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Well the GF had work today so I decided on a solo ice trip for the first one of the season. I finally decided on Lost Creek and got to the parking lot a little after 9 am. Set up with a Green Maniac Cut'r Bug tipped with a piece of mealworm on one pole and a White Maniac Cut'r Bug tipped with a mealworm on the other. I was fishing approximately 10-20 ft down and was able to set the hook on a rainbow and cutthroat just by looking down the hole. Left around 2 pm and ended the day with 1 rainbow and 6 cutthroats. The rainbow was average maybe around 16" and the cutts ranged in sizes from 12"-19".
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Nice report, thanks!
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Man, you got the wicked bad-ass skills! The "stare down hookset" - woooh, I usually have to life my pole.
Ok, kidding. Sounds like a fun trip. Sight fishing is a blast. Been chased up to the hole before, and hooked up when I thought I was reeling in to check bait. Happy surprise!
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Haha yeah "skills"...but yeah its pretty neat to see them chase it all the way to the hole. Definitely fun to reel one up and to feel that surprising tug.
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Thanks for the report. It looks like you did pretty well. I'm heading up this Saturday for the first hartd deck trip of the season. Great pics. Ther eis a slot limit on Lost Creek right?
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Yes, there is a slot limit at Lost Creek for 2013. It is four (4) trout but only three (3) can be 15 inches or under. Then no fish between 15 inches and 22 inches can be kept. This is the slot limit. From the 2013 Fishing Proclamation;
Lost Creek Reservoir, Morgan County
• Limit 4 trout (a combined total).
• No more than 3 trout may be under 15 inches.
• No more than 1 trout may be over 22 inches.
• All trout between 15 and 22 inches must be immediately released.
• CLOSED to fishing 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.
1) It allows for fish to grow to a size to eat the chubs that are out
of control at Lost Creek; 2) Fish in this slot are most likely to spawn. I am not sure how the spawn goes in Lost Creek. There is very little stream habitat into the reservoir, but perhaps up at the upper end that is private land there is more stream flow and nursery for cutthroat and rainbows. 3) The Tiger trout do not spawn, but grow quickly and should also be great chub eaters.
This style of fishery management seems to have worked at Strawberry and we probably need to let it play out at Lost Creek.
I hope everyone has lots of luck at Lost Creek but please stay within the slot limit. Consider this part of your education. Let everyone know and be warned. If I or someone else sees inappropriate behavior the poaching hotline will be called. Please have fun and obey the rules so we can all have fun.
Now if you really want to have some fun, and help the fishery try this. Go up to Lost Creek when the ice is off. Cast a spinning rod with a small spinner, or worm under a bobber and catch as many chubs as you can. Put them in a bucket. Then when you've had enough and are tired of the gulls trying to get what's in your bucket, take them to the parking lot or road. Cut the chubs up into small pieces that can be used as bait or to tip you ice fishing jigs. Freeze them in plastic bags or plastic containers. You will be ridding the reservoir of a few chubs, the catch and keep ratio is 100%, and you then can have lots of bait for the rest of the year. Don't trash the shoreline with the entrails. There are plenty of garbage cans for that.
My grandson and I fished the shoreline around the boat ramp last June. We caught a bunch of chubs. I cut them up and then we wind drifted the channel in our pontoons with the chub meat, a reasonably heavy sinker and spinning rods. The greatest depth in that channel is usually about 90-100 feet, but most often 30-60 ft. We found the 60-90 ft deep old stream bed as it runs approximately down the middle of the reservoir arm. My 14 year old grandson picked up 3 rainbows under 15" and I hooked into a 23 " brown. We usually fish flies but were looking for a trout to grill. We harvested his trout and I quickly slipped the brown back for the next time.
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Personally, I was glad to see a slot limit on Lost Creek. I am hoping it will mean better, bigger fish. I didn't know about the chub problem, but it makes sense. I am looking forward to see how Lost Creek develops as the slot limit has a chance to be effective.
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