# Planting tiny rainbows in Kolob. WHY?



## ridgetops (Sep 16, 2007)

I just saw that there was 5,300 3.6" rainbows planted in Kolob this summer. Why would they do this? When I have seen many reports about the larger trout having been aggressively feeding on the minnows and shinners. Seems like to me that these small trout will be easy targets from the thousands of trophy sized trout in this lake. Also, the lake is as low as it has ever been. So there is less cover for these small fish and the larger ones are alot more concetrated.


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

Why not? If they don't plant any fingerling trout, what will replace all those 'trophy' fish when they die off? Some will get eaten, but they account for that when they plant. I'd rather see a bunch of fingerlings planted and some get eaten than a bunch of catchable size finless trout that are as dumb as a box of hammers and just as ugly. Fingerlings grow to be about as good as wild trout.


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## chuckmiester (Sep 9, 2007)

kolob has trophy trout in it? if trophy is 18 inches than okay. i dont know why kolob just wont come around anymore and maybe the dwr planting rainbows in there will help it out.

i agree with scotty on this one though.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

chuckmiester said:


> kolob has trophy trout in it? if trophy is 18 inches than okay.


Our expectations continue to rise. I remember when an 18" fish really was a trophy. Now people complain about an 18" trout not being big enough...

5,000 3" fish is nothing to be concerned about. You have to replenish your supply at some point...


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## brandonlarson (Oct 18, 2007)

just a few weeks ago my cousin caught a 23 3/4" rainbow out of kolob, 14 3/4" girth, i saw it myself and have pictures. there's some really nice fish in kolob, much bigger than 18"


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## chuckmiester (Sep 9, 2007)

wow :shock: just hearing about that renewed my faith for kolob. anytime i would visit our ranch (sort of) in virgin we would hit kolob, but i never saw/heard of anything big coming out of their. most the locals would just say the fishing went down hill since they drained it a while ago and never came back i guess kolob is on the climb and the big fish are coming back though.


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## Greenguy88 (Sep 7, 2007)

brandonlarson said:


> just a few weeks ago my cousin caught a 23 3/4" rainbow out of kolob, 14 3/4" girth, i saw it myself and have pictures. there's some really nice fish in kolob, much bigger than 18"


I would like to see that. Not because Im skeptical at all, I dont even know anything about kolob, I just like seeing pictures of big fish! Good job. And I agree with Scottyp as well, some will survive and grow bigger, and some will be food.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

"Some will be food"

...Yes, but for whom? :twisted:


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## BrookTroutKid (Oct 10, 2007)

LOAH said:


> "Some will be food"
> 
> ...Yes, but for whom? :twisted:


Right now I am guessing the bigger fish, pretty hard to eat a 3 inch fish.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

I never said "when".


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

Sorry LOAH. No minnow soaking allowed @ Kolob. :wink:

On a serious note, you should check it out if your ever down that way. The scenery is very pretty. You would dig it![attachment=0:xzkvrbn2]soutah3.jpg[/attachment:xzkvrbn2]


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

Looks like a nice area from the photo!


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

ScottyP said:


> Sorry LOAH. No minnow soaking allowed @ Kolob. :wink:
> 
> On a serious note, you should check it out if your ever down that way. The scenery is very pretty. You would dig it!


That's okay, I could use more practice with still water lures anyway.

And you're right. I'm sure I'll love the surrounding area as well. I've seen some pics and got all giddy inside. I'm thinking a nice camping/Zion trip next year would be perfect for such a venue.


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## brandonlarson (Oct 18, 2007)

this is the hog my cousin caught a few weeks ago out of kolob, i've seen some big fish but this one was in a class of its own. it was 6 1/2 pounds, 23 3/4" long and 14 3/4" girth. what was amazing about this fish was that even at 23 3/4" he was amazingly fat. i've caught some 16"-22" fish that were football shaped but this fish was the same way just bigger in all directions!! i know he was fly fishing and he said that it took about 20 minutes to get it in.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Now that's a porker. :shock:


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

Well that settles the 'trophy' question. I would consider that a trophy fish.


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## skeet4l (Sep 11, 2007)

BrookTroutKid said:


> LOAH said:
> 
> 
> > "Some will be food"
> ...


I read an article some time ago that stated that a football shaped fish (Trout, crappie, etc.) will eat up to 1/3 its length and a long slender fish (musky, walleye, etc.) will eat up to 1/2. I'll see if I can dig it up.


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## J-bass (Oct 22, 2007)

Wow, that 24"er, (I like to round up!) is one nice looking hog!!! Congrats to whomever it was that caught it.


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## Greenguy88 (Sep 7, 2007)

Wow thats a beautie of a fish! Ill bet that was an awesome fight on a fly rod. Congrats to the cousin!


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## chuckmiester (Sep 9, 2007)

dang that is the fattest fish i have ever seen. after seeing that fish i guess there truly are trophies in there. props to your cousin


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

Nice fish indeed.


