Why no more Tigers!!!!

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

I am not sure if this has been posted before or not. But anyhow I am sure some of you have heard Utah will not be stocking Tiger Muskie anymore. Here is a link to an article for the reason they will not be.

http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/…-12/tiger_muskie.php

Its going to be quit a loss if they can not figure something out. My solution is why not just raise their own and sale them to other western states??? We would then have plenty and the DWR could make a few bucks from other states in the process. Oh wait that would be to easy and we know goverment agencies make everything too damn complicted​:face_with_tongue: It might also take resources away from raising June Suckers and Planter trout!!! There is a pond out pack from my place maybe I will just go raise my own Tiger Muskie back there and keep them all for myslef. LOL.

2

The news has been out for awhile. Too bad, I hope they come up with something or the fish eaters will get them all.

3

I know they are building a warm water hatchery, but I don’t know if they have plans to raise tiger musky there. Would be nice if they would. They may have to make catch and release mandatory on them.

4

Absolutely!

5

Here is a question from a trout only Wyoming guy and I don’t know squat about Tigers. Is it true that they do not breed? I heard that the other day when I was in Logan and was wondering if it was true. If this is true is it because they are a crossbread? Northern Pike and Muskagee is that right? If all this is true I feel bad for you guys because I think those are some beautiful fish and I would hate to see that resource go away for you all.[:(]

6

You are right. Pike and musky cross. As far as i know, all hybrid fish are sterile except the cutbows. I may be wrong. I will be devistated if nothing is done to get more in there. Muskies and wipers are my 2 favorite fish on the planet. To take one away is like loosing a lung.[:(][:(]

7

The DWR has been talking about stocking Northern pike in the tigers place until they can figure something out.

8

Pike would be great short term solution. Only problem is they will breed and most likely stunt in that lake and clean the place out of Crappie and Perch then stunt themselves. The reason they put Tigers in Pineview was all the panfish were stunted!!! Once the Pike were in there they could not be removed once new Tigers were found. I dont see the DWR doing that. Maybe a bucket bioligist will though!!! Thats the more likely scenerio thats going t happen. Or they could let Yuba turn into a pike lake by letting the perch population stay protected but the perch guys are not going to let that happen either :angry: Hopefully they find a way to get some. The Tiger fishing is going to be great for a few years until the numbers start dropping!!! Pineview and Newton are full of small Tigers that should last atleast 3 years which is one good thing. They have time before it crashes…

9

yes these guys are turning this lake into a water skiers lake,and havent benable to find some way to keep these tigers in there.good fishin for 2-3 years and then you wont beable to reel anything but perch in.,they need to get there heads on strait and find a way to raise the tigers so are pineview can still be the most sawd after lake for tiger muskie and should be, deal with people who know what they need and just go and do it.i have fished this lake from the start of planting and we all need to enjoy 10 to 40 years of high class fishing for tigers,so lets set up a petition about keeping pineview stocked with tigers year after year,if they cant do it then lets find someone so we can keep the tigers to continue to be planted in pineview.with all of you guys help we can work together and get something done about it.thanks

10

A few things:

  1. the virus that has infected musky in the great lakes area is a deadly disease that infects and affects all types of fish. The risk to keep buying musky from outside states is simply too high. If the VHS virus were brought to Utah it could have disastrous effects on all types of fish.

  2. The existence of this virus is serious enough that laws concerning the buying and selling of baitfish may change and become much more stringent. Don’t be surprised if places like Walmart will eventually not be allowed to sell packaged bait fishes purchased from out of state sources.

  3. The DWR is currently looking at beginning at brood stock program for musky…one of the problems is getting disease-free fish to start the program. I would bet, though, that some kind of solution is found within the next couple of years.

  4. Pike are NOT an alternative option for places like Pineview because they are fertile and are capable of reproducing unctrollably. Moving these fish into Pineview via bucket biology could eventually destroy the quality that Pineview currently provides.

  5. The new virus and the presence of multiple other disease problems as well as the potential harm both bait fishes and game fishes like pike are capable of presenting to fisheries should be reason enough to stop illegal transporting and stocking of fish; however, sadly, it is not. As fishermen, it is our duty to keep people in line and abiding the laws…don’t EVER take fisheries management into your own hands!

11

I agree with your points especially #5. Sometimes there are fisherman who think it would be nice to have a certain species in a particular body of water and try and plant a few of their own. Bad decision. It is greedy and a stupid decision. We should leave that up to the hatcheries and biologists.

12

Nice post! Hopefully they do come up with a way to make some home grown muskies. :sunglasses:

13

sounds good to me,as long as they are trieng to work something out .again i would never try planting my own fish,i know what that can bring .but thanks for describing the disease the dwr are dealing with.i just hope they find something to keep them in there.

14

I am defanitly in if there is a way my money can help keep the tigers around!!! I just hope the DWR can take notice they have a world class fishery up there and wants to sustain it. That lake draws national attention. If they stop with the Tiger program its just going to become a panfish lake again which would be a total loss. Its just sad because the goverment agencies are going to screw it all up with the red tape. The state could get some pure muskie brood stock from Nebraska which is not affected by the disease but its going to get stalled in the government proceess which revolves around money!!!

