Stunted

[Rooster]

Finally make it up to Porky to get a few for the smoker. Managed a few and lost a few. The bites were pretty soft. The water is finally clearing up. I think that pipeline project really dumped alot of sediment into the system. Just like mentioned in a previous post, the kokes are really stunted. Still eat good but its like fishing for perch.

Do you think that the division would consider stocking the reservoir with Flaming Gorge or Strawberry stock in there? Kokes are really the only thing targeted for the most part in there, and I think it could produce lots of big fish. If so, how could we try to influence them to give it a try. I don't know for sure but I don't think they have stocked kokes in there for years and years, so why wouldn't they at least give it a try?

 

[Kokehead]

All Kokanee stocked in Utah comes from the strawberry hatchery.
But the kokes in the pig the last 10 years have been mostly natural spawn. Last year was the first time in the last five that they actually stocked any koke. What they need is a regulation like yuba for the perch and a mandatory catch and keep your limit of kokes and raise the limit back up to 24 IMHO. Another thing that would help is plant some staril lakers to help thin them out.
The other problem up there is the lack of knowledge of koke tactics of the majority of the anglers. The pig gets fished alot but you don't see to many people up there actually catching them.
So those of you up there, do your part and share your knowledge of koke fishing to increase the success. And don't worry about the pig being over fished, is has the largest population of Kokanee per acre than any other Utah fishery.

 

[Rooster]

I hope they were of the bigger genetics My dad did catch about a 15 incher this winter ice fishing which is nice by porky standards, so maybe it was one of the stocked ones. I did write the division and suggested sterile lakers, but they replied and said that their concern was that there may not be enough oxygen in the deeper water in late summer to keep them alive. It's definately deep enough. Hopefully they at least give it a try. If that doesn't work hopefully they at least put splake back in there. They grow fast, are sterile, and suspend well, giving us another kind of fish to catch while targeting kokes. What would be cool is if they stocked boneville cutts in there. They'd get huge and help thin out the little kokes. they thrive in bear lake, so I'd think they'd do good there in the deep water too.
Hopefully they keep putting some good genes in there. Thanks for the input!

 

[Wells]

I was up there yesterday and caught a few of the smaller "perch" sized ones and then got one that was about 12 inches long. The bite is really light and my hook up to bite ratio was about 1:3.

 

[Rooster]

Probably saw you up there. We got one that was 14 but the rest tiny and one decent brown. The bite was definately soft!