Wickiup New issues

[mrmike]

I just read article on another site that going to up set a lot of us kokanee fisherman that love to fish Wickiup Reserver it seems the powers to be are requesting a emergency 5 fish limit for reason I can't understand. I for one will be calling the local biolagist. I travel a mimamel distance to fish the lake. The way are regulation read were permitted only a two day limit in persetion.

 

[Dr. Matt]

I just read article on another site that going to up set a lot of us kokanee fisherman that love to fish Wickiup Reserver it seems the powers to be are requesting a emergency 5 fish limit for reason I can't understand. I for one will be calling the local biolagist. I travel a mimamel distance to fish the lake. The way are regulation read were aloud only a two day limit in per session.

Mr. Mike the rumors are true. ODFW will be imposing a 5 five limit on Wickiup, I share your dismay/frustration and do not understand the rational any either. I've been fishing Wickiup for 10 plus years and this is a real kick to the...

see: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2017/04_apr/040717b.asp

 

[toolman]

The way I understand it is its all about the frog...

they will be letting more water out of the lake and are concerned that there will be an "over harvest" of spawning kokanee and the trout that feed on their eggs in the lower water conditions come August...
I guess I can understand the shortening of the season by a month...but there is no shortage of Kokanee in wickiup...the fishery is all but over at that time anyway...

I see a boom in fish population...and in a couple years the fish will be the size of green peter kokanee...

ridiculous...

 

[Dr. Matt]

I hear you toolman... I've asked the biologist in Bend to provide me with the exact situation with the frog and how that directly correlates to the kokanee and trout populations at Wickiup. This all feels very arbitrary and like a knee jerk reaction. I'd like to see some evidence of a study (multi year) about the effect of the draw down on wickiup kokanee that would support limits on the numbers of kokanee an angler can take.

 

[spoons]

From the odfw link...
"The storage and release of water from the Reservoir has been altered to help protect listed spotted frogs..."
Maybe I'm weird..... However, as soon as I saw the term "listed spotted frogs", I couldn't help but flashback to "listed spotted owls" causing some "ruffled feathers" a couple decades ago.

 

[mrmike]

Wickiup

For those interested I just got off the phone with Twin Lakes Resort and informed the roads are all plowed to the lake and open. Boat ramps are clear. If we can only get a break in the weather

 

[Dr. Matt]

Spoons -

I wrote to the ODFW biologist and as a scientist I asked a number of hard questions about how this decision was made what studies were conducted etc. What I got back was not much of a response as best I can tell this decision was made based on a 20 year old study conducted on another body of water in conjunction with a reference to a count of kokanee leaving the reservoir back in 2009 when there was a significant draw down. The only way to really understand the effect of the draw down is a multiyear study that should be conducted for at least one full kokanee lifecyle (at least 3 years). Ideally speaking that study should have started on 2015. Bottom line (in my opinion) this spotted frog thing is still very obscure as there was no details provided nor any that I can find other than a comment along the lines of, "water is being released during the winter months to provide better overwinter habitat for the spotted frog and Deschutes River fish populations."

At the risk of sounding bitter this decision was made in the absence of an concrete evidence to support the need to reduce the number of fish taken by anglers.

 

[mrmike]

Dr.Matt

Thank you for your report. I heard a lot of Rederick involving this issue from this local Fishing biolagist. All I know every time ODFW gets involved with a lake with kokanee it's destroyed Cresent/LBC/GREEN Peter/know stopping land lock at Detroit lake. This biologist are suppose to protect are resources for the sportsman of the state. Thanks again.

 

[toolman]

I JUST RECIEVED EMAIL ODFW UPDATE!!

RESTRICTIONS LIFTED...

updated 4/17/2017
PER ODFW WEBSITE:

Wickiup reservoir

"regulations for Wickiup reservoir remain those printed in the 2017 Oregon sport fishing regulations."

 

[mrmike]

Wickiup

Sounds fantastic/but is it factual. Let's hope

 

[toolman]

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/reg_changes/central.asp