Healy Harvest?

[wyoutdoors]

Was wondering what the Healy harvest has been this season with all the pressure it's been receiving. Certainly there has been a good-sized dent put into it and next season should see an improvement in sizes? Would like to hear what G&F thinks the harvest numbers are.

[jiga_guppy]

With as many small perch that are in there it is gonna take a lot more harvest than just one season.

[Matt R.]

Or 10 pike,



Just sayi'n...

[ClearCreek]

Was wondering what the Healy harvest has been this season with all the pressure it's been receiving. Certainly there has been a good-sized dent put into it and next season should see an improvement in sizes? Would like to hear what G&F thinks the harvest numbers are.

I would be surprised if the harvest this winter has "put a good sized dent" in the population.

jiga has a point - gonna need a lot more harvest to make a dent, OR a good population of perch predators (read walleye) to see a shift in the perch population structure.

[jiga_guppy]

Fishermen should also release any walleye caught from healy. As there are not that many in there. I am not sure if any one is aware of the size of bass in there. I have seen some over 5lbs that my dad has caught. They should help as well. As far as the small perch go we are all going to have to do our part to fix that problem. I don't know if we will ever have perch as big as they used to be in there.They reproduce so much that it is gonna take a lot of fishermen to get rid of all the small ones.

[sgpitman]

Well guys, I've only been there a couple times this year and I didn't catch anything close to what I caught last year on either trip. Today I fished hard. I used everything in my box and only caught 8 fish. The other people with didn't catch hardly anything. There were a lot of people on the ice and not much action anywhere. Last year the perch I was catching were smaller. I still caught small ones this year but nothing like last year. I havnt caught a single perch that was a tip up sized minnow. Anyone else having the same results?

[jiga_guppy]

I think it has been a slow year every where.I did real well this summer in the boat at healy but when ice went on it slowed down.Sounds like every one is having the same luck at healy this year.

[gemcityslayer]

Or 10 pike,



Just sayi'n...

10 pike in the first year, then who knows how many the next.  Before you know it all you have is a bunch of stunted 2-3lb pike.  I think they would be much better off trading Utah for some tiger muskie fry.  Utah is now successfully producing their own.  Much better option, because they are sterile and you can control their numbers.  Would be awesome.

[gemcityslayer]

They reproduce so much that it is gonna take a lot of fishermen to get rid of all the small ones.

Or a drought

[gillyman]

someone with a camera reported thousands of perch in Healy just yesterday.   Dent or not there are still plenty of mouths competing for food.

[jiga_guppy]

No muskey!!! What would be wrong with some more walleye and some time?

[jiga_guppy]

I think it is a pretty good fishery for an accident.

[muskyon46]

10 pike in the first year, then who knows how many the next.  Before you know it all you have is a bunch of stunted 2-3lb pike.  I think they would be much better off trading Utah for some tiger muskie fry.  Utah is now successfully producing their own.  Much better option, because they are sterile and you can control their numbers.  Would be awesome.

them tigers can be very addictive

[jiga_guppy]

It is not a real big place. I think it is to small for muskey.

[gemcityslayer]

There is a lake in Utah called Newton Reservoir.  I don't think it is much bigger or smaller than Healy.  You are right, they would do better in a bigger body of water - but I'm sure they could get pretty decent sized in Healy w/ all that food.

I'm sure muskyon46 could chime in but tigers are awesome.  They are fun to catch and they really help the perch and panfish size.

[muskyon46]

Dont know how big healy is but they do pretty good in pineview and its size is 2800 acres. I havent noticed any of the other species having a prob. Perch and crappie #'s are up, now if i could just get them to take my offerings  newton is smaller then pineview but im unsure on acres there. Tigers have kept the perch in check for sure at both places but still allow us to hook and cook. My prized possesion is the musky in my avatar 46 3/8in 23in girth and 29 1/2 lbs would have been the state record for 2wks when i got him in 2000

[gillyman]

Before the perch got going in Healy you could get on the ice on a weekend and be the only person there, all day.  People complain about the perch, but there are sure a lot of people who go drive to catch them. 
I think tiger muskie did alright in LAK.  They are sterile so spawning habitat requirements in Healy are not an issue.
They would eat perch, and bass, and trout.
I think the biggest problem is getting some to stock. Not many state fish culture programs produce them.
Stocking fingerling fish in Healy might be dangerous for the fingerlings.  If you were two inches long would you want to swim in that lake?

[gemcityslayer]

Before the perch got going in Healy you could get on the ice on a weekend and be the only person there, all day.  People complain about the perch, but there are sure a lot of people who go drive to catch them. 
I think tiger muskie did alright in LAK.  They are sterile so spawning habitat requirements in Healy are not an issue.
They would eat perch, and bass, and trout.
I think the biggest problem is getting some to stock. Not many state fish culture programs produce them.
Stocking fingerling fish in Healy might be dangerous for the fingerlings.  If you were two inches long would you want to swim in that lake?

Yeah but perch can bust very quickly due to drought and other biological factors.  I'm glad people are taking advantage of the resource while it is there.  Plus if it gets over harvested less people will continue to show up and angler pressure will decrease again.  You are also right in that they would eat everything and anything that swims in there.  Including baby tiger muskies if they are stocked years later. 

Getting the stock is less of a problem than you might think.  Like I said, I read in the paper about a year ago that Utah was successfully crossing pike and muskies and they now have their own disease free supply of tiger muskie fry.   I don't know what Wyoming can offer to Utah for tiger fry other than money... but maybe we could trade w/ them.  As for the size, I believe they could allow the tigers to get 4-5" before they stock them.

[bbuhr]

Healy has been fishing great but only early and late in the day.  About 8-10 foot of water, there are less fish but the size is making them worth filleting, 9 inches tops but a good # of 7-8 inchers.

[muskyon46]

Utahs tiger musky program has been very successfull and they are now stocking from our own hatchery. Disease free. I would expect that in the next 3 or so years they will be able to lift the catch and release only on these fish. I just hope they up the slot. It used to be one fish over 40in but I would like it to go to 44-45in. Only time will tell. I agree with them having a low survival rate as fingerlings as them perch and bass will gobble them up. I believe they stock pretty high amounts of fingerlings (would have to look at the stocking reports) as to have a better survival rate. They do make it. I have caught numerous baby tigers on j13 rapalas that were no bigger than a bratworst. What would the state be willing to trade for them Beyond me

[gemcityslayer]

I just don't think Wyoming has anything to trade to Utah that Utah needs or wants.  I bet they would give us some though if we asked nicely enough

I think Utah and Wyoming have a decent relationship... since both states have agencies that work together to manage Flaming Gorge.

[tmeyer]

Was wondering what the Healy harvest has been this season with all the pressure it's been receiving. Certainly there has been a good-sized dent put into it and next season should see an improvement in sizes? Would like to hear what G&F thinks the harvest numbers are.

The boy and i caught 80 on saturday with 18 keepers ( 11 inch plus)   call it luck or whatever but YUMMY in the fryer!!!    Used a small swedish pimple (silver) and meal worms in 18 FOW and about 6 inches off the bottom!

[gillyman]

Maybe Utah would like some super "Healy-strain" perch!
Raising the T-musky fry might be tougher than you think.  Raising fish is like raising other things-sometimes you get a bumper crop, sometimes you get a lot less.   Even if Utah is successful, their priorites would come first; then their might be some other commitments.  Then Wyoming biologists and their SUPERVISORS have to agree that T-muskies are something they want in Healy.  Healy is a private water, so the landowner has a say.
I have worked in warmwater and coldwater hatchery situations-there is more to it than having water and fish.