[TroutFishingBear]

mostly from vega but a brown from rifle thrown in as well.

the brown from rifle.

rainbow from vega

ice with a bow from vega

nice bow from vega

An unhealthy bow from vega. Too fat. nailed a 3/8 oz bucktail. I think he was 15-16" is all but look at that girth!

 

[john the fisherman]

An unhealthy bow from vega. Too fat. nailed a 3/8 oz bucktail. I think he was 15-16" is all but look at that girth!

is that really an unhealthy fish, or do you mean unhealthy fishery?

 

[TroutFishingBear]

Lol a little of both I guess. There is too much food for them in vega! They stock them as 4-5" subcatchables in the spring and by the fall/winter they are 12-14". At least, that's what the biologist told me. That is a sick growth rate!!!!!! I could only imagine if it was managed for a trophy fishery; it would probably put 11mile to shame! Last winter you were hard pressed to get one below 16", and most were 18" with many over 20". This winter there is a better number of smaller ones (the 12-14") and those large fish still remain. Vega is so cyclic though that you never really know what vega you will get in any given winter.
My bro cleaned 2 fish from there this fall a 16" and a 15", and he said the 15" had no less than 25 tiny crawdads in its stomach. I'm thinking this one had probably around the same amount. The fish in here are orange meated and tasty; I only wish the bag limit was 2 or around in there though, maybe 1 over 16" allowed is all. It was bad this spring to see people in the tiny creeks feeding it scooping up 5-6 pound spawning trout and keeping like 10 a piece.

 

[TroutFishingBear]

rainbow a tad over 20". Out of vega. He was very beautiful. I got him first drop of the year at vega. He remains my biggest landed rainbow this ice season.

 

[fishhead kev]

T.F.B, Those are some footballs!! I've never fished Vega, but wanted to for a long time. any tips ?