I was thinking if we have such a big problem with the Carp in Utah lake, could we not introduce Tiger Trout. Then the answerer came to me. The all mighty June Sucker, I would like to hear some of your thoughts: Could Utah lake water conditions support Tiger Trout? Do you think the June Sucker would be affected by this introduction? If there are Brown Trout from the Provo in Utah lake as there are in the Jordan river, Dose the predation of such fish already exists? I for one think the introduction of Tiger trout to Utah lake could be advantages in a couple of ways. One the obvious increase of sport fishing in Utah lake. And two the reduction of Carplets. Has the DWR ever considered this?
Tigers wouldn’t be very effective in Utah Lake at all. The water gets way too warm in the summer and any tigers in the actual lake will stay close to cold inlets instead of attacking the shorelines and the reeds.
The lake already has LMB and smallies in it, plus catfish; all are predators.
The carp problem cannot be fixed without doing something VERY drastic and that’s not going to happen since “very drastic” would have to be a nuclear warhead.
It’s sad, but Utah Lake’s old days are gone and the carp are there to stay.
That is too bad I live in Eagle Moutian, And I can see the big lake from my house. But all I have ever caught there is Whites and big cats… I Just wish there were more variety, seems like an awful waste of space.
Utah Lake is really pretty diverse. Cats, white bass, largemouth, crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, walleye, the occasional perch, and rare smallmouth. If you don’t have a boat or a tube it’s difficult to access the best of what the lake has to offer though.
I wonder how northern pike would do there?
Utahbill
I would think they would do very well, I hope we never find out. Northern’s would wreak havoc on Utah Lake.
I agree that they would be a bad thing. If they would do well I’m surprised that they aren’t in there already. It seems like just about every species has been planted in Utah Lake over the years.
Northerns HAVE been planted in Utah Lake. They didn’t do well. Probably still a few around but nobody catches them.
Over the years DWR has experiemented with just about every species you can imagine…including Pacific salmon. The species that are in there today are survivors…some better than others.
i didnt see rainbow or brown trout on that list. not very many but they are in there. 3 yrs ago caught a rainbow at lb 1st warm spring. and ive caught browns at lindon harbor. if pike can survive redmond they should have survived in utah lake??? hmmm td do you remember how far back they putt them in?
I think Northerns would do well in there…have no idea why they would not make it.
Tubedude: when did they plant northerns in there?
Another option would be Musky as they handle warmer water a little better than Northerns do actually…but issue is they do not reproduce as fast (some people may like this idea)…but I really enjoy catching them and another body of water where we could go for some BIG toothy guys would be much better than another water with slimey fish that dream of ever getting to 28"…instead of making it to 45"+… (IMHO)
I’ve caught a few browns there also, mostly by Battle Creek or Camelot. I don’t think I’ve ever caught a rainbow though.
Attached is a copy of the fish that are “officially” in Utah Lake…but not a listing of some of the other species that were introduced but failed.
**I have seen no “official” record of northerns being planted but was told by DWR people in the late 70’s that they HAD been planted. I have also heard reports from “reliable” sources of the occasional stray pike that has been taken from there. **
All HERESAY. No personal witnessing.
**It is also possible that northerns have been transported by bucket biologists…from Redmond or Yuba. I hear tell that kinda stuff happens. **
A few points.
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The problem with carp is that no fish predator effectively has been able to control carp by predation in Utah lake. Studies by biologists investigating the Utah lake ecosystem show that there are intricate food webs, but carp contribute to none of them and “lock up” vast resources. It is somewhat complex and I don’t feel like retyping the entire treatise, but it is discussed here.
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=443463;#443463 -
I couldn’t find the references, but I believe that the Northern pike were introduced in the 50’s and maybe the 60’s. What is interesting, is that since pioneer times, a VERY large array of different species have been dumped in there. TD mentioned salmon, but other species that have been tried include arctic grayling and eels.
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One thing I like about fishing there is the diversity. You never know what will bite. Having a 5 species day is not unusual for me and I mainly just fish it in the springtime.
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All of the above information (and more) has been covered at recent **Utah lake Fish Forum **meetings. Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for **January 7 at 6 PM **at the offices at Utah lake state park. The public is invited and we would love to see interested parties there. The subject under discussion is tentatively scheduled to be improving and developing public access and fishing opportunities at Utah lake.