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## Christopher30 (Nov 9, 2007)

I can provide testimony to fish over 22 inches in Kolob. My family owns 2000 acres and about a 2 mile stretch of Kolob Creek, and the Smaller Hornet creek that feeds it,north of the lake. Every spring, the cutthroats and some nice rainbows go on display and show up in the shallow rocky sections of stream.Most of these fish are cutthroats, but you would be surprised at the size. 2 years ago, I caught a 24 inch cutthroat in the creek and my brother caught a 25 inch rainbow 2 days later. I don't know what it weighed, but if it was pre spawn i'm sure it would have gone 6 or 7 pounds (it was all spawned out and skinny). Those fish can't hold in that stream for much longer than the spawn, because it gets down to just a trickle in the fall. Thus my conclusion is, that there is fish that get out of that 16-19 inch rut that most of them seem to be in and some of them far exceed the 22 inch mark. Your best bet would be through the ice i'm sure to land one of these fish. I have some short video clips and pictures of these cutts spawning on my dads computer, i'll see if i can track it down for everyone to see.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

I had heard rumor's for years....

And now, it all true.... :shock:


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## brandonlarson (Oct 18, 2007)

i'm sure all of us would love to see that video, please try to find it!! you're one lucky man to own private property on that stream, especially hearing how big some of those spawners get!! that's bigger than anything i've ever seen anybody catch around here.
i've caught some really nice fish downstream from the lake in that black canyon that were really big as well. in fact, once i caught a 22" rainbow that was probably about four pounds and the same day the guy that i was with caught a 21" cutt that looked like a tube sock, probably about 2 pounds but still a beautiful fish. 
i've got some video as well of a nice fish that i hooked out of kolob but is it possible to post it on this site or should i do it somewhere else and post a link?


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## FROGGER (Oct 1, 2007)

that is one fat ******* :shock:

Edit

If you type Ba$tard in this forum it changes to the above when you post LOL :lol: :lol:


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I wonder how many 4" rainbows are in that fat sucker? BTW, very nice fish. Definately not the norm in that lake. Also, I am glad they changed it back to an 18" keep limit.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

*******

:lol:

YES!!!


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

That's definitely a nice bow!


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Christopher30 said:


> 2 years ago, I caught a 24 inch cutthroat in the creek and my brother caught a 25 inch rainbow 2 days later. I don't know what it weighed, but if it was pre spawn i'm sure it would have gone 6 or 7 pounds (it was all spawned out and skinny).


Christopher -- please check the proclamation. Hopefully you aren't really fishing it when the cutthroat are spawning. If so, you are breaking the law.

From the 2007 (and things haven't changed in the last couple years):

_

KOLOB RESERVOIR TRIBUTARIES (Washington County) (Upstream from Kolob Reservoir)
CLOSED January 1 through 6 a.m. on the second Saturday of July (14• th).

_


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

THEY KILLED KENNY!

(Live bait for sale)


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## Christopher30 (Nov 9, 2007)

PBH- remind where in that post that i said i was fishing during the spawn. Wait.... oh that's right i didn't. If i do, or did break the law the last place i'd sing it to the world is on a wildlife discussion foru. Anyway, it was in july,in case you were asking a question.


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## Christopher30 (Nov 9, 2007)

Well nm then, my statement is retracted, it would be a fun a place to have a bbq, we have a small cabin there with water and all that good stuff, so when it warms up again consider it done.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Christopher30 said:


> PBH- remind where in that post that i said i was fishing during the spawn. Wait.... oh that's right i didn't. If i do, or did break the law the last place i'd sing it to the world is on a wildlife discussion forum. Anyway, it was in july,in case you were asking a question. Thanks for reminding me about something i've known since the first time i put a pole in the creek.


Christopher30....when I first read your post I also thought you were fishing during the spawn.. :shock: 
I don't think PBH meant any harm....it looks like you know the rules as well as anybody... 8)

Kind of neat property you have access to....can we have our next Forum BBQ there?


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## Christopher30 (Nov 9, 2007)

To better help your understanding of the area i'm talking about, it's known as sevy ranch on the zion park maps and stuff, but this is just a rough outline of the property's outer fenceline.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

WOW !! Plenty of room for the BBQ.....  

Sevy's out of Cedar City? Know 'weed' ? Or Steve ? ....Good people.....   

Is that land all 'posted' ?


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## Christopher30 (Nov 9, 2007)

Weed Sevy was my uncle (mother's brother) steve is my grandpa's cousin.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Christopher30 said:


> Weed Sevy was my uncle (mother's brother) steve is my grandpa's cousin.


pm sent....


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## FROGGER (Oct 1, 2007)

LOAH said:


> THEY KILLED KENNY!
> 
> (Live bait for sale)


LOL

*******


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Christopher30 said:


> PBH- remind where in that post that i said i was fishing during the spawn.


chill out dude. I didn't accuse you of anything. I simply wanted you to know the regulations in case you didn't already. We both know that poaching happens on Kolob Creek during the spawn.

You did, however, mention "it was all spawned out and skinny". If that's the case, you were fishing the stream very close to the spawn.

A few pics of Kolob creek and fish:


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