Utah Fishing Slot & Creel Limits

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
21

First off let me say welcome to BFT. You obviously are empassioned about this issue to sign up in order to present this thread.
I think it’s fair to say BFT welcomes opinions, and the forum is open to debate and discussion about fishing related issues.
What we prefer to avoid is attacks, whether directed at a forum member, or to makers of the regs. I know lots of folks don’t understand the reasons behind, nor agree with all the regs. But I think in general you’ll find the BFT community works to help understand and teach what the regulations are, so we can all fish safely within the law.
Plus - as you’re seeing, appreciating and teaching conservation and respect for a given fishery.

There are changes in our fisheries management. Look at the changes for Willard’s Wipers this year. Slots are what they are - take it or leave it. There are lots of places with slots, or special limits, or barbless, baitless - you choose where you fish. You can “vote” with your choice of purchasing a license or not. There are other states to choose from also.

I’m not sure if this thread is really going anywhere or not. I’ll just ask that folks keep it civil, and not personal.

22

Thank you for your commentary. I’m in a place where I should not be “posting” as pointed out so poignantly. It was my intent to simply relay what I had picked up while fishing Utah waters from others who had expressed their opposition to this particular regulation, and to its intended conclusion. Will keep this one to myself and “let it go” as it were. Changes in regulations will indeed be made in the future as more research is evaluated against the politics of the matter as well. Appreciated the opportunity to “test the waters” as it were with this group–thanks.

23

I think children follow our emotions. I have a young nephew i take fishing and we release most fish. Since I’m cool with it, so is he. He loves the pics though. Can show his parents what he caught.

24

I would favor a larger slot, say 24 inch, barbless, single hook, no bait, for Strawberry. That’s probably not based in good science, just my opinion. That’s the other extreme. The compromise is what we have, and it is working.

Does anyone remember, after the last poisoning, and before the put the slots in place, what the average size of cuts was?

25

And here I am wishing they would be more restrictive on their regs and put slot limits on the bass too. If you really enjoy mediocre put and take fisheries with tons of ten inch planters, then I guess you’re on the right track. Try to learn some basic ecology, and then you can explain to the kids/grand kids why they have to release that fish. It’s not the 1940s anymore. The population has increased dramatically and so has the pressure on the waters. Things change. Quite honestly, I feel like they’ve been dumbing down the regs too much lately and I now spend most of my time fishing in Idaho.

26

Since this is an opinion based thread I will add my 2 cents.

The biologists and the DWR have made that reg, there must be a few good reasons for it. That said…

I rarely go to those places as the SLOT SUCKS! I am a meat angler amd I want meat dammit! I aint “feeding the fish” so to say with my tackle, I am feeding myself for that pricey lure I just put out the bucks for! The berry isn’t gonna be fishless anytime soon just cuz they laxed up the slot by a few fish or even got rid of it entirely. And the chub question is one I feel might not be as bad as some potray on here.

I really doubt the reg will ever change, which sucks, at this point I blame the chub for this! That is what I hope the slot is for. The other reasons are in the rolling eyes category to me.
But as I have stated many times “the DWR is aware of the impacts the anglers have on a certain body of water”. That works for me and against me. It’s great when I can say that to someone who is un-happy with me taking my limit at a body of water and it sucks when the berry slot issue comes up. I don’t have to like it but it is what it is sometimes.

Yet you are always fishing Little Dell and Lower Bell??? Even lost a few lures there.[;)]

On this topic, I agree with Uintaman :sunglasses:

27

If you don’t like the slot at Strawberry because you can’t keep fish there, why do you still go there? There are lots of places nearby where there is no slot and you can still catch trout to take home and eat…why go to the Berry?

28

I got to agree with worm here if you dont like the slot limit dont fish places that have a slot limit…

29

+1 i think the main majority thinks that way aswell.

tightlines

30

Try explaining to your kids or grandchildren that they have to release a “trophy” fish because it doesn’t fall within the guidelines of Utah’s “desk jockeys” at DWR. Eliminate the “slot” program and let folks take home 6 fish of their choosing.
. . .
It would be interesting to listen in on your verbal dialog explaining to a youngster why they can’t take said fish home and cook it up for supper because of environmental and conservation concerns.

