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I went for a quick trip this morning (1/21) to Deer Creek. I fished in about 30 FOW south of the island. I caught one trout on a glow tube and the perch in the picture on a rapala jigging rap tipped with meal worm. The trout was high (~20') the perch came up from the bottom.
I tried several other lures and had lookers but no biters (as per usual). I saw lots of activity on the finder until about 8:00, then it slowed significantly.
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Love those striped demons. Thanks for the report.
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It's hard to find the perch there but whrn you do they are nice and healthy.
Goid job.
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Used to be a good perch fishery then the bucket biologists came by.
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hope you let the perch live. we need lp dc come back.
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Nice perch. I think the walleye are hard on the perch.
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Yep. I always let them go. Last I saw of the fat little bugger it was flipping water at me diving down the ice hole.
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The walleye and perch got along with each other for many years.
I could be wrong but I believe smallies did the biggest damage to the DC perchery.
I too miss those days of endless 10"s.
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Nice two see there are still a few nice ones in there. Good job man!
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Fat little bugger. Nice perch!
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[quote SBennett]The walleye and perch got along with each other for many years.
I could be wrong but I believe smallies did the biggest damage to the DC perchery.
I too miss those days of endless 10"s.[/quote]
This combined with low water levels have made life hard for the perch population.
Pray for three years of snow like this and the perch would be a viable fishery again.
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[quote SBennett]The walleye and perch got along with each other for many years.
I could be wrong but I believe smallies did the biggest damage to the DC perchery.
I too miss those days of endless 10"s.[/quote]
[#0000FF]Right ye be, laddie. Walleye and (lots of) perch coexisted for years in DC before smallmouths. After the smallies were dumped in...from Flaming Gorge...they displaced the formerly abundant largies, ate up most of the crawdads and then started in on the perch.
Larger smallmouths ate one and two year old perch. But young smallmouths have been the most destructive to the overall perch population. Schools of yearling smallies raid the balls of newly hatched perchlets and slurp them up by the thousands...before they can ever get large enough to provide food for larger fish. And since there is no other forage for perch...besides their own young...there is a breakdown in the food chain and less to eat. So there are fewer larger perch.
And, coincidentally, there are fewer large smallmouths these days too. Hmmmm?
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Hey Pat (and anyone else reading this thread),
Do you know if there has been any talk of changing the limit on smallmouth at DC? Maybe increasing angler harvest could help make some room for the others to get big. I wouldn't mind taking home a dozen small (10-12 inch) smallies. They taste great at that size. Just a thought...
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Now that's an idea. Smallies are stunting all over the state. I love to catch smallmouth but getting fish over 14 inches is a task anywhere near Salt Lake. I would love to see the statewide limit on smallmouth changed to 12 fish with only one over 12 inches allowed. Or better yet a slot that protect smallies from 12-18 inches and only one over 18 allowed. Still a 12 fish limit though. I harvest the darn things every time I'm out but I can't put a dent in them 6 fish at time.I think I would even support a temporary 20 fish limit with only one large fish allowed.
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I agree about the limit. I'd favor a No Limit on smallies, but only one over a certain length. As I'm not a biologist, I'd let the experts set that length.
And you are correct: they are delicious.
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[#0000FF]I haven't heard any rumors...or serious discussions. But most folks who fish the smallie lakes...like DC...are probably in agreement. Need more harvest of dinks to leave more food for the survivors.
This is where we anglers have to communicate with DWR. They usually post something in the spring to solicit ideas and suggestions. Then there is a RAC meeting usually in June...with a final discussion and vote in September. But the whole process starts before the summer meeting. There is also sometimes a page on the DWR site in which anglers can submit comments and suggestions.
[url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/board-rac/120-board-rac/public-meetings/363-rac-involvement.html"]HERE IS A LINK[/url] to the DWR page on Wildlife Board and RAC process.
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[quote scartinez]Now that's an idea. Smallies are stunting all over the state. I love to catch smallmouth but getting fish over 14 inches is a task anywhere near Salt Lake. I would love to see the statewide limit on smallmouth changed to 12 fish with only one over 12 inches allowed. Or better yet a slot that protect smallies from 12-18 inches and only one over 18 allowed. Still a 12 fish limit though. I harvest the darn things every time I'm out but I can't put a dent in them 6 fish at time.I think I would even support a temporary 20 fish limit with only one large fish allowed.[/quote]
+1. I've been keeping more small ones too, when feasible.
Not that one comment does much good, but I have suggested to the DWR, during their public comment effort they do every spring, raising the limit for smallies under 12 inches to 10 or 12 fish for a couple years now. At both Jordanelle and Deer creek, (where I do most of my smallie fishing) I believe this would provide a nice benefit.
It is interesting, at Jordanelle this past year, I had a much better year for size than I have for a few years. It also seems to coincide with a somewhat reduced number of 5-7 inch dink smallies caught, probably from reduced spawning success from the lake being drawn down so dramatically.
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