01-16-2019, 08:13 PM
[#0000FF]The reasons offered by DWR is that they do not want non-native or overly competitive species in managed waters. The translation is that they do not want any more chubs in rainbow trout waters because chubs eat the same foods as small rainbows. They out-compete them...resulting in stunted rainbows. My own translation...from years of living in Utah as well as several other states...is that DWR does not want to give anglers any advantage that helps them catch more of their hatchery pets...same reason for not allowing corn for so many year.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]All of the waters that have been poisoned to remove chubs have been habitat for planted rainbows. It is almost a capital punishment crime to suggest that if there are chubs in a given water, quit planting rainbows and plant other species that can eat the chubs and provide an alternate fishery to the many rainbow waters. It would avoid years of worthless trout fishing, followed by poisoning...chubs showing up again...and more bad fishing years.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]DWR blames all recurring infestations of chubs on bucket biology. The truth is that if they only treat a lake...and not all of the tributaries and side channels...there will be surviving chubs. And it only takes one dedicated pair to start the next invasion. That has happened in Strawberry several times. And Scofield. Chubs are native to Utah and they live in a lot of places...and are difficult to eradicate completely.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Shad in Willard? Again, the "what if" argument. What if some stupid fisherman carried a spawn ready pair of gizzard shad to a hatchery pet water? Those gizzard shad eat plankton...just like trout. And in a matter of time they would greatly impact the growth and survival of the wimpy wainbows.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]I haven't heard a good argument for not allowing anglers to catch and cut up shad for bait. The only good reason I can think of is that they STINK. Plenty of good baits without having to use shad.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]How is the shad ban working out? So far, so what.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Shad have escaped Willard through the outlet and have wormed their way through the maze of fresh and salt water channels into the lower Bear River system. DWR doesn't like it but the cats and walleyes do. Those species are getting bigger and more numerous. Where is the anticipated damage? It seems like shad have just about wiped out all the hatchery trout...that escaped warm temperatures, cats and walleyes. National disaster.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]All of the waters that have been poisoned to remove chubs have been habitat for planted rainbows. It is almost a capital punishment crime to suggest that if there are chubs in a given water, quit planting rainbows and plant other species that can eat the chubs and provide an alternate fishery to the many rainbow waters. It would avoid years of worthless trout fishing, followed by poisoning...chubs showing up again...and more bad fishing years.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]DWR blames all recurring infestations of chubs on bucket biology. The truth is that if they only treat a lake...and not all of the tributaries and side channels...there will be surviving chubs. And it only takes one dedicated pair to start the next invasion. That has happened in Strawberry several times. And Scofield. Chubs are native to Utah and they live in a lot of places...and are difficult to eradicate completely.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Shad in Willard? Again, the "what if" argument. What if some stupid fisherman carried a spawn ready pair of gizzard shad to a hatchery pet water? Those gizzard shad eat plankton...just like trout. And in a matter of time they would greatly impact the growth and survival of the wimpy wainbows.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]I haven't heard a good argument for not allowing anglers to catch and cut up shad for bait. The only good reason I can think of is that they STINK. Plenty of good baits without having to use shad.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]How is the shad ban working out? So far, so what.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]Shad have escaped Willard through the outlet and have wormed their way through the maze of fresh and salt water channels into the lower Bear River system. DWR doesn't like it but the cats and walleyes do. Those species are getting bigger and more numerous. Where is the anticipated damage? It seems like shad have just about wiped out all the hatchery trout...that escaped warm temperatures, cats and walleyes. National disaster.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]