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[font "Times New Roman"][#ff4040][size 3]Well after waking up from my deep sleep at 3pm (work graveyard), I decided to go do a little fishing. Decided to go out to AF Harbor. Got there at about 4:30 and there were a ton of cars. Got all geared up and started to wade out through the river that enters the lake. There was a whole line of people waiting for me out at the lake. Found me a spot and started tossing some plastics. Caught a bunch of whities and nothing else. I was there from 4:40 until about 6:30 and had caught about 15 whities. The people all around me were catching a bunch of whities also. I was very glad to see that there were plenty of whities left in the lake. Alot of them were big ole mamas ready to pop. Man was it fun to catch those little suckers with light gear. I took a couple home for dinner and the others were unharmed and set free to make more whities.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[cool]Nice report, Skot. Glad you were able to stretch your string out there.
Unfortunitely just because everybody was catching a few whities tonight right near where they like to spawn (and it's currently right in the middle of spawning time) doesn't mean that the lake is full of whities again. Most likely the population is still extremely low since the inlets are the only place people are catching more than one or two of them at. I really hope that I'm wrong on this, but doubt it if I am, since it's whitie spawning time (May) and there's lots of them around the inlets only right now...[crazy]
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[cool][#0000ff]Normally there are grundles of white bass all around the lake this time of year. Not many this year. Seldom catch more than one or two, even when fishing especially for white bass in places they should be plentiful.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Watched the DWR survey netting at the mouth of Benjamin Slough today. Usually jillions of white bass there right now. Today, zippo, nada, zilch. No white bass on plastics or spinners either.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]THEY ARE NOT PLENTIFUL. THEY ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]What is even scarier is that there were very few small "young of the year" last summer and fall. Saw a couple of schools of them inside Lindon Harbor, but usually they swarm all over the lake. The overabundant walleyes have been eating the small whities as fast as they hatch.[/#0000ff]
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[cool]Man, that's what I was afraid of... Hopefully the biologists are FINALLY starting to notice. But, the question is, do they care about it? I guess the proposed lifting the restrictions on the "one walleye over 20 inches" rule would be a good thing for U.L., I don't know about for the whole state like at Starvation for example. I sure hope the whities get some protection from the dwr soon so we can have a good whitie fishery again before it's too late...
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[cool][#0000ff]Before we point the finger of blame at DWR, we should realize that all of the species that survive in Utah Lake are tough. There have been a lot of others planted there that couldn't make it. White bass can survive and prosper on their own, but it is going to take a few years of good spawns and recruitment before we will ever see the numbers of old.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is really not much DWR could do to help, other than to (finally) put a possession limit on white bass. It is too late now to undo what happened for several years when the white bass were thicker. We have all seen and heard of the heavy harvest, sometimes for commercial purposes. That happened during the drought years, when the larger fish were plentiful, but they were not getting good spawns. Now, when the water levels are up and the spawning conditions are better there are not as many adult spawners left to build the population.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, a limit on white bass and a removal of the large fish restrictions on walleyes would help. But, these days there are probably very few people who catch more than a few white bass, and even fewer who regularly catch the large walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#ff4040][size 3]I agree a limit should be implemented on white bass at UL. It would definitely help them rebound, especially in a situation like this when they are spawning. You should have seen some of the looks I got when I was releasing them. Thought for sure they were all going to hang me. People need to realize that they are not that plentifual as the years before, and they need to let those mamas go if they want to ever catch white bass in the future.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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Agreed on all counts. My one question for the DWR is, do they really care about or want the white bass and/or any other Utah Lake predator to rebound? I mean not personally, but officially as an agency. They by federal law have to protect the June Sucker, so they want to take care of the carp to fix that, but what worries me is that they will also want to reduce the predators too so that they won't prey on June Suckers either.
Something to think about....
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[cool][#0000ff]I have been subjected to at least two official "surveys" while fishing at Utah Lake. Both times by the same friendly young lady who seemed to take her job seriously and was okay with talking about it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]DWR readily admits that their ONLY concern with Utah Lake is with the June Suckers. That means that every other species is not only NOT on the list of concerns, but may be on the target list for control or eradication. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They make the most noise about reduction of carp numbers. They know they cannot totally eliminate carp without eliminating their precious June suckers (poison).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They are all too aware that walleye and catfish are top end predators that eat a lot of young suckers. White bass do too up to a certain size. But, as predators, they are all "bad guys" to those trying to (fruitlessly) save the June suckers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In short, there is absolutely no concern at all from DWR about the lower population of white bass or the skinny condition of walleyes when they have outgrown their food supply. Big deal. No sweat. Those "other" species are on their own.[/#0000ff]
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