So I'm making this post in an effort to find out the awareness of others and get some public opinion.
At the risk of bringing some unneeded fishing pressure to a specific body of water, I feel some responsibility to make others aware about the management plan for Lake trout in Payette Lake.
The current management plan being implemented is to increase Kokanee survival by gillnetting Lake trout. From information that I have recently gathered, this is accomplished by removing all age classes of Lake trout from the body of water. For those who are unaware, Lake trout are extremely slow growing and a 30 inch fish can be 20 years old. Upper 30 inch fish can be closer to 30 years old. And some of these fish can survive to 40 years. A significant number of Lake trout have been removed in the last couple years.
Just learning this small piece of information doesn't sit well with me.
I'm not a biologist, but I do understand the importance of a well-balanced fishery. However, we have a multitude of other Kokanee fisheries in this state. I also understand that there must be available forage in order for these trout to survive. I personally get more excited about catching a 30+ inch Lake trout versus six small Kokanee. I would rather see this lake be managed for Lake trout. So even if that means stocking fish to supplement the forage base, I would be all for it. But that's just me, I'm curious to see what others think.
At the risk of bringing some unneeded fishing pressure to a specific body of water, I feel some responsibility to make others aware about the management plan for Lake trout in Payette Lake.
The current management plan being implemented is to increase Kokanee survival by gillnetting Lake trout. From information that I have recently gathered, this is accomplished by removing all age classes of Lake trout from the body of water. For those who are unaware, Lake trout are extremely slow growing and a 30 inch fish can be 20 years old. Upper 30 inch fish can be closer to 30 years old. And some of these fish can survive to 40 years. A significant number of Lake trout have been removed in the last couple years.
Just learning this small piece of information doesn't sit well with me.
I'm not a biologist, but I do understand the importance of a well-balanced fishery. However, we have a multitude of other Kokanee fisheries in this state. I also understand that there must be available forage in order for these trout to survive. I personally get more excited about catching a 30+ inch Lake trout versus six small Kokanee. I would rather see this lake be managed for Lake trout. So even if that means stocking fish to supplement the forage base, I would be all for it. But that's just me, I'm curious to see what others think.