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Henry's Lake- Post Register Article
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10-26-2006, 03:06 PM
In today's Idaho Falls paper, Jim Fredericks the head biologist with F&G states 85% of the fish die of old age in Henry's Lake. Wow I have never heard of this at any lake before in my life and wondered has anyone else heard of this there and how did they end up determining this figure?
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10-26-2006, 03:31 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I have heard that. BS does his seminar every year and pointed that out. That is why I felt SUPER STUPID for letting that 34" go, chances are it won't make it throught the winter.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Also, the Cutts at Henry's are NOT! meat eaters, by meat I mean they don't eat other fish so they aren't eating the chub. I guess that is why I always catch them on a nymph.[/size][/black][/font] [signature]
10-27-2006, 02:25 PM
That was a dandy of a fish you released no doubt. Did he give any theory as to why they die of old age? I am assuming this is the Hybrids or is this all fish that die?
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10-27-2006, 02:50 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Don't quote me on this, cause I am trying to remember, but I think he said the average fish up there has a 3yr life span (Cutts that is) I am assuming it is the stren of Cutts (Yellowstone?)[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The Berry has Bonneville Cutts and they are a totally different species. Meat eaters and live a little longer.[/size][/black][/font] [font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]With the new Reg's for the Berry that are suppose to go into effect for 2007 (that the slot includes all fish now) I think that we are going to put the Berry back on the waters to fish and maybe put Henry's in the back ground.[/size][/black][/font] ps. I have several friends up at Henry's as we speak. They are calling me with up dates. I thought I would give anything to be up there with them (and for the company, I still would), but it sounds like COMBAT fishing on the lake. Fish are being caught, but the normal stand by HENRY'S LAKE size. My friend was surrounded by lurkers all day, went in to shore for a few and the lurkers swarmmed her spot like flies on you know what. Good week ahead for them and I hope my suggestins work for them....they do me[laugh] [signature]
10-27-2006, 06:45 PM
Henrys Lake fish have a very short life span - flygoddess is right. Most live only three or four years with a few into the fifth season. It is hoped that by sterilizing all the hybrids and brook trout that their life span will increase. This will be because they do not go through the stress of spawning.
One theory is that because of the amount of food, they gain too much weight and obesity causes their short life span. But if you keep all of the 25 inchers, when most die, where will the 30+ inchers come from? Catching a 30+ incher is worth releasing all of my 20+ inchers. The 85% may be a little high, but that is in the ballpark. Bill [signature]
10-27-2006, 07:00 PM
Has Henry;s Lake always had the combat fishing this time of year, if not what has brought them out this year?
Alos how late do you think a person can toon up there. It's a ways to go from Twin Falls and find it iced up to much to get out. [signature]
10-27-2006, 07:46 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I think time is running out for this year. Tybugs has already reported seeing a thin layer of ice. But the next few days will slow that down a bit. I hear it was 40 up there yesterday.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I think it is getting pack, because it is GREAT fishing and everyone seems to do better when it cools off. It is a very shallow lake, so summer is hard. I really like the Septs up there. Days are nice. I have in the past gone every week in June and at one time or another I got snowed on. So when fall hits, you kinda expect it.[/size][/black][/font] [font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Plus I kept packing for cold in june only to get back to civilization and 9o degree weather. It was killing me[/size][/black][/font][laugh] ps. see I really did pay attention at the seminar BS LOL [signature]
10-30-2006, 04:31 PM
Very interesting, thanks for the insight on this. I agree I would rather catch one hog than a lot of 20-25" fish. It should be interesting to see what happens in November there this fall.
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10-30-2006, 04:43 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I have some friends up there right now till Wed. The sky is blue, but it is COMBAT fishing in the usual spots.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I did get a report that they had to break through some ice yesterday to get to the holes. BRRRRRRRRRR[/size][/black][/font] [font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]No HUGE ones yet but ALOT of nice fish.[/size][/black][/font] [signature]
10-31-2006, 02:47 AM
BRRRR!! Sure is right. Certainly no one wants to travel all the way to Henry's and have to fight cold winds, perhaps rain and snow, break the ice etc. So stay home ][signature]
10-31-2006, 02:52 AM
Are you sure the cutts dont eat other fish in Henrys Lake ?? Did you ever gut one to find out?? I find it hard to believe the fish get that big on bugs alone. Please enlighten me.
