(04-28-2020, 08:26 PM)fast_randy Wrote: Out of 17 I got Friday and Saturday 4 were at least 26" and in the 10 lb. range. But they are back out there swimming around. Don't most of the BFTers do mostly catch and release? Before I retired and moved to Idaho I only did catch and keep mostly. And when I had 8 would quit and go home. I fished many years with the state record holder. Although he caught his record on a chicken leg. He would rather fish with shrimp and catch many; than wait for days for a big one. That's how I feel.
Oh, I forgot my main question. All the years I used to fish UL, we never caught many over 8 lbs. Mostly in the 5 lb. range. My biggest was 13 and I put it back. So I went over 12 years without making it back to Utah Lake. Last year at the Flotilla. I caught 10 on Friday and 10 Saterday. And several were those 10 lb.ders. So the question Pat: Don't you think they are bigger on average now then they were in the 80's and 90's and early 1000,s when I used to fish it hard? And if there is more 10 lb.ers getting put back, I seen Craig catch one and release one that was over 10 as I was driving by him Saturday, won't the average keep going up. Or am I wrong. Last year I only fished a total of 5 hours at the most. And this year 1 and 1/2 days.
Your observations are on track. I first fished for cats in the early 1960s and the "average" cat then was smaller than the average now...more like the fish in Willard. But there were some big ones too. When I lived back in Utah from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s it was about the same...lots of 2-3 pound cats with a few bigger fish. But some of the bigger fish were REALLY BIG. I got one in about 1982 that was 24# and 37 inches. And both caught and saw others that were between 15 and 20 pounds.
Anybody who has fished in Utah for over 15-20 years knows that there are now a lot more cat chasers than there used to be. And there are a lot more former troutaholics who have fallen to the level of prefering catfish,...both for catching and for eating (when properly prepared). That means that the catfish biomass is probably lower than in former times. And fewer fish means more food for the remainder...and faster growth rates. I would say that it was about 2010 when the "average" cat from Utah Lake went from being under 20" to over 20". ..with a lot more over 2-footers.
No way to accurately measure how many 3-footers there might be in Utah Lake, but I suspect there are more than we might think. They act differently and feed differently in those sizes. For one thing, their metabolism and growth rates slow down. So they don't have to eat as much or as often as younger fast-growing fish. And they are more inclined to feed at night during a good part of the year...and to eat single large meals less frequently. So unless you present a suitable meal in the right place at the right time you will never even know those big fish are there.
There are a few hardcore catters who have fished Utah Lake for years...and who regularly hook into some of the bigger fish. But they do not hang out on rookie fishing forums and divulge their favorite places, times, baits and techniques. There ARE cats over 20 pounds hooked every year here...but those who do the hooking don't broadcast it. Thankfully, most of those who bring in big cats just give them a smooch and send them back. No
though. Gross.