I’ve taken a couple hours this morning before responding so that I might tone down the visceral drive to post a snarky response. I’ve fished Strawberry with the young kids. We’ve released the largest (by far) fish the kids ever caught. The situation at the heart of your posts are by no means unfamiliar to me.

The attitude of ingratitude expressed in this post for the blessing of having caught a nice fish is very disconcerting to me. Especially when I see a post that would indicate an attitude of ingratitude is being passed along to multiple generations in relation to fishing. I would suggest that your attitude towards regulations, regulators, and resources is the central issue for your grandkids. If you have the attitude (as is expressed by your posts) that kids should never be told “no”, or that they shouldn’t have to learn to give up what they want right now for what is best, then I feel you have done your children a disservice, and they likely passed that attitude on to your grandchildren (and if they are not, it appears you may be).

I don’t think I’m any sort of model parent by any means. I’m a failure by what I know I should be doing. Still, I try to teach principals that will serve them well. And catching a slot cutthroat has been a PRIME opportunity to teach them these principals. To teach them they cannot always have everything they want. To teach them there are matters to consider other than the emotions pressing on them in the moment. To teach them to respect and consider the animal itself. To teach them gratitude for the opportunity to catch such a great fish, enjoy the fight, enjoy the memory, enjoy the feeling of watching it swim off to imagine it growing larger, and enjoy the anticipation and chase of catching another and bigger fish next cast!

To catch a slot cutthroat is a blessing, and the sheer number of slot cutts is a blessing caused by the slot regulations. Without the slot, I doubt your grandkids would have the same probability of catching one, or many moderate size cutthroats. The whole premise of this thread reminds me of a kite complaining that is it being “held back” from soaring higher by the very string that allows it to fly!

Use those slot limits as a tool to teach the youngsters about conservation, management, and that fishing is much more than just “taking your limit.” They are positives. Use them as that instead of teaching the kids to harvest everything they catch.
AMEN!!!

31

Haha! Just saw this and was ready to punch someone.

Anyone who can’t understand and appreciate slot limits is a selfish, short-sighted individual.

Last I checked, fishing was about fishing, since we can all buy fish from the store to eat for a lot cheaper than it costs to fish. I can also relate to the mentality of wanting to eat what you catch, but the slots also allow for this (usually 4 fish total, one cutt over 22").

If you can’t catch a decent bow or cutt out of the slot on most trips, maybe you should complain less about the slots and start learning more about fishing (not referring to you doggone).

If it were up to me, all of the best trout fisheries would have extremely restrictive slots (24 inches)allowing for the harvest of only 2 fish per trip; one trophy fish over the slot and one fish under the slot. There is absolutely no reason that someone needs to keep 4, let alone 6 or 8 fish, per trip. We all know most of these fish end up with freezer burn and thrown out.

Fishing is about FISHING and CATCHING. Eating fish can be done WITHOUT fishing and for much cheaper. Being able to take a fish or two home on occasion is a bonus.

It is our job as educated, experienced fishermen to educate younger generation about selective harvest, balance in nature, and all the other stuff Tarpon Jim stated.

I would personally rather take my daughters out to catch 50 good sized fish and let them all but one go then to take them fishing and catch only 4 or 5 fish but be able to keep them all. If I want to eat fish, I have three grocery stores within 2 miles of my house.

32

I would favor a larger slot, say 24 inch, barbless, single hook, no bait, for Strawberry. That’s probably not based in good science, just my opinion. That’s the other extreme. The compromise is what we have, and it is working.

Does anyone remember, after the last poisoning, and before the put the slots in place, what the average size of cuts was?

:sunglasses:My first exposure to Strawberry was in 1961. Just after I arrived in Utah, in September I believe, Strawberry was poisoned for the first time. It was still a separate lake from Soldier Creek and was overrun with non-trout species…chubs, perch, carp, etc. I was told that it was difficult to catch a trout because of all the other competition.

A couple of newfound friends drove me up to help “harvest” the fish floating to the surface after the rotenone treatment. No harm to humans from eating them. The surface was covered with fish and few of them were trout of any size. A very few bigguns but mostly small “trash fish”.

When Strawberry was restocked with mostly rainbows and some cutts the fishing took off quickly and the fish grew fast…without the chubs to compete for available food resources. But that was mostly rainbows.