15

:sunglasses:How about quit pointing fingers of blame and calling names? DWR is well aware of the problem and of their options. What would be your reaction if they just went ahead and planted infectied fish and destroyed all of the fishing in Utah?

The demand in Utah has always been for trout that the public can harvest for the freezer. Suddenly we get some tiger muskies on an experiment and it turns out to be a good deal. DWR can’t instantly set up hatcheries for non-trout species and be in production overnight. There is a lot that goes into finding a suitable location, with the right kind of water and then getting approval and funding from state legislature.

DWR does not always get it right, but at least let them work through the process before getting your panties in a bunch.

16

I am not pointing a finger. I think we can all agree when the govenrment is involved things just get complicated!!! Its a sad fact of life. There are many easy solutions but when government is involved it just takes more time than it should. The trout devotion in utah is also frustrating. And yes the trout fisherman that like to fill their freezers are also a major source of income to the DWR so its a double edged sword. I just wish the DWR in utah would commit to making a few trophy fisheries out here. Pineview could be a world class fishery and draw alot of attention if they really put their mind to it. Strawberry also!!! They are slowly trying to make Strawberry a world class lake but taking their time. If they put the same restrictions as Henrys Lake in Idaho you would have a top notch lake up there. 2 fish limit and no ice fishing and that lake would put out some monsters… It would just be nice if they catered to the catch and release guys that prefer trophies over numbers for the table. Dont get me wrong TubeDude I am just speaking my mind on here and not trying to make enemies. We all have an opinion and we all love to fish!!! I just wish the DWR in utah had a comitment to all fisherman not just the trout guys. Its changing but not as aggressive as other states. I am by no means a strick catch and release guy. If you want to eat fish go for it. Hell if I had the option to fish only Trophy lakes I would gladly pay hundreds of dollars for a Trophy license!!! Its not an option but I sure wish it was to have world class trophy lakes out here.

17

:sunglasses:And, just so there is no misunderstanding, I am MOST DEFINITELY NOT a champion of Utah DWR. As many BFTers already know, I have had my go-rounds with “The Division”. That is why I recently backed off from all of my volunteer work and also bailed out of my affiliation with Utah Anglers Coalition.

I have rubbed shoulders with the top folks at DWR, and I have heard all the rhetoric about what is “being done” and what they would like to get done. On one hand, I applaud their efforts to create more angling opportunities in Utah, and to expand the fisheries beyond “total trout” orientation. On the other hand, I am frustrated by the slowness and/or the lack of knowledge and ability when it comes to taking the steps that are both indicated and necessary to “Git 'er done”.

On the positive side, Drew Cushing has been recently installed as the Director of Warm Water Fisheries…a post never before manned in Utah. A good move. But, in spite of lots of conversations and research before the appointment, Drew has issued the statement that he plans to do NOTHING within the first year. Holy stuff, man, there are things that should have been done and could have been done a long time ago. Let;s start somewhere. Let’s do something…not nothing.

**One of my pet peeves has been the management (non-management) of the perch fisheries in the state. We live in a desert state, with wide fluctuations in water levels, which affect perch cycles. Perch are a big part of the angling picture in Utah today, in spite of what DWR would prefer to believe. Yet, they seem content to let the perch manage themselves, or set ridiculous and unrealistic limits…and then do not monitor the fisheries for necessary modifications. **

Much the same can be said of the bass waters. Granted, each bass habitat has unique conditions of water, food and angling pressure. But, c’mon, no bass over 12"? There is no other state in the union with such restrictions. Bass will either survive or they won’t. With 12" maximum restrictions the chances of stunting and overpopulating are much worse than having the water overfishhed. Oops…sorry bassguys.

On the issue of tiger muskies, DWR got blindsided by the VHS disease issue. It hit suddenly and without warning. It’s not like DWR knew two years ago that their supply of tiger muskie fingerlings was going to be potentially contaminated. They are proud of the fishery that has developed in Pineview and they are scrambling to find an alternative source of more fingerlings. It ain’t like they just said to heck with it.

Yes, when government agencies get involved in any project it is likely to take longer, be more complicated and cost more than if private enterprise was in charge. That’s because folks in government positions look at everything from the standpoint of trying to avoid doing something wrong, rather than doing something right. They would rather make NO decision than to make a decision that could ever come back to discredit them.

**I have been involved in sports most of my (long) life. I will always remember the counseling of a favorite coach…way back there in time. He admonished me that there is a big difference in “playing to win”…as opposed to “playing not to lose”. **

**Once someone lands a coveted position in DWR, or many other tax-supported agencies, the tendency is to build little walls and barriers and to defend that position against all outside threats. that usually means that the person in that position becomes more reactive than proactive…they wait for something to happen rather than MAKING SOMETHING HAPPEN. **

CRASH!!! Just fell off my soapbox. I’m with ya all the way, Bro. No argument at all.