Kolob res.

[Lonnie]

Can anyone tell me what the chance of the gate to kolob being open by easter weekend.Or who I could contact to find out.And how far would you have to walk from the gate if it is locked? I've never been there but have always wanted to give it a try.Thanks Lonnie
P.S. whats the latest on Quail lake?
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[Hopperluv]

Hey Lonnie, I think this year you will be pushing things for Easter Weekend. The gate is probably at least 5 miles maybe more from the Res. The problem is the snow they have had some good storms up there recently and it looks like more may be on its way this weekend. The only fishing on Easter in Kolob would be most likely through the Ice. If you do decide to give it a try please give us a report.
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[southernman]

good to see you hopperluv , , we need more southern utah fisherpeople here!

why dont you register and join the fun?

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thanks!

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[southernman]

good to see you here hedgesd ! look forward to your reports . . .

go southern utah fishing !



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[MountainMan]

When kolob has ice-off in a few weeks, I highly recommend it above nearly all other southern utah places. But until then, Minersville is almost as good right now.
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[Lonnie]

How do you get to minersville?And can you use a boat there(are there any restrictions for boats?)Ant thanks for the helpful info. Lonnie
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[southernman]

heres some info on minersville . . .

[url "http://www.deq.state.ut.us/EQWQ/watersheds/lakes/MINERSVL.pdf"]http://www.deq.state.ut.us/EQWQ/watersheds/lakes/MINERSVL.pdf[/url]



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[Tsadler17]

I asked the Ranger Station at Kolob Canyons when they would open it up just a few weeks ago and they thought because of the high snow it would be toward the end of April.

Tyler
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[southernman]

they might have got another 6 inches today, if not more . . .

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[hedgesd]

Cedar valley got 6 inches and the mountains get two or three times that.

I checked the states fishing report and it stated that you drive up but with four wheel drive and I would check with the park service because they control the road and I don't like tickets anymore than you would.[]

Remember Kolob is Artificial flies and lures only with 1 fish over 22"

Kolob was made into an artificial lake to maintain the water quality that was damaged by bait fishing and to make it a trophy blue ribbon fishery. I spent over 60 fishing days here and the average fish is 14". There is some fish over the 20 inch mark but not very many.
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[MountainMan]

I've never caught any fish under 16 inches in Kolob. Just fish during the spawn and you can catch plenty of 20 inchers. One other thing to remember when fishing year round is that big fish are like people from Louisiana... they both love crawdads.
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[southernman]

the water quality was damaged by bait fishing? please explain . .



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[Xman]

I hope your talking about imitation crawdad lures mountain man. Kolob is no bait and no stink. Just saying this so for anyone heading up there, which i will be also, they know not to break the regs. Last year nearley 80% of the people i saw fishing were bait fishing. there was probably 40 people on the lake.
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[hedgesd]

I was told by a biologist and I think I've seen it posted on the DWR's web page. I'm not sure exactly how much damage each type of bait fishing does but I do know that Powerbait's pollute the water when it dissolves. I would email TomP for more info.

The average of 14" is from the gill net survey conducted last year and from my own 40+ fish days on this lake. There is some fish over the 20" mark but not enough to raise the average in the lake.

I fished Kolob last year and every time I sent a Conservation Officer to the lake. I know that at Kolob between the two officers in Cedar and St. George they issued over 400 tickets.

Most of the people I seen bait fishing their didn't care about the regulations and I don't think they have a license. Everybody I seen bait fishing new it was artificial flies and lures but one and they picked up and left. If you do see people doing this take the time and email the DWR or call the poaching hotline.
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[southernman]

I dont believe powerbait would be on the market if the stuff was even slighly detrimental to the water . . and that would be crazy for them to sell it if it ruined the water . . . thus reducing/ending their market share . .

you have definitely have been mis-informed . . . powerbait does not hurt the water , , , the only thing bad about powerbait according to some is that you catch too many fish with it and they cant keep up with demand . . .

i dont know about the lure only places . . . i guess there's other lakes around kolob and minersville you can fish any way you want . . .but they're still a drive for most families, me i'll drive hundreds of miles for the chance to catch fish . . . but when the closest place to you is lures only, and you want to take your 3, 5 and 7 yr olds out fishing, kolob or minersville would be a terrible choice . . .

i dont think kolob is a good choice for lures only, too many people come to the national park to shove a NO BAIT sign in their face once they get there . . . you know alot of people go fishing once or twice a year on vacation . . . to get to kolob after paying all the money and waiting in line to get thru the gate (and buying your non-resident licenses), then to get to the lake with your poles and worms, and to have mr fish cop there inspecting your tacklebox and writing tickets is just stupid . . .



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[SoUtDuckHntr]

I would like to know aslo where ya got your info on the pollutant

I have no opinion way or another on artificial only ( heck we have been catching big fish with a Kolob Special for years) but let me ask this question, why was if before they drained both Minersville and Kolob there was huge fish in both waters with bait fisherman now they are both artificial and I have yet to see any evidence that they are any better now than when we could use bait. I am so tired of these so called "Trophy Fisheries"
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[hedgesd]

As I said before I got my info from the DWR's web page and from local DWR biologists but if you want more info contact [url "mailto:tompettengill@utah.gov"][#800080]tompettengill@utah.gov[/#800080][/url].

I personally think trophy lakes are one the best things the DWR did for fisherman!!!

Good luck fishing
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[Fishrmn]

[pirate]

Okay, I'll put my 50 cents worth in on this one. I'd make it 2 cents worth, but that wouldn't cover it.

