More Smallmouth Need to be Harvested from the San Juan Arm

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wayne gustaveson

wayne gustaveson

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I included a writeup of how the decision was made to increase the smallmouth bass limit to 20 fish back in 2001. You can read that at this link:

https://wayneswords.net/threads/smallmouth-bass-history-lesson.2698/

Then I suggest that the same action will have a positive result on the San Juan bass fishery.

April 25, 2019

I have received some disappointing reports on the average size of smallmouth bass in the San Juan Arm. The symptoms are reminiscent of the day spent in Navajo Canyon catching small smallmouth bass in 2001 (described above). The same action that resulted in increased size of smallmouth bass in the southern lake from 2001 to 2003 can work in the San Juan in 2019. We need to increase harvest of smallmouth bass in the San Juan from less than 10% to more than 25%. Increasing bass harvest can increase the size of smallmouth bass in the San Juan Arm in 2 years or less.

There are not many anglers that want to keep bass in the San Juan, but if they realized they could improve the smallmouth fishery by doing so perhaps some would increase their harvest and be responsible for improvement in the size of fish harvested. Please help us with this San Juan fishery by harvesting more fish and allowing the survivors to grow to a larger size.

Each time you go to the San Juan please harvest 20 smallmouth bass between 9 and 12 inches.

Thanks for doing your part. WG
 
wayne gustaveson said:
I included a writeup of how the decision was made to increase the smallmouth bass limit to 20 fish back in 2001. You can read that at this link:

https://wayneswords.net/threads/smallmouth-bass-history-lesson.2698/

Then I suggest that the same action will have a positive result on the San Juan bass fishery.

April 25, 2019

I have received some disappointing reports on the average size of smallmouth bass in the San Juan Arm. The symptoms are reminiscent of the day spent in Navajo Canyon catching small smallmouth bass in 2001 (described above). The same action that resulted in increased size of smallmouth bass in the southern lake from 2001 to 2003 can work in the San Juan in 2019. We need to increase harvest of smallmouth bass in the San Juan from less than 10% to more than 25%. Increasing bass harvest can increase the size of smallmouth bass in the San Juan Arm in 2 years or less.

There are not many anglers that want to keep bass in the San Juan, but if they realized they could improve the smallmouth fishery by doing so perhaps some would increase their harvest and be responsible for improvement in the size of fish harvested. Please help us with this San Juan fishery by harvesting more fish and allowing the survivors to grow to a larger size.

Each time you go to the San Juan please harvest 20 smallmouth bass between 9 and 12 inches.

Thanks for doing your part. WG
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Wayne, we are not big fish eaters. What could we do with the harvested fish. What size should be kept, and what size thrown back. I have a team of 4 excited fisher people headed that way 5/17 and we are ANXIOUS to do our part
 
PowellBride, stop by and visit for a minute or two. We will be between Wilson Creek and Paiute from the 16th till22nd. 54' Myacht w 17' tracker, 21' maroon power boat and 20 suntracker pontoon.
 
PowellBride said:
Wayne, we are not big fish eaters. What could we do with the harvested fish. What size should be kept, and what size thrown back. I have a team of 4 excited fisher people headed that way 5/17 and we are ANXIOUS to do our part
Click to expand...

Please keep 20 (per person) smallmouth bass under 12 inches (9-12") and throw back bass 13 inches and longer.

Filleting small bass is not that hard but it does take time. Take the fillets and put them on ice and keep them for up to 4-5 days before giving them to your friends or neighbors that do like to eat fresh fish. I will ask Ed Gerdemann to respond to this as well. He is the most prolific smallmouth bass angler on the site and can add some great insight.
 