That is too bad I live in Eagle Moutian, And I can see the big lake from my house. But all I have ever caught there is Whites and big cats… I Just wish there were more variety, seems like an awful waste of space.
I too live in Eagle Mountain, and can say with sincerity that Utah Lake is one of my Favorites in the state. I love fishing it, and catching the species out of it. Where else can you go and catch 100+ fish in a day (When you come into an active school of the whites) AND, while you are fishing for those whites, have a BIG kitty come and take the same jig you are catching the whites with and turn and run.
It’s hard for me to pass the lake to go up the canyons to catch a trout that in it’s best environments will never taste as good as the fish in Utah Lake.
The fish taste amazing from Utah lake, I often share them with my neighbors and they enthusiastically comply with the taste.
There are not many lakes in the state, or country where you could go on a trip and catch 5+ Species. This year alone, I have caught Walleye, bluegill, perch, white bass, Big Daddy channel cats, sunfish, bullhead, Large Mouth Bass, oh.. and very delicious crappie.
The walleyes and SMB’s are very good at eluding me. I have yet to catch a SMB.
The funny thing is that if I hadn’t moved by that lake, I would have never fished it. But now if I move away from it.. I will go out of my way to make sure and fish it.
I was unaware the DWR had stocked so may different types of fish in the past. The reason I was curious is i read yhe report on Vernon res. they stocked a crapload of tigers there before ice on. The conditions @ vernon cant be that diffrent from utah lake… I guess maybe i have to give utah lake some more time to catch some of the other fish it has to offer. I still think it would be awesome to have some monster tigers or pike in the mix.
The difference between Utah Lake and Vernon is that Vernon is about the size of the harbor at Utah Lake State Park, inner and outer. Utah Lake is 23 miles long and 13 miles wide, has 8 major tributaries running into it and several thousand acres of wetlands where the little carps can live and flourish till they get big enough to venture forth. Vernon has one tributary, no wetlands and tends to dry up every fall, reducing it’s surface area by about 1/4 to 1/3. With no where to hide, the little carps become tiger trout, brown trout, and bird food. Go to the preceding thread discussing this and documented above and then join us on the 7th. there is no other lake in Utah like Utah Lake, period !!!
PS: The last thing that we need in Utah Lake at this point is another predator, be it Tiger Trout or Northern’s. The best thing you can do is participate in the discussion and then this spring, get a bunch of Scouts down there clubbing and pitch forking Carp. Carp removal is what needs to happen !!!
pkred,
My guess is that pike would never be successful in Utah Lake because of the water conditions. Pike are, for the most part, SIGHT feeders. Pike rely on sight rather than scent or their lateral lines for survival. Utah lake is quite turbid most of the time, esp. due to wind. Also, the carp keep the bottom muck stirred up as well. Poor water clarity equals poor feeding conditions for the pike. Although one would wonder if a pike could just swim around blindly with it’s jaws open and run into a carp eventually!
… there is no other lake in Utah like Utah Lake, period !!!
… and then this spring, get a bunch of Scouts down there clubbing and pitch forking Carp. Carp removal is what needs to happen !!!
I agree with both statements! That’s why I love the lake. Fishing it is different than any other lakes in the state, I guess one mans trash is another mans treasure 
Now, speaking of the clubbing party… That might not be a bad thing to organize with BFT!.. get a bunch of us out there in the shallow wetlands with forks and clubs.. Probably wouldn’t even make a dent.. but it would be fun!
Tigers would do absolutely nothing in Utah lake. I don’t think it’s the best environment for them either considering that the lake reaches like 80 degrees in the summer. The carp problem is way to big for a few tigers to do anything about. There are over a million carp that are HUGE. I don’t know what a 20 inch tiger is going to do to a 8lbs carp…or it’s babies. You’d have to introduce a hell of a lot of tigers.
Utah Lake isn’t really prime pike water either. We should dynamite fish em.
well your wrong there… Redmond is just a small utah lake.. muddy water full of carp and warm water springs feeding it.. the pike have done very well in there.. and yes the water in summer get’s just as hot as utah lake.. if Walleye can live in utah lake so can pike!! it;s harder for Walleye to live in that kind of water than pike..
as for the tiger trout i dout they would stand much of a chance in utah lake because the DWR plants them when they are 3 to 4 inchs… just like the 80,000.00 tiger they planted in yuba never to be seen again! what a wast of time and money!!! the Walleye white bass LMbass would all eat well for the short time the tigers lasted i’m sure!