The Deseret News has a good article on the spring gill-net sampling. Some interesting quotes:
"Between our fall and spring surveys, there was a 65 percent reduction in the number of adult chubs and, roughly, a 95 percent reduction in the number of small chubs. That's very encouraging."
"What we've found is a 22-inch cutthroat will take a fish up to 8 inches."
"That was the most alarming thing we found. We saw a low number of smaller game fish. We're not seeing the fish we stocked this year. We're concerned they're getting eaten by the large cutthroat, especially the young rainbow."
"The plan is that by next year all of the fish -- rainbow and cutthroat -- planted in Strawberry will be 8 inches long or larger."
[url "http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,665195029,00.html"]Click here to read the entire article.[/url]
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I am curious at what point the fish (especially the cutts) crash in Strawberry. Some thoughts to ponder:
1) The number of large cutts continues to increase
2) The diet for large cutts is predominantly minnows (up to 8 inches long according to the article).
3) The number of chubs is dropping at a rapid pace and the red shiners are pretty much a memory at this point.
4) Large cutts are eating more of the minnow game fish (Likely a result of the chub population decreasing?)
5) No longer will rainbows and cutts (Who knows about the kokanee?) under 8 inches be planted.
6) More pressure on the dwindling chubs because the planted small rainbows and cutts will no longer be an option.
Sounds like Starvation Reservoir and Yuba all over again, but now we are talking Strawberry. Seems like a delicate balancing act between controlling the chubs and decimating the chubs.
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Funny they are almost suprised that a 20 inch fish will eat a 8 inch fish. I have had 8 inch cutts bite a seven inch rapala! But shows that the slot is working as intended.
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good questions Kent! Hopefully the fish can convert over to diets of bugs/flies and crawdads. I think they are already starting in that direction. If not, and it gets to the point that there are more fish than feed then its time to change to regs to allow some harvest. If it gets to that point, I would like to see them keep the slot as is but allow the harvest of 1 fish any size. I realize that opens up a "can of worms" (pun intended) and people will want to "trade up" to the bigger fish. There are also other concerns with that but no time to discuss right now at work. Just my 2 cents worth.
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[cool]I think the cuts and bows will adapt and go after the bajillion Crawdads in that lake. At least I hope that they do. They certainly could get by with eating them anyway-lets hope that they have the instincts and smarts to go after them more in the future...
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If you want to see first hand what goes on with the gill nets, Join the Strawberry anglers assoc. It will cost you $10.00. They help with the gill nets as well as the planting of the fish. I have helped with both. It was interesting. I had the job of filletting all the fish to be given to a charitable orginization. After we were treated to a craydad meal
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I kept a 23 inch cutt I caught at Strawberry right after ice off this year and it had a belly full of crawdads. They were all really small crawdads (~1 inch). I generally release all of the fish I catch at Strawberry so I don't know if later in the year the cutts start feeding on larger crawdads. I wonder if early in the year the smaller crawdads are more accessible than the larger ones. Or maybe the cutts haven't figured out how tasty the larger crawdads are.
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