The "Good Old Days"

[TubeDude]

Pat, appreciate the run down and history of the ups and downs.... I know we have issues with power squadron and management issues, but seems like you've seen enough cycles over the years to know that there is potential for ups ahead in the future.. what do you expect with a couple years of high run offs here in a row, what type of waters will be good in the next few years?  You point to spawning area for perch and crappie being good for future upticks, about how long does it take to raise a good crop of fish, 3-5 years?  I'm hoping it's a general uptick across lots of ponds, but which do you expect will see the best kicker?  Kind of sounds like from your stories that small mouth bass are kind of a problem and aren't necessarily a good thing to have in a productive pond, is that true?  I guess right now we should be taking advantage of the big channels in Utah Lake and nice perch in Willard... I know they all cycle and the down times aren't looked forward to, but they seems to make those good times seem even better... I always enjoy getting out and trying to catch a fish anyway...  Don't think the ice army hurt the fish very bad this winter, at least I sure didn't... Later J

High water...after several years of low water...is better for the fish than the fishermen...at least short term.  The fish are more spread out and getting oriented to new habitat for awhile anyway.  It will take awhile for them to acclimate and for we fisherfolk to discover their new hangouts and habits.  

Perch and crappies both require stickups, aquatic vegetation or other underwater structure in their preferred depths for good spawns.  Otherwise, their eggs just lay on the bottom...subject to silt smothering and predation from other fish...like carp.  Last year should have been good and this year even better.  But one year does not repopulate a lake that has been going downhill for several years...like the crappies in Willard.  It is usually at least 2-3 years after a good spawn before more adult crappies begin to show up...and spawn.  And in Willard the time between a good spawn and 12 - 13" crappies may be as long as 5 years.  

It is no secret by now that there is a big and growing population of perch.  It took a few years but once they passed the point at which they spawned more than they (or the other predators) ate up, their numbers have really grown.  And because there are small shad available for them to eat during a major part of the year they can glut and grow to large sizes.  Perch are not quite as persnickety in their spawning requirements as crappies, so as long as there is even a small amount of rocky rubble or other underwater structure the perch will do fine.  

Smallmouths?  I love them...in their place.  But Utah does not offer many places for them to exist without impacting other species.  In their natural habitats of the northern midwest and eastern states there is usually a lot of natural forage...in the form of abundant crawdads and maybe several species of minnows.  And in a lot of Smallie waters there are also threadfin shad...upon which they grow hefty and feisty.   In Deer Creek and Pineview they were thrust into the ecosystem to fight it out with already struggling food resources for other established species.  And since they are aggressive predators they often outcompete the other guys...often by eating up a lot of their young after spawning.  If there was a lake in Utah with a lot of chubs...and some crawdads...and no largemouth, trout or perch with which to compete...we could see some world class smallmouth fishing.  

As for the channel cats in Utah Lake, the drought years impacted their spawn and survival of young cats.  You can always tell a healthy catfish habitat by catching all sizes of that species during the year.  That indicates successful spawning each year.  But the past two or three years it has been rare to hook cats smaller than about 20 -24 inches in Utah Lake.  More fun for fishermen but not boding well for future fishing.  I suspect that the higher water of last year probably helped the spawn and we should soon be seeing some footlong kitties from "Golden Pond".  And it should be an even better spawn this year with record high water.  

I agree on the ice fishing.  Really a disappointment for hardcore coldfooters.  But, as you point out, it probably will make for bigger fish populations and better fishing after ice-off.  I hope to test that theory as often as possible.