Funny Story About Yuba

I had to share this funny story with my readers. If you read my last post, I talk about the volunteering I did with the DNR, gill netting down at Yuba Reservoir. I also talk about how well I got along with the warm water fisheries coordinator Drew Cushing, and how he really liked some of my ideas about how to fish Yuba Reservoir. I didn't think much about the conversations I had with Drew that day or with any of the other biologists, but I do remember thinking to myself that I felt like I knew more about the pike fishing at Yuba then they did as the managing biologists of the reservoir! With this said, you have to read this article from The Daily Herald that was sent to me from the Rocky Mountain Anglers Group that I'm a member of. Based off my last post you should get a kick out of it. It is almost word for word what I told Drew in our conversations during that day. So when you think your getting great fishing advice from our very "knowledgeable," state fisheries biologists, you now know that most of their information is nothing but word of mouth from local fisherman like me!

/ Utah News, Sports, Events - Daily Herald Newspaper / Utah Valley Sports News Daily Herald / Recreation / Water-activities / Fishing
ALLPHIN: The new Yuba offers great fishing
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Don Allphin - Herald Correspondent Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:45 am No Comments Posted
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Yuba Reservoir, a popular impoundment located between Nephi and Scipio just off I-15, has been a hit-and-miss fishery for many years.
"It's just a big bathtub," said Drew Cushing of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The lack of structure has always been Yuba's problem. But now, we are developing healthy populations of three top-of-the-food-chain predator species that are doing very well."
Northern pike, walleye and yellow perch are all doing very well in Yuba, as a recent gill-netting survey is thought to prove.
"We're still analyzing the data," continued Cushing, "but early indications are that all the species in the reservoir are fat and very healthy. The northern pike are getting ready to spawn soon and the females are full of eggs and males are ripe as well. We are still not seeing quite as many walleyes as we hoped to see, but those we are catching are very healthy fish."
Although the recent gill netting survey didn't specifically target yellow perch, Cushing believes that the perch population is improving too.
"The perch spawn last year was great," he said. "In fact, all three species are prolific breeders and produce a lot of offspring. For that reason, we're taking a different approach to managing this fishery. In years past we've tried to protect the larger fish, thinking that was the best thing to do. But at this point, we're going to target the 'top end' (larger) fish which should provide for better survival rates for all three species."
Cushing is referring to the new regulations in place on Yuba that allow limits as follows: Walleyes - 10 fish with one over 24 inches; Northern pike - 10 fish of any size, and Perch - 50 fish.
It is hoped that anglers will remove some of the larger fish so that significant numbers of smaller fish will live long enough to grow up.
With water temperatures still in the low-to-mid 40s, anglers who target northern pike should slow down and fish swimbaits on or near the bottom.
"There is no question that the big northern are eating carp and so anything in a gold color will work," said Cushing. "Rattle traps, and swimbaits are my personal lures of choice."
Walleyes will take jigs, smaller swimbaits, lipped and lipless crankbaits and are right now beginning to spawn. Once again the key to catching walleyes is to slow down, watch your fish finder and put your presentation right in front of their mouths.
Perch are suckers for small tubes and small jigs. Many anglers opt to use a drop shot rig or a small jig tipped with a night crawler.
"Starting in the third week of April, fishing on Yuba should be super and will only get better and better," Cushing concluded. "The reservoir should fill up this year and that will translate into some great fishing opportunities as the flooded salt cedars will provide some much needed structure for all three sport fish species."
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to catch fish up to 40 inches in length just an hour south of Provo. Good luck, and please send me photos of your fishing success.