BR minnows?

[hogstalker]

Has anyone noticed if there has been any carp minnow hatches at the Bear river refuge lately ? Thanks for your input .
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[Ahi1953]

no carp minnows. a few shiner and lots of shad are the only things I'm getting in my cast net. other than the big carp that shred it all to heck
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[SkunkedAgain]

I've been finding a few on Cutler, but only one at a time and lots of blank net throws in between... Have been catching a lot more crappie and catfish minnows than carp... figures the ones you can't keep would be what you catch... The carp I'm getting are 3.5"-4" so they are fairly big already... Fresh ones are working a lot better than my 2 year old frozen ones...

I'd be interested on what kind of areas folks are finding the minnows they are catching with the casting nets... I tried a few throws in the open channel last trip and ended up with a 18" carp that really tore up my net as well... Most minnows I have found are around the boat launches, which seems like a funny spot to be, but that's where I've been finding mine... Hopefully we'll get a little cool that will bunch the minnows up a little so we can get some good batches to restock the freezer... Good luck... J
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[Ahi1953]

gave the refuge a try today still only shad. To bad we can't use them they were pretty good size for bait.
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[Ahi1953]

I also cast the net at ramps mainly because I fell pretty save that I won't throw it on top of a stump. I will cast it out in some of the channels that I know have a sandy or mud bottoms. I've found out the hard way that if it has large rocks and the weights get around them. no matter how hard you pull on the rope its not coming off. If your lucky and didn't cast it to far out . Grabbing the yoke some time gets you lose with little damage.
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[Piscophilic]

Nice picture! Those look like juvenile gizzards. I wouldn't have thought you would find them in there, but I've never been there. Any idea why you can't use them as bait? I know they try to protct them in Willard, but up there?
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[SkunkedAgain]

I guess I'm the same way of casting close to known bottom conditions so I don't ruin the net... It's amazing how easy it is to snag those things up... And those full size carp are terrible if you get them into the net... That top fin bone cuts up casting nets like no other ... I love trying for minnows, but it sure can be frustrating when you keep damaging the gear... Guess I just want to find a spot with nice sandy bottoms and lots of minnows, but I don't think that spot exists... or else I'd screw up my toss so the net didn't open up... someday I'll find a spot like ole coyotespinner a few years back where he was filling five gallon buckets with minnows... but I'm not holding my breathe since three years into trying to catch minnows and I've never got more than 10-20 per trip... Well good luck in finding your supply... Later J
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[Ahi1953]

I have no idea why. At first I thought it was only Willard, and looked all over the guide book in the bait section couldn't find a thing. So I emailed DNR to ask if I could use shad for bait the answer was no! and was told to look under prohibited fish . Low and behold there on page 16 six fish down was Gizzard shad. I think the ones I'm getting down here are escapees from Willard. I don't think they have made it up into Cache County yet.
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[Piscophilic]

The exception listed is Lake Powell. I knew they used to be legal there, where they are cosidered as yet anther inivasive species. I would have thought they might consider them the same way in the river. Now they are probably trying to prevent the spread from there to other places.

It will probably change down the road. All we can do now is give them feedback. I think that helped in Powell, along with a forwars thinking biologist like Wayne. Opps, I didn't mean that to sound like I was criticizing the northern guys, I just think Wayne did a lot of great stuff at Powell[]
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