Ruining Yuba

[PBH]

duckbutter -- for whatever reason, walleye always had a better start than the pike in the past. Once the walleye established, pike populations were kept limited.

This time around, and for the first time ever at Yuba, the pike got the stronghold to begin, and have not relinquished their position as the primary species (aside from carp!).

But, this is a GOOD thing! We've never had Yuba in this shape. Pike very well may show a tendency to smooth out those boom/ bust curves. This would be ideal for a lake like Yuba with it's history of crashes.

further, walleye have always been a poor sportfish. Forget what people say about the glory days of walleye in Yuba --those days were very short-lived and bust cycles took years to recover. Walleye simply are not a good sport fish in this area. They never have been, and most likely never will be.

pike, on the other hand, have the potential to provide a good sportfish in Yuba for years to come. Even with extreme water draw-downs, their spawning habits may allow for quicker recoveries -- wouldn't that be ideal? Time will tell. This is uncharted territory!
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