Small mouth in strawberry

[ocean]

Has anyone else caught any smallies in the berry?I remember last year a couple were caught that were illegally planted.I am wondering if it was just those two.
[signature]

[tomegun]

[#800080][size 2]SSSSSSHHHHUUUUSSSSHHH. We will keep it our secret[]. Loose lips sinks ships...[/size][/#800080]
[signature]

[ocean]

Do you think they will do well there?
[signature]

[tomegun]

[#800080][size 2]IMHO, yes. They will do very well. The crawdads, minnows, and the mayfly hatches are an awesomely abundance food sources. [/size][/#800080]

[#800080][size 2] Plus, they won't compete with the cutts and bows very much. [/size][/#800080]
[signature]

[Kayote]

Tomegun,

I think you're right that smallmouth bass will thrive in Strawberry. I disagree they won't compete with the trout. You said it yourself "The crawdads, minnows and the mayfly hatches are abundant food sources". Last time I checked, trout ate those same critters. On top of that, the larger smallies will also eat trout. I think it is a terrible thing for the future of Strawberry for some thoughtless dink to plant smallmouth in there. I love fishing for smallmouth and do it often but, they don't belong in Strawberry. What's next, walleye and pike?. Why not some green sunfish and bullheads?. I think it sucks that one braindead nimrod can ruin a world class fishery. Just my dos centavos.

Good Fishing, Kayote
[signature]

[Utcatman]

i think that they will do good in there, but it doesnt mean that i think they should be in there. i highly dount they will ruin the res. but it is a world class trout fishery....TROUT.. i think it should stay that way.
joe
[signature]

[BADFISH]

I THINK ITS A DRAW FOR THE ANGLING WORLD, AND VACTATION DESTINATION FOR UTAH. ITS THE FISHING EQUAL TO OFF ROADING IN MOAB. TRULY. SO IT SHOULD STAY THAT WAY.....

AS FOR BUCKET BIOLOGISTS....NOT GONNA GO THERE.

LATERS,
[signature]

[glassyeyedPaul]

Ummmmmmmmm... I'm simply drooling at the idea of tons of smallies fatties at strawberry... I think I don't blame Tomegun for saying Jordanelle is home but Strawberry is heaven[].

I can think of at least two dozen hotspots where smallies would be found there including the solder creek side! It's a real ideal habitant for those smallies. I hope they will be prolific in breeding like crazy to rival Jordanelle.

No, don't look at me as if I were a bucket biologist which I am not, but I sure love the idea of strawberry as a smallie paradise and heaven too.
[signature]

[fuzzyfisher]

strawberry a world class fishery???? maybe 15 20 years ago befor the DWR poisened it and killed all the big browns,brocks,cutt's,and lake trout in it.. but not todays strawberry it just sucks conpering what it use to be.. when was the last 10+ cutt cought out of there? or 20+ lake trout?? or 4 + brocky?10+ brown, or even a 7+ rainbow???? NOT WORLD CLASS ANY MORE!!!

dude on fish
[signature]

[Kayote]

Fuzzy,

Brown trout, brook trout and lake trout?. Are we talking about the same Strawberry Reservoir?. I mean the one in Utah.

Good Fishing, Kayote
[signature]

[wormandbobber]

I don't think Strawberry ever produced lake trout over 20 pounds, brookies over 4, and browns over 10...in fact, I am not sure they were ever even an option.

As for smallmouth bass in Strawberry....well, if they have been illegally introduced, it will be an interesting wait-and-see-what-happens. Many times this issue has been debated at Strawberry, and each time the DWR has said that they believe smallmouth will not do well. They believe that lake is too cold and has too short of a growing season for smallmouth to do well...as far as rocky structure and forage go, though, it has plenty.
[signature]

[Shrimpboy]

I was young when the last poisioning took place, but I do remember catching browns and brookies.
[signature]

[fuzzyfisher]

do you guy's even know what fish ues to be in the lake before the great poisning?? yes there use to be lake trout in there and big ones to!!! and brown trout in the 20 lbs class and brocky's in the 4 lbs class and cutt's over 10 lbs in there tell the great DWR got there poison out and killed all of them off but the chub still remain?? nice job there huh?

dude on fish
[signature]

[doggonefishin]

I have zero enthusiasm for smallies in strawberry. I do think that they would affect the top end weight gain of the cuttthroats if they become established but the bigger issue here is the smallies themselves. Some of us put these fish on a pedestal and deservedly so when you hook up a good one, but they have a real potential to stunt themselves just like the reviled perch. This very thing happened to my favorite smallie lake in Colorado. Catching endless numbers of potato chip thin smb gets boring in a big hurry. The issue I have with bucket biologists is that they exhibit two undesirable traits. These guys exhibit arrogance (I know more than the dwr) and selfishness (I want smallies/perch/walleyes/etc here and screw the trout fisherman). We all pay the price for these attitudes, as do the fisheries.
[signature]

[glassyeyedPaul]

But trout tastes yucky and very reviling as well. Has a fishy stinky taste. Simply too easy to catch for me, so it gets boring in a hurry!

Have you ever eaten a perch or a walleye? Big difference here, and I have converted many troutsmen into avid 'eyesman. Just try it, and you'll like it. I don't eat smallies but I sure love fighting 'em!
[signature]

[doggonefishin]

I enjoy eating a variety of fish including trout but certainly do agree with you that perch are hard to beat. (My personal favorite) I like them even better than "eyes". Smallies are excellent table fare as well but I tend to C&R those most of the time. My previous rant is not to denigrate the merits of any species of fish but to point out that all of our "favorites" might have a down side ecologically. I do feel that the berry is a unique fishery with the bear lake cutts and fat rainbows that I don't want changed. I pass 2 reservoirs on the way to Strawberry where I can get good smallies. (DC and Jordanelle)
[signature]

[glassyeyedPaul]

What? No comment from you? Sounds like the toothy critter's got your ?[angelic]
[signature]

[doggonefishin]

You might be right. (lol) Actually hit the wrong button.
[signature]

[Kayote]

I was a volunteer on the last treatment at Strawberry. The only fish I saw floating in four days on the reservoir were two small rainbow, a small cutthroat and many suckers and chubs. This was out of many thousands of dead fish witnessed first hand. If the reservoir had been full of huge trout there would have been no point in treating it. And yes, it is a world class trout fishery by any standard.

Good Fishing, Kayote
[signature]

[wormandbobber]

I just got off the phone with a central region biologist from the DWR...he told me that lake trout have never been in Strawberry.  Also, before the treatment there was brook and brown trout in strawberry.  Brown trout did well but were virtually uncatchable as shown by creel surveys!!! Brook trout did OK but never exceeded 3 pounds. He also said that the problem with lake trout is during summer months the deeper water becomes anoxic and trout can only survivie in the upper 30 feet of water this would not bode well for lake trout. 

Splake would be a good option in my mind but as for now they are trying to manage Strawberry as a Cutthroat/Rainbow fishery and believe it will work. 

One other comment,  The problem with small mouth in Strawberry is the short growing season.  It has been shown that if young-of-year SMB do not reach a certain size by the end of summer they will not survive the winter.  SMB spawn late because of water temp. and only have a short time to grow before water temps become to low again for growth.
[signature]