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10-31-2006, 03:23 AM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I know they eat mice, but I am going on what BS said. They do not eat other fish. Hopefully he will chime in or Tybugs.[/size][/black][/font]
Plus the big fish that I have caught were all caught on nymphs (or a wooly bugger the size of a nymph) [signature]
10-31-2006, 06:09 AM
Hi ya
Ummmm what do fish eat at Henrys. I liken the fish to myself which they eat everything placed before them [laugh]. I'm not sure if anyone really knows exactly what goes on under the water. I have heard both sides of the issue. I have heard that the Cutts being not as aggressive as other fish ie Browns, Rainbows etc. The Cutts tend to be lazy eaters and chasing minnows is harder work. I have heard that any fish over 3lbs to 4lbs become predatory. I haven't killed enough fish to really do any scientific study. I think out of a 1000 fish I have or clients have taken maybe 10 to 15 fish. This being due to some fish not making it due to bleeding or stress. Don't anyone faint or write nasty comments---some fish do not survive the catching experience. I know in the ones I personally have opened up. I have not found one minnow. They have been filled with scuds, leeches and other nymph type bugs such as caddis or damsels in that order. This even includes the big piggies over 8lbs. Again 10 to 15 fish isn't enough or close to enough to be conclusive on any scientific basis. Over the years however, I still have not had one fish with minnows in it. BS has fished the lake for over 40 years and if he says they don't I would go with that until I knew for sure it was any different. I would always go with experience on the water. The food charts I have seen by different authors suggest that minnows make up a minor part of the overall fishes diet. Again, leeches, scuds and others being the major part. Henrys has more food for fish that one can believe. Why would the fish chase hard to catch minnows when all the other stuff is there for the slurping at will. The Cutts in Henrys do not get huge like the hybrids. This I think is more to do with the mating game instead of diet. The Cutts mate and the Hybrids eat and eat and eat. They are serious about thier food. In short I think any fish can be prone to eat minnows and be predatory. However, I think most fish take the easy road when it comes to dinning out. Hope I answered the questions with out mudding the water any. [signature]
10-31-2006, 01:15 PM
Do some folks fish with spinning or baitcasting reels? Has anyone caught any cutts using minnow imitating lures? Rapala types, spinners etc.....
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10-31-2006, 02:57 PM
Yes, some mighty nice fish have came out of Henry's over the years with spinning gear (Lures). Rapala's have been good too me, personally. However, as TyBugs1 has stated there is a refrigerator full of natural bug life in Henry's. That is why it is one of the world's most popular fly fishing lakes. Rapala fishers or other spinning lure types will catch some fish, and, some big ones. Just not as many as the average fly fisher due to the bug smorgasboard available.
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10-31-2006, 03:02 PM
If the Cutts are hitting on minnow replicas I would suspect they are eating minnows.
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10-31-2006, 03:58 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]True, but with respect to BS and Tybugs (thank you) maybe your rapallas are being more accessible than the real thing. Not seeing the fish, maybe you are bouncing that imitation right off their nose which a bait fish wouldn't do.[/size][/black][/font]
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10-31-2006, 04:02 PM
An interesting discussion. In two studies, one in the 1980's and one just a couple of years ago, both showed very little use of bait fish or game fish as food in Henrys Lake. By far, the most abundant food for the fish there are scuds. I helped with the study in the 1980's and we collected hundreds of fresh guts from the cleaning buckets of Wild Rose and Staleys. We found less than 1% of the guts had minnows in them. Most of the minnows appeared in brook trout, not hybrids or cutts.
Lures shaped like minnows has a lot more movement than minnows themselves. This would tend to attract the fish as an "attractor" lure. I do not believe that they feed on them because the fish think that it is a minnow. Henrys has two types of dace, two types of shinners, chub minnows as well as all the trout minnows that could want. If all of the other food sources disappeared, then we would see fish feed on minnows. I read a study a few years ago that indicated that in deep lakes, fish are forced to feed on other fish while in shallow lakes they have many more food choices that is preferred. Good Luck, Bill [signature]
10-31-2006, 04:14 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I have read studies that stated that Yellowstone Cutts (Henry's Cutts) were not carnivorous.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]That is why when Strawberry had the chub problem they chose the Bear Lake cutts for the Berry. They are carnivorous.[/size][/black][/font] [signature]
10-31-2006, 05:16 PM
Hi
Just like any lake there are people fishing with all types of lures, rapalas etc. It's not that they don't eat minnows it's just not thier main source of food. Every fish on Henrys can be caught on these items including Cutts. They don't neccessarily like marshmellows but people catch fish with them all the time. I still conclude with my experience that they will eat anything but prefer certain things. Hope that helps. [signature] |
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