TubeDude suggested that I post some information about Scofield even though there is no good news.
I went to Scofield Reservoir yesterday to help with the gillnetting. The nets (5) were set the previous day and the biologists started pulling them the next day. I’ve attached some pictures to show some of the fish that were caught in the nets.
The results were still very disappointing. One net only had two small cutthroats in it and the rest were chubs. There were about 8-10 large cutthroats in the nets. There were only two tiger trout in the nets. One was about 4 pounds and the other was only about 16" and skinny.
Some interesting observations from the netting:
There were no crawfish in the nets.[:/]
There were more small chubs than the last time it was netted.
The reservoir level is at 15% full and the water is very murky. The visibility is only about one foot in the water.
I only saw one boat on the water and no shore anglers while I was there. When fishing was good here there were always a lot of the hunters that would be fishing during the day.
What I understand is that they are waiting for the angler
survey to close and then they will put together a committee of anglers, property owners, and business owners to come up with the Scofield Reservoir management plan. I’m sure that a rotenone treatment will be considered but it takes a long time to get the chemical and it’s expensive so the DWR would have to budget for it. There is going to be no quick fix.
It’s really sad to see a reservoir where I fished for 20 years, averaging 110 hours a year on the water, get to the point where I haven’t fished it in the last two years.[:/]
It used to be the number two trout pond in the state, right behind Strawberry.
It’s really sad to see a reservoir where I fished for 20 years, averaging 110 hours a year on the water, get to the point where I haven’t fished it in the last two years.[:/]
It used to be the number two trout pond in the state, right behind Strawberry.
Yes it is. I fished it regularly as a child and as a teenager (many moons ago) and I agree it is a sad situation.
I guess it’s part of work but if that article is correct in stating that they might continue stocking cutthroat in the coming months, that would be a complete waste of time and money if they’re just going to poison it soon anyways. I don’t fish it but I guess I don’t really see how this can be prevented from happening. Maybe it’s just a fishery that can keep people happy for a few years and then something has to be done to it. It’s honestly a weird situation because the “chub problem” isn’t like most of our situations in other waters because the Utah Chubs are a native species. Somehow it just seems kind of ridiculous and pointless to be fighting a fish that is native to the tributaries of scofield from being there. It’s not like they were illegally introduced or were introduced like carp were for other purposes in earlier generations.
There is a survey on the DNRs web site for Scofield, I recommend anyone that fishes it now or in the past to put your 2 cents worth in, so the DNR so they can make better decisions about what anglers want, this is where the DNR will hear your voice.
SO EVERYONE TAKE THE SURVEY,
EVEN IF YOU DONT FISH IT,
The Utah Chub is NOT native to the Colorado River Basin, of which Scofield and the Price River are part. They were illegally introduced. They are native to the Bonneville Basin, which includes Utah Lake and its tributaries.
Sad day for Scofield and LFC below Scofield is not even close to a blue ribbon fishery (full of chubs). LFC should be taken off the UDWR blue ribbon fishery list. At one time, two great fisheries, now in the toilet for many years to come.