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I still have a video from over 10 years ago of a Utah DWR biologist stating that the lake trout are starving from lack of forage, and if we don't "greatly reduce the number of large lake trout, the fishery will crash in a few years." Yep, this one we got today is another fine example.
FYI--It ate a big tube jig in 90 feet of water. It weighed quite a bit, especially for its length!
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Nice fish Jim, yea it looks like its starving. What do they no, as I would say, everyone makes it rocket science.
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[black][size 3]Hey Jim,[/size][/black]
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[size 3]My daughter caught one built like that and it was full of eggs. It was about a 25 lb fish, and the thing that made it different was that it was caught at the end of June.[/size]
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[size 3]Go figure.[/size]
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holly super pig!! that was a fun one. look at the guys  . thats what its about every one. that right there. the[sly].
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Jim maybe we could talk them Macks into not eating any cuts. LOL
At least in Wyo as long as there is a chance that a species of fish will eat one of the G&F's precious cutthroats they will want to try and eliminate that species.
Heres an example: Two years ago I was bowhunting up in the Labarge Creek area. After several days of hard hunting I decided to take the day off and hi the creek for some Brookies. So I got out the fly pole and hit the creek. After about half an hour without catching a fish or even seeing one, I knew something was wrong. I continued fishing and about five minutes later a Warden pulled up on the road and hollered to me "Any luck". After telling him no he then proceded to tell me that they had chemically killed the creek two weeks earlier and he was glad to see that it was successful. I asked him why they killed it and he said they killed it so the could plant some Colorado Cuts back in the creek, and they had to kill all the Brooks so they would have a chance to survive. This really made me mad because in my opinion Labarge Creek was one of the best Brookie fisheries around.
Don't get me wrong I don't have anything against the Native Cutts that Wyoming is promoting, I like to catch them as much as anything. But to try and wipeout as many other fish as possible so they wussy cuts can survive is wrong in my opinion. I know the Macks are not feeding on many cuts if any at all, but since they are not a native fish to the waters they are a threat and need to be eliminated at least in many G&F opinions.
Just my thoughts
Wyobraz
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Wyobraz I gotta agree with you on the super brookie fishn in labarge creek. I didnt plan it this way but I guess I fished it a day or two before they had poisened the creek. The fishing was super but when I went into the gas station to fill up. The gal at the station told me they had or were doing it right then. Makes me wonder why they would mess with such a good fishery.
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hey Jim do you think that the DWR should look into stocking chub back into FG?
i ask because last year i rember the DWR removed 10 to 12 ton's of chub out of Joe's valley and just took them to the land fill..
i'm thinking insted of wasting it they should have looked for some place to put them where they could have done some good..
whats your take?
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Somewhere along the line the Game and Fish has got themselves on a Native Fish kick. They only want the original native fish that were in the waters hundreds of years ago to be in there today. In my opinion they don't manage the Gorge well for the future. They would rather have every fish in the Gorge gone until there is only Cutthroats and maybe a rainbow. Of course this is just my opinion. There are today quite a few trophy quality fish in the Gorge. But there also is quite alot of pressure put on these fish using techniques that have been refined over the years. This makes them somewhat easier to catch, which is fine.
I really don't want to get into this and sorry Jim for doing it, but when the fish have more pressure, with more people, and some of them keeping one of the trophys, eventually the numbers are going to decline. I am not a catch and release kind of guy, in fact I keep my fair share of fish. But when it comes to Macks I only keep smaller ones (under28) and release the rest, so everyone will have the chance to catch one. I don't look down or critisize people when they keep one right know it is thier right, I just don't agree and wouldn't do it myself. I also know that this will never change anyone opinion, I should have never even typed it.
Later Wyobraz
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[reply]hey Jim do you think that the DWR should look into stocking chub back into FG?
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What good would that do? The DWR already is feeding the lake trout rainbows and kokanee...if they stocked chubs, they would have to do it annually, they would have to start raising them in hatcheries, and increased competition with rainbows and kokanee would lead to poorer condition of those fishes.
The only reason that big fish is even able to live in Flaming Gorege is because the wildlife departments from wyoming and utah continue protecting kokanee and stocking rainbows.
You guys should be worried about all he dang burbout...add another predator to an already thin prey base and you are destined for problems. The DWR is right on in their assessment of the lake, and they know it...it is  that fishermen can't see the forest for trees when it comes to the basic management principles and problems that surround this lake.