I have fished Minersville since 1978. I've actually been at the reservoir for two of the last 4 rotenone treatments. I was participating in a year long creel survey with the Utah DWR when the proposal to make it an artificial flies and lures water came up. I was the one who took Doug Miller to fish there in '97. ( I took a lot of flack from the locals for that.) But I've seen more people from the surrounding towns break the law, than those who come from other parts of the state.

There are more big fish now than there ever was when the regulations allowed bait. I'll bet lots of guys from the area will disagree, but just because you aren't catching them doesn't mean they aren't there. Also, when bait was allowed, the fishing would be great for two years after a rotenone treatment. Then there would be two mediocre years. Then two LOUSY years. Then the DWR would poison it, and it would be closed for one or two years. so you would have two good, and two fair years out of 8. Since the artificial lure regulations, there has been good fishing every year. Even the year that they drained it was good fishing. The fishing last year was not exceptional, but was WAY better than the years before the rotenone treatment in '92.

I went to the proclamation meeting and tried to talk the DWR out of making Minersville artificial lures only. I said that the locals would be unfairly burdened. There isn't another good sized reservoir or lake for 80 or more miles away. I suggested Otter Creek or Piute reservoir. They are fairly close together. Someone who wanted to go to one to use bait wouldn't have to go very far if his favorite fishing hole was changed to artificial lures only. But the cormorants are worse at Minersville, and the DWR owns a 15 foot conservation pool in Minersville reservoir. They can't keep putting little planters in to feed the cormorants, so we've got to catch and release bigger fish or just give up on Minersville.

I've heard the complaint that the old folks and the little kids can't fish without bait. Hogwash. There is a guy who lives in the town of Minersville who is my hero. He has been a dyed in the wool fly fisherman for years. I have convinced him to carry a spinning rod, and to fish like I do. He carries both, and when he isn't having any luck on the fly rod, he breaks out the spinning rod. He had hip replacement surgery a few years back. That was in November. The next March I saw him wading out in the reservoir. The guy is like 74 or 75 years old, and he doesn't need to drown worms to catch fish.

And as far as kids, a guy I work with brought his 5 year old daughter over one day while I was fishing. I showed her dad how to rig her pole, and he turned her loose. Kids can't let a baited pole just sit still anyway. She caught a 5 lb rainbow that day. Probably the biggest trout she had ever even seen until that day.

Some of you are probaly asking why I don't tell you all how I fish at Minersville. I'll tell you why I don't. One day I was knocking them dead. There was a retired school teacher from the area out in a float tube. His brother had come down from Idaho to fish with him. I caught 9 fish in 10 casts. It would have been 9 for nine, but I missed one. They both were going nuts. I told them what I was using. I told them what color. I even cast my line over to them so they could take a look. We were fishing the same part of the res. They would cast in from their tubes to about the same place that I would cast to from the shore. There were a few other people fishing down the shore from us too. They went back to their truck, and I could hear them talking about coming back the next day. The guy from Idaho said "If we're coming back tomorrow, take me to Beaver now so I can buy the same type of lures that guy is using" I hollered over that it sounded like he had been converted. He hollered back and said he was. Three or four days later there were twenty guys lined up using the same type of rig that I use. Not everyone knew all of the little nuances to the technique, so after a few weeks I had the area to myself again. I'll pass on another deal like that, thanks.

I don't call Minersville reservoir a "Tropy Fishery". I call it a "Limited Harvest Fishery". It is too far away from the nearest hatchery, and doesn't generate the revenue that Quail Creek or Otter Creek do. It's never going to get planted with the number of fish required to allow everyone and their dog to drown worms and keep a mess of fish all of the time. Catch 'em, let 'em go, let 'em grow, and catch 'em again. Find a technique, or pattern that works, and there are TONS of 19 to 21 inch fish in Minersville. If people would quit taking that one 18 incher home for dinner, there would be TONS of 22 to 28 inch fish in there.

Enough for now,
Fishrmn

[Xman]

Jus so you know southern. Kolob is not in the national park and they dont have to pay a entrance fee to get to Kolob. The regs state artificial. I understand the want to catch fish and traveling hundreds of miles. But in the area there is plenty of fisheries that do allow bait. Kolob is not the only resort. As far as a trophy fishery, im not sure if it is better or worse than what it might have been. I do know I have had 70 fish days there with average fish being 15 to 17 inches or so. This tells me that there is not alot of large fish, by percentage, but that they are still in there.

I do feel that if people have concerns about the regulations that is what the local RAC meetings are for. But for fisherman to take matters into their own hands by disregarding the regulations really puts a burden in alot of other areas. For one it makes alot of other fisherman when you follow the rules but someone feels they dont apply to them and you sit there and watch them. Kind of like the guy in a traffic jam pulls into the emergency lane because waiting like everyone else isnt for them. I will say that I caught 100 times more fish than the bait fisherman on the days I was there. Overall kolob is a excellent fishery in my opinion i had alot of fun there as well did alot of other people. Lets try not to ruin it by choosing to follow your own regulations. Thats what they are there for. And if they dont work for someone, well we are americans go voice your opinion about them.
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[southernman]

goint points xman, and thanks for clarifying the point of the lake not being part of zion proper . . . i was thinking more of somebody on vacation there . . . i agree if they've made it artificial, you should fish artificial, period . . . i just question the location of some of these artificial only lakes . . . its just not a lake for the casual 4 times a year fisherman to bring his kids, thats all . . . although i still cant think of any lakes really within an hour drive from there . . . theres a bunch of lakes an hour or so away, but none i can think of under an hour . . . thats a long ways for some casual fisherpeople



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