02-17-2006, 01:50 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Well, I know I will stir things up with my next statements. I THINK MORE BIG FEMALES SHOULD BE HARVESTED FROM UTAH LAKE...SPAWN OR NOT. What's the difference if you take home a female in April or in June. They are still removed from the gene pool and the predator lineup.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Right now the walleyes are the dominant species of predator in the lake. There are more carp, but the walleyes are eating themselves and the white bass out of house and home. Leaving the large walleyes in the lake is increasing the predation on the thinning population of white bass. Last year most of the longer walleyes were very skinny because they are not finding enough white bass to feed on. So far this year, the reports are not much better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I hate to say it but I think that Utah Lake is going to turn into another Yuba. The walleyes are going to destroy their food base and the whole shebang will crash. Not there yet, but unless the white bass are able to pull off a couple of good spawns, with good survival rates, it don't look good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Soooooooo...it wouldn't really hurt the fishery to extract a few spawning mama walleyes. I have always questioned the logic of the limit of one fish over 20". To the best of my knowledge, Utah is the only walleye state to have wacko regs like that. In the first place, there are not that many large females caught by the "average" Utah angler. Second, if the population of larger walleyes is greater than that of the smaller ones, there is a lot more predation on the available food resources, and they eat larger size whities, bluegills, crappies and even catfish too. It takes a lot more calories to sustain a big fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Back to the topic. I hear you on the "right" jigs. You can hand out your prime stuff all day, but all the amateurs wanna do is snag them in the rocks and accuse you of giving them the wrong stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Right now the walleyes are the dominant species of predator in the lake. There are more carp, but the walleyes are eating themselves and the white bass out of house and home. Leaving the large walleyes in the lake is increasing the predation on the thinning population of white bass. Last year most of the longer walleyes were very skinny because they are not finding enough white bass to feed on. So far this year, the reports are not much better.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I hate to say it but I think that Utah Lake is going to turn into another Yuba. The walleyes are going to destroy their food base and the whole shebang will crash. Not there yet, but unless the white bass are able to pull off a couple of good spawns, with good survival rates, it don't look good.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Soooooooo...it wouldn't really hurt the fishery to extract a few spawning mama walleyes. I have always questioned the logic of the limit of one fish over 20". To the best of my knowledge, Utah is the only walleye state to have wacko regs like that. In the first place, there are not that many large females caught by the "average" Utah angler. Second, if the population of larger walleyes is greater than that of the smaller ones, there is a lot more predation on the available food resources, and they eat larger size whities, bluegills, crappies and even catfish too. It takes a lot more calories to sustain a big fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Back to the topic. I hear you on the "right" jigs. You can hand out your prime stuff all day, but all the amateurs wanna do is snag them in the rocks and accuse you of giving them the wrong stuff.[/#0000ff]
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