07-29-2015, 05:58 PM
[quote utahgolf]if strawberry had a consistent forage base for the cutts, than you would love them. [#FF0000]There would be a lot more fish pushing through the slot and putting on some big time size[/#FF0000]. There are some decent fish in there but with a better forage base, you would see many more big fish being caught, [#FF0000]especially with how many thousands of people fish there[/#FF0000].[/quote]
Forage (chubs, prey fish) isn't the answer. Remember, the cutts are being used to keep those chubs in control. If more chubs enter the system, the trout size will decrease, not increase. Those cutthroat can, and will, grow big on invertebrates if given the opportunity.
What you see much more often happening with slots is that the minute a fish outside the slot is caught, it is kept. Thus, you end up with a lot of fish inside the slot and very few outside.
Instead of focusing on how many inches the fish are, we need to focus on keeping the fish in that zone of maximum growth! As long as growth rates are fast, then you WILL have big fish. How do you keep growth rates fast? You minimize the nongame fish (chubs, suckers, perch, etc.).
Adding more forage to the mix would give you the opposite results that you are asking for. This has been proven time and time again with chubs in Utah reservoirs.
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Forage (chubs, prey fish) isn't the answer. Remember, the cutts are being used to keep those chubs in control. If more chubs enter the system, the trout size will decrease, not increase. Those cutthroat can, and will, grow big on invertebrates if given the opportunity.
What you see much more often happening with slots is that the minute a fish outside the slot is caught, it is kept. Thus, you end up with a lot of fish inside the slot and very few outside.
Instead of focusing on how many inches the fish are, we need to focus on keeping the fish in that zone of maximum growth! As long as growth rates are fast, then you WILL have big fish. How do you keep growth rates fast? You minimize the nongame fish (chubs, suckers, perch, etc.).
Adding more forage to the mix would give you the opposite results that you are asking for. This has been proven time and time again with chubs in Utah reservoirs.
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