Has any one heard of what the new fishing regs are yet???
Will Yuba be open for perch or any new bass regs????
.
[signature]
Starting Jan. 1, 2008, you can fillet fish at all Utah's waters except Jordanelle Reservoir for smallmouth bass and Strawberry Reservoir and Panquitch Lake for trout and salmon.
You can also keep 10 yellow perch at Yuba Reservoir and up to six bass at Sand Hollow Reservoir.
Those fishing rules are among several changes members of the Utah Wildlife Board approved for Utah's 2008 fishing season. They approved the changes at their October 4 meeting in Salt Lake City.
All of the rules approved by the board can be found in the 2008 Utah Fishing Guidebook. The guidebook should be available at [url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/proclamations/"]wildlife.utah.gov/proclamations[/url] by mid-December.
2008 fishing rules
The following are among the fishing rule changes that will take effect on January 1, 2008. Starting January 1: [ul] [li]you can fillet fish at any fishing water in Utah except the following: [ul] [li]Strawberry Reservoir (fish must be kept whole in the field or in transit) [li]Panguitch Lake (fish must be kept whole in the field or in transit) [li]Jordanelle Reservoir (bass must be kept whole in the field or in transit) [/li][/ul]
All of these waters have special size restrictions, and the Division of Wildlife Resources has biological concerns about filleting fish at these waters.
"This change will allow you to take advantage of fish cleaning stations and get your fish ready for the table before you get home," says Drew Cushing, warm water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. [li]several underwater spearfishing changes will go into effect: [ul] [li]The spearfishing limits will be the same as the regular fishing limits at waters in Utah where spearfishing is allowed. [li]Jordanelle, Yuba and Pineview reservoirs will join the list of waters where spearfishing is allowed. You cannot spearfish for tiger muskies at Pineview, however. [li]Joes Valley Reservoir will be dropped from the list of waters where spearfishing is allowed. [li]Utah's 2008 spearfishing season will run from June 1 to November 30, 2008. You can spearfish only at waters that are on Utah's spearfishing list, and you can take both game and nongame fish at these waters. There's one exception to this rule: you can also spearfish for carp at any water in Utah during that water's open fishing season. [/li][/ul]
[li]the state's bait and baitfish restrictions will be changed to restrict bait items that have a higher probability of carrying aquatic diseases. The change will include a list of fresh or frozen baitfish species that may be used at Utah waters as long as there are no "artificial flies and lures only" restrictions at that water. All other fresh or frozen baitfish species will be prohibited.
This list will be available in the 2008 Utah Fishing Guidebook. [li]you can keep up to 10 yellow perch at Yuba Reservoir in central Utah. Between January 1 and April 30, you must keep all of the yellow perch you catch, up to your 10-perch limit. [li]you can keep up to six bass at Sand Hollow Reservoir in southwestern Utah. Only one of those bass can be longer than 12 inches, however. [li]several streams, including East Canyon Creek, the South Fork of the Ogden River, Wheatgrass Creek and the Electric Lake tributaries will now be under general statewide regulations.
The general statewide regulation allows you to catch and have up to four trout in your possession. There's no restriction on the size or species of trout you can keep at these waters.
"There's no longer a biological need to maintain special regulations on these streams," says Roger Wilson, cold water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "Placing them under the general statewide regulation will make it easier for anglers to follow the rules and allow them to possess a few more fish."[/li][/ul]
[signature]
[cool]Thanks for the update, moose. I guess that will keep me from ice fishing Yuba this year then. Who wants to drive for 2 hours just to fish for 20 minutes and then have to pack up and go home? With how many perch are in that lake, I wouldn't think that it would take longer than that to catch 10 as long as you have sonar and get right on top of a good school. I think I'll be going to the usual spots for my perch fishing this winter...
[signature]
[cool][#0000ff]DWR is opening Yuba 2 years too late...and they still did not get it right. The 10 fish restriction was the one I proposed two years ago, as a concession...if they opened the lake then. Right now it should be opened to unlimited harvest.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yuba is already going downhill, because of the excessive perch population. No more big trout because the perch have eaten all the minnows. And, the perch themselves are starting to decline in both size and quality. Last year there were many 12 to 13 inch perch...fat and healthy. The prognosis looked good. This year it is difficult to find a 12 inch perch and those are skinny. The bulk of the perch population is under 8 inches. Not worth the drive to harvest 10 of those.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Baby perch are the main forage base in Yuba again...just as in the past. If the water levels do not come up enough this winter to provide a massive perch spawn...to provide food for ALL the predators...Yuba will crash again before anglers get to enjoy any of the action. [/#0000ff]
[signature]
That's ok. I'll catch some of those Yuba perch for you. I plan on being there at daylight on the 1st with my son, best friend and his 5 kids. They should have a blast catching their limit of 8-9" perch, better than the 5's and 6's at Pineview, Rockport or Jordenelle. Hopefully faster action and more solid hits as well, it will help them to get all 10 on their own.
As far as that goes we will hopefully catch all 80 we are allowed and be home for the game to snack on all those tastey fillets while supping on Dudes famous Chowder.
I'll be back the next weekend to get another limit too, both days. Then I will have to switch to Jordenelle until I have reached my possession limit of 50 perch, (not ready for immediate consumption.) I eat so many as it goes it often takes me till the end of the season to get that many frozen at once.
