[conquistador]

There is no need to make Roosevelt a trophy lake because we already have 2 that fit the bill. Saguaro and Canyon.

If good people continue to present Roosevelt as a trophy lake and move the slot around that I will bring back my idea about allowing tournament anglers, during a tournament, hold slot fish in their livewell for latter weigh-in and release.

I will also propose that that tournament anglers pay for the above stated privilege and the money be solely used for improving sport fishing resources.

With that in place AZGF can do anything with the slot including putting the slot on Pleasant.

 

[Delw]

I agree with ya on

There is no need to make Roosevelt a trophy lake because we already have 2 that fit the bill. Saguaro and Canyon

Delw

 

[d a]

Conquistador, I’m not proposing managing Roosevelt as a trophy lake now, I’ve proposed managing it as a trophy lake in the future after it gets a significant amount of water. The new water in that old growth on the shoreline and in the Tonto and Salt River ends will trigger an explosion in the fishery just like the new lake effect at Pleasant. Only then are new regs implemented to protect the big bass. Accommodations for tourney fishermen will be considered I’m sure. And I like the idea of having tourney fishermen pay for that privilege. It has possibilities, a special Roosevelt stamp on your license to allow you to hold a big fish in your live well and weigh it in. Then release it.

No argument that Saguaro and Canyon are trophy bass lakes now. How did they get that way? They got that way under much different conditions than exist now. The word is out. If you want to catch a toad don't go to Pleasant, go to Saguaro or Canyon. The word is out via fishing magazines (Bass West issue on swim baits at Canyon Lake), and via the internet (AZBassPro focuses on Saguaro). The East Valley population has exploded in the last 5 years and the closest lakes are Canyon and Saguaro. Fishing pressure has increased on these lakes and new baits have been introduced targeting big bass (trout swim baits), therefore more people are targeting and catching big bass than ever. Saguaro and Canyon are not managed as trophy bass lakes right now. I'm saying conditions are changing and lets not wait until signs appear saying big bass are in trouble at these lakes. Manage them as trophy bass lakes now so we don't need to manage them later to replace the big bass that disappeared.

 

[conquistador]

DA

I understand your point about making plans now for Roosevelt for when the water comes. (God I hope it comes within my lifetime. )

I'm not against any proposal unless it impacts my interests. Adding more slot lakes or moving the slot does impact my interests. (Hey, I'm being honest about it.)

I'm a fanatic about keeping fish alive for a safe release. I can't remember the last fish I killed for table fair. I and other anglers practice catch and release during tournaments. Not all fish survive, but the vast majority are recycled for all to appreciated.

 

[Guest]

This same scenario happened in Southern California about 10 years ago, people figured out how to catch "teen" fish with regularity at Castaic, I remember guys weighing in 14-15 pounders all the time and now it's a rarity-some people say it's the stripers-I think they were always there-I say naturally- alot of those fish went home..next it was Casitas...now it appears to be all the San Diego area lakes...................alot of anglers tried to push for a special slot for fish over 24 inches to keep the "big bass" population intact, but that never flew..........people usually aren't willing to release "the fish of a lifetime" it's usually going on thier wall-hell I'm guilty of it too.... :evil:

 

[Franklin J]

The above post is from me...(I know I'm retarded)

 

[DaveH]

Trophy Lakes

Conquistador, I'm definately with you on the Roosevelt trophy lake issue. If and when the lake gets enough water to fill up, I'd like to see trophy regulations established. I don't think that's going to be a reality for quite a while. We'd need to see some serious rain, and even then we still have to deal with the WFC and it's conservation advocates. I think the slot limit is over-rated and needs to be re-evaluated as well. Your idea about allowing anglers to hold fish in a livewell during a tournament needs to be implemented. I'm all for it!
About Canyon and Saguaro, that's a different story. I think the AZGFD needs to jump on that situation quick. The lakes are getting more and more pressure, and masses of people are getting great instruction on how to catch these big bass. They either need to establish a trophy limit or catch and release system for fish over 20". I'd hate to see these lakes fall victim to the "Lake Pleasant syndrome", which in my opinion was a result of fishermen over-harvesting trophy bass. Bottom line, if those fish weren't taken out of the lake, we'd all still be catching 9-10lbers out there. It'll probably happen too late on Saguaro and Canyon, and the trophy fish will be gone. We'll all be sitting around talking about how they "were" the best trophy lakes in the state and trying to phsycho-analyze what went wrong. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I feel we need to get going on these changes now to prevent it!

 

[Guest]

You guys are right when you say that lakes are being fished...HARD. That is common sense. The problem is, will regulations seriously change anything? There have been regulations in existence on Roosevelt and Alamo for many years, i.e slot limits. Has this significantly altered these waters into trophy lakes or even better fisheries? That is open for debate. I see a lot of caterwauling about making our lakes better for the future. I am all for this. The problem I have is that I have not heard of a good remedy. Regulations need to be regulated...pure and simple. They seldom are. I am not a big regulation type of person. Am I being depressing when I think that our seriously hammered waters are going the way of the East Coast fisheries? Probably. What are my solutions? I have but one...It really is not that BAD! And the waters that I have fished in the Midwest, although heavily populated with dwellings, were actually very fun to fish. If you really concentrate on knowing a body of water, it will pay off. There are some real Saguaro experts on this site that consistently catch large bags of largemouth. I tend to think that I can do the same at Apache. Does this mean that these fisheries are in trouble just because WE are the only ones that can produce in such a positive manner? I think not. In an everchanging, dynamic, web-linked, know-it-all world, things are going to toughen up. This is a fact. Either fish harder while embracing the cutting edge or fish on the slow boat that cuddles up to excuses. I remember when things used to be much more simple...throw a Mann's grape firetail and the fish leaped into the boat, tie a Bayou Boogie on and the bass break-danced on your hooks. This is not the case anymore and I for one find it much more challenging. Gone are the days when there were secrets. The trick is to know, and be able to do, EVERYTHING. Our bass are not being decimated, they are only getting wise. Trust me, they are there, waiting, for that special technique. The subtle twitch of the Senko, the flutter of the Yammy hula grub, the innocent fall of the Wired Worm...they are there...waiting. Later...

 

[conquistador]

I don't want to be misunderstood. I'm not really for making Roosovelt a trophy lake. But I not against it if we can implement the tournament hold and release the slot fish rule.

Frankly, both will almost be impossible to implement. Change is a bad thing for most minds.