# Jordanelle.....Disgusting!



## C&R (Apr 28, 2008)

First of all, big thanks to Kastmaster for the tips on what to use, all of us that went up today had a great time and did very well for SMB, rainbows and I even caught one nice 11 inch perch on the dropshot rig.     Also, I wanted to thank the members of this forum who do all they can to promote conservation and taking care of the wonderful resources we have here in the state of Utah. It is a wonderful place to fish and I am very grateful for everyone efforts to keep it that way.  
Maybe it was just chance, but I was disgusted by what I saw on the Nelle today. 
Situation One: Some ignorant boater strikes up a conversation with an informed fisherman.

Ignorant person: “So just how many of these bass are we allowed to keep?” (after they had just reeled in another fish)

Fisherman: “NONE!”

I. P.: “What do you mean?”

Fisherman: “There is a slot limit. You must let all bass over 12 inches go, but you can keep six if they are all less than 12 inches.”

I.P.: “But we can all keep one over fifteen, right?”

Fisherman: “No! All bass over 12 inches must be put back.”

I.P.: “Oh…….”

I don’t know what lengths of bass this guy had kept in his boat, but when he finally understood he ceased to say anything else to anyone. Honestly, people out there need to take the time to learn about the regulations on the waters they are fishing. Maybe reading the proclamation should be a perquisite to getting your license. :wink: If people don’t educate themselves then all of us will be deprived of the best fishing possible in the future.

This next display incompetence and down right idiocy really made my blood boil. :evil: :evil: :evil: There was a pair of float tubers out there whose path around the lake could be easily followed. This was not due only to their continual boisterous use of profanity, but mainly because of the trail of dead rainbows they left behind. What idiots, and if they are reading this I hope they get the message. If you are using power bait, which they were or any type of bait for that matter, your fist priority needs to be the safety of the fish you are attempting to catch. If all you can do is hook the fish deep, which means in the gills or lower down into the intestines, then you need to be prepared to keep the first four you catch and then get off the water. 
The reality is that if you hook a fish deep and then rip out the hook, which inevitably causes the fish to bleed, you will kill the fish. This same practice is a regular ritual of a lot of people that go to the Uintas. As a result dead fish can be seen lining the lakes. This is a horrible practice that needs to be stopped. If you release fish that are bleeding they will likely die. So take some responsibility people and quit killing off the resources that all of us share. If you want information on how to safely release fish while using bait, either myself or other forum members, I am sure, would be willing to help you out. Thanks again Kastmaster for the great info.


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## cane2477 (Oct 24, 2007)

Isn't it funny how ignorant people can be. I once saw a guy cutting the heads off small cutts at the berry and placing them in his cooler in ziplock bags. DWR got a call, and our friend had some explaining to do...But I bet that ticket didn't change him, I'm sure the same guy is probably breaking the law at some other body of water. 

I talked to one guy at east canyon. I asked him how the fishing was and he said "Great!" and showed me his stringer, preceding the action by asking "You ain't the law are you?" Nope I replied. Then he showed me his stringer that had 13 trout on it. 13! I said, you catch all them? "Yep" I said , you know you can only keep 4, right?? "Yea, I know, but i didn't spend $50 in gas to take home 4 fish. I'm gonna eat for 2 weeks on these!" I wasn't the law, but I did have them programmed into my cell phone. I begin fishing a few hundred yards away and watched the guy get a visit from the law shortly after. 

Point is, you don't have to confront these idiots, that what the law is for. Just have the balls to call them. For every guy that gets caught, I'm sure there is 10 others getting away.

Glad you caught some fish! I'm itch'n for some Bass'n myself!


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## kastmaster (Nov 20, 2007)

Good to hear the smallies are still on the same pattern. You'll never when they would change their preference. Also good to hear that your group caught fish. 

When I first saw the title of your post, I thought that Jordanelle has slipped in to the twilight zone and the smallies suddenly turned into snobs. As cane2477 said, being confrontational can only worsen the situation. Calling the poaching hotline (it's on your fishing license) is the best way to handle the situation. Getting the hull # of the offending craft if they are on a vessel and letting the rangers know when you go back in about the offense and the persons involved is also an alternative. I believe you handled the first situation correctly. We could only inform another angler of the regs and not try to be the LEO at that point.