Filet?!?!???? I did that once in the 80's with a couple of strippers. Not sure I can talk my guys into that, and I'm not doing it for the 3 of them :ROFLMAO:

Maybe you can do some sampling no the Juan that week and stop by to "visit". We'll also be in a slip at Wahweap for 1 day - Friday the 17th.
 
birdsnest said:
PowellBride, stop by and visit for a minute or two. We will be between Wilson Creek and Paiute from the 16th till22nd. 54' Myacht w 17' tracker, 21' maroon power boat and 20 suntracker pontoon.
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It's a party. I'd like that, and same to you. We'll probably anchor the houseboat in the Cha bay area, but we usually fish from Cha to the Great Bend. The HB is a 60' Skipperliner (Black & White). We'll have a 20' Stratos with us, and our 21' Ranger
 
PowellBride said:
Filet?!?!???? I did that once in the 80's with a couple of stripers. Not sure I can talk my guys into that, and I'm not doing it for the 3 of them :ROFLMAO:

Maybe you can do some sampling on the Juan that week and stop by to "visit". We'll also be in a slip at Wahweap for 1 day - Friday the 17th.
Click to expand...

OK I get it. Since this is a scientific experiment, keep the small bass <12 inches and euthanize them and then puncture the air bladder and let them sink to the bottom where they can be used as nutrients to increase the plankton in that area and create more food for the next generation.

It would be great to visit with you in the slip. We have been "friends" for a very long time and it would be great to meet you. You decide the proper course of action and we can make it work.
 
wayne gustaveson said:
OK I get it. Since this is a scientific experiment, keep the small bass <12 inches and euthanize them and then puncture the air bladder and let them sink to the bottom where they can be used as nutrients to increase the plankton in that area and create more food for the next generation.

It would be great to visit with you in the slip. We have been "friends" for a very long time and it would be great to meet you. You decide the proper course of action and we can make it work.
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The scientific experiment I can do!!! We will report our findings.

As for meeting - on Friday the 17th you pick. join us for breakfast before you head to work, or join us for dinner (bring your wife), or at least an evening cocktail.
 
We routinely keep SMB 80 every trip. I have many neighbors, friends and kids that love them. They are not hard to clean, especially with a good electric knife you can do better than one a minute. They get a little slimy and hard to hold if they are not kept cold which makes them harder to clean. They last on ice or in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Will keep in the freezer for a year. They are good fried, baked, broiled, or grilled. Try them on the lake on the grill. Take the fillets and make a boat on pan out of aluminum foil just large enough to hold all of the fillets laying flat. Season with salt and pepper or lemon pepper. Put a few pats of butter and a few thin slices of lemon on top and grill them at around 400 for around 10 minutes or till it starts to flake and separate. Those of you that are catching larger small mouths up north can thank me and the wife for doing our part. Have not noticed any difference year to year in the amount of them available. Still have 75 SMB days multiple times a year. Have been reading up on the "ned rig" have purchased a few and can't wait to try them out.
 
We are headed out to the San Juan for the week on Monday. We usually save a few fish each night to eat but with being out so long and limited cooler space and ice it's tough to keep much more than that and bring them home.
 
PowellBride said:
Wayne, we are not big fish eaters. What could we do with the harvested fish. What size should be kept, and what size thrown back. I have a team of 4 excited fisher people headed that way 5/17 and we are ANXIOUS to do our part
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I'd take them if you bring them home.
 
PowellBride said:
I like that idea, but I’d still have to actually learn to filet. My one attempt in the 80’s would probably be more accurately described as a hacking job 😂
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Just gut them. I'll deal with the rest. Or use it to learn how to filet. Really isn't that hard if you have a sharp knife.
 
PowellBride said:
I like that idea, but I’d still have to actually learn to filet. My one attempt in the 80’s would probably be more accurately described as a hacking job 😂
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An electric fillet knife makes it a cakewalk. Super easy, fast and effective. I can't tell you how many electric fillet knives are sold when we show up to the cleaning station with 30+ fish and wrap up before the guys there with 10 fish. They always leave saying they are heading home to buy a set!
 
Ya know, when you’re strictly catch & release you don’t have to worry about sharp knives or electric knives
 
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Back from the San Juan with my kids. We were there from Monday - Friday......and Wayne you are right. It needs some help. The fishing was great, but we were consistently pulling in fish under 12". Occasionally fish 13-14" and almost never anything much larger. The boys just love catching fish so it wasn't all that bad, but the overall quality would be a lot more fun for me.
 
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