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Show Outdoor Wisdom By Hartt Wixom Fishermen don't even begin to tap the stream trout resource. There are so many giant brown trout in Utah's creeks and rivers over four pounds that even the so-called so-called experts would be shocked at what they miss during the season. That's the position of biologist Dr. Gar Workman, Utah State University, who isn't guessing. During the off-season, especially in the early spring before high flood waters hit, Dr. Workman Work-man takes tenth-mile electro-shocking electro-shocking samples of many Beehive State streams. Fish are not harmed ih the process. "Sometimes it is a question ques-tion of who is the most shocked, the big trout, or ourselves," he asserts. "The northern Utah rivers sampled, sampl-ed, including Duchesne, Weber, Provo, Ogden, Lo- gan. Blacksmith Fork, and others, show anglers are missing browns to 10 and 15 lbs." he adds. Several years ago Dr. Workman and crews came across a monster brown weighing, incredibly enough just under 34 pounds. The fish was shocked and weighed weigh-ed several times, until biologists decided not to risk harming the creature. "But it has been observed during "the past year, and could well have attained the weight of 40 lbs.," Dr. Workman attests. Whether following the Fresh Water Hall of Fame record book, or any other recognized big fish authority, this brown trout tops all world annals for Salmo trutta. As Dr. Workman and I stood beside the fish's home stretch of brushy riffles, vainly hoping for a look at this Gargantuan brown, I asked some questions. His answers: "This trout could be as old as 30 years, although average is much less. We believe there are other stream browns dying of old age. It is tougher to locate and measure the lake fish, but we ought to possibly dispel the myth that lake fish grow faster than those in streams. The latter can look at more food in a shorter period near the edge of current, without loss of valuable body energy. Many big trout get that way be enjoying a rich food selection near shadowed security beneath be-neath cutbank or logs, with the average angler never even knowing they are there." Fish have a keen sense of smell but poor hearing. Another favorable factor is slightly alkaline PH. Under controlled conditions in hatcheries, biologists have grown a 5-lb. rainbow in 18 months, the USU professor says. Yet in cold water with little feed in some High Uinta Mountain Lakes, trout may add but three inches a year, he emphasized. But what about this particular brown? Granted he found sufficient rock rollers and hellgramites to reach the first pound. Then what? Dr. Workman figures he concentrated on bullheads (sculpins), minnows, smaller trout, stocked rainbows, and then began tackling 12-15 inchers. At his larger weight of 30-plus pounds he would reach the point where it would require some five pounds of meat to put on one pound of weight. Presently, he is likely barely holding his own. The fish may even be going downhill. ' ' Since the fish has lived in a fairly accessible area, we know tht numerous anglers have tossed many offerings his way. He has apparently ignored them all. At least we know of no one who claims to have hooked this brown, and if they did, a true story, would follow about the big one which got away. Dr. Workman credits the brown's propensity to grow big, often dying of old age, to nocturnal feeding habits, gluttonous gorging on the natural, rejection of anything otherwise, and in the case of the aforementioned Levit-hian, Levit-hian, some luck. "Quite probably the fish was caught and released a few times. Fish have better memories than is often realized. This brown must have had a vivid recollection of what to avoid. He is likely eating up many dollars worth of planted rainbows." He emphasized that it is habitat changes, stream alterations al-terations and similar pro-. pro-. blems which prevent brown trout from reaching lunker proportions-not fishermen. "Electro-shocking operations opera-tions would seem to prove that," he stressed. "This is the case even in, or near picnic grounds and roads where pressure is heavy in Utah." |