I fished Minersville with my father on Saturday, 1/19/08. We fished from 8am - 6:30pm. Fish were suspended at a depth of 12 feet, in 18 feet of water. The bite was fast from 10am - 12pm. We had about 40 strikes/bumps, 25 hookups and 18 landings. All fish were between 16 and 18.5 inches, with the majority being 17.5 inch rainbows (5 were cutts). They were very fat and appeared far healthier than the skinny cutts. I wonder what percent of the fish in this lake are over the slot… 1 %??? They are fat, beautifully colored fish, but not very long. After 1pm, the bite died and we only picked up fish sporadically until we left at 6:30pm. The lure of the day was a small, white/pearl tube jig (1/8 oz w/ white head). Both head and body were glow-in-the-dark, but I don’t think they were hitting it for that reason, as there was plenty of light. The problem was consistently finding fish. If they showed up on the fishfinder, we were almost guaranteed a bite. They seemed to be spread-out and not as grouped together as in the past. Other nearby anglers were doing well also. I found most fish to be at the edge of the inclined bank and the flat bottom, but anglers were also catching them in shallower water (8 - 12ft). It was a fun day of fishing. 
Welcome aboard and thanks for the report. We don’t get many reports from that area and it is probably overlooked by a lot of anglers from up north.
I have heard that the fish are healthy and fiesty since the last “remodeling”. Let’s hope they keep getting bigger and fatter.
It seems this year the fish are smaller in size. Last year they were averaging 19" but this year 17". One other thing is the fish are ranging 6" to 21" instead of 17" to 21" like last year.
Any ideas on the causes? Food, water levels, ???
Hope the chubs aren’t back already.
They are. But don’t worry, be happy. After all that’s what grows big fish right?!
NOT!
The spillway pond is full of chubs. My favorite place to catch bait.
It’s not really that the fish are smaller but we are catching younger stocked fish. You could say the lake is closer to being balanced in regards to age class.
I haven’t checked the stocking reports. Do you know if they have planted any tiger trout in Minersville…or if there are plans to do so for chub control?
They don’t stock tiger trout in Minersville and have no plans to do so…instead, they are relying on smallmouth bass to prey on chubs. Right now, the smallmouth are really coming on…the spawn for smallies two years ago was excellent and the reservoir was loaded with small fish last year, and I am assuming that last year’s spawn was also good considering the water levels. That is the good news…
…the bad news is that the state engineers have some new problems with the dam and it is quite possible that dam repairs will be necessary–again–in the near future. Depending on what needs to be done, the reservoir could be drained–again–for dam repairs and the process would have to start over.
As for the slot…like most fisheries with a slot, the majority of the fish will be in the slot because these are the fish that are not legally kept. At Minersville, fish seem to max out at the upper end of the slot. In reality, the fish do not stop growing, but are harvested before they can get bigger. That is not to say that bigger fish do not exist, but simply that these fish are fewer in number…
Thanks for the input. I had not heard much about the smallies so I didn’t know if they still expected them to help with the chubs. Hope they do better than they do with the shiners in Newcastle. Even the Wipers have to work overtime on those little buggers.
Not surprising about the “end point” on the growth of trout in Minersville. Why do so many trouters feel obligated to clean out the fish they catch that reach the magic length of the slot limit? At least the slot allows anglers to catch more quality fish, rather than settling for the few that survive the hatchery truck onslaught.
At Minersville, a lot of the “sportsmen” feel the need to keep at least one. So, at the end of the day, they keep one whether it’s over 22 inches or not. Yes, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. No, I have not had any reason to go chasing after anyone to play fish cop. I do what I can, but I’m not going to get in big battle over a couple of fish.
As for the smallies, I have my doubts that they ever keep the chubs in check. In 1999 the chubs seemed to lose the young of the year, but I suspect it was as much a case of the adult chubs needing something to snack on more than the smallies eliminating them. I’d still like to see a few wipers in there.
