Yuba lake

[brownking]

I live really close to yuba lake. people say there good cat fishing and pike fishing there if i was to go try it out were would be the best place for me to try and easy for me to get to from salina.
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[CROSSINEYES]

i have not seen many cats the last few yrs but the pike are in the weeds right now... and yuba is a res not a lake. good luck.
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[The_Red_Leaker]

Are you fishing from the shore or a boat? From Salina the quickest place to launch would be the Painted Rocks ramp on the east side of the lake(res if you want to be all high, mighty, and particular). Just head north through Gunnison and watch for the turn-off on your left after you see water. Been quite a few years since I've fished Yuba so I don't have any reliable info on the fishing but good luck.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There are still some catfish in Yuba, but not nearly as many as in years past. Only a very few survived when the lake was drained in 2004 during the drought...for dam work. And they have just not made a big comeback. Probably not worth making a special trip.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While there are northern pike in Yuba, it is probably not the best spot to go bank fishing or tubing for them. They are widely scattered and you need a boat to cover the best spots. And, they are few enough that even the pike pros have difficulty finding and catching them. Again, probably not worth a special trip. Redmond would be better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now...if you want to catch carp...Yuba is a great spot.[/#0000ff]
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[Paddler]

How are the walleye and perch doing there?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]In a word...TERRIBLE.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are still walleyes and perch in the lake but their numbers have fallen way off. Not worth a trip.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Carp have just about taken over Yuba.[/#0000ff]
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[Paddler]

WOW!!! I thought they'd make a comeback after they crashed and then they drained it. I had some great days down there. We caught 35 walleye one day bottom bouncing. We caught two limits of perch one day there when the limit was 10. Those 20 fish weighed 24#! Sad to hear the current state of the place.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I have fished that lake over several decades and I remember a few glory years. But there have always been cycles...usually because of the combined effects of drought and water user demand. The poor fish (and fishermen) don't have a chance.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The lake was down to mud puddle status at the end of 2004. It was refilled in 2005 and trout were planted to provide a fishery. They grew big and fat until the perch ate all the fathead minnows. The perch were planted from Jordanelle by DWR with the help of Rocky Mountain Anglers. They took off well and like you experienced there were some big ones from the first year class. But then they spawned and died out and since then there have been mostly small perch...and few of those. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Between the pike, the few walleye and the hordes of carp there is little recruitment from an annual perch spawn. Not enough young to supply all the hungry mouths.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are very few walleyes but the ones that are in there are fat. They have lots of baby carp to eat along with whatever perch they can find. But they are not easily caught. Guys who drag crawler rigs all day go through dozens of crawlers but about all they get are carp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lots of armchair biologists pointing fingers at DWR, water users and anybody else they can blame. But the situation is that the lake is overrun with carp and there is little chance of turning it around until it is again drained and the biomass eliminated for another cycle.[/#0000ff]
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[Paddler]

That's . But it saves me money. It would cost $75 to pull my boat down there for a day of fishing, plus boat gas. I'll save my money for a trip to the coast.
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[mike4cobra]

Thats the best idea ive heard yet TD. Drain and start over[]. Correct me if Im wrong, but I thought the cats would handle the low muddy water better than just about anything? Your the cat guru here, why would the cats do well in the lower bear river and not muddy Yuba?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Cats have traditionally done very well in Yuba. But it all has to do with the food chain. There is a difference between just surviving and being "top cat". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Channel cats are the apex predators in the Bear River...with a few walleyes in the mix. And they have plenty of minnows and other forage...plus lots of brush and holes for spawning and structure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yuba Res. cats are almost at the bottom of the food chain...being subservient to pike and walleyes...and even perch and carp. The fish that don't eat the cats themselves prey heavily on unprotected eggs and young. There just ain't the kind of structure in Yuba that it takes to keep kitties happy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In Yuba the cats run up the Sevier River to spawn in the brush and the few rocks when water levels are high enough. Like perch they do not have good spawns if there is not suitable spawning area. They have to spawn out in the open instead of back inside rocks or brush where the males can protect the eggs and young until they are ready to get out on their own. The carp in Yuba make short work of any nests...of any species...if they are left unprotected.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are a few cats that survive the buglemouth brigade each year and there is a small population in Yuba. And there are some big cats in there. But the overall population is not enough to make it worthwhile for someone to make a special trip for them. The cats are like the walleyes in many spots...they are caught by accident by people fishing for other species.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Let's all get together and install a giant flush handle on Yuba Dam. But, the thing is that no matter how successful the flush it will only be temporary. The history of Yuba is boom and bust...and much of that is because of the water situation. One or two bad water years in every 10 will ruin whatever fishing has developed during good water years and it will be back to square one. It takes several years for the lake to recover and then WHAMMO. Dead again.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]DWR does not have any minimum pool agreements so the downstream water users can suck the lake dry whenever they want to. Gotta have more control than that to maintain a fishery.[/#0000ff]
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[mike4cobra]

Great explanation. Just goes to show that even hardy fish are just as fragile in high/low water situations as the "prized" fish. Its a shame walleye, bass, cats, or even trout arent as tough as the carp[crazy]. As much as I hate em, you have to respect their ability to survive. [fishin]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]To me, Yuba is a good example of an ecosystem with a multitude of "doors"...or factors that can affect the whole shebang...for good or evil. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is no different than almost any other reservoir in Utah from the standpoint that the health of the system is first and foremost dependent upon having enough water. That's one door. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After that it depends on which other doors are opened or closed...species mix...species numbers and ratios...water quality...available structure...food resources...annual cycles by species...unique needs of individual species...angling pressure...predator-prey relationships...human interference, etc. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I really have to chuckle when Ivan Popoff posts the "real" reasons why there are no perch and walleye...without any consideration of the big picture. Damned DWR guys just don't care and don't know how to manage nuthin'. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kinda hard to manage the unmanageable. [/#0000ff]
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[mike4cobra]

So is my first name Ivan or last Popoff ! LOL [fishin] I love making semi educated guesses on whats wrong[laugh]. Its a good thing that me or no one else on the site makes the decisions! If it were up to me we would be planting 10,000 22"+ walleye in Yuba just so I could run out and catch em' the next day[] I could take lessons from some of the plant truck chasers... HA HA. Who needs food or habitat... when the 10,000 are gone or dead.... plant 10,000 more! Works for trout right[shocked]. Beat that dead horse mike! Like I said, probably a good thing I'm not on some sort of biology or wildlife board[laugh].
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nothing personal in my remarks. We all have our own agendas and we are all entitled to our own opinions. I have plenty of my own and I am just as guilty as anybody else about voicing my opinions. But I have mellowed out a teensy bit in my old age and don't climb up as high on the soapbox any more. While I don't always agree with Utah rules and regulations...or the decisions made by DWR...I still respect what they are trying to accomplish and I am quicker to shut up and get out of the way rather than getting in their faces.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anybody who has fished long enough accumulates experience and develops insights. And who is to say that their opinions are not sound? After all, if you spend enough time on any given water you should know it pretty well...at least from an angler's viewpoint. Right? The only flaw in the angler's logic when it comes to suggesting/demanding changes is that the reasoning is usually based more upon emotions and personal passions than upon good biology. Been there, done that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When it comes to Yuba I have just about given up on ever seeing it return to former days of glory. I ain't gonna live that long. But...I still got my memories. At least I think I do. What were we talking about again?[/#0000ff]
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