02-07-2008, 08:40 AM
I can't agree with you more Lavaman when you state that even more strict regulations will be required as the fishing pressure increases with the onslaught of UT implants. The problem with more regulation is that Fish and Game Officers can't keep up with the law breaking, 20 lb. test line throwing, drunken idiots, and illegal aliens that have overrun our lakes and rivers. To stop the illegal harvest of trout at the Berry it would take two full time checkpoints either side of Srawberry and Soldier Creek on highway 40 doing border style searches and twenty officers patrolling the lake to ensure no one is throwing a slot limit barbecue.
I don't understand these people anyway because it is common knowledge that smaller trout of about 16" or less have a superior flavor and texture to an oily old lunker. So why not leave the monster genetics in the water? I fell in love with trout fishing years ago throwing rapalas and tangling with browns in the Provo and, eventually, I got hooked on fly fishing. I can't say how many times I have witnessed people in the trophy section up Provo canyon stringing a nice rainbow or cutthroat, not to mention, pulling out 20"+ browns on worms and stumbling to their cars to leave when they see me calling for a game warden that will never show up and won't follow up on my description of the vehicle and catch them on the road. If they can't trap these fools in the canyon, then how the heck can they prevent Stawberry from turning into Tibble Fork? I've thought of making a petition with local trout enthusiasts to better maintain the lower stretches of the Provo all the way down to UT Lake because this section has much more potential to support a great population along with some lunkers than some might think. This would include keeping stream flows at no less than the minimum to sustain fish through a drought year in the hot summer months and imposing the same size and harvest restrictions as in the designated trophy areas. I can remember fishing inside of town 12 years ago when rainbows were still stocked at Canyon View before whirling disease turned up. They made it down river and sustained a substantial reproducing and wild population which was complimented by a good number of more elusive browns in the mix. I can remember a 67 fish summer afternoon underneath the State Street bridge in Provo (65 rainbows and 2 browns) casting the same Rapala for hours until the paint got chipped all to hell. The largest brown I have ever seen from the Provo was landed that same week by a fly fisherman in the deep part of the fast riffle at the head of the Mormon Motion Picture Studios on a size 16 prince nymph. The fish was every bit of thirtythree inches long. I don't even want to guess how much he weighed. I'm sure there were and, maybe, still are some huge browns larger than that monster that still remain. A few drought years and alot of mexicans with cheese on a hook cleaned almost all of the rainbows out of the lower river and only the more elusive browns managed to survive in any significant numbers. If the lower river is going to make a comeback, then we pissed off anglers are going to have to do something since the government seems too overwhelmed to take charge of this situation. [mad]
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I don't understand these people anyway because it is common knowledge that smaller trout of about 16" or less have a superior flavor and texture to an oily old lunker. So why not leave the monster genetics in the water? I fell in love with trout fishing years ago throwing rapalas and tangling with browns in the Provo and, eventually, I got hooked on fly fishing. I can't say how many times I have witnessed people in the trophy section up Provo canyon stringing a nice rainbow or cutthroat, not to mention, pulling out 20"+ browns on worms and stumbling to their cars to leave when they see me calling for a game warden that will never show up and won't follow up on my description of the vehicle and catch them on the road. If they can't trap these fools in the canyon, then how the heck can they prevent Stawberry from turning into Tibble Fork? I've thought of making a petition with local trout enthusiasts to better maintain the lower stretches of the Provo all the way down to UT Lake because this section has much more potential to support a great population along with some lunkers than some might think. This would include keeping stream flows at no less than the minimum to sustain fish through a drought year in the hot summer months and imposing the same size and harvest restrictions as in the designated trophy areas. I can remember fishing inside of town 12 years ago when rainbows were still stocked at Canyon View before whirling disease turned up. They made it down river and sustained a substantial reproducing and wild population which was complimented by a good number of more elusive browns in the mix. I can remember a 67 fish summer afternoon underneath the State Street bridge in Provo (65 rainbows and 2 browns) casting the same Rapala for hours until the paint got chipped all to hell. The largest brown I have ever seen from the Provo was landed that same week by a fly fisherman in the deep part of the fast riffle at the head of the Mormon Motion Picture Studios on a size 16 prince nymph. The fish was every bit of thirtythree inches long. I don't even want to guess how much he weighed. I'm sure there were and, maybe, still are some huge browns larger than that monster that still remain. A few drought years and alot of mexicans with cheese on a hook cleaned almost all of the rainbows out of the lower river and only the more elusive browns managed to survive in any significant numbers. If the lower river is going to make a comeback, then we pissed off anglers are going to have to do something since the government seems too overwhelmed to take charge of this situation. [mad]
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