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I have been thinking about this lately and trying to come up with ways to get others to actually keep the lake trout pups they catch. The fact is they are overpopulating the gorge, resulting in lower numbers of kokanee and bigger lake trout when compared with even just 5 years ago. The pups are preying on kokanee eggs, and feed like crazy on other resources that would be beneficial to the bigger lake trout. We love to eat pups as much as we do kokes, so every trip we try to get a limit for everyone to take home. So if you are not taking home what you catch, then don't be surprised if you see even fewer numbers of kokes and big lakers in the future.
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Education.
Take a look at what the UDWR did at Lake Powell with stripers and Wayne Gustaveson. The outreach program for Lake Powell has been phenomenal. Wayne's website specifically focuses on sharing information so anglers are more successful catching [and harvesting] stripers. In recent years, there has been increased focus on walleye, as their numbers are also an under-utilized resource. Anglers have caught on, and buy into the idea that harvesting stripers is good for the fishery. With this vested interest, anglers also support other anglers by helping to provide information on where to catch them, and how. When on the lake, anglers are not "selfish" and often times will encourage other boats to join in on the catch when schools are located. Everyone is on board with the idea that more harvest means better fishing.
You have to educate those people visiting FG, get them to buy off on the value of increased harvest, then help them be more successful in catching those fish. Further, you have to get those people that might not be "lake trout" anglers involved. You have to get that casual angler into the fish. Teach them how to catch those pups, and understand that it's OK to keep them. Promote the fishery. Help people catch more fish, and promote the harvest.
It's all education.
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Very good point, the other thing is I need to get out there more often to do my share helping out. Wish I could get there more often. Later J
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They should have a pup tournament like the bash.
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[quote PBH]Education.
Take a look at what the UDWR did at Lake Powell with stripers and Wayne Gustaveson. The outreach program for Lake Powell has been phenomenal. Wayne's website specifically focuses on sharing information so anglers are more successful catching [and harvesting] stripers. In recent years, there has been increased focus on walleye, as their numbers are also an under-utilized resource. Anglers have caught on, and buy into the idea that harvesting stripers is good for the fishery. With this vested interest, anglers also support other anglers by helping to provide information on where to catch them, and how. When on the lake, anglers are not "selfish" and often times will encourage other boats to join in on the catch when schools are located. Everyone is on board with the idea that more harvest means better fishing.
You have to educate those people visiting FG, get them to buy off on the value of increased harvest, then help them be more successful in catching those fish. Further, you have to get those people that might not be "lake trout" anglers involved. You have to get that casual angler into the fish. Teach them how to catch those pups, and understand that it's OK to keep them. Promote the fishery. Help people catch more fish, and promote the harvest.
It's all education.[/quote]
The silly thing is you have to really not have any clue or not be "trying" to catch the pups, they will hit just about anything you put in front of them including koke gear. Another thing that bugs me is the high number of anglers who release smaller kokes knowing full well (or they are just clueless) that they will usually die, last year I netted several 1.5-2 pound kokes that were dying on the surface and put them in the cooler. Don't even get me started on what fishing competitions do to the kokanee population, or my opinion on anglers who keep the bigger macs.
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[quote remo_5_0]They should have a pup tournament like the bash.[/quote]
Maybe even have prizes for the lowest average weight for 8 pups to give incentive to keep the small ones.
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[quote fish_hntr][quote remo_5_0]They should have a pup tournament like the bash.[/quote]
Maybe even have prizes for the lowest average weight for 8 pups to give incentive to keep the small ones.[/quote]
Good idea.
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[quote fish_hntr]
The silly thing is you have to really not have any clue or not be "trying" to catch the pups, they will hit just about anything you put in front of them ...[/quote]
OK -- but does the casual angler know this??
How many recreational boaters show up to FG each year during the summer?
How many of those boaters have a snoopy rod with a bobber attached to it hidden in the ski locker?
How many of those people could catch a pup laker if they only knew what to do?
Again, they figured this out at Powell. They started a web site, and they promote the hell out of fishing for stripers. Not only do they promote the heck out of it, but they provide very specific details on how to catch them, and where to catch them -- right down to gps spots.
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Catch and kill. Just like Burbot.