Congrats on the fun outing!!


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## XJ_Jeeper (Jun 1, 2008)

Thats great that you caught fish up there makes me want to get the boat out.

Its amazing how trashy some people can be, it makes me mad.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

It's an education issue, isn't it? I think it's the biggest single obstacle that the DWR has to contend with, whether the issue is fishing or waterfowl or upland game or big game or riding OHVs. And while the poaching hotline is a good effort to nail offenders, fact is, it doesn't do much because there are so few LEOs available and after all, writing tickets is after the fact and the damage has been done. Mandatory classes like hunter ed have limited effect. A huge portion, maybe even the majority of the public don't read or can't read the guidebooks. And with limited funds, the media (the #1 way to inform the public) isn't really feasible.

Case in point - quagga mussels. Watch any marina for a minute. How many boats are taking the time to adequately drain their bilge or wipe down? So the DWR is reduced to asking volunteers to man the docks to inform boaters about what's going on. But obviously, there aren't enough volunteers stepping up to the plate, for whatever reason.

One tough problem.


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## Genetic Response (Jun 27, 2008)

Thaks for the post. I have to agree with C&R. Nothing makes me more mad than when a few jerks ruin it for the rest of us responsible sportsmen. I am a C&R guy myself, But over the years I have kept a few that I knew wern't going to make it. (maybe 2-3 *a year*) If the only way you can catch fish is on powerbait and nightcrawlers please man-up and keep your limit and leave when you are done. If a man wants to keep a legal limit then by all means keep it. But please put it to good use. I would bet that 75% of fish that are kept sit in the freezer only to be thrown out years later. While I am fired up lets talk about litter! I am disgusted by what is going on in our beautiful state. Things need to change. I had the opportunity to take a handful of folks that have never fished to Smith and Morehouse over the weekend. It has to be one of the most beautiful lakes around. unfortunately it is quickly becoming a dumpster for cabrones that shouldn't be allowed to have a liscence. Before we left I made sure that everyone picked up all the garbage on our beach. Hopefully they enjoyed themselves and learned a thing or two about being responsable stewards of the land.


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## izzydog (Jan 18, 2008)

How does one use bait and bait hooks and practice catch and release? I am a fly fisherman at heart but spend plenty of time with a spinning rod because I like to catch fish plain and simple, but when I use bait I just know that it is to catch some fish to eat. It is too bad that people just don't care. I am not sure that education is the issue. If I go fishing I know the regulations for the water. I guess if you plead ignorance every time you just don't have to care or put any extra effort into it. That'll piss ya off.


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## russt (Apr 17, 2008)

I keep a copy of the proclamation in my tackle box. They have small copies out now. In addition to that most busy lakes have their regs posted for slot limits etc. Ignorance is no excuse. 
About c&r - I use my spinning rod often in the cliffs with lures and bait. I have found the big trick for catch and release is hook choice first then go barb-less. I will use a single hook on my lures in place of a treble hook and crimp/file the barbs. Also, I use a clear water bubble for casting weight and skip the lead weights. Less lead in our water shed can't e a bad thing. Plus the weights slides so you feel the very light bites. Hopefully setting the hook before you get it deep in the mouth. Sure you might miss a few hook-ups . . . but I will take my chances at missing the big one rather than killing the little ones just to get a hook out. my 2cents worth

I really like perch fishing there, no one seems to complain about me filling the cooler with them for a fish fry.


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## irielifeinvi (Jul 14, 2008)

one of the great thing about the division at jordanelle is they keep two undercover boats on the lake. most of the time they are ticketing rec'ers for dui but they are very conscious of fishing situations. i had one *** tell me that other anglers are their best source for regulation on the lake. with a division official living right on the lake, a call to to the station will make something happen. they just have to radio to the lake and the offender it checked out. thanks to all of you on here that respect our fisheries and spend some time (most times wasted) trying to infor the uninformed. when that fails, call someone in uniform


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## BigIceHole (Feb 5, 2008)

What is the number to call? I read about it on a post a while ago but forgot. Thanks!


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