DWR proposed fishing rule changes

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat, I'm interested in the perch cycle and I'm sure you have seen it more times than most.  Seems like Utah has been a boom bust cycle that goes from a couple good years and then is followed by a multi year crash. Yet Cascade lake in Idaho seems to keep the big ones going up there.  Are you under the opinion that Willard might be able to maintain a healthy population of perch like cascade?  I know you have often tied perch to the spawn cycle and water levels, but is there more to that at Willard since the big sized population seemed to show up at the end of the drought cycle? I'd really like to see Utah have a good world class pond like Idaho, but I keep thinking the down turn is on the way... What think you??? Later J

Willard is not a "classic" perch habitat...with deep clear water and abundant shoreline rocky area and aquatic vegetation.  But it does have some vegetation and some rocks...and a lot of food...SHAD.  The abundance of shad alone makes for a good perch pond.  Plenty to eat most of the year...and enough successful spawning to keep the numbers up.  A lot more hospitable for perch than crappies.  

There have already been perch of up to 15 inches taken from Willard.  I'm betting there are some bigger ones in there.  As far as when they show up, the big concentrations come in around the edges of the lake in the fall as the smallest shad begin to move in and die off.  Drought cycles don't play a part in that.  It may affect spawning in the very worst years but the numbers seem to keep growing regardless.  Will need some organized research by DWR to get a definitive read on it.