Ice fishing: What lies beneath?

HUNTSVILLE -- Standing on the cold ice of Pineview Reservoir, waiting for the fish to bite and listening to the occasional unnerving crack of the ice below isn't for everyone. But judging from the number of auger holes in the ice, someone's been fishing here.

The ice is thick, but the water level is low at the reservoir, creating a long, steep walk down the bank to reach the ice. The parking lot has been packed on recent weekends and so has the ice with small huts sporadically spaced across the frozen surface.

Anglers Kay Moore and Kim Wagner, of Roy, were happily braving the ice, but not having too much success with the fish biting.

"Neither one of us are too keen on the cold weather. Of course, you can endure a lot more if you're catching a lot of fish and excited," Moore said.

Last time they tried ice fishing at Pineview the pair had more luck with the fish, catching several perch, but a harder time with the ice. Wagner fell in a hole and got soaked, ending the day for the pair.

Other anglers were having more success in the number of fish caught, but not many were keepers. Brian Wade, of Clinton, had numerous bites, but one after another were small perch and were dropped back through the ice. Wade was fishing near the bottom, about 30 feet down, and believes the low water levels were not affecting his catch.

"Something is biting down there," Wade said. "I might come off the bottom and try and get some crappie."

Lower water levels aren't necessarily a bad thing for fishing at the reservoir, according to Ben Nadolski, an aquatic biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region. Nadolski has been sampling fish at Pineview and found that current populations of yellow perch and black crappie are doing well.

Currently the reservoir's water surface is at 4,868 feet and the maximum level is 4900 feet. According to Nadolski's data, the current levels are not "overly concerning."

"Reservoir fluctuation is not always detrimental, and to some degree, it's normal. Dry shorelines can allow the establishment of important vegetation, and when these newly formed habitats are re-inundated, and water levels remain relatively stable for sufficient periods of time, we can see spikes in fish production," Nadolski said in an e-mail interview.

Fluctuation becomes more of a problem during periods of prolonged low water, Nadolski said. He is encouraged by recent heavy snow in the mountains which may mean more water next summer in reservoirs like Pineview.

Long-term data collected by Nadolski suggests the number of yellow perch should be declining. Perch are cannibalistic. If there are too many adult fish, they may prey on smaller members of the species causing a decline in overall numbers. Currently the population has a "fairly equal representation" of different sizes of fish.

"While our long-term population data suggests that yellow perch should be in a down cycle, the demographics of the current population are rather promising," Nadolski said. "The average length of catchable size fish is longer than in recent record, but overall abundance of those fish is down a bit."

Nadolski said the black crappie population at Pineview is "very encouraging." Crappie population numbers can change sporadically especially with fluctuating water levels, such as those found in Pineview.

"Despite recent fluctuations in water elevation, the black crappie population at Pineview has remained surprisingly stable since 2004," Nadolski said. "This may be the most encouraging part of the winter ice fishing season, as anglers continue to report good catch rates for quality sized crappie."

Regardless of the data about what's under the ice, results at the end of a hook tend to vary. While some anglers weren't catching anything to brag about, Joe Neumann was having lots of luck jigging his line near the bottom of the reservoir. This was his 10th time ice fishing at Pineview this season. He pulled a 9-inch crappie out of the ice and said on an earlier fishing trip he reeled in a couple over 14 inches.

"It was non-stop action," he said.