07-17-2016, 06:27 PM
[#0000FF]I kinda wondered if DWR's new species introductions into Jordanelle might play some part in the decision to keep more water this year. The new kokanee will especially need deeper and colder water. The tigers can probably get by with less water...as long as there are plenty of trout and kokanee for them to eat. There sure ain't enough perch to sustain a large population of tigers. Most of the chubs are gone...and there is only a marginal smallmouth population. There will be fewer when the tigers get bigger.
Actually, I am pleasantly surprised by the aggressive new program of introducing new species into some of our lakes...like wipers, kokes and tiger muskies. Not like the days of old when they just dumped anything and everything into a lake and watched to see what made it. Good old Utah Lake has had just about every species you can imagine tried in its roiled waters...including chinook salmon at one point. And northern pike were actually planted there many years ago...before the June suckers became darlings and pike became the enemy. At least these days DWR is focusing more on planting sterile species that pose less risk for getting out of hand and damaging an existing water. If they don't work out, just let them die out.
I have lived and fished all up and down the Pacific coast...Northern California, Oregon and Washington. I have seen firsthand what excessive dam building can do to fish runs...and to stream ecology...with warming and chemical changes, etc. Pictures and historical writings about the before and after conditions when new dams were built tell us that it ain't always so good to try to control Mama Nature. She knows best what is best for her fishies...even if it ain't best for human interests.
As a dry state, Utah is well dammed (damned). It has to be in order to sustain the irrigation-based agriculture in the state. Without dams and reservoirs our farmers would suffer more years than they prospered.
From a purely fish-selfish perspective we throw rocks at the water-users who continue to take all the water that is allotted to them...in spite of the adverse affects on fishkind. But you can't fault them. Their livelihood and survival depends upon water. We just use it to run our water toys and maybe extract a few silly fish from it. And in Utah the two sides often clash over who has the greater claim on water resources. Not all wrong or all right.
I get on a soapbox sometimes. But I don't claim to have all the answers. Heck, I can't even remember the questions sometimes.
I guess the big thing with me these days is that I am approaching my "expiration date". And instead of being able to look forward to better fishing all I can do is look backward at how much better some of my favorite fishing spots used to be. Yuba Reservoir, Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Pineview...and now Utah Lake...down the toilet compared to former times.
Still got lots of pictures and memories...but sometimes that ain't quite enough.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
Actually, I am pleasantly surprised by the aggressive new program of introducing new species into some of our lakes...like wipers, kokes and tiger muskies. Not like the days of old when they just dumped anything and everything into a lake and watched to see what made it. Good old Utah Lake has had just about every species you can imagine tried in its roiled waters...including chinook salmon at one point. And northern pike were actually planted there many years ago...before the June suckers became darlings and pike became the enemy. At least these days DWR is focusing more on planting sterile species that pose less risk for getting out of hand and damaging an existing water. If they don't work out, just let them die out.
I have lived and fished all up and down the Pacific coast...Northern California, Oregon and Washington. I have seen firsthand what excessive dam building can do to fish runs...and to stream ecology...with warming and chemical changes, etc. Pictures and historical writings about the before and after conditions when new dams were built tell us that it ain't always so good to try to control Mama Nature. She knows best what is best for her fishies...even if it ain't best for human interests.
As a dry state, Utah is well dammed (damned). It has to be in order to sustain the irrigation-based agriculture in the state. Without dams and reservoirs our farmers would suffer more years than they prospered.
From a purely fish-selfish perspective we throw rocks at the water-users who continue to take all the water that is allotted to them...in spite of the adverse affects on fishkind. But you can't fault them. Their livelihood and survival depends upon water. We just use it to run our water toys and maybe extract a few silly fish from it. And in Utah the two sides often clash over who has the greater claim on water resources. Not all wrong or all right.
I get on a soapbox sometimes. But I don't claim to have all the answers. Heck, I can't even remember the questions sometimes.
I guess the big thing with me these days is that I am approaching my "expiration date". And instead of being able to look forward to better fishing all I can do is look backward at how much better some of my favorite fishing spots used to be. Yuba Reservoir, Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Pineview...and now Utah Lake...down the toilet compared to former times.
Still got lots of pictures and memories...but sometimes that ain't quite enough.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]