Utah Division of Wildlife Resources workers and helpers from fishing organizations ran up the floating docks next to Jordanelle Reservoir’s main ramp with nets full of flopping hot dog-sized fish.
They picked up the little creatures at a tank truck, began their foot race against time and deposited their cargo in oxygenated tanks aboard several boats that would disperse them throughout the lake.
On their way back from the boats to the truck, the runners stopped to pick up any baby fish that had wriggled out of the nets and gently tossed them into the water on either side, wishing them good luck as they swam off.
The miniature fish were tiger muskies, which will grow longer than four feet in adulthood. This is the eighth year that the DWR has dumped thousands of them into the Jordanelle after raising them at the Lee Kay Fish Hatchery in Salt Lake City.
DWR Fish Hatchery Specialist Ryan Arthur explained that while muskellunge — better known as muskies — are not found in Utah, tiger muskies have a strong presence.
The crossbreed between northern pike and muskies was introduced here in 1988, and they prowl the depths of fishing spots throughout the state.
Their large adult size, aggression and elusiveness make them a popular target for experienced anglers looking for a challenge, and because they’re the product of two separate species of fish, they do not reproduce naturally, which makes them a useful tool for DWR to control other fish populations without worrying about their population growing wild.
This year, they were able to drop 18,000 of them into the lake.
DWR Fishwater Sport Biologist Tyler Robinson said Jordanelle’s tiger muskie program was born out of a conversation between state wildlife managers and fishers.
“I believe it was 2012 we started a management plan. Brought in a bunch of anglers, brought in users of the water, said, ‘Hey, what do we want to do different on Jordanelle?’ And that’s where tiger muskies got brought into the conversation,'” he said. “In multiple senses, they are a species of fish anglers target just for fun, something to fish for, but they also can be used for biological control for invasive species.”
In Jordanelle, he said that could mean Utah chub. Bailey said it could also mean perch, which were illegally introduced to the waters a few years ago.
“A lot of anglers really wanted something else to target in here,” Robinson said. “They really wanted something unique and different, and that’s where tiger muskie came into play.”
The Yuba Reservoir and Jordanelle are the two main places in this region where people can find tiger muskies. They’ve also been introduced to Maple Lake in Payson Canyon to eat goldfish.
In past years, Robinson said DWR has struggled to meet Jordanelle’s quota of 15,000 fish. But this year, was no problem, and the organization even disbursed some to other states.
That doesn’t mean they’ll all make it to adulthood.
“You dream for 80%-90% success, but realistically with these fish, they’re stressed out in the transport, they’re stressed out on putting them in the water, they get consumed by other fish,” he said. “Shoot, if we get 5,000 fish to recruit to five years from now, I think that’s a big success in any water body.”
Currently, he said DWR’s northern region is looking to Pineview Reservoir to see how many of their tiger muskies survive. The result of their studies should give him a better idea.
As Clark Bailey can attest, at least a few of them survive.
Bailey, a member of the local chapter of the national Muskies Inc. fishing club, helped Utah Division of Wildlife workers Thursday by using his boat to take some of the tiger muskies to their new Jordanelle homes.
Just that morning, he’d gone out fishing on the lake and caught an adult tiger muskie. The aggressive fish also caught him. It bit a finger, and he bled through two bandages.
“It’s like a razor blade,” he said.
“I don’t feel bad for you,” Jennifer Kimball-Bailey teased. “I feel bad for the fish. That’s what he gets.”
Griffin said he’d noticed that same aggression and the same capabilities of the tiger muskies’ sharp teeth when he fed the young fish. He said he gave them 6- to 8-inch rainbow trout, and they were not shy come meal time.
“The water immediately starts to boil with their activity,” he said. “They’ll be slapping the surface.”
The tiger muskie Bailey pulled from the reservoir that morning wasn’t his first of the season, though once in a lifetime would be an impressive stat for some fishers who are able to reel in a tiger muskie. Bailey’s an award-winning pro.
Muskie fishing, he said, is an addiction with a lot of work for a few rare moments of payoff.
“It’s known as the fish of 10,000 casts,” Bailey said. “You try and try and try and try, and if you go out on a day and you catch one or two, that’s a great day.”
Muskies, he explained, are different from more easily hooked species, as they are an ambush predator.
“They tend to hide in structures and they conserve their energy and wait for an opportunity to eat,” he said. “You target those kinds of spots.”
Though tiger muskies are legal to keep in Utah depending on where they are caught and their size, Bailey practices catch-and-release when he snags one.
“These are trophy fish.” he said. “We want them there for people to enjoy.”
After boating to the northeast part of Jordanelle, Robinson dipped a net into the black tank of little tiger muskies aboard the craft. He placed them over the side, and some could be seen floating temporarily dazed before they came to their senses and looked for good spots in the weeds below.
At one point, something jumped a few yards away from the boat where he’d just set down a net-full. Maybe a tiger muskie had just become a trout’s breakfast, or maybe it was just saying goodbye.
