Chesterfield 5lb. 12oz.

[Tazasorus]

Hit Chesterfield at first light. Nothing biting trolling, so went to north end and strapped on some garden tackle and caught these nice fish. Nothing better than spending a day with the old man.

[Bigtrout5]

Sounds like an awesome day with the fish being the icing on the cake! I need to get back to Chesterfield some day. I have some good memories with my old man and brother. Those football shaped fish were nice too.
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[jeremypeace]

Better hury and go, chesterfield has been getting hammered past couple years 2 years ago was a record producing year for chesterfield, it produced more 5+ pound fish 2 years ago then ever before, the word got out and last year was the worst year for.chesterfield for big fish, at ice off they did a count out there and they said only 1/8 of the fish were over 2 pounds which is more than half of the number less than last year. It has been hammered it is getting over fished. Not saying dont go fish it im saying better hurry if you want a decent fish my money says that by fall there will not be barely any big fish caught from there it will become a put and take reservoir quick.
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[Idaho]

I think, I will continue to fish native waters to the North.
Idaho
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[Tazasorus]

They also said that there were twice as many fish harvested out of Chesterfield than there was at Henry's last year. I think it's all about perception. You go to Henry's catch a hybrid cutt. and people think, "Oh I need to release this. People go to Chesterfield and catch a rainbow and they think, "Oh I need to bonk this on the head and take home and eat."! Your right also about the pressure. Being right on the border, there are as many people from Utah fishing it as there are locals. I fish both Henry's and Chesterfield hard each year. Its pretty cool to catch big brook trout and nice cutts, but nowhere that I have fished in the last ten years produces fish with the girth on a regular basis like the ones at chesterfield. They love those snails.
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[flygoddess]

Because Chesterfield plants Kamloops, Henry's doesn't. Plus for some reason, the three year olds have disappeared at Henry's.
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[cpierce]

Either way this year is going to be a hard one for Chesterfield. Over one half of the fish stocked last fall ended up being eaten by the birds.

With continued drought it may get drawn down early. A lot of the water question depends on what kind of rain we get this month. If it is scarce, then irrigation is going to have to start early.

Chesterfield doesn't have a minimum pool, and it used to get completely drained every few years. That hasn't happened for awhile, but it might. F&G were working to get a minimum water pool there, but I don't know if they succeeded. Even if it doesn't get completely drained, the birds move in on the reservoir when it is low and do massive damage to the fish.

Pray for rain!
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[jeremypeace]

Irrigation has already started. All the irrigation canals are.full and running full tilt already.
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[Tazasorus]

Those big fish that are being caught aren't the camloops, they are the other strain I think. We have caught the camloops up to about 16 inches so far.
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[flygoddess]

What other strain? And I can't tell the difference other than they grow super fast, so maybe you can tell me how to.
Thanks
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[cpierce]

For the last 10 years only triploid fish have been stocked. 2007 is the last time a non-Kamloop triploid rainbow was stocked. Everything since 2007 has been the Kamloop strain of rainbow.

There are a few browns and cutts that show up now and then. I believe there are probably a few naturally producing rainbows around too, but not many.

The stocked Kamloops grow quickly in Chesterfield as it is a shallow smorgasbord of bugs.
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[Tazasorus]

All I know is the little stuff that we have been catching for the last three years that fish and game has been planting dont resemble what has been planted in the past. And I know a fish changes a bit as it grows larger, but not like what Ive seen in the last three years.
And another thing, those camloops are supposed to be sterile, if these fish are all the same for the last ten years, what's inside of them sure looks like they are not sterile or they are a different fish!
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[flygoddess]

It is Kamloop with a K. What exactly is inside them? I have been fishing there probably 10 years and I don't notice any difference. What am I missing?
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[cpierce]

The triploid fish have all of the proper works on the inside. They don't have all the hormones etc that they need so they never fully develop good viable eggs and sperm. Triploid females will develop rudimentary level eggs and males a lesser level sperm.
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[Tazasorus]

Excuse me for my poor grammar. I was edeeeecated in Idaho's finest after all. These fish that we are catching, if they are Kamloops, I have caught them where you just touch them and the eggs start pouring out. And the males have been full of milt. So do these Kamloops still go through the spawning process even though they are sterile?
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[flygoddess]

I am no biologist, but I am sure they do. Just like humans, just because there is a clip, snip, the milk and eggs are still there.
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