02-22-2013, 04:41 AM
How many places in Utah can you go and catch eating / family fishing rainbows though? There are dozens, and dozens of places to go...
How many places in Utah produce 18lb Tiger Trout? If the record tiger was one of the first fish planted in 05... it went from what 8"-10" or less? To over 18lbs in just 8 years. Where in Utah, or anywhere for that matter, do trout put on that kind of mass that quickly? It is simply astonishing growth rate and you will be hard pressed to see it anywhere.
It seems to me like spending over a million bucks, only to erase such a special fishery in hopes of it turning into something better...is a gamble. A big one at that.
My fear is that the Utah DWR will find (along with Utah State) that the chubs are not being controlled effectively and therefor something needs to be done to rid them. I don't think the decision should be made on that basis, because we all know it is extremely unlikely they get control of the chubs. Make the decision looking at all factors, not just on whether or not you can control the chubs. As has been stated, even after killing all the trophy Tigers and most of the chubs... there is still a good chance the chubs will come back - and in strong numbers. So is it really worth spending that kind of money in these hard economic times...in "hopes" of turning it into something better?
It is a world class fishery for a incredible species... I could see if Utah had 3-4 other lakes producing 18lb Tigers...what's the big deal if you change one of them into a different kind of fishery?
The chub "problem" is only a problem if you look at it that way. Anglers travel all over the country chasing trophy fish at Lake Pyramid, Lake Henry, just to name a few... once word gets out that there are 20lb Tigers swimming in there I am sure over time fishing enthusiasm and #'s will go up. Mark my word!
If you want to catch a bunch of 20" fish, go fish Strawberry or any of the other dozen rivers and lakes in Utah...(or Colorado, Utah, Idaho, etc... Don't ruin a world class fishery! The tigers are reaching world record size BECAUSE of the chubs, not in spite of them!
And by the way: I don't want to sound cocky, but these big tigers are not all that difficult to catch... As has been mentioned, these fish eat a lot...(and big too) You want to know what I think? I bet 95-98% of anglers fishing there, are fishing with the wrong tackle. You aren't going to catch very many giant tigers on small spoons, small rapalas, worms on the bottom, panther martins, etc. These fish will eat 10-12" trout and gobble up all the chubs they can fit in their stomach... give them a steak to eat and they will eat it. I catch all my big tigers on 5+" baits (lures / plastics). (and you'd be surprised how many of them under 20" will also attack big offerings. I think a lot of people think these fish are tough to catch...and it's a rare opportunity to get one... I just don't think that is the case, unless you are using really small baits. Maybe if more people understood that, they would enjoy fishing there more.
How many people do you see there throwing 7-8" streamers or bigger baits? My guess is VERY few. Funny, if you show up and plunk worms and throw panther martins, all you are going to catch is smaller trout... which might lead you to believe the lake sucks. Most anglers think a 4-5" bait is huge... when I'm chasing big tigers, that is the smallest baits I'll even consider using.[
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How many places in Utah produce 18lb Tiger Trout? If the record tiger was one of the first fish planted in 05... it went from what 8"-10" or less? To over 18lbs in just 8 years. Where in Utah, or anywhere for that matter, do trout put on that kind of mass that quickly? It is simply astonishing growth rate and you will be hard pressed to see it anywhere.
It seems to me like spending over a million bucks, only to erase such a special fishery in hopes of it turning into something better...is a gamble. A big one at that.
My fear is that the Utah DWR will find (along with Utah State) that the chubs are not being controlled effectively and therefor something needs to be done to rid them. I don't think the decision should be made on that basis, because we all know it is extremely unlikely they get control of the chubs. Make the decision looking at all factors, not just on whether or not you can control the chubs. As has been stated, even after killing all the trophy Tigers and most of the chubs... there is still a good chance the chubs will come back - and in strong numbers. So is it really worth spending that kind of money in these hard economic times...in "hopes" of turning it into something better?
It is a world class fishery for a incredible species... I could see if Utah had 3-4 other lakes producing 18lb Tigers...what's the big deal if you change one of them into a different kind of fishery?
The chub "problem" is only a problem if you look at it that way. Anglers travel all over the country chasing trophy fish at Lake Pyramid, Lake Henry, just to name a few... once word gets out that there are 20lb Tigers swimming in there I am sure over time fishing enthusiasm and #'s will go up. Mark my word!
If you want to catch a bunch of 20" fish, go fish Strawberry or any of the other dozen rivers and lakes in Utah...(or Colorado, Utah, Idaho, etc... Don't ruin a world class fishery! The tigers are reaching world record size BECAUSE of the chubs, not in spite of them!
And by the way: I don't want to sound cocky, but these big tigers are not all that difficult to catch... As has been mentioned, these fish eat a lot...(and big too) You want to know what I think? I bet 95-98% of anglers fishing there, are fishing with the wrong tackle. You aren't going to catch very many giant tigers on small spoons, small rapalas, worms on the bottom, panther martins, etc. These fish will eat 10-12" trout and gobble up all the chubs they can fit in their stomach... give them a steak to eat and they will eat it. I catch all my big tigers on 5+" baits (lures / plastics). (and you'd be surprised how many of them under 20" will also attack big offerings. I think a lot of people think these fish are tough to catch...and it's a rare opportunity to get one... I just don't think that is the case, unless you are using really small baits. Maybe if more people understood that, they would enjoy fishing there more.
How many people do you see there throwing 7-8" streamers or bigger baits? My guess is VERY few. Funny, if you show up and plunk worms and throw panther martins, all you are going to catch is smaller trout... which might lead you to believe the lake sucks. Most anglers think a 4-5" bait is huge... when I'm chasing big tigers, that is the smallest baits I'll even consider using.[
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