Any Reports for Scofield?

[bigbucksmj]

I'm planning a trip to Scofield and was curious as to what is working and where to go to be successful through the ice?

Does anyone know what my best bet is for Tiger Trout?

Thanks in advance!
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[NWFF]

Went early this morning, fished the dam arm. We fished from 7 AM to 11, got skunked. Had a few timid bites that we missed. Tried everything, tube jigs, paddle bugs, spoons, ratfinkees, etc. The bites we did have were all very shallow. I am unsure how other groups did. Hope you have better luck than us. It was a beautiful day to be on the ice.
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[deerinator]

Fishing for trout was very slow from 7-11 only iced 3 all cuts. My mom was fishing the bottom and she caught 30 chubs.
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[RyanCreek]

As someone who has ice-fished at Scofield more than any other destination over the last decade, I have gradually come to the conclusion that it has become a very poor fishery. Last year was my first time getting skunked there.

I only go there now when I feel especially patient and hope on a prayer for a large tiger trout.

I am nostalgic for the old days at Scofield when I could count on landing high numbers of large bows and cutts on pretty much any given outing. In the early 00's the place was an absolute dream to fish.
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[doggonefishin]

[quote RyanCreek]As someone who has ice-fished at Scofield more than any other destination over the last decade, I have gradually come to the conclusion that it has become a very poor fishery. Last year was my first time getting skunked there. [/quote]


I have heard a few people say this. The statement does not match what I experienced about 3 weeks ago there, when I caught one gorgeous slot busting cutt and a good number of slot cutts, many of them fat. I had to admit, I was impressed. However, that may be the exception. A few observations and also questions.

1. I used to fish the "old" Scofield too and back in the day, it was smokin hot at early ice and after about a month, it would slow down a lot. The current slow reports seem to correspond to this old pattern, as did the better reports from a few weeks ago. Maybe it isn't so dire after all.

2. I noticed that the tigers I caught were either the recent plants of rather skinny 12 inchers. We all salivate over the pictures of the huge tigers that are occasionally caught, but a few years ago, I used to catch good numbers of fat 14-19 inch tigers. (the monsters of the future) I haven't seen too many reports of tigers in this class being caught. Have you? Maybe the young tigers are struggling to get big enough to switch to a piscivorous diet and if so, soon the old giants will die off and few tigers will remain?

3. It seems that the reports of the chubs being caught are of bigger chubs, meaning that the cutts are getting the littler ones. It seems that the cutts and giant tigers are doing some good.

4. I caught some medium sized bows there and there have been reports of good bows being caught by others. The DWR was going to stop planting bows there due to previous poor returns. Maybe that was premature?

5. How many of you would prefer the DWR to just pull the plug, rotenone Scofield and return the lake to rainbow city that it used to be. They are still considering this, and I used to favor that, until I caught those fat cutts, and now I'm not sure. It seems to me that Scofield will at worst slowly become like Strawberry, but how many folks want that?
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[lakepowell22]

My father and brother fished there yesterday and did very well over by the island. They tried said they caught most with chub meat.
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[Fishrmn]

[quote doggonefishin]Maybe the young tigers are struggling to get big enough to switch to a piscivorous diet and if so, soon the old giants will die off and few tigers will remain?[/quote]

Tigers don't "switch" to a piscivorous diet. They hatch from an egg, consume the yolk sac, and start looking for a fish to eat. I've seen 3 inch tigers eating 1/4 inch fish.


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[doggonefishin]

Perhaps, but they also eat a great deal of zooplankton in their early years. (Huntington tiger trout flesh does not get as red as it does and delicious by eating only minnows, you need the carotenoids for that red of flesh) If what you said is true, then there should still be plenty to eat in Scofield and the small tigers shouldn't be skinny. But thats besides the point. Has anyone been consistently getting 14-19 inch tigers out of Scofield? If they are as you described, we should be catching quite a few. They put a lot in there.
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[fishfighter91]

I was, well at least before the ice hit. My last probably 10 trips to Scofield I would average catching 6-15 fish per trip and almost all of them were tigers in that slot range. all caught close to shore with a red sided shiner for bait. I've only caught 1 tiger in my last 3 ice trips and it was 16.5", but I don't fish in the same depths or with the same presentation so I blame it more on myself than the presence of fish, but then again I have yet to catch a monster out of there so there may be something to do with difference in location at play...
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[ChubbyChaser]

I went to scofield twice in the last 2 weeks. The first trip was fast action for fat rainbows and small cutts until about noon. Get there early, the bite slows early.
The 2nd trip was slow but rthere was an ice tourney and a million people on the ice which probably didnt help much. Sounds like its slowed down overall.
I use minnows cut into thirds on a treble. The treble helps with hookups in my opinion. Drop to the bottom and work up throught the column until you find the fish. Good electronics can really help.
If youre not grtting bites try moving around. I dont think sxofield has declined as someone mentioned, i think its like any other lake where its can be off and on for various reasons and you just have to catch it at the right time. Good luck.
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[doggonefishin]

[quote fishfighter91]I was, well at least before the ice hit. My last probably 10 trips to Scofield I would average catching 6-15 fish per trip and almost all of them were tigers in that slot range.[/quote]

That is excellent news, especially if they don't rotenone the lake in the next few years.
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[Utahbill]

We fished there on Friday and dd fairly well. We ended up with about 28 between three of us. Mostly small cuts and a few rainbows. It was definetly slower than the week before. We so one big tiger swim by just under the ice, but couldn't get the baits up to him quick enough.
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