Conditions of Some of UT's Bass Lakes

[mylesG]

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Ik starvation had a relatively good Chub population, but in the recent years haven't accidently caught any so hopefully it isn't dying like they did in Jordanelle.

There are few to no chubs left in Starvy.  The smallies and wallies snarfed up all the young as fast as they hatched out...until all that was left were a few spawning "chubosaurs".  The last ones we caught (about 2008) while fishing perch or walleye were big 15 to 16 inch grotesque fish with tumors and obesity.

 




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In my non biologist mind the best solution seems to introduce some kind of a bait fish and keep them stocked, as they would benefit all the other species as well as bass, but there must be a good reason they have not.  I get introducing Tigers into Jordanelle to help eat the stunted population, but without introducing a new food source nothing really will come of it.  Powell has Shad, but Shad wouldn't do well up north with the die off they go though when water hits the 40 range and lower.  Utah has other native bait fish, some shiners and flathead minnows, etc.  It's a shame the smallies can't sustain themselves on the planter rainbows, as the size would limit which smallmouth could actually eat them.  The TVA system of reservoirs all go through some drastic water changes, although not to the same degree our lakes seem to.  Heck even reintroduce chub, since many lakes have proven smallmouth can keep the population down, so they wouldn't have to worry about an explosive population like in Strawberry.  Or just keep a healthy population of crawdads in our lakes, borrow some from strawberry, the trout dont seem to eat them like SMB do.