Jacob Fork 1/20 (Where's the Fish?)

[Alltangledup]

Fished Jacob Fork today.  The water was moderately low and very clear.  This morning was chilly but it soon warmed up as the sun came out.  I got to the park by 9:00 am and started fishing with a 'aig' and PT dropper.   I landed a small brown on the 'aig' quickly and started to walk upstream.  The only other fish I brought to hand was a very small brookie also on the 'aig.'  I hooked one rainbow on a olive wooly but he shook it off quickly.  But I was ASTONISHED at the lack of fish in the water!

Met another angler who had only caught one on a olive wooly and he agreed that most of the fish are gone.   I fished the 'Jake' the first week of December and there were good size pods of fish in the deeper pools.  Today I really moved around to find fish.  What I did find were few in numbers and I really covered alot of water. 

Now I am not complaining.  It was a warm and beautiful day to enjoy God's creation.  It sure beat being stuck inside chained to a desk.  But I am wondering if any one else has had the same experience?  Did the fish wash down stream?  Alien abuction? (Pedro, Jose and Julio?) Have I lost my MOJO?? 

Enquiring minds would like to know,

Tight Lines, 
'Tangled'<>< 

[cmiller51h]

No, I was there last week and had the same experience. If it was'nt alien abduction, it was most certinly a masterbaiter!

[DarrinG]

It looks to me like Jacob's Fork would be the hardest palce of any DH stream for poachers to get in there and do their dirty work, with all the Park Rangers and park workers in there all the time?.... I havent fished Jacob's Fork in a long time but have visited the park with my family a few times and there's always a park employee somewhere around. It's easier to see other DH streams getting poached out but Jacob's Fork, inside a state park? If that's what's happening (poaching of the fish), the park employees need to step up and watch the fishing better...

[phg]

Some of the poachers have 4 legs, others have wings.  Not much you can do about them.

Frankly, though, I'm not sure Jacob's Fork has enough food in it to support the number of fish they stock.  Between rough handling, starvation, migration and natural preditation,  the fish don't seem to last very long.  (It would be interesting to know how many trout are caught below the park.)

[Busta Brown]

  I may upset some folks here. Smite me baby, smite me! I agree with PHG in that these stocked fish are at a disadvantage as soon as they are put in the stream. They don't know what to eat, they don't know what a Belted Kingfisher is and that they need to hide, and when the weather turns bad they struggle even more as less food is available. The DH streams are not a bad idea but the number of fish stocked early and the size should be small. As time gets closer to the opening day the bigger fish added and the numbers increased. I haven't fished the delayed harvest in a long time but last time I did I caught some very skinny big Brooks.(Let me explain.) Still had there length (about 18 inches) and height but no width. Caught two like that. They were starving to death. Except for stopping with Marty one day on the way back from a wild trout stream for about 30 minutes, I haven't fished DH since. I have also heard people who fish DH regularly say after a big rain the fish are gone. I wonder if they wash down stream or just don't know where to take cover. This is just my opinion  but I think the State needs to take a closer look at the program and make a few adjustments.

                                                                                                                        Jeff

[DarrinG]

Some of the poachers have 4 legs, others have wings.  Not much you can do about them.

(It would be interesting to know how many trout are caught below the park.)

I agree phg. I dont think as much poaching is going on (by man anyhow) inside the park as many think. As already said, and some of what I was getting at in my first post, is those hatchery fish, for a while, dont know what to do or how to act..LOL...I'd feel safe to say alot of the end up below the park when rains come and the water gets up and swift, and dont know how tom hide from heron's, etc. Easy prey. I do think the food is there, but like I said I havent fished J.F. in a long time, but the stockers just dont know how to survive. They still probably look up for a floating piece of trout chow at times. Some adapt I'm sure but some, I'd bet, dont.

[cmiller51h]

It's true that a lot die from natural causes, but a lot are caught after hours by people camped right beside the river in the campground. When the park closes, nobody checks them. I've personlly witnessed this happening. It doe'nt take to much of this mixed with the natural progression and the stream is empty