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I have heard a lot of opinions about what should be done with yuba, so ill give you mine. I wouldn't have a problem with the pike in yuba if the lake was stocked with the fish in the beginning. It has been a perch and walleye fishery for years. How would you feel if they were planted in strawberry, and they ruined that fishery? I have caught some of the biggest perch in utah out of yuba. I have also caught a lot of walleye out of yuba. The fish and game taking 50,000 perch out of fishlake to bring back the perch population is a joke and waste of money. All they are going to do is feed the pike in the lake. How many perch in a day, week, or month do you think one big 33" pike eats. The problem I have with the pike, is that they are over populated, and don't belong in the lake. The lake was, and I do say was, a great perch and walleye lake. Look at it now. I know I will do my part to harvest all the pike legally that I can. Just my opinion only.
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I agree the perch transplant is a waste but on the other hand thirty pound pike sounds like fun. The pike in yuba have been there since the 80s you just didn't here about it. The locals have been catching them for years
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[quote gmanhunter]I have heard a lot of opinions about what should be done with yuba, so ill give you mine. I wouldn't have a problem with the pike in yuba if the lake was stocked with the fish in the beginning. It has been a perch and walleye fishery for years. How would you feel if they were planted in strawberry, and they ruined that fishery? I have caught some of the biggest perch in utah out of yuba. I have also caught a lot of walleye out of yuba. The fish and game taking 50,000 perch out of fishlake to bring back the perch population is a joke and waste of money. All they are going to do is feed the pike in the lake. How many perch in a day, week, or month do you think one big 33" pike eats. The problem I have with the pike, is that they are over populated, and don't belong in the lake. The lake was, and I do say was, a great perch and walleye lake. Look at it now. I know I will do my part to harvest all the pike legally that I can. Just my opinion only.[/quote]
Great point, but I don't think the perch transplant is a complete waste. It will be beneficial for Fish Lake as well. All we can hope for is balance, so aside from removing carp, harvesting predators and putting in forage is about as good as we can get now. Things might change if the lake gets drawn down to a puddle.
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One question I have is what kept the pike from completely taking over in previous years/cycles?
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duckbutter -- for whatever reason, walleye always had a better start than the pike in the past. Once the walleye established, pike populations were kept limited.
This time around, and for the first time ever at Yuba, the pike got the stronghold to begin, and have not relinquished their position as the primary species (aside from carp!).
But, this is a GOOD thing! We've never had Yuba in this shape. Pike very well may show a tendency to smooth out those boom/ bust curves. This would be ideal for a lake like Yuba with it's history of crashes.
further, walleye have always been a poor sportfish. Forget what people say about the glory days of walleye in Yuba --those days were very short-lived and bust cycles took years to recover. Walleye simply are not a good sport fish in this area. They never have been, and most likely never will be.
pike, on the other hand, have the potential to provide a good sportfish in Yuba for years to come. Even with extreme water draw-downs, their spawning habits may allow for quicker recoveries -- wouldn't that be ideal? Time will tell. This is uncharted territory!
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