**Over the years the chubs found their way back into the system. Hard to ever kill all of them because some always survive in the tributaries. By the mid 70’s the ratio of chubs to trout caught was increasing. **

After the two lakes (Strawberry and Soldier Creek) were joined and the lake poisoned for the last time there was again a resurgence of trout action. And everybody was able to take home coolers full of bows and cuts. But it didn’t take long for the chubs to start multiplying again…along with redside shiners. By then it was far to expensive to consider a major poisoning program again so the cutts and slot program was put in place.

**I attended a slide presentation put on by Alan Ward, one of the DWR folks in charge of the new Strawberry. He posted some interesting stats on how the slot program was working…only a couple of years after implementation. One of the chart comparisons was related to the sizes of the fish captured during netting surveys. Prior to the slot program the average trout was in the 12 to 13 inch range…with very few exceeding 20 inches. After the slot program became operational the average jumped up to about 18", with many fish over 20 inches and a substantial number over 24". **

Sure, I remember some larger fish coming out of the Berry before the slot…but they were rare. In the past few years we have seen many anglers smiling over cutts in excess of 26 inches…and many more bows in the higher poundages too.

**Along with the size changes in the trout there was monitoring of the stomach contents and in the biomass of the chubs and shiners. It was proven that the larger cutts were switching to a minnow diet somewhere about 18" and that they had already made serious impacts on the shiners and were holding the chubs in check. **

In short. Overall conditions for fish and anglers are much better now. The numbers prove it. Big fish get big in two ways…lots of food and restricted harvest. But it doesn’t matter how much they have to eat if they are all removed before they can get big enough to eat the chubs…and grow bigger.

33

+1, and I know I’m asking the wrong dude but what about the bass regs, seems to me nobody gives a rats A about what’s going to happen to those fisheries since the 6 any size reg has been put into place. Sand Hollow and Jordanell get the special treatment but lets undo all the progress the old regs have accomplished, makes no sense to me.

34

I’ve searched Google and couldn’t find any satisfactory (at least to me) answers and I was hoping you could help out.

If they lake has been poisoned twice, where are the Chubs coming back from? Tributaries/Rivers?

I’ve only encountered one Chub, a very small one at that. I read that they make good bait. Are they terrible eating?

Also, nothing wrong with a slot limit whatsoever. We are not owners of the wilderness, only stewards with the responsibility to pass on something better to future generations. Hell the slot limit at the Berry makes me want to go there in the hopes of catching a trout bigger than I’ve ever seen.

35

Re “Haha! Just saw this and was ready to punch someone.”

I hope you don’t want to punch me?[;)][pirate]

I personally disagree with the original poster on multiple levels, but the sad truth is that the DWR, in developing management plans for places like Strawberry, **does **have to take into account the opinions of this fellow and a large number of like minded people. While maybe a bit extreme, there are quite a few folks out there of somewhat similar opinions. A lot of us hard core guys forget this when we talk about what we’d like on our favorite water. (such as the tiger trout in Strawberry thread).

What is sad to me is that there is still ample opportunity to harvest fish in this state and there are even many places where harvest is the **best **thing biologically. It’s just frustrating that folks feel they have to harvest heavily in every single fishery and whine about regs. and management plans that are proven successful.

36

I’ve searched Google and couldn’t find any satisfactory (at least to me) answers and I was hoping you could help out.

If they lake has been poisoned twice, where are the Chubs coming back from? Tributaries/Rivers?

When a lake is poisoned, very rarely is it completely killed. In other words, the presence of springs, feeder streams, marshes, etc. make it very difficult to kill every fish in a reservoir or lake/fishery system. Previous poisonings were not only not expected to be complete kills, but a specific plan was developed after the latest poisoning to attempt to manage the lake without future poisonings. Poisoning Strawberry is very difficult both economically and from a viability standpoint…the DWR knew the chances of ever doing it again were very small, therefore, they tried to implement a plan that would keep chub/rough fish numbers in check enough to maintain a quality trout fishery. Based on the amount of time since that last poisoning and the number of trout and size of trout still in the lake, the plan is working very well!

37

“I’ve only encountered one Chub, a very small one at that. I read that they make good bait. Are they terrible eating?”

:sunglasses:I think you already got the answer about why chubs keep coming back. Impossible to totally kill them. The best we can do is try to control them, as with the slot program and heavy plantings of cutts.

