Anyone looking for chub meat for bait?

TOgden said:

The last three years have been really good fishing up there with only an occasional chub but this year so far has been very disappointing. I'm not sure what has changed.

Click to expand...

A quick look at the stocking report might explain.

2019: ~34,000 wipers stocked
2020: ~19,000 wipers stocked
2021: ~5500 wipers stocked
2022: ~19,000 wipers stocked (4"+) & another 40,000 1" wipers stocked



So, in 2021 they only stocked 5500 wipers. Then in 2022 they stock 19,000 4 - 9" wipers + another 40,000 1" wipers. That tells me that the gill net survey in 2022 showed a significant increase in chub population, which prompted a "oh crap, we blew it by not getting more wipers in 2020" reaction.

I don't know. Just looking at those numbers tells me that the DWR is watching that chub population and trying to stay on top of it -- but what happened in 2021? And does that explain everything? Are the wipers surviving at Scofield? Are we losing them -- elevation too high? Interesting.


It makes me worry about Panguitch Lake, to be honest...

A couple comments:

1. As I recall from the gillnet surveys, while there have been a few wipers showing up, there haven't been a lot. From the stocking report, I might expect more. It doesn't seem like large numbers have been harvested. Maybe, as many feared, the wipers don't survive in large enough numbers to make a big difference?

2. As depressing as it is to read TOgdens Scofield reports this year, my one thought (silver lining?) is that all the chubs he is catching are large. When chubs are way out of control, multiple sizes and age classes are caught. Considering that a chub can live 20 years, the big, old ones that are too big for predators will persist a while. We still catch chubs at Jordanelle (invariably large) but with all the predators in there, I have no worries about them taking over. Somewhat the same at Strawberry. Maybe the lake conditions now are such that trout catching is suppressed, but the chub bite is optimized? 🤷‍♂️ 🤞

In all of the lakes that wipers have been introduced, it typically took numerous years before they really started showing up. So, reports from anglers "not catching any" is not a surprise. It may not be a concern either.

However, angler reports, like Tom's, of catching lots of chubs (even large chubs) is concerning. In lakes like Jordanelle, when only "large" chubs were around, it wasn't a bad thing. But in a lake like Scofield, which has wipers and tiger musky, it is a concern. Those fish should be eating the large chubs too!

Unfortunately, we are in a "wait and see" situation. Because the lake was not treated to eliminate chubs prior to restocking, then we have no choice but to wait another 5 (10, 20?) years to see if the management plan is going to work.

The good news? It has been shown that stocking wipers on top of an existing chub population, in an effort to control that chub population, works. Hopefully anglers catching chubs won't last very long, and in another year (or two, or three) chub numbers will decrease.


(FWIW -- If Tom can catch chubs on his fly rod, then the DWR will certainly catch them in their nets. The numbers are going to be higher than the DWR wants them to be....)

No Holiday Inn last night, but I suppose I will spout a few comments on the results.


1. "Spring catch rate 20.6 cutthroat/net-night (second highest recorded catch rate in spring since 2000) " with an improving length average.
"Cutthroat trout length ranged from 11” to 21” "
"Catch rate 5.0 fish/net-night (highest rate since 2013) "
"Tiger trout ranged from 14” to 20.4” "

Yet, not a single slot buster of either species was caught. I wonder why? Bottleneck? Not making the jump to piscivory?

2. " Tiger muskie – Collected 24; size ranged 22.5” to 35.5” • Wiper – Collected one 18.8” wiper • Walleye – Collected one 16.1” walleye "

Looks like the Tigers are doing well, albeit not huge, but one wiper and walleye? I know they don't always show up in high numbers but I would hope for more. And an 18 incher may be hard pressed to gulp down a 13 inch chub. The wipers controlling the big chubs in the other fisheries are often state record class in size.

3. Chub catch rates 2023 : 27, 2022: 16.8 It did go up a little. On the size graph, almost all of them are big. I maintain this is good, but if there are few slot buster or near slot buster trout, and few giant wipers, there aren't many fish that can eat those big chubs and they will be there a while yet. Maybe the Tiger muskies can eat a few. 🤷‍♂️


I guess my non Holiday Inn interpretation is that it isn't terrible up there but it seems to have a ways to go.