Northern pike

[hook_sets]

I went fishing at Utah lake state park with friends this morning.  I tried out my new in-line reel on a few crappies.  My friend Rick was fishing for crappie but this northern pike must think that it was a crappie and ate his jig.  After a few minutes Rick pulled this 30” pike onto the ice.

[wiperhunter2]

I went fishing at Utah lake state park with friends this morning.  I tried out my new in-line reel on a few crappies.  My friend Rick was fishing for crappie but this northern pike must think that it was a crappie and ate his jig.  After a few minutes Rick pulled this 30” pike onto the ice.

Thanks for the report and pics. That's cool, you guys caught a third northern, that members have posted about catching this Winter, that is amazing that many has showed up this year. 
What size were those crappie?

[hook_sets]

Crappies 9-11”

[wiperhunter2]

Crappies 9-11”

Not too bad.

[TubeDude]

You are lucky to have Rick as a friend.  He has been a close friend and fishing buddy of mine for over 40 years.  By the looks of the picture, he has aged a bit.  So has the guy who looks back at me out of my mirror.  But we were both much younger those many years ago...as you can see in the attached pics.

[hook_sets]

There must be lots of fish back in those days. The perch in Yuba are pretty much extinct because of the northern pike. Thanks for the photos Pat.

[TubeDude]

There must be lots of fish back in those days.  The perch in Yuba are pretty much extinct because of the northern pike.  Thanks for the photos Pat.

Yes, there were a lot more fish in those days...especially in Yuba.  But the decline in perch was not solely the fault of northern pike.  Before about 2003, Yuba was a prolific multispecies water...with tons of big perch and walleye...and numerous northern pike and catfish.  But the big drought of 2004 took the lake down to a small trickle running through the lake bed.  A few northerns and walleyes...and catfish...were able to go up the Sevier River and await the lake's refilling.  Perch disappeared. 

When the lake refilled, DWR planted trout for a fishery.  And anglers were able to catch some nice trout for a couple of years.   And a private group arranged to harvest some perch from other lakes and plant them back into Yuba.  But the perch were made off limits to anglers for several years.  They repopulated and grew fast but due to continuing water fluctuations they could not get off a good spawn each year and dwindled.  On the other hand, the northern pike had a massive spawn the first couple of years after the drought.  And with no other predators like walleyes for competition, they took over the lake.  Doubtless they ate a lot of perch, but the big problem was the whole balance of the lake was out of whack and they have never made a comeback to the numbers and sizes they once were.  Also, the carp have overwhelmed the lake and even if the perch find a place to spawn, few of their eggs escape the buglemouths. 

Here are a couple of pictures from the past.  One is of me and Rick with a batch of big perch we caught in about 3 hours one morning on Yuba.  No limits back then...and there was no need for them.  Still mostly trout chasers in Utah with few folks fishing for perch.  The other picture is of me and a 36" northern and some big walleyes caught at Yuba...after the first snow and before iceup.  I miss the old Yuba.

 

[lifeshort]

There must be lots of fish back in those days.  The perch in Yuba are pretty much extinct because of the northern pike.  Thanks for the photos Pat.

Yes, there were a lot more fish in those days...especially in Yuba.  But the decline in perch was not solely the fault of northern pike.  Before about 2003, Yuba was a prolific multispecies water...with tons of big perch and walleye...and numerous northern pike and catfish.  But the big drought of 2004 took the lake down to a small trickle running through the lake bed.  A few northerns and walleyes...and catfish...were able to go up the Sevier River and await the lake's refilling.  Perch disappeared. 

When the lake refilled, DWR planted trout for a fishery.  And anglers were able to catch some nice trout for a couple of years.   And a private group arranged to harvest some perch from other lakes and plant them back into Yuba.  But the perch were made off limits to anglers for several years.  They repopulated and grew fast but due to continuing water fluctuations they could not get off a good spawn each year and dwindled.  On the other hand, the northern pike had a massive spawn the first couple of years after the drought.  And with no other predators like walleyes for competition, they took over the lake.  Doubtless they ate a lot of perch, but the big problem was the whole balance of the lake was out of whack and they have never made a comeback to the numbers and sizes they once were.  Also, the carp have overwhelmed the lake and even if the perch find a place to spawn, few of their eggs escape the buglemouths. 

Here are a couple of pictures from the past.  One is of me and Rick with a batch of big perch we caught in about 3 hours one morning on Yuba.  No limits back then...and there was no need for them.  Still mostly trout chasers in Utah with few folks fishing for perch.  The other picture is of me and a 36" northern and some big walleyes caught at Yuba...after the first snow and before iceup.  I miss the old Yuba.

 

Check out the wood side panels on that wagoneer

[Therapist]

Now you've done it Hook_sets, you got TD pulling old pictures out of the files and making everyone drool over what is past !! I was on some of those trips with Rick and TD and it is hard to decide which one can catch the most fish, ANYWHERE !! Both are incredible fishermen and great friends. Some of those Yuba trips were beyond incredible. ON one of the last trips, we just stepped off the ice down by the dam, when one of the guys with us looked back behind us and the whole ice sheet had moved 20 yds off shore. We were commenting on that the other day when the open water appeared down at Ut. Lake !!

By the way, the old White Ranger in that one picture !! Rick found that listed on KSL several years ago. His girls went in and bought it for him and he spent some time spiffing it up again. Got it running really good and we took it on several trips. He took a buddy in his neighborhood out in it and the guy talked him into selling it again. It was a great old boat !!

Thanks for the pics Pat, brings back some real memories !!!

[hook_sets]

It’s nice to compare past photos with present ones. Can’t believe how young they looks back in those days.?

[TubeDude]

Now you've done it Hook_sets, you got TD pulling old pictures out of the files and making everyone drool over what is past !!  I was on some of those trips with Rick and TD and it is hard to decide which one can catch the most fish, ANYWHERE !!  Both are incredible fishermen and great friends.  Some of those Yuba trips were beyond incredible.  ON one of the last trips,  we just stepped off the ice down by the dam, when one of the guys with us looked back behind us and the whole ice sheet had moved 20 yds off shore.  We were commenting on that the other day when the open water appeared down at Ut. Lake !! 

By the way, the old White Ranger in that one picture !!  Rick found that listed on KSL several years ago.  His girls went in and bought it for him and he spent some time spiffing it up again.  Got it running really good and we took it on several trips.  He took a buddy in his neighborhood  out  in it and the guy talked him into selling it again.  It was a great old boat !!

Thanks for the pics Pat, brings back some real memories !!!

Some folks say that with a selective memory all things from the past improve with age.  At least that's what I say.  But I can also say that the fishing memories we made back then need no embellishment.  Things were just so much better...on so many waters...for so many species.  And I can't believe that in all of my photo files I don't have any pictures of you from the past.  But I still have lots of good memories.

These days I see or hear reports of "super" days when only a few fish (or no fish) were harmed during an entire day of fishing.  And then I remember our trips of old...especially ice fishing trips.  No power augers, super sonar systems or super sleds towed by gas powered ice machines.  Just a single rod (no two pole permits in those days), a bucket and a hand crank auger...or still a hatchet or spud bar for many.  And yet we caught fish...lots of fish...and lots of big fish.  Of course there were a lot of our trips when we were the only ones on the whole lake.  But even with complete honesty (at least fishing honesty) I cannot remember a single trip that we did not all catch fish. 

Makes me wanna quote a verse from one of my "verse or worse" writings: 
Times, tides and people change. 
Doesn't it seem kinda strange 
That things don't go from bad to good 
And never turn out like we hoped they would?