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As for the smallies, I have my doubts that they ever keep the chubs in check. In 1999 the chubs seemed to lose the young of the year, but I suspect it was as much a case of the adult chubs needing something to snack on more than the smallies eliminating them. I’d still like to see a few wipers in there.[/reply]
I found this information on the DWR website:
"In addition to rainbow trout and cutthroat trout, smallmouth bass have been stocked. Sampling in 2006 indicated that a strong year class of smallmouth bass was produced in 2005. With a good year class produced in 2005, good water conditions in 2006 and early 2007, and an abundant forage base of crayfish, an outstanding smallmouth fishery is anticipated. The high expectations for bass are based on their performance in the past. The bass fishery was on the verge of being discovered by the public in 2000 when the drought hit and repairs to the dam were required.
Smallmouth bass are an important part of the overall management plan for Minersville Reservoir. They help keep chub numbers in check and provide balance to a system where trout will continue to do well. Bass predation on chubs was evident to biologists during the 1990s when the reservoir was electro-fished (a common method used to collect fish, monitor fish populations, and compare trends). Prior to introducing bass, chubs were extremely numerous along the dam. By the late 1990s, chubs were completely absent in this same area (and low in abundance throughout most of the reservoir) and were largely replaced by trout and smallmouth bass."
Also, FWIW, Minersville–prior to the new management plan and back when it was managed under open regulations–was only good fishing for a period of about 3 years after rotenone treatments. Under the new management plan it can be expected that good fishing will last considerably longer…if nothing else, the use of smallmouth is definitely extending the time period between chub takeovers…
[reply]. By the late 1990s, chubs were completely absent in this same area (and low in abundance throughout most of the reservoir) and were largely replaced by trout and smallmouth bass."
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That is a misquote of the facts. The young of the year chubs were absent from the dam area and not found during the electroshocking. The adult chubs were so abundant that there were schools of them within view at all times, anywhere on the reservoir. They weren’t being replaced by smallmouth bass, or trout.
Tude I’d love to see tigers in Minersville and Kolob.
Chubs aren’t really the problem with most utah lakes it’s keeping fish big enough to eat those chubs. If you have a large population of predators it will keep forage/rough fish in check.
This lake and area is the one place I regularly get checked. In fact I’ve only been checked 2 other places but I can almost count on it at Minersville.
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As for the smallies, I have my doubts that they ever keep the chubs in check.
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I don’t. As wormandbobber mentioned in his post, the past performance of Minersville Reservoir has proven that the smallies can and do control the chubs.
I like wipers. I like that their numbers are controllable. However, I don’t see a need for wipers in Minersville. I think that the past 15 years of the current management practices (minus the water issues) have proven themselves to create one of the best fisheries in Utah. Why screw it up now?
FWIW – my largest smallmouth bass ever came from Minersville Reservoir.
Tubedude – you mentioned the golden shiners at Newcastle, and the smallies inability to control them. This is very true. But, you must keep in mind that the smallmouth bass were not put in Newcastle to control golden shiners. There were no shiners present when smallmouth bass were introduced to Newcastle. Smallies were implemented in an attempt to utilize an ever increasing population of crayfish!
It was about 8 years later that golden shiners showed up in Newcastle – an illegal introduction most likely from a fisherman. At that time, Bear Lake cutts were put into Newcastle with hopes of them controlling the golden shiners. While some fish grew to exceptional sizes, the majority did not, and the golden shiners thrived without a real predator to control them.
The DWR never expected the smallies to control the shiners. In fact, they knew just the opposite – that the smallies would NOT control them.
In 2005 the DWR began planting wipers, which are an open-water fish that preys upon other schooling open-water fish. Both species occupy the same niche. Now, it’s a matter of monitoring numbers of wipers.
**We’re kinda hijacking the thread on Minersville, but not really. **
It has always been my observation that when there are crawdads present the smallies will put them at the top of the grocery list. Not surprised that they are not wiping out the shiners. But, as quickly as the wipers seem to be growing, it would appear that they are dining on shiners. As you say, it is now a matter of monitoring the predator prey ratios and planting the appropriate number of wipers to keep everything in balance. Great species.
