Tribune is reporting and showing pictures of a 21-pound pike caught and released by the UDWR at Yuba Reservoir.
nice that makes me want to go and try for some.
I wish PBH would take time from his bum buddies at UOTF to tell me how and where to catch pike at Yuba.
Think about all the nutricious carp they eat .[;)] No wonder they get so big.
So I don’t get it. The DWR wants fishermen to kill any Pike they catch. Then they catch a big one and let it go. That’s great, but why? Are they starting to wake up and realize that big toothy fish are the only thing putting a dent in the carp numbers or what?
Northern Pike aren’t putting much of a dent in the carp at Yuba. And I applaud the effort to put back the big one that could be a new state record in a few months.
Do put them back when you catch them. This could be a great fishery with the carp for feed and the breeding stock that is finally starting to establish there but when people keep these larger fish it makes it hard to establish a fun, good, trophy fishery.
Think about the enjoyment a 15#+ fish can bring if caught 4-5 times vs the one dinner it would provide. I like eating fish but honestly there are not a lot of 35"+ fish in the state and if we want a chance to enjoy these fish that the state does not manage for it is up to us as fisherman to do all we can.
There is little else to fish for in this lake (Other than water skiers) so lets make the most of the resource in this lake and let them swim to establish a population that is great for fishing. They have the food (carp) as a couple years ago they (DNR) killed 42 pike and 100% only had carp in their stomachs. If the water stays decent in the spring they have spawning habitat and fisherman are their only real predator (other than themselves). LETS PROTECT THIS RESOURCE!!
There is a catch and kill order for pike at utah lake and only utah lake. Not anywhere else. Yuba is according to the state regulations.
+1 I really would love to fish for pike, but the low population of yuba makes me steer otherwise (for other species). I wish the state would close some waters for a few months here and there and let the fish grow. They also wouldn’t be pounded by fisherman. Just saying… Not trying to highjack but what if you closed one body of water for a month or two then another the next month or two and so on. I think that it could be a great help to some bodies of water. One lake at a time for a couple months wouldn’t be that big of a deal and they could switch the time year to year so it’s not always the same.
I LOVE FISHING.
You’re partially right on catch and kill for Northerns. Utah lake is the only catch and kill reg. on paper, but catch and kill is highly encouraged for Northerns at Yuba. I’ve heard it first hand from both park officials and biologists during gill netting surveys, AT YUBA, and I have witnessed a few Northerns washed up on shore with their guts slashed and left for bird food. What a crock of crap! However the DWR does enforce the 6 fish limit for Northern Pike at Yuba and 2 other Pike waters in Utah.
That’s a nice looking fish, getting close to that record size.