# Scofield - What's the deal!!!



## bullsnot (Aug 10, 2010)

I hit Scofield a few weeks ago and caught fish all day long. A few nice tigers and bows. But what is the deal with the chubs? I caught chubs 2 to 1 compared to trout. I killed every one I caught but this place used to be such a great trout fishery. I hate to see the chubs taking over.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Chubs suck. :evil: 

Hopefully those tigers are being released.. I hope they'll start putting a dent in the chub population.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

+1 to sawsman. Just gotta keep killing the chubs you catch, and releasing the tigers and cutts to keep working on the smaller chubs. The trout will gorge themselves on chub fry and start getting large, allowing them to eat the bigger chubs as well. The DWR is hoping the same thing that they did at the Berry will work at Scofield.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I was there this last weekend and had the same experience with chubs; I did my part to eradicate them. It looks like the slot restrictions may have been a year or two too late; I think it may take 5 years or so for the numbers to even out.


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## bullsnot (Aug 10, 2010)

sawsman said:


> Chubs suck. :evil:
> 
> Hopefully those tigers are being released.. I hope they'll start putting a dent in the chub population.


Absolutely. I release all the trout I catch in that reservoir. In fact I rarely keep a fish from any water. It looks like there is some hope on the horizon if they get big enough. Fingers crossed!!!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

So last year I was on a chub grow big fish kick. I have since repented... haha. Chubs dont grow big fish for the most part. They compete with trout for food. They make good bait though. Kill them all and tip jigs with them. I am not a fan of Scofield but hope it gets better soon.


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## Jacksonman (Jan 16, 2008)

It would be nice if the slot were raised to 25"s to give the large trout more time to gorge on the chub or make it strictly catch and release of all trout for a few years. That [email protected]*n 8 fish limit has nearly killed off Scofield. The DWR guys who put that in place should be fired and fined. It doesn't take a degree in fish management to know that allowing an 8 fish limit with no slot would kill off Scofield quicker than just about anything else. It is time to make up for that leniency by over protecting the trout, especially the large ones, but that will never happen. 

Still a great trout fishery if you know how to fish for the tigers and cutts there.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I've never seen as many, or as big of Chubs than at Strawberry this year. Anyone that thinks the slot limit is keeping them in check is nuts. 

We've caught a bunch of chubs this year now OUT OVER DEEP WATER ON KOKE GEAR...! Monster sized chubs, seriously couldnt believe the size of those ugly things. They used to be only in shallower water bothering bait fishermen but thats no longer the case. Slow down your troll speed to around 1mph and you wont believe the chubs you catch. I always thought alot of the deep running fish on the finder over deep water were kokes... not true 


-DallanC


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## silverkitten73 (Sep 20, 2007)

Hit Lost Creek yesterday. Started trolling outside of the bouy. Had a hit almost immediatley - it was a chub! Put the line back out went maybe 100 yards - had a nother hit - another chub! What is up? Are people still using these for bait or can they make it through a lake poisoning? 

I quit fishing East Chicken Creek at Strawberry as I was starting to catch more chubs than trout. I hate to hear the Scofield is having a problem with them.


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## 280Remington (Jun 2, 2008)

Jacksonman
The guy at the DWR that is 100% responsible for the 8 fish limit at Scofield is Paul Birdsey. A number of years ago the DWR did a creel survey at Scofield and was ticked at how the usage dropped. Funny thing is they did the study when gasoline hit over $4.00 per gallon that summer and usage was down everywhere. The DWR attributed it to the restrictive limit that was then in place at Scofield, so they raised it. A number of anglers complained, wrote letters, e-mails and such, but it did no good, the DWR didn't listen. E-mail Paul Birdsey at the DWR and let him know your thoughts.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

A few comments as I wind down my workday.

1. I have to admit that I am a little concerned about the effectiveness of the slot so far. In the fall and through the ice season, it seemed that the trout, especially the cutts were particularly thin. I admit I haven't been up this summer, but many pics I have seen of cutts and tigers looked like the fish were still underweight. Hopefully this is incorrect, and there were very nice tigers to be had last fall. Perhaps Bear lake cutts (who are evolved to live in deep water) don't work as well in a shallow lake like Scofield. All conjecture however on my part.

2.


bullsnot said:


> Absolutely. I release all the trout I catch in that reservoir. In fact I rarely keep a fish from any water. It looks like there is some hope on the horizon if they get big enough. Fingers crossed!!!


Don't sweat harvesting a few rainbows if you so desire. The way they overstocked it last fall with little 5-6 inch bows may even be part of the problem. The ice fishing was ridiculously fast for these puny fish, but it got old quickly, and seemed to maybe even be unhealthy. Taking a few home is what the DWR expects and is no problem.

3.


DallanC said:


> I've never seen as many, or as big of Chubs than at Strawberry this year. Anyone that thinks the slot limit is keeping them in check is nuts.


The key word for your quote is "big". Those chubs are all big, but there aren't the smaller ones anymore. Only the bruisers are showing up in gill nets or otherwise, but the offspring are getting eaten. Those fish will live for about 15 years, and will freak people out every time they show up, but their presence doesn't mean that the Strawberry slot is a failure. Contrast that to Scofield, where you get big ones, small ones and everything in between. That's when you have a problem. It does also mean you need to keep the slot in place.

We have some of the biggest chubs in the state right now at Jordanelle, (in fact, I caught one recently on a 4 inch senko) but between the smallies, perch, and browns devouring the fry, there is NO WAY that they are posing a problem. In fact, recent netting studies show they are all old and may soon become extinct there.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Catherder said:


> The key word for your quote is "big". Those chubs are all big, but there aren't the smaller ones anymore. Only the bruisers are showing up in gill nets or otherwise, but the offspring are getting eaten.


Oh heavens no, go drift your boat along any of the shallow areas... you will see staggeringly large schools of young chubs swimming around. Toss in a worm on a hook for an instant hookup if you want to verify species. It used to be there were only young fish in the shallows... now we still have young chubs in the shallows AND large chubs out in deep water.

Very sad 

-DallanC


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## woolybugger (Sep 11, 2007)

I have to agree with Catherder. I fish the Berry religiously & even more so this year. It has been excellent recently by the way  The only chub I have ever caught was by snagging a large one when a school ot the **** things swam through under me. I had to even stop throwing the bait net in the shallows because all I was getting was trout minnows (all released). Wish I could find some chub minnows in there. The Cutt's suck them up as fast as the can find them & the freezer stock is getting thin.


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