08-26-2011, 08:47 PM
The issue of SMB in Strawberry is pretty moot, they are there and will continue to be there. There is most likely a small spawning population, but for the reasons already established, the recruitment is very low. Similarly, when SMB were first stocked in Flaming Gorge, it was a long slow process before they finally took off. Everyone thinks that the chubs in the Gorge were decimated by the Browns and Lakers, not so, they did their share, but the SMB did most of the damage, likewise on the Crayfish up there. With the number of chubs and dad's in the Strawberry system, it is only a matter of time before the SMB really take hold, which is a real shame, because some clown felt he knew better than the professionals. You can go up there and target the few SMB that are there and by removing them, slow down the increase. I would guess that the main way of knowing how many are there is if and when they start showing up in the gillnet samples. To date I am not aware of any being found in the nets. When they do, that is when you have a problem.