11-02-2023, 07:15 PM
"The catch rate for lake trout has been stable during the last 10+ years and has increased a bit in the last survey (21-22). It is less than what was happening the late 1990s and early 2000s..."
My problem is that I can remember "the late 1990s and early 2000s". I remember vertically jigging with Rich and we (more often Rich) would hook up with many macks and only a few cutthroats. Many of those macks were 10 pounds or larger. The last few years it seems that it is a rare experience to catch a decent mackinaw and most of the cutthroats are smaller than the ones that we catch at Strawberry. Bear Lake is 2 1/2 hours, sturgeon fishing is also 2 1/2 hours, and Strawberry is 1 1/2 hours from my house. I still enjoy an outing at Bear Lake, but I prefer to fish from the ice, up there. I also enjoy targeting whitefish when the mack bite is slow.
My problem is that I can remember "the late 1990s and early 2000s". I remember vertically jigging with Rich and we (more often Rich) would hook up with many macks and only a few cutthroats. Many of those macks were 10 pounds or larger. The last few years it seems that it is a rare experience to catch a decent mackinaw and most of the cutthroats are smaller than the ones that we catch at Strawberry. Bear Lake is 2 1/2 hours, sturgeon fishing is also 2 1/2 hours, and Strawberry is 1 1/2 hours from my house. I still enjoy an outing at Bear Lake, but I prefer to fish from the ice, up there. I also enjoy targeting whitefish when the mack bite is slow.