutt's really doing for Strawberry anyway?"[/size]
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[size 1]The answer to that is the chub population. In gillnetting of years past they found that the 15 to 22 inch cuts had the most chubs in their belllies. So to control chub numbers they wanted those fish left in there. That has seemed to help keep the chub numbers in check which can be a pain in the butt at times but alot better than catching 30 chubs during an outing. Their last solution was to poison the lake, so measuring a few fish is a good alternative. On making the slot for all trout I think is a good idea. Artificial only is great for fly fishers but not for us that dont like to think while we fish. [crazy] jk[/size]
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[size 1]my two cents! B[/size]
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Good answer, I didnt think about the chubs!!! I remember two years ago I was down there by the damn on Memorial Day weekend and we were fishing and kept seeing schools of schools of schools...........I can go on and on about the schools of chubs swimming by within netting range. I hate them things!!! Why dont we see more BIG Cutts caught though???
J A K
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good question! you'd think with leaving all those cuts in there that you would hook a biggun more often. Maybe those dang chubs stunt their growth! lol
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After sitting through almost three years of DWR reports on Strawberry the cutts are getting bigger each year. They don't seem to grow as fast as the rainbows though. I don't know how much of this is just the way nature works between the two species. Part of it is that the rainbows are all sterile and only waste time eatting. No time or interest in anything else.
I think the slot should be the same for all trout in the lake. I have listened to the argument that people need to be able to take something home. Okay. The cutts are getting that big and the rainbows will catch up quickly if protected. Just my 2cents but I think it would be worth the wait.
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The cuts are getting bigger. If you think back to before the slot regs. there was a one cutt over 18 inch limit. And you would catch 50 fish and have 1 or 2 over the 18 inch limit. Lots of 16 to 18 inchers. Now half the fish I catch are in that 18 to 22 inch size. with 1 or 2 over the 22 inch upper end of the slot. The fish seem to push the upper end of the limit.
In my opionion I think too many people harvest that 22 1/4 inch cutt. If you look at the stocking reports and look at how many rainbows are stocked there should be a higher percentage of them in a daily catch. But no protection so the Im taking a fish home crowd (nothing against them they have the right to take them) harvests every rainbow they catch. I believe if you added a slot limit on the rainbows you would get a lot more rainbows to the upper end of that slot, but not many more than now above that protected size.
I would like to seethe fish protected to 30 inches. But a slot adjusted up to say 25 inches, but at the same time raise the lower end of the slot to say 17 or 18 so that the catch and keep crowd would still be able to take some fish home. Protect them longer and let more people have the chance to catch that true fish of a lifetime. Strawberry has fast growth rate. I read a report about 5 years after they poisoned it last that compared the growth rate to Bear Lake. And fingerlings in strawberry grow to 18 inches in three years were as fingerlings in Bear Lake take 8 to 10 years to reach that size.
Would'nt it be amazing to have a real good chance at a ten plus pound cutt or rainbow every single time you went fishing at the Berry.
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[cool][#0000ff]Don't know how many BFTers watched Reece Stein's program on Saturday night, but he had a segment on fishing for the big rainbows of Strawberry. It included some footage of the big 18 pounder caught through the ice about this time last year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://kutv.com/roughingit/local_story_054192953.html"]LINK TO ROUGHIN' IT[/url][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The guy who caught it fishes a whole minnow, on a plain hook with a split shot, dangled just off the bottom. No fancy jiggin'.[/#0000ff]
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