06-07-2019, 04:50 PM
[#0000FF]As a veteran perch jerker...through all seasons of the year...on many Utah waters...I gotta make a couple of observations. First, if they are for providing cover for young perch, why put them so deep in the lake? Baby perch stay shallow and hang out in shoreline vegetation or rocks until colder temperatures in late fall send them deeper. And while they are shallow is when they are preyed upon by small smallmouths and other predators. That is where and when they need the most protection.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Jordanelle is a good example of how young perch survive. From summer through fall you can find bazillions of perch fry hanging out in the flooded trees and brush around the edge of the lake. And you can find good numbers of large perch, smallies and other predators hanging around the edges.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]The flip side is Deer Creek. Only in high water years is there enough flooded vegetation and weed beds in the upper part of the lake to provide safe nurseries for baby perch. In lower water years you can observe wolf packs of underfooter smallies herding big schools of baby perch into shallow water and then slurping them up to the last one.
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[#0000FF]By putting structure in only one area of the lake...at one depth...in lakes that typically rise and fall dramatically through the year...actual use and value are limited to potentially only a very small window each year...if any at all. Unless large numbers of the baby perch search out these deep water "improvements" they will derive no benefits from them most years.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]While living in Arizona I observed similar placement of artificial structure in several lakes. As with Utah Lakes, most Arizona impoundments are subject to great seasonal variations in depth. Consequently, any artificial trees placed in shallow waters early in the year are left high and dry later, and subject to removal or vandalism by dimbulb boaters.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF][#0000FF][b]In many natural lakes around the country t[/#0000FF]hey have proven attractive and effective for providing cover both for younger and older fish. Lakes without great seasonal fluctuations make it easier to locate artificial structure in traditional holding and feeding areas. It is also possible to set up these structures in a variety of depths to make them useable during all seasons.[/b][/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I applaud the efforts of DWR but I have reservations as to the real value they will provide over time...at least in the deep lakes with extreme annual depth changes. I think that some natural brush piles in the shallows would be a lot more beneficial to the perchlets.
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[#0000FF]Jordanelle is a good example of how young perch survive. From summer through fall you can find bazillions of perch fry hanging out in the flooded trees and brush around the edge of the lake. And you can find good numbers of large perch, smallies and other predators hanging around the edges.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]The flip side is Deer Creek. Only in high water years is there enough flooded vegetation and weed beds in the upper part of the lake to provide safe nurseries for baby perch. In lower water years you can observe wolf packs of underfooter smallies herding big schools of baby perch into shallow water and then slurping them up to the last one.
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[#0000FF]By putting structure in only one area of the lake...at one depth...in lakes that typically rise and fall dramatically through the year...actual use and value are limited to potentially only a very small window each year...if any at all. Unless large numbers of the baby perch search out these deep water "improvements" they will derive no benefits from them most years.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]While living in Arizona I observed similar placement of artificial structure in several lakes. As with Utah Lakes, most Arizona impoundments are subject to great seasonal variations in depth. Consequently, any artificial trees placed in shallow waters early in the year are left high and dry later, and subject to removal or vandalism by dimbulb boaters.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF][#0000FF][b]In many natural lakes around the country t[/#0000FF]hey have proven attractive and effective for providing cover both for younger and older fish. Lakes without great seasonal fluctuations make it easier to locate artificial structure in traditional holding and feeding areas. It is also possible to set up these structures in a variety of depths to make them useable during all seasons.[/b][/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I applaud the efforts of DWR but I have reservations as to the real value they will provide over time...at least in the deep lakes with extreme annual depth changes. I think that some natural brush piles in the shallows would be a lot more beneficial to the perchlets.
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