spent the day at yuba monday, landed about 20 carp in the couple casts i made in between helping the kiddo with sand castles, after a blown out front axle dwr showed up to chit chat, i also work for the state so some work things were being talked about before i got the important stuff, he says the wiper are pushing 4 lbs, tiger muskie are getting in the 18" range, trout and catfish are doing well, pike are few and far between, walleye havent turned on yet and i guess im the only reporting any smallmouth so that was news to him. if you want pike id probably head elsewhere, and the boats are out in full force, all the carp seem to be around 3-5lbs, great for the 4 year old to reel in but im afraid the days of 10-15 pounders are over there, hopefully the wiper do great and people release them but i doubt it, so back to utah lake chasin cats! ive got a few in the 25-26" size but noting to post and bump up
Posts: 767
Threads: 12
Joined: Apr 2017
Reputation:
8
Not a "thoroughbred Yuba old timers!", but some thoughts.
Because Tigers and Wipers are sterile and the population is controlled by how many are planted verses how many are kept, a pivot is only going to happen if the States wants it to happen.
I do suspect that the elimination of Pike is part of the plan. Given the option of sterile Tigers versus Pike that bucket biologist have and do transplant, I suspect that is a truism.
Carp destroy the native vegetation. Native vegetation is necessary for the perch populations, the fathead populations, and any other minnow food source. Walleye need the minnows, minnows need the vegetation, carp destroy vegetation, so any species that removes carp is a good thing.
In my analysis, based on very limited information, I see an attempt to replace Pike with Tiger Muskies (a reasonably fair trade). I know young of the year (early young) can provide food but they grow so fast that only large Tigers and largest Wipers can utilize them. Walleye seldom can eat any carp over about 4" due to the girth. Carp are over that length far too soon.
It was mentioned that the carp are smaller, but obviously very numerous. This is like getting hooked on Opium for a headache. We cure the need for food for a few weeks and then the larger ones destroy the vegetation necessary to support food for the rest of the year, and each year after for 30 years.
Yuba has got to be a fisheries managers worst nightmare. Too many sources of carp to kill out, too many years with water so low that the existing vegetation is unavailable to the food base, too many predators to reestablish a normal food base, but too many carp not to have TOO MANY predators.
When I was young I was upset when my family drove by Yuba to fish other waters. The call of the wonderful Walleye fishing was so strong. Now that I am old(er), I see no reason to even go there. Yes, I saw the huge Walleye that did show up in the nets this year when KSL Outdoors was filming, but a few lucky fish does not a fishery make. Even Adam has mentioned that they have tried to film a trip catching them and they can't find them. The walleye bite should be in full swing now.
I still read the post about YUBA, still hope I am wrong, but, if any fishery is ever going to develop, it will require more stable water levels, massive reduction in the carp size and numbers (fewer fish normally are larger, more carp are normally smaller, so it may be going the wrong way) a major increase in food species, a controlled amount, a balance, of predators and prey.
Carp do not fit into that formula. BUT, perhaps if we just left it to a carp lake and stopped spending money on Yuba those that wanted the 30 pound carp could catch them and we would not ...................... Never mind, just slipped into a rant.
