Yuba Report 10/25/09

[walleyebob]

No Pike, No Walleye No Perch(unless you count the ones floating) Threw big spinners, Rat'l Traps, Jointed rapalas, Deep diver rapalas, shallow diver rapalas,curly tails,thumper tails, hard body baits and soft body baits.Fished the rock pile across from the ramp, the narrows and the island(peninsula) west of the narrows. Nada,zip,zilch, not a bite. A few fish jumping here and there.
Switched to Perch tactics and fished jig and worm, kastmaster and worm and a spinner worm combination. Caught carp,carp and more carp. Nine total I think. The most activity on the fish finder was around the man made rock pile across the lake(southeast) from the boat ramp. We went back there when we switched to Perch fishing and caught eight of the carp right there in 20 feet of water.Water temp was 47 at 7:30 when we launched and 53 when we left at 5:00.
Not all of the baby Perch floating in the water are dead. As a matter of fact, more are alive than dead. Just floating belly up and they are growing a yellowish fungus on their sides.Some of them actually dive when you whack em with the end of your rod.
Anyway, never let a disaster go un-exploited. When we put the boat on the trailer I walked around and picked up twenty five of the dead perch around the ramp and put them in my sanwich bag. Not quite a limit for three of us but I'll salt them good and have catfish bait for spring. Better than going home with nothing but carp blood on my boots.
Carp were all about three pounds and went swimming unharmed[angelic] Yeah right!!!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Is it too early to conduct funeral services for Yuba?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not a good report, but not unlike many others from throughout the year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm just masochistic enough that I want to make at least one perch search with the tube. [/#0000ff]
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[pezvela]

It doesn't sound good for Yuba. I noticed that fungus (?) as well.
Like Tubedude, I will give it a couple more tries for pike before ice over.

I don't believe that the fish are just off the bite, I tend to believe that the pike, and perhaps disease have eradicated the perch and walleye. The little yearling perch shows that there was a spawn this spring, What happened to the other year classes? Was it the pike or? I can't explain it unless it was the water wolves.

It's a complex problem with no solution in sight. Perhaps we'll have to return the reservoir to the water babies for their exclusive use.

One poor fishing day does not necessarily spell the demise of Yuba, however plenty of good fishermen have covered her waters for walleye and perch with very little or no success. That alone is a bad sign.

As for the pike, they are opportunistic feeders and their bellies might be filled with yearling perch, but thanks to the DWR's encourging anglers to kill them the numbers and size of the fish has continued to decline.

I don't profess to have the answers, I'm simply disappointed that those we pay to over see this fishery doesn't either. I guess my expectations were too high. Pez Vela
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[ocean]

Around this time last year i was catching perch about 40 feet deep straight out from the boat ramp from my boat .I might give it a shot this weekend not sre yet .The perch were biting till the ice formed in Nov .
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[walleyebob]

Yup, so was everybody else. We tried it, and did mark some interesting things on the sonar. They didn't want to play. I think a combination of the weather patterns and all the disabled baby Perch(easy food) was the reason we didnt score any. Good luck, maybe they will be hungry by the time you get down there.
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