02-22-2013, 05:40 PM
[quote doggonefishin]
This fact is going to be the key factor in the sustainability of the current tiger fishery at Scofield. 2-3 years ago, one could catch a good number of 18-20 inch tigers. These fish have gone on to be the giants of the current day. However, the 8-12 inch tigers were skinny and sickly looking. If these replacement fish almost never "break through" to become piscivorous because there are too many chubs outcompeting them, then even the current good times with the big tigers will soon become a thing of the past. This is something to carefully watch if you go out and help with gillnetting.[/quote]
Exactly...this is why it is a good idea to poison the reservoir. If you give the tiger trout and cutts a headstart on the chubs, they will not only grow faster and every bit as big, but you will control the chub problem.
My favorite splake fishery is a prime example of this very thing...prior to its last poisoning, stocked splake remained small and skinny because of slow growth rates and high chub numbers. After its most recent poisoning, splake growth rates and sizes are through the roof...some fish have exceeded 10 pounds in only a short window of time. Before the poisoning, I never saw a splake even close to 20 inches let alone 10 pounds! The same thing could very well happen at schofield with tiger trout!
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This fact is going to be the key factor in the sustainability of the current tiger fishery at Scofield. 2-3 years ago, one could catch a good number of 18-20 inch tigers. These fish have gone on to be the giants of the current day. However, the 8-12 inch tigers were skinny and sickly looking. If these replacement fish almost never "break through" to become piscivorous because there are too many chubs outcompeting them, then even the current good times with the big tigers will soon become a thing of the past. This is something to carefully watch if you go out and help with gillnetting.[/quote]
Exactly...this is why it is a good idea to poison the reservoir. If you give the tiger trout and cutts a headstart on the chubs, they will not only grow faster and every bit as big, but you will control the chub problem.
My favorite splake fishery is a prime example of this very thing...prior to its last poisoning, stocked splake remained small and skinny because of slow growth rates and high chub numbers. After its most recent poisoning, splake growth rates and sizes are through the roof...some fish have exceeded 10 pounds in only a short window of time. Before the poisoning, I never saw a splake even close to 20 inches let alone 10 pounds! The same thing could very well happen at schofield with tiger trout!
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