**Chubs DO make good bait. I harvest a bunch of them every year and fish them in many waters for many species. Some of the big fish specialists on Strawberry catch or buy the biggest chubs they can find to use for bait there. The mega cutts will eat a footlong rainbow so an 8" chub is just a snack…but readily accepted by the big boys. Only problem is that anytime you use bait you risk hooking the fish deep. That increases mortality even if fish are handled carefully and the hook is cut off before release. **

Are chubs good eating? From personal experience, yes. As a kid in Idaho I took some of the larger chubs I caught to an elderly European lady who lived near the small stream I fished almost daily. She loved chubs and suckers from that creek. In addition to pickling…which dissolved the bones…she also pressure cooked them to soften the bones. That is the only downside of some members of the minnow family…like chubs and suckers. They have fine flesh but lots of pesky fine bones. Almost impossible to fillet.

On a couple of occasions the lady invited me for lunch…of freshly delivered chubs. The fish were about 10 to 12 inches long. She gutted, headed and scaled them and then “butterflied” them…lifting out as much of the backbone and ribs as possible. Then she floured them and crispy fried them in bacon drippings. What bones remained were mostly crunchy and edible. And the flesh was as sweet as any brook trout.

Chubs are essentially scaly, bony trout with no teeth. They live in the same waters and eat the same food. That’s why they are detrimental to rainbows in the same water. Their diet and environment do not make them taste any worse than trout from the same spot. And the white flesh…when cooked…is without fishy odor or taste. It is finer and softer than the white fleshed fish like perch, white bass or walleyes. But it can be prepared so that it is tasty and edible.

We Utah folks are still winding down on our fishy prejudices. Used to be that anything without stripes or spots (trout) was trash fish. Lots of us older anglers can remember when folks covered the banks around Deer Creek with dead perch. Don’t remember how many times fellow anglers would stomp a perch or loft it into the rocks with the disclaimer that they were bony and tasted terrible. I’m guessing that like most prejudices those feelings were acquired by osmosis and not by actual experience.

38

If it were up to me, all of the best trout fisheries would have extremely restrictive slots (24 inches)allowing for the harvest of only 2 fish per trip; one trophy fish over the slot and one fish under the slot. There is absolutely no reason that someone needs to keep 4, let alone 6 or 8 fish, per trip. We all know most of these fish end up with freezer burn and thrown out.

Thankfully you are not in charge of the regs…and I am even more thankful to the fact that we leave the “final regulation” changes to the actual people who are educated on the topic.

I went camping last year and thought…I will just eat what I catch…and nope…four 16 inch Tiger Trout we not enough…thankfully I brought the peanut butter along.

I am with some people in that the slot sucks… so I go else where.

However I would go there if they put in Tiger Trout[;)]…slot or no slot!

39

If I were in charge you would have been able to eat one of those 16 inch tigers.

Give it a few years and I bet you convert. I used to be a young 20 something who found pit necessary to keep big trout even though I really didn’t like eating them. The more I matured and grew to love the sport of fishing, the more joy I received from letting the big ones go and selectively harvesting fish based on the best interests of a fishery.

Increasing slots to 24 inches would be AWESOME! Increase the average size of the fish at the berry would make their weak fight more tolerable.

Can you imagine the twins with short hair, throwing flies and releasing big trout to fight again another day?! I am betting we may get there in the next few years and all of us with secret holes can breath a breath of relief and even share a spot or two with them![:P]

40

If I were in charge you would have been able to eat one of those 16 inch tigers.

Give it a few years and I bet you convert. I used to be a young 20 something who found pit necessary to keep big trout even though I really didn’t like eating them. The more I matured and grew to love the sport of fishing, the more joy I received from letting the big ones go and selectively harvesting fish based on the best interests of a fishery.

Increasing slots to 24 inches would be AWESOME! Increase the average size of the fish at the berry would make their weak fight more tolerable.

Can you imagine the twins with short hair, throwing flies and releasing big trout to fight again another day?! I am betting we may get there in the next few years and all of us with secret holes can breath a breath of relief and even share a spot or two with them![:P]

++++1 after those cuts hit 24 plus inches they really start to fight better and if you how how to catch them
you can catch these if you know how this week alone we have caught 6 one day 11 the next and 4 or 5 today all over the 22 inch slot and 4 was 24 inches plus just spend the time and figure out the fish they are in there in large numbers they are just a bit more selective on what they eat and when they eat not to mention where they live in the lake