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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Fished the west side of Bear Lake on Saturday and the fishing was pretty slow. We jigged and trolled from daylight til about 1:00pm and got only two strikes on the troll. The jigs got lots of lookers but no takers. [/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Had the VHF radio on scan mode and the story was about the same throughout the lake. Heard about one 10lb mack caught and a few cutts but not much else. I can verify that the macks are not spawning on Bear Lake. The macks will start staging on the rockpile first before going to shallow gravel areas on the lake and there were very few fish on the rockpile. The concentrations of fish were in the 65 - 75ft area. The fish were thick from the bottom to about 15ft above the bottom suspended.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Heard some interesting news and thought I'd pass it on. Utah has not planted mackinaw since 1998. Idaho has quit planting macks until they can come up with a proven method to sterilize macks before planting. From what I've heard, the sterilization process is spotty at best. Also the successful natural spawning of lake trout in the lake is supposedly minimal[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I don't know about you but the big macks are the draw to BL for me and many others but the continual harvest of the larger macks will soon take it's toll. With the slow growth rates of fish in BL, it takes a stocking program to keep the resource flourishing.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I've been told that there is some interest in the DWR to restart a Utah stocking program. I was told to spread the word and to contact Craig Schaugaard, 435 476-2770, or [/size][/font][url "mailto:craigschaugaard@utah.gov"][font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]craigschaugaard@utah.gov[/size][/#0000ff][/font][/url][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3] to show your support for this project. Thanks.[/size][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]BLM,[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Good report ... good info.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]I just knew that, with the weather starting to cool, you'd be up there checking out one of your favorite ponds. I love reading your reports ... get's me pretty excited about this winter and landing those lunkers.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]From what you posted, it looks like the macks have a lot going against them. That is a shame and I hope that that can be changed ... everything from better management to CPR (Catch, Photograph, and Release). I'll do my part.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Yup, I've got my winter month fishing days pretty much reserved for the bear. I've got new better tackle ready and waiting. I just bought a new bait caster and short heavy rod. Gues I'd better hurry up and get my honey-doos out of the way.[/size][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I ran into IdahoNative, yesterday, and he is heading to the east side today (Sunday). It will be interesting to see how he does. I do know one thing, he'll do, at the very least, better that we did! [/size][/font]
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hey blm
is it always this slow this time of year up there? just curious i thought the macks would be in a bit of prespawn mode and feeding pretty good. sorry for the bad luck.
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Xman,I have never done very well this time of year untill this year,Labor day weekend I cought 2 macks over 15#s and the next weekend the Idahonative cought 2 10+#s and the next day I was with the Idahonative and cought another hog about 12-14#s all were cought on the east side on Cisco Beach trolling!!M.H.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]It's just a matter of hitting it right. You can hit a weekend like MH and IN did and do quite well or you can hit a day like we did yesterday and get skunked. I believe this weekend was my first skunkin' this year. I'll be interested to how IN did today,[/size][/font]
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Thanks for getting up there and checking it out BLM. To bad the catching wasn't better, when is the normal Mac spawning time? WH2
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Think deer hunt to the first week in November as a good "guesstimation".[/size][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]FYI, I recieved a reply from Craig Schaugaard of the Utah DWR. In reply to my e-mail concerning mackinaw stocking in Bear Lake he wrote:[/size][/font]
[size 1]"We are trying to make a contingent plan for the lake trout incase the sterilization does not work. This would provide fish for stocking in the fall of 2004."[/size]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I hope it comes about![/size][/font]
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Why is it so critical that the macks are sterile, are they crossing with some other fish or something?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#122629][size 3]Lake Trout are quite the predator. The fear is that they will decimate an endemic species. Look at Yellowstone Lake. The lake trout were illegally planted in 1986? and have gained a significant foothold. It is a concern that they will not only consume the forage species but also the Yellowstone Cutthroat themselves. The idea of sterilizing the lake trout before planting is to provide the resource without fear of a “hostile” takeover.[/size][/#122629][/font]
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I don't know what the reproduction rate at Bear Lake is on the Macks. I have heard from quite a few that it is almost non existant. I can tell you this is prespawn last year I caught a number of Macks under 14". I can't beleive those have been there since 1998. Is Idaho still planting or am I catching wild fish???
Also it would definitely take alot of the lure of Bear Lake away if there were no Macks. I love the Cutts but is that chance at a 20# that is so luring about Bear Lake.
tightline
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5 years and still under 14". They are not planted at one inch either. That makes them litterally the slowest growing fish I have ever heard of. One thing is different at the Bear. Unlike Yellowstone and some other places where the lakers have taken over. With the limited spawning areas it wouldn't take much to fish them out if they ever decided they wanted to eradicate them from that water. It would take some years but would only be a matter of time. I sure hope they find a way to support a wild population of Cutts and still have some Macks in there for a little fun on the side. If nothing has happened 1998 that is 5 year classes of fish that were completely missed.[  ]
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[size 1][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Here's some additional follow up information from Craig Schaugaard, NRO Regional Aquatic Program Manager, I received today:[/size][/font]
[/size][size 1]"The problem Idaho has had is the survival of the eggs. What eggs that have survived have been sterile fish (only a few hundred). I don't know the exact time frame but I believe if they have "eye-up" in the eggs then they should have good survival and the new method of pressure shocking the eggs should be very effective at producing sterile fish. We stock the lake trout in Bear Lake in November that's when we get the best survival. We are trying to get a back up of non-sterile fish incase the process does not work but Idaho has not agreed to stock them in the lake yet. We will be working with them to do what is best for the lake."[/size]
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Here are couple quites from a study done at Bear Lake:
"The mean annual biomass of zooplankton (0.42 g dry weight/m2) was among the lowest yet recorded for a temperate zone lake."
"The whole-lake mean annual biomass of 0.34 g dry wt/m2 is the lowest recorded for a temperate zone lake."
"The low fish yield in Bear Lake (0.5 kg/ha/yr) is consistent with its low intrinsic productivity."
It's a clean, clear, freshwater lake with extremely low productivity. It's been observed that the Lake Trout actually shrink in length, not just weight, during a portion of the year. So yes, they are probably the slowest growing trout any of us have ever heard of. With that said, at Bear Lake I'd just as soon put them back after I catch them. Even if they die of old age, I've got a chance to catch them again before they do.
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