DWR asks anglers to keep certain species from four bodies of water
Aug 14, 2024, 5:00 PM
Lake trout lie on the shores of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. (Utah DIvision of Wildlife Resources)
(Utah DIvision of Wildlife Resources)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has asked anglers to harvest specific fish species at four Utah bodies of water. The goal is to improve the fishing at the locations.
When some species outnumber others, they can reduce a body of water’s overall food supply. The DWR said lack of food can make other fish in the waterbody smaller and slower.
Additionally, some species may begin to prey on others.
“Each lake or reservoir has a maximum number of fish it can sustain. When the waterbody exceeds that, you’ll eventually see an overabundance of skinny, smaller fish,” said DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick.
Four bodies of water currently have overpopulation happening:
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir
- Starvation Reservoir
- Pelican Lake
- Blacksmith Fork River
“Historically, anglers used to harvest more fish, which would help keep fish numbers lower and ensure that the food supply for the fish at any given waterbody was shared with a smaller number of individual fish,” said Hedrick. “But now more anglers prefer to participate in catch-and-release fishing, which leaves more fish in the system and increases competition for limited resources.”
Keep these species while fishing in four Utah waterbodies
The DWR has asked that anglers keep the small lake trout they catch at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
Lake trout are considered to be small if they are under 25 inches long. Larger lake trout consume kokanee salmon and rainbow trout, so if there are too many smaller lake trout, they could become detrimental to the others.
At Starvation Reservoir, walleye are abundant. They can be found at depths of 15-20 feet, per the DWR.
When fishing for walleye, the DWR recommended that anglers use flicker shad and bottom bouncer lures.
Pelican Lake has a surplus of bluegill. The DWR said that they can be found near open shorelines or in front of lake weed lines.
As the day gets warmer, bluegill tend to move farther away from the shore.
Finally, anglers should keep brown trout from Blacksmith Fork River.
On average, they measure to be 11 inches. As food supplies decrease, their growth will become stunted.
“We really need people to harvest more brown trout here, but few anglers actually do so, despite the four fish bonus limit,” Hedrick said.
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