Northern pike

[lifeshort]

There must be lots of fish back in those days.  The perch in Yuba are pretty much extinct because of the northern pike.  Thanks for the photos Pat.

Yes, there were a lot more fish in those days...especially in Yuba.  But the decline in perch was not solely the fault of northern pike.  Before about 2003, Yuba was a prolific multispecies water...with tons of big perch and walleye...and numerous northern pike and catfish.  But the big drought of 2004 took the lake down to a small trickle running through the lake bed.  A few northerns and walleyes...and catfish...were able to go up the Sevier River and await the lake's refilling.  Perch disappeared. 

When the lake refilled, DWR planted trout for a fishery.  And anglers were able to catch some nice trout for a couple of years.   And a private group arranged to harvest some perch from other lakes and plant them back into Yuba.  But the perch were made off limits to anglers for several years.  They repopulated and grew fast but due to continuing water fluctuations they could not get off a good spawn each year and dwindled.  On the other hand, the northern pike had a massive spawn the first couple of years after the drought.  And with no other predators like walleyes for competition, they took over the lake.  Doubtless they ate a lot of perch, but the big problem was the whole balance of the lake was out of whack and they have never made a comeback to the numbers and sizes they once were.  Also, the carp have overwhelmed the lake and even if the perch find a place to spawn, few of their eggs escape the buglemouths. 

Here are a couple of pictures from the past.  One is of me and Rick with a batch of big perch we caught in about 3 hours one morning on Yuba.  No limits back then...and there was no need for them.  Still mostly trout chasers in Utah with few folks fishing for perch.  The other picture is of me and a 36" northern and some big walleyes caught at Yuba...after the first snow and before iceup.  I miss the old Yuba.

 

Check out the wood side panels on that wagoneer