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the mac's and browns of years ago got that big eating chub... they eat chub so well that they cleaned them out...
way would they have to rais the chub? they took 10 to 12 tons out of one lake to throw in a land fill.. why not put them to use.. take some of the pressure off the kokanee and trout if only for a short time.. i would think 10 ton's of food would not hurt fg much.. or they could have taken them to powell and feed the stripers.
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The Wyoming Game and Fish does not want Lake trout in the Gorge. In fact I have heard biologists through the years say this. I don't know about Utah but Wyoming would rather have Cutthroats everywhere. I realize that the Lake Trout have done well in the 10 years since the comment that Jim was refering, and you are right it is due to stocking rainbows and protecting Kokes. But they did not stock these fish to promote the lake trout population, they don't want them there.
Burbot is a threat to the fishery and I think every Gorge fisherman is concerned. But Burbot has been around alot longer that we realize, the numbers of burbot we have know didn't happen in a couple of years. The big lakers are the only fish that are helping regulate the burbot population. They are eating burbot just as much as they are Kokes and Bows. If the Game and fish got there wish and removed every large lake trout the fishery would really crash because the burbot would take it over more than they have.
Wyobraz
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[reply]
way would they have to rais the chub? they took 10 to 12 tons out of one lake to throw in a land fill.. why not put them to use.. take some of the pressure off the kokanee and trout if only for a short time.. i would think 10 ton's of food would not hurt fg much.. or they could have taken them to powell and feed the stripers.[/reply]
Well, I guess if the money were available they could do it...but it wouldn't really help anything. It is a quick fix to a major problem...you throw all those chubs in either Powell or the Gorge and all you do is give the stripers or lakers a meal for a short time period...the problem of too few prey still exists in the long run.
Also, you have to remember that any fishery has only so much biomass available. IF you dump tons of chubs in the lake, you are removing room for rainbows and kokanee...you will lose these fish to competition, so, in the long run, all you are doing is replacing game fish with nongame fish and you would only hurt the fishermen who want to catch kokes and bows!
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what a fatty that is, wow!!! dosen't look like he's hurt'en for food in anyway. later chuck
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[font "Lucida Console"][#ff4040]That's a nice one Jim! I wish all the fish everywhere else were "starving" like that one.[ ][/#ff4040][/font]
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Wow that is a fat fish. Thanks for posting her Jim.
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As we dicussed last year the DWR plants 100,000 cutthroats in the Gorge. They stopped stocking Jackson Lake with Macs last year..Why??..they say it is because they reproduce on thier own but a lot of people have said it's because Game and Fish wants more cutthroats in the lake. As far as the Utah chub, I read where they are sinking old Christmas trees in the northern part of the Gorge to increase the chub population. This gives them a place to hide and reproduce more successfully..we shall see...
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JL,
Sorry, but I had to chime in on this if only to clarify your statement. The Wyoming DWR didn't and doesn't plant Colorado Cutthroat in the Gorge. They plant a couple of different plants of Rainbow, some Kokanee when they can get a clean plant and a token plant of Brown Trout. That is pretty much it.
JBT
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John, I read that last year they planted cuts in the Gorge on the Utah DWR fishing reports. I may be totaly wrong but we had a large diccussion about it on this board. Tarpon Jim read the same thing. I looked up last years stockings and it did not say anything abouts cuts stocked in Flaming Gorge. Typical game and Fish Depts. They probably forgot about the bourbots they stocked too !!!..JL
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Very true JBT! But like JL said the Utah DWR has planted cuts in the Gorge. Wyoming might not plant the Gorge directly but the do plant the tribuataries that feed the Gorge. My friends and I have been catching higher numbers of Cuts on the Green this last winter than we normally have, which is a good thing. But how many of these mare making it into the Gorge? Who knows. Also how many Macks swim up river for prey? Macks might be a deep cold water fish, but there have been some nice sized macks caught out of the Green between the Gorge and Fontenelle. I have a friend that caught a 17lber earlier in the spring. Pretty big Mack for a river, and I don't think Kokes were the main food source in the river but I may be wrong.
Later
Wyobraz
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[red][size 3]That's to bad on your sickly Mac, looks a lot like those long scrappy starving Bear Lake variety Macs - not![/size][/red]
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