OCR Text |
Show Utah Wildlife Notes Bighorn sheep transplanted become a major item on the diet of all game fish in Lake Powell. ', V Largemouth bass and crappie will offer anglers the best fishing during the spring months, while striped bass fishing will be at its peak during summer and fall. Winter ideal for feeding Winter is the ideal time for backyard bird feeding, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says. With cold temperatures and natural food covered by ice and snow, it is vital for birds to find enough food to maintain their body temperatures, says Division Nongame Biologist Bob Walters. Bird feeders will attract birds which have migrated from higher elevations, as well as year-round residents common to urban areas. A wide variety of birds may be spotted at bird feeders. These include mountain and black-capped black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, dark-eyed dark-eyed juncos, pinion jays, common flickers and downy woodpeckers. Walters stresses the importance of a continuous winter feeding program, since the birds come to depend on the food supply, In the spring, an abundance abun-dance of natural food will make bird feeding unnecessary. un-necessary. ' The period December to March is best for feeding, says Walters. There is a danger in starting backyard feeding programs too early. Migratory birds may stay at the feeder instead of going south. The first Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to inhabit the Wasatch Front since the 1920s are adjusting to their new home in the Nebo Mountain area. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources transplanted the sheep from Wyoming's Wind River Mountains in cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U. S. Forest Service. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are a rarity in Utah. The Division hopes to reestablish good populations of bighorn sheep in central Utah. The 27 sheep received recently from Wyoming will be supplemented by additional animals next year. Old trapper journals record that Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were once plentiful in Utah; but as man and domestic sheep moved in, the Rocky Mountain sheep gradually disappeared. Bighorn sheep cannot tolerate the lungworm desease common in domestic sheep. The transplant operation went like clockwork. Central Region Game Manager . Jordan Pederson, accompanied by Wildlife Biologist Paul Tervort, Springville Game Farm Manager Wayne Gurr and East Juab Conservation Officer David Swcnson, met Wyoming Game and Fish officers in the Wind River Mountains where there are currently high concentrations con-centrations of Rocky Mountain sheep." The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been transplanting the sheep out of the area so the population may remain healthy and the range may be protected. . Wyoming officers had baited the trap site with apple mash; the next morning, 27 sheep were caught under a drop net. By 10 a.m., all of the animals were loaded into the two four-horse trailers.' : Pederson commented, com-mented, "There must have been 100 bighorn sheep standing around watching the operation." During the all-day return trip, the. sheep traveled very well, bedding down in the trailers. ; Caught a record fish? Fishing 'hot' at Powell ; Some Utahhs may be catching and eating record fish without knowing it.: Fish which could qualify as a state record are often never weighed and reported to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. This is particularly par-ticularly true for less, popular species, caught year-round year-round in many areas. '. A few current state records include black crappie, 2 lb5oz; mountain whitefish, 3 lb 14 oz; walleye, 11 lb 12 oz; smallmouth bass, lib 15 oz; largemouth bass, 10 lb 2 oz; white bass, 4 lb 1 oz; and bluegill, 2 lb 2 oz. Several species have never been entered for state fish records, so no records have been established. These include the yellow perch, the Bonneville whitefish in Bear Lake, the Bear Lake whitefish, black bullhead and green sunf ish. The Division of Wildlife has recently set new rules for entering a fish in 'the state fish records. The fish must be weighed on an inspected, certified scale (most grocery scales qualify). The species and weight of a fish sliould be documented and certified ir writing by Division personnel whenever possible. If a Division employee is not available, the weigh-ih musl be witnessed by at least' two persons over 18 who are not members of the angler's family or fishing party. These witnesses must provide their names and ad dresses and a signed statement attesting to the ac curacy of the weigh-in. The angler must also presenl to the Division a close-up sideview color photo of th fish lying on a suitable, legible measuring stick. Upon verification that a fish is a state record, the angler will be presented a certificate from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah holds the world's record for a brown trout, a 3J lb 10 oz fish caught in Flaming Gorge in 1977. Other state fish records are cutthroat trout, 26 lb 12 oz; lake trout, 37 lb 0 oz; kokanee salmon, 4 lb 0 oz; brook trout, 7 lb 8 oz; grayling, 1 lb Vi oz; northern pike, 15 lb 14 oz; golden trout, 13 V2 oz; channel catfish, 32 lb 5 oz; and rainbow trout. 26 lb 2 oz. With warming weather this month, fishing at Lake Powell should really begin to get "hot.". Even during the winter months, there has. been plenty of fishing action at Lake Powell, says Wayne Gustaveson, Division fisheries biologist Most of the excitement among Lake Powell fishermeri may be credited to the striped bass program. Two 21-pound striped bass were pulled out of trie lake flast. fall. Gustaveson believes there are 30 pounders to be caught. . '.. ;' ' ; The world record for striped bass is a 59 pounder caught in Lake Havasu, Ariz. In three to four years, 50- to 60-pound striped bass could be caught in Lake Powell, according to Gustaveson. Yet, in 1974, when striped bass were first introduced to Lake Powell, anglers were skeptical about the program. They were afraid striped bass might hinder the excellent largemouth bass and crappie fishing. On the contrary, striped bass have made Lake Powell a more diverse fishery. : --,:':y Originally an ocean fish, striped bass are not adapted to feeding on bass or crappie,: A study by Lake Powell biologists showed no evidence of striped bass preying on bass. A majority of a striped bass' diet consists of threadfin shad. The threadfin shad was introduced into Lake Powell in 1968 to develop a good food base for striped bass prior to introduction. Threadfin shad are extremely prolific and probably the best forage fish, uyt Custavesoa The shad have |