01-07-2013, 03:09 PM
to answer the original question. I fished 4 times at henry's this ice season and was not checked. Last year in three days of fishing we were checked every day. The reason is that last year the ice fishing season was an experiment and the IDFG wanted to know what the impact would be on the fishery to determine if the lake could remain open through December.
They found that the entire month of ice fishing had a similar impact to the Memorial day weekend opener. They also found that the majority of the fish being kept were 3 to 4 year old cutthroat. The life expectancy of cutthroat in that lake is only 4 years so the majority of fish being kept during ice season would have died before the spring opener anyways.
As for what has caused the smaller catch sizes. The Henry's Lake Foundation (HLF) has improved the tributary streams spawning habitat which has increased the number of wild cutthroat and brook trout in the system. IDFG did not anticipate the increase and continued stocking high numbers resulting in overpopulation which stunts growth.
My second opinion on what has caused the smaller size is the increase in certain types of fishing pressure. Henrys used to be predominantly a fly-fishing and catch and release lake. Recently I have seen an increase in the amount of catch and keep. There are more people using bait and treble hooks which increases mortality in released trout. I also believe that most people that catch a large hybrid are not releasing them back.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Henrys is a "nice little family lake". But there is certainly a shift occuring from being a technical fly-fishing lake to a put and take mentality.
[signature]
They found that the entire month of ice fishing had a similar impact to the Memorial day weekend opener. They also found that the majority of the fish being kept were 3 to 4 year old cutthroat. The life expectancy of cutthroat in that lake is only 4 years so the majority of fish being kept during ice season would have died before the spring opener anyways.
As for what has caused the smaller catch sizes. The Henry's Lake Foundation (HLF) has improved the tributary streams spawning habitat which has increased the number of wild cutthroat and brook trout in the system. IDFG did not anticipate the increase and continued stocking high numbers resulting in overpopulation which stunts growth.
My second opinion on what has caused the smaller size is the increase in certain types of fishing pressure. Henrys used to be predominantly a fly-fishing and catch and release lake. Recently I have seen an increase in the amount of catch and keep. There are more people using bait and treble hooks which increases mortality in released trout. I also believe that most people that catch a large hybrid are not releasing them back.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Henrys is a "nice little family lake". But there is certainly a shift occuring from being a technical fly-fishing lake to a put and take mentality.
[signature]