What is Maximum Size a Fish could grow in Uintas

[Uintaman]

I have been told, that 5 lbs is the absolute maximum size a fish could get in the Uintas. Mostly referring to high mountain lakes. Brookies or Cutthroats, and now Tigers.

I have heard of one gentleman that post his conquests on the internet yearly claim a 10 pounder.

I have several personal big fish from the Uintas. One 21 inch cutthroat, recent history. Curly tail Jig.

One lake gave me 3 3 lb Brookies when we stopped for lunch there. Been back 4 times, nothing more than a 12 incher. Not recent history. No less then 17 miles in.
Large lure, like dare devil, silver and red or kastmaster.

One lake gave me 4 to 5 lb Brookie, distant history, on a red and white dare devil. Estimate was by others as well.

One lake has given me consistently 2 1/2 pound Brooks. Very recent history. Maybe even 3 lb. These are well fed scud eating Brooks.

Other lakes have given me nice 1 to 1 1/4 lb Brookies, all few and far in between.

I am not trying to pat myself on the back, I spent decades and countless miles, and billions of casts. I now tape measure all big fish, but not in the past.

I am wanting your input on maximum size, and maybe the why.
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[johnnycake]

best I have ever seen was a 26" fat rainbow out of Mirror Lake 15 years ago, never weighed it, but it was probably over the 5lbs mark.
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[brookieguy1]

My biggest brookie from the Uintas is the biggest they can possibly get up there.[sly]
Who am I kidding.
Uintaman, we need to talk!
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[ratnest]

In my limited experience in the Uintas, mainly in the back country, I have seen a number of fish in the 2-3 lb range, leaving me to believe there are certainly much larger fish. I would say in the 7-10 lb range is possible. It think it would need to be in a stream fed lake, at least 5 miles from any road.

[wormandbobber]

[quote Uintaman]
I am wanting your input on maximum size, and maybe the why.[/quote]

Pretty tough question…it depends a lot on management, stocking practices, and environmental factors that are almost uncontrollable. But, if you look at it in terms of how many pounds per acre a lake or body of water can sustain, it becomes a bit easier to understand--

"Given a situation of 100 pounds per acre, it [lake or water body] can be managed as 100 1-pound fish, 200 half-pound fish, or 400 quarter-pound fish. Going the other way, size can be manipulated to 50 2-pound fish, 25 5-pound fish, etc. Theoretically, size could be changed to one 100-pound fish. Even at this extreme, it could come close to reality if king salmon or lake trout were the species of fish in question. Obviously, fish of this unusual size are seldom the case. In Utah streams and rivers, however, maximum size can usually be at least 16-18 inches. Potential maximum size is even greater in lakes and ponds. When food is sufficient to allow continued growth, the upper limit on size is usually set by some other environmental limiting factor, such as water temperature, winter habitat, sport fish harvest, or size of holding pools. Before these limits are reached, the balance between numbers and size is as proportional as given in preceding examples. When we have been able to control overall fish numbers (for example by stocking), maximum size and growth are also manageable."

http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?typ...32;


There is no reason to believe that some of the best lakes in the Uintas can grow fish in excess of 5 pounds…10 pounds is definitely possible.

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[harlin]

The biggest I've seen a photo of from the high elevation was a 26 inch tiger trout. I have no doubt that there are some over 5 lbs up there..Probably cutts, rainbows, or tigers. Some of the lakes have populations of minnows and suckers...And something big and scary is likely feeding on those minnows.
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[Joe_Hill]

I've also heard 2nd hand reports of very large rainbows from Mirror. If the fish gets big enough to switch over to munching on all those stocked fish in a lakes like Mirror then a few have a good chance of getting very large. Even little Tibble Fork (Wasatch range not Uintas) gets an occasional beast for this reason. These fish tend to be caught at night by those specifically targeting them and not just throwing a fly or worm out.
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[orvis1]

I have gotten a 24 inch tiger likely 4-5 lbs up there. I did personally see one 26 inch cut about 6lbs there but I wish there were better brookie lakes for trophies up there would save me a couple hours driving. I am sure there are a few my experience up there has been really limited.
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[Uintaman]

Thanks for the insight, I felt 5 lbs was tops due to personal experience, and guessed that the overstocking in a few cases, and over populating, coupled with short short season limited growth. But it is a numbers game as your references point out. Tons of factors.

That is why one year at Lambert lake I pulled 3, 3 lb Brookies out, and in following years can't top 12 inches and plentiful. Maybe the first encounter, there was only a handful of fish, all big. Subsequent years more smaller fish, but same mass. Tricky.
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[FishingLunatic]

My dad and I have caught several 20+ inch cut throats, tigers and rainbows from whitney reservoir. I think the very biggest was 23 inches. Doubt that's the biggest someone's caught but that's at least a few pounds.
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[Hoola_bob]

I wish I could take credit, but it was all my sister. We were back in about a mile fishing a small lake. She was casting a flat fish and reeling back slow and had about a 5-6 pound brook come out from a log and nab it. It was way fun to watch as we got to see the full take in the clear water.

I don't know if they usually get bigger than that due to freeze and lake kills, but I think its possible.
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[Watershadow]

High elevation lakes generally have a very short feeding season and limited biomass, hence the lack of large fish. By short, I'm talking about longer winters and colder temps, so not much feed, and not for very long - maybe 3-4 months of aquatic and terrestrial insects, max. Larger fish caught in lakes that can be reached by a stocker truck will sometimes kick out some of these 5lbs rainbows and frankenstein hatchery fish, but they're most likely brood stock or hybrid fast growers. Back country, you're generally not going to see this. Two to three lbs seems to be the upper limit for remote high country lakes that are airplane stocked or have naturally reproducing brookies.
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[Uintaman]

I am getting a mixed bag, many of you think that 10 lbs is possible, but no one has seen, heard, or personally caught one. On the other had a few think 5 ish is about it.

I was hoping someone would have had personal experience of something larger.

Few and very far in between.
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[tightline]

I know of one body of water that you can drive to in the Uinta's that turns out multiple 5lb cutthroat for me year after year. The largest was 27 1/2" and unbelievably thick. This water has many sculpin and suckers with only natural reproduction and no stocking it keeps the fish numbers in balance and produces some bruisers.

I would guess the largest to be around 7 pounds.

Anyone who says they are not growing big because of elevation and growing season are nuts. The Boulders produces some pigs on a number of lakes over 10,000 feet.
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[blackhab]

I found, didn't catch, a dead cutthroat on the shore of a lake in the Uintas that had the guts eaten out of it. I assume it died of natural causes. Anyway, I put a notch on my fishing pole to measure it when I got home and it was 29". Hard to tell a weight. It was in a lake that was over 40 feet deep and has a lot of natural food source and isn't stocked much. I have pulled out fish that were 22 inches out of the same lake.
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[Uintaman]

Not asking the location of lake or name of lake, but was it hike to or drive to lake.
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[blackhab]

It is a hike in lake, several miles to get to it and then no trail last part.
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