At best, what you might wind up with is a situation much like Starvation. Where the walleyes were eliminating the young of the year chubs. You’ll still have a huge percentage of the biomass as adult chubs. The lack of young of the year chubs at Minersville was documented. And that was only one or two years out of nearly ten that smallmouths were present. But there is no proof that the smallmouth bass were responsible for their demise. There are many other possibilities. There is no proof that the bass ate the chubs. Over competition from the previous year class, or even cannibalism. Environmental conditions could have limited the success of the chub spawn those years as well.
I fished Minersville at least 50 times a year from 1992 through 1999. I fished mostly from the dam, using a small tube minnow that looks very much like a young chub. I caught loads of big trout, and about a dozen smallmouth bass. If they were dining on young chubs, I think I would have caught a few more of them. I still don’t think the bass were preying on chubs.
sorry, your experiences dont match the DWR science . .
but hey we understand you want wipers in there, and nothing else matters
sm
The DWR “science” only shows that for a couple of years there were few, if any young of the year chubs near the dam. It doesn’t show that the smallmouth bass ate them. There were still adult chubs by the hundreds of thousands in there. The smallmouths weren’t controlling their numbers.
Show me where the DWR “science” took stomach content samples of fish ( trout or bass ) that prove where the young of the year chubs went for those 2 years.
And while I’d like to see wipers in there ( because they would eat larger, spawning age, chubs ) I’d be just as happy to see tiger trout. Smallmouths just don’t eat other fish when there are crawdads to be eaten. Minersville is also home to a bunch of big ol’ dads.
I fished Minersville at least 51 times a year from 1992 through 1999. I fished mostly from a float tube with an olive wooly bugger that looked very much like a young chub. I caught loads of large trout, and the biggest smallmouth bass I’ve ever caught anywhere!
You want proof that the smallies were eating the chubs. I want proof that they weren’t. Where is your proof that that adult chubs were canibalising their young? Where is your proof for poor spawning conditions? Do you have any proof of your claims?
Personally, I’m going to side with the guy that managed Minersville for over 30 years. I’m going with the guy that did the electroshocking, gill netting, and creel surveyes – not to mention his own personal fishing time spent at Minersville. I’m going to believe the guy that turned Minersville from a mediocre fishery into a blue ribbon quality trout / smallmouth bass fishery.
The simple fact is that for the last 20 years, Minersville has been one of the best fisheries in Utah (with the water year problems as the exceptions).
Heppy,
An olive wooly bugger would be a much better representation of a damselfly nymph. Yep, there were some dandy smallmouths in there before the water went away. I fished from a pontoon many times near the dam. 'Been out in a couple of real live boats on that pond as well.
Assuming that the smallmouths ate the chubs is just that, assuming. I’m not saying that I know what happened to the chubs, only offering other possibilities. Even if it was the smallies (which I doubt), it was too little, too late. The chubs had an eight or nine year head start. We all know what you get when you assume something. I’m not saying that Minersville isn’t a great fishery. It is! But it’s still full of chubs. They represent a great percentage of the biomass. They still impact the growth of the trout. The smallmouths aren’t controlling their numbers. Even if they could eat every chub that could hatch there in the next thirty years they won’t decrease the number of chubs that are already there. They don’t eat 8 to 15 inch chubs. I’m not advocating removal of the smallies. I just don’t think they do much other than eat crawdads. Isn’t that what they do at Newcastle?
I agree that it’s one of, if not the best, fisheries in Utah. It was a great fishery in the past too, but only for a couple of years following each of the rotenone treatments. The growth rate of the trout (without chubs) was phenomenal. You aren’t seeing those growth rates now. Because it’s still got a chub problem. A problem that could be better taken care of with a sterile hybrid that would actually eat chubs instead of crawdads and damselfly nymphs.**