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The dark web (FB) today had confirmed catches of musky in the Uintas. Small ones. They named Angel Lake east slope. I know that infuriates some and fascinates others. I myself fall in the fascinated group. Want to see if having them creates a setting for bigger brookies and less stunting in the future. Would be nice to have some big brookies wandering more lakes..
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09-21-2023, 01:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-21-2023, 06:03 PM by wiperhunter2.)
The only high elevation lake I've heard of being stocked with tiger muskie is Schofield. Angel Lake and the east slope sounds like NV.
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(09-21-2023, 01:39 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Is this a joke? The only lake I've heard of being stocked with tiger muskie is Schofield.
Pineview?
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They've also stocked fish lake (in the uintas, a smaller lake by smith and morehouse) sand lake (in the same drainage as fish lake) and donkey lake with musky, along with a few more. I think you're right in guessing they're trying to get rid of the stunting in some brook trout lakes.
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Definitely not a fake story
See link to DWR stocking video. You can Google it and find info from the DWR. 2019 I belive
I can't confirm this exact lake that the person posted photos of the catch made but they have been stocked in a few places in the Uintas
https://fb.watch/nc6eDQe2Qt/?mibextid=Nif5oz
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I'm not sure how I feel about that........
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(09-21-2023, 01:47 PM)Bduck Wrote: (09-21-2023, 01:39 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Is this a joke? The only lake I've heard of being stocked with tiger muskie is Schofield.
Pineview?
After I posted that I read it and made an edit to say, high elevation lake.
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(09-21-2023, 05:30 PM)Panchodog Wrote: I'm not sure how I feel about that........
I waffle a bit on the subject as well but now that they are there I will have to go see if the Brooks and cuts are improving in size
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I actually packed tiger musky into a high mountain lake two years in a row...they have done this as an experimental effort to increase stunted brook trout sizes. In the lake I helped stock fish into, sizes are up (jury is out, though, as to the cause). I know of another lake in the same area that was also stocked the same days I helped...
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(09-21-2023, 08:10 PM)wormandbobber Wrote: I actually packed tiger musky into a high mountain lake two years in a row...they have done this as an experimental effort to increase stunted brook trout sizes. In the lake I helped stock fish into, sizes are up (jury is out, though, as to the cause). I know of another lake in the same area that was also stocked the same days I helped...
Wow, packing in TM that's amazing. How much water did you have to carry to keep them alive? I've guessing you also needed some type of oxy pump to keep them alive?
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I have a 30-second video that shows what we did...I'd post it, but I don't think I can because of its size. We used 5 gallon buckets, loaded them on our packs, and carried them in. We switched out the water at a spring on the way to the lake.
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(09-25-2023, 07:55 PM)wormandbobber Wrote: I have a 30-second video that shows what we did...I'd post it, but I don't think I can because of its size. We used 5 gallon buckets, loaded them on our packs, and carried them in. We switched out the water at a spring on the way to the lake.
Have you uploaded it to YouTube or another video upload server. I have no idea if you can add video directly to this site but I have done it in the past. Wow, they survived that long without fresh water, guess it just goes to show how tough of a fish they are. Did any die on the hike in? How long was the hike in?
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09-26-2023, 05:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-26-2023, 05:05 PM by wormandbobber.)
The hike was about 1 mile maybe 1 1/2 miles. Not too long. Pretty easy hike really and we tried to get there as quickly as possible. Survival was really high...we carried three buckets with about 15-20 fish per bucket. I don't remember seeing any that were dead once stocked. I think the bigger question would be the overwinter survival. I think these fish would have a really tough time competing with stunted brook trout to get large enough to survive the winter, but I know a few did.
Here is a youtube link:
https://youtu.be/iQ481Am-XyM
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(09-26-2023, 05:02 PM)wormandbobber Wrote: The hike was about 1 mile maybe 1 1/2 miles. Not too long. Pretty easy hike really and we tried to get there as quickly as possible. Survival was really high...we carried three buckets with about 15-20 fish per bucket. I don't remember seeing any that were dead once stocked. I think the bigger question would be the overwinter survival. I think these fish would have a really tough time competing with stunted brook trout to get large enough to survive the winter, but I know a few did.
Here is a youtube link:
https://youtu.be/iQ481Am-XyM Thanks for sharing that video.
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Thanks for the added info and video.
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09-27-2023, 07:20 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2023, 07:47 AM by TT600.)
Stocking report says Moosman Reservoir. I’ve never been. I’ve heard it has stunted Brookies. There are many lakes in Idaho where these have been stocked for the same reason. I think some people have caught big ones in some of these lakes. I would think there would be an elevation above which this wouldn’t work.
https://amp.idahostatesman.com/outdoors/...05993.html
I know in a lot of lakes like was mentioned the small predator fish can’t outcompete the small prey fish. Thus they can never get big enough to do the eating they were stocked to do. This is the red side shiner and chub issue. Big trout and Muskies can eat these but they don’t have anything to eat when they are small trout.
https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/raising-t...management
Says that tiger muskies didn’t work out in a high altitude lake in Idaho. I wish Muskies would work to control alpine Brookies but my gut
Feeling is this is a better tool for mid altitude lakes. I’ve seen how Lakers can’t control Brookies in NV lakes. They just can never get big enough to do the job. But every lake is different.
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So what size would you need to stock to bridge that gap to make them effective and when would that just not be pratical? Its early and my wake up brain is still on idle so hope that question makes sense.
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Idaho says they stock 10”. Thus they need to be carried in, not airdropped. Which means $$$. But to eat 6-7” Brookies they probably need to be 18” long. No way they are stocking 18” tiger Muskies at lakes you can’t drive to. And then there is the issue of winter kill. I want this to work. I have a long list of lakes where it would be nice to work (lakes where there are too many tributaries to use Roetenone). But it doesn’t seem results are too promising.
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09-27-2023, 02:18 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2023, 02:38 PM by wormandbobber.)
https://www.facebook.com/UtahDWR/videos/...652328143/
I like this idea and think it is a win/win plan without any real risk involved. If the tiger musky don't do well, they will die and the brook trout will continue to reproduce and be small. If the tiger musky do their job and eat brook trout, they will grow fairly large and provide some different opportunity in a high elevation setting. The nice thing about the tiger musky is that they are not fertile and cannot reproduce, so if they don't seem to be helping improve brook trout size, they simply won't be restocked. IF by some miracle they do eat all the brook trout (which won't happen), the DWR could stock different trout species that won't reproduce and could grow larger. As the lakes are now, they are full of stunted brook trout and see little use.
FWIW, prior to the illegal stocking of brook trout back into Moosman, it was a very good cutthroat lake for 20+ years and even held the state record tiger trout for a short time. But, in the past 10 years or so it has had nothing but dinky brook trout. It is capable of being much more than what it is now. I am excited for the future. I also know that sizes have improved in Moosman since tiger musky were introduced. I am just not sure if that is the reason...
The studies done on this show pretty clearly that tiger muskies can potentially improve brook trout sizes...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...15.1035467
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09-27-2023, 03:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2023, 03:23 PM by TT600.)
Seems to me if the Brookies could have been poisoned once they could be poisoned again. And then Restocked with sterile. Restocking it with non Brookies is sure to upset the locals, who own buckets. I’ve never heard of a lake stocked with sterile Brookies getting illegally restocked. I do understand getting Brookies out of some drainages is tricky.
But if the Muskies DO work I have a list of lakes I’d been willing to help pack them into.
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