I love Perch[
].
[signature]
[reply][cool][#0000ff]DWR is opening Yuba 2 years too late...
[b][#0000ff]Baby perch are the main forage base in Yuba again...just as in the past. If the water levels do not come up enough this winter to provide a massive perch spawn...to provide food for ALL the predators...Yuba will crash again before anglers get to enjoy any of the action. [/#0000ff][/reply]
Perch ARE the main forage base...especially for northerns and walleye. So, from that standpoint, it is important that some perch are protected; otherwise, we will have an overabundance of predators and no prey! Regardless, the large rainbows were destined to disappear as soon as walleye and pike numbers started increasing...
I think the regulation change many people should be interested in and maybe even worried about is the bait fish restrictions...this could severly cramp some people's fishing methods or bait use. It will be really interesting to see what bait fishes are no longer allowed...
[signature]
[cool][#0000ff]As I recall, from sitting in a UAC meeting in which the new baitfish regs were discussed, the focus is going to be on restricting the importation of bait from states and areas where VHS is a potential problem. Preserved shad, emerald shiners and other baitfish from the upper midwest are to be put on the list of baits that must be tested and approved before they can be sold in Utah.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Haven't heard about any new restrictions on the use of chubs or shiners from Utah.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]About the perch...there has never been a water where perch have been decimated solely through the actions of fishermen. It is virtually impossible for anglers to keep ahead of natural propagation in a lake full of perch. The natural cycles of water fluctuation, disease and predator numbers are far greater factors in the numbers and health of perch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My whining was merely about there being such a huge population of perch without any opening for harvest. Without a big number of walleyes and pike to help control them, the perch have run rampant in Yuba. it would have been nice if a few anglers could have helped keep a balance. The walleyes appear to be gaining ground, so hopefully we will get in a couple of years of decent fishing for all species...before nature goes wacko again.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
Pat -- most likely there will be a list of approved fish for use as bait. I think you'll find that the majority of "preserved" bait fish being sold at your local sporting goods stores will no longer be legal for use.
But, chubs and red-sides are on the approved list...
...golden shiners are not.
[signature]
For those of us who care little about catching perch, the more perch left in the lake the better off the northerns and walleye are...fishermen may not be able to control perch numbers, but walleye and northerns can. For every fish, fishermen take out of Yuba there is one less to reproduce and feed the big predators.
I would also imagine that, along with golden shiners, leatherside chubs will not be a legal bait fish....and I am sure there are some others.
[signature]
I wonder if someone could answer me a question?
What was the DWR's long term goal and management plan for Yuba?
A. Trout fishery
B. Perch fishery
C. Walleye fishery
.
[signature]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]LONG TERM they don't plan that way![/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We know they haven’t planted any Walleye or Northerns, [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]only two choices left![/size][/font]
[signature]
[reply]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We know they haven’t planted any Walleye or Northerns, [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]only two choices left![/size][/font][/reply]
They didn't need to plant Northern's or Walleye.
Right from the get-go, the plan has been to protect the perch in order for them to establish TO PROVIDE FORAGE FOR WALLEYE.
Yuba is managed for Walleye.
Do I like this? Nope. I wish Yuba were managed for trout. Like it or not the decision was made to continue managing Yuba as a walleye fishery. No one cared anything about he perch when this decision was made. No one cared about the trout either. I have a feeling in another year, no one will care about the perch either, because the walleye fishery will be climbing quickly to their "peak". At that point, all of you guys will be complaining about the DWR for not protecting and stocking more perch to feed the walleye!
[signature]
[size 1]"Yuba is managed for Walleye."[/size]
[size 1]No Walleye planted in a reservoir that was drained for Dam Repair, and that plan is Walleye Management. HA HA That would be a DWR plan all right.[/size]
[size 1][/size]
[size 1][/size]
[size 1][/size]
[signature]
[size 1]"Yuba is managed for Walleye."[/size]
[size 1]Yuba must be managed for Northern Pike as well, they didn't plant any of those.[/size]
[signature]
Dog -- why should they plant them? There was no reason to plant walleye or northern's. Both were already well established in the river (Sevier) above Yuba. The DWR new that they would quickly return to Yuba once the dam repairs were complete and the lake began to fill -- the DWR already know's that both the northern's and walleye have had a few years of successful recruitment, and are established. There was NO need to stock either.
If the DWR was NOT managing for walleye, then why have they been protecting the perch? For that matter, why did they transplant all the perch to Yuba? Why all that trouble? It obviously wasn't to create a perch fishery. It also wasn't to create a trout fishery.
The trouble with many fishermen, is that they don't understand basic fish biology. You only stock fish when needed. If fish are able to reproduce on their own, and self-sustain (in Yuba's case with walleye, they'll eventually overpopulate...), then what is the need for stocking?
FWIW -- NO. I don't call it management. Why? Because neither walleye nor northern pike can be managed in Utah. Sadly, the DWR knows this as well as anyone. Even more
ly is that Utah fishermen don't understand this, and they continually want the UDWR to "manage" walleye waters.
[signature]
Yuba has such a dynamic boom-bust water cycle (leaning more to the bust side) that any hope of successfull fisheries management is dim for all species.
Liberal Perch harvest should have been allowed for the last 2 years when they were actually doing well (boom cycle) and had water and shoreline structure to survive in.
[signature]