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I would say to start out DWR could make them taste better. Lol! I am not a fan of trout meat of any kind and lakers have a reputation for not being the greatest trout flavor to boot. I do love white meat fish however, burbot, bass, cats, eyes, gills etc etc. I still keep laker pups to give to friends that like trout but it's just not my favorite flavor. Most of the guys I fish with feel the same. I think this is the biggest hangup to getting people to keep more of the laker pups. They just don't want to take home 20 lbs of trout they will never get around to eating. If I didn't have friends who liked trout mine would most likely all be back in the lake.
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I for one think the pups taste great. Now on the other hand, the bigger ones are very greasy and don't taste good at all.
I like to smoke them, fry them, BBQ them and bake them.
With the way the lake limits are you can get 3 kokes 1 bow and 8 Macks under 28" ,that will make a cooler full for anyone.
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After reading all the info on the post and all the responses I have two direct questions. Exactly what size range of lake trout are you suggesting we harvest? Secondly, how serious of a problem is this to the fishery?
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They would like to reduce the number of fish below the 28" mark.
The problem is that many mouths are making an impact on many parts of the lake in reduced size and numbers of fish.
Another thought that comes to mind is that once the pup lakers get small enough the burbot will start to key in on them and their population will explode again.
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Based on the acts of the Willard inlet snaggers, you could start the rumor that it is illegal to keep laker pups. The happy harvesters would be sneaking home coolers full of them in no time.
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[quote RockyRaab]Based on the acts of the Willard inlet snaggers, you could start the rumor that it is illegal to keep laker pups. The happy harvesters would be sneaking home coolers full of them in no time.[/quote]
LOL - I think you have the solution.
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I've heard that the laker pups like to eat little stones that turn to diamonds in their stomachs. It's going to be so hard to only keep 8 of them.
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[quote RockyRaab]Based on the acts of the Willard inlet snaggers, you could start the rumor that it is illegal to keep laker pups. The happy harvesters would be sneaking home coolers full of them in no time.[/quote]
Best idea yet!
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I don't know if anyone follows the massive Laker problem that Yellowstone Lake has been dealing with for over a decade, but I wonder if FG could end up with their situation.
The Lake Trout was introduced to Yellowstone, they think by bucket biologist, sometime in the late 90s I believe. They apparently wiped out about 80% of the native Cutthroat population. They estimate that each mature Laker consumes approximately 42 Cutthroat a year. For many years now, they have had to hire private contractors that do nothing but hunt and destroy Lakers using mostly nets. They spend millions a year. It has taken them years to bend the curve down to where they now believe the Laker population is decreasing and that was even killing well over 100,000 fish each year. Last year they removed over 320,000 but still feel it will take perhaps another decade before they can crash the Laker population. The Cutthroat population is very slowly recovering.
I wonder how FG has avoided Lakers taking over like they did in Yellowstone. Especially since in Yellowstone they claim the biggest threat is the large adults because they produce thousands of eggs when they spawn. Yet in FG they want to rid the lake of the smaller pups and keep the larger Lakers.
Very interesting to see what has happened at Yellowstone and now to see that there seems to be a worry about Lakers taking over to at least some degree in FG.
It is also interesting to see fisherman at FG holding up big Laker trophies and then taking care to release them, and then see pictures of similar sized fish being netted and killed by the thousands in Yellowstone. There you are mandated to catch and kill every laker. They just drop them back into the lake.
If FG does have a Laker takeover brewing can the fisherman even make a dent? How many Lake Trout are actually caught by fisherman at FG each year?
No real point here. Just an interesting and potentially similar situation seems to be developing at FG as what developed at Yellowstone. I would hate to see the Kokes vanish from FG like the Cutthroat just about did from Yellowstone. Sorry, but I wouldn't miss some of the other unnamed species. My wife is partial to Salmon meat.
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I think they need to move F.G. closer to our place so I can smoke all of the lakers I can get.
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Yellowstone and FG are totally different situations. Yellowstone is protecting a native fish- that always gets more momentum. I won’t believe there is actually a problem until our biologists recommend a change in the current law, otherwise it’s useless information. Education isn’t going to work until laws change either. As referenced at Powell, the law changed. It’s going to be really hard to convince me to spend my precious time on the lake going after my least desired fish in the lake. I can’t even kill and dump one if it’s an incidental catch.
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