I am still getting confliction info on Smallies at Strawberry

[kochanut]

ALL CAPS RAGE!!!111!!!!


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[Fishrmn]

[quote Funchy]Facts and data don't lie.[/quote]

And if there is anyone on this board whose facts and data can be relied upon, it is PBH.
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[Walleye1121]

I personally caught this one last October on the Soldier Creek side. It is in an old post called "big strawberry smallmouth"
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[picespursuer]

There are smallmouth bass all over Canada in places where the winters are just as harsh and long as in Utah. So I really don't think the cold weather is going to be what keeps them from getting established.
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[ifishutah]

For what it's worth, I tend to believe (from what i've researched) that smallies are pretty hardy and probably are reproducing at some rate.

However, PBH is correct. Little fry are adversely effected by weather changes and cold 10 fold more than adult fish. That's why storms effect fry of all types. Little fish get discombobulated by wind and cold snaps a lot more than adults, therefore allowing the bigger fish to be even more efficient predators.

I would guess that a "healthly" population of smallies would be a bonus for Strawberry because they don't compete directly with the cuts and rainbows and they could hammer the dads in there. But I doubt a "healthy" population could ever be established.
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[Fishrmn]

It's not really the harsh cold winter that is the problem. The water is 39° F. under the ice no matter where you are. The problem is that the water doesn't get warm enough, soon enough. The spawn is late. The fry can't grow big enough, fast enough to survive the cold water period. Even after the snow melts, and the ice is gone it's still cold at night at 6,800' elevation. Here's a few questions for ya. How many water skiers do you see at Strawberry? Not very many. Why? Because it's cold. When you do see water skiers there, when is it? After the Fourth of July? The places that have lots of Smallmouth bass also have lots of water skiers. Jordanelle, Deer Creek, Minersville, Lake Powell, Starvation, etc. If the Smallmouth were going to establish in Strawberry they would already be well established. They have been illegally planted there for years. As Tube Dude pointed out, they could almost be like Wipers. Fun to catch, but unable to reproduce and repopulate the reservoir.

I wish I would have kept the brochure that the UDWR printed before the rotenone treatment at Strawberry. In it, they did mention the possibility of planting Smallmouth bass. But only if the Cutthroat trout couldn't control the Utah chubs. They decided not to bother with the Smallmouth.

As for the Canadian waters that have Smallmouth bass in them; how many of those lakes are above 6,000 feet elevation? I'm betting "none of them".

In the end, the guys who want Smallmouth bass in Strawberry can keep wanting. The bozos who illegally plant them can keep trying to establish them there. But Mother Nature doesn't seem to be cooperating. The Smallmouth that are in there grow big. But their efforts to spawn and reproduce don't seem to be effective.
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[Therapist]

The issue of SMB in Strawberry is pretty moot, they are there and will continue to be there. There is most likely a small spawning population, but for the reasons already established, the recruitment is very low. Similarly, when SMB were first stocked in Flaming Gorge, it was a long slow process before they finally took off. Everyone thinks that the chubs in the Gorge were decimated by the Browns and Lakers, not so, they did their share, but the SMB did most of the damage, likewise on the Crayfish up there. With the number of chubs and dad's in the Strawberry system, it is only a matter of time before the SMB really take hold, which is a real shame, because some clown felt he knew better than the professionals. You can go up there and target the few SMB that are there and by removing them, slow down the increase. I would guess that the main way of knowing how many are there is if and when they start showing up in the gillnet samples. To date I am not aware of any being found in the nets. When they do, that is when you have a problem.

[Fishrmn]

Everyone thinks that the chubs in the Gorge were decimated by the Browns and Lakers, not so, they did their share, but the SMB did most of the damage, likewise on the Crayfish up there.

I'll have to disagree on that one. There are still quite a few chubs on the Wyoming side of Flaming Gorge. It's also where the shallow bays that the Lake trout shun are. The Smallmouth in Starvation didn't do the chubs in there either.

And just because there are Smallmouth bass in Strawberry doesn't mean that they are reproducing. Spawning? Yes. But I haven't seen any proof that there is any recruitment of the young.
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[BearFisher]

Maybe there should be an aqua view contest. Anglers are equipped with gps units and an aqua view to see who could get different reports on size, rough estimates on population, and to see fingerling counts. Could be a great way for the biologists to get an slight idea of what is going on.
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[Hookinup]

Thanks for the interesting reading, guys. I am working an all nighter tonight, and this is keeping me awake.
Love the ALL CAPS RAGE. I find myself laughing along with everyone else reading this string.
Thank goodness for opinions.
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[Fishrmn]

[quote Therapist] some clown felt he knew better than the professionals. You can go up there and target the few SMB that are there and by removing them, slow down the increase. I would guess that the main way of knowing how many are there is if and when they start showing up in the gillnet samples. To date I am not aware of any being found in the nets. When they do, that is when you have a problem.[/quote]

Well said.
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