11-27-2020, 01:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-27-2020, 03:57 AM by Springbuck1.)
Utah must be unique somehow.
First off, I have read SEVERAL actual peer reviewed scientific papers, and even more articles, essentially saying that panfish sizes and numbers are controlled by factors other than angling pressure and harvest. But, even so, I'm positive this can't be true in small bodies of water, and I doubt it's true in many Utah waters where forage bases are limited, lakes are not oligotrophic, etc. Pineview perch, I am certain, and Pat has preached for years, are controlled far more by water levels, spawns, etc. than by harvest. Willard perch, which I have never caught, may not be, due to llimited cover, forage, or whatever. WB at UL? I dunno. I saw a guy keep a limit of 14-16" smallies from Willard this year, and I just saw a guy keep several large spawing browns off some redds along the Lower Weber this week. Sacrilege to most flyfishermen, right?
But, I also fished for the first time in Idaho this summer, and found a very pleasant little lake, accessible, fishable, free camping, and just LOADED with big panfish; 9+ " bluegills, 10.5" perch and up, and even a few 11-12" crappies.......and I couldn't even FIND anything in the rulebook about limits or whatever, except on bass. To boot, there were quite a few fishermen, not a crowd, but enough to BRING a crowd if they told everybody. So what's the deal? All I could think was, "Why isn't this place fished out?"
Is there just THAT much more good fishing just a couple of hours north of the State line? Do they just not eat fish?
Finding big perch is always the goal, isn't it? And I think where they are is always gping to vary year to year.
First off, I have read SEVERAL actual peer reviewed scientific papers, and even more articles, essentially saying that panfish sizes and numbers are controlled by factors other than angling pressure and harvest. But, even so, I'm positive this can't be true in small bodies of water, and I doubt it's true in many Utah waters where forage bases are limited, lakes are not oligotrophic, etc. Pineview perch, I am certain, and Pat has preached for years, are controlled far more by water levels, spawns, etc. than by harvest. Willard perch, which I have never caught, may not be, due to llimited cover, forage, or whatever. WB at UL? I dunno. I saw a guy keep a limit of 14-16" smallies from Willard this year, and I just saw a guy keep several large spawing browns off some redds along the Lower Weber this week. Sacrilege to most flyfishermen, right?
But, I also fished for the first time in Idaho this summer, and found a very pleasant little lake, accessible, fishable, free camping, and just LOADED with big panfish; 9+ " bluegills, 10.5" perch and up, and even a few 11-12" crappies.......and I couldn't even FIND anything in the rulebook about limits or whatever, except on bass. To boot, there were quite a few fishermen, not a crowd, but enough to BRING a crowd if they told everybody. So what's the deal? All I could think was, "Why isn't this place fished out?"
Is there just THAT much more good fishing just a couple of hours north of the State line? Do they just not eat fish?
Finding big perch is always the goal, isn't it? And I think where they are is always gping to vary year to year.