Salt Lake City — With cooler temperatures on the horizon, some anglers may be gearing up for fall fishing in Utah. If you are planning to fish at Flaming Gorge Reservoir or Pelican Lake, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is requesting the harvest of specific fish species that are negatively impacting the fishery.
When certain fish species become too numerous in a waterbody, they can reduce the overall food supply for all the fish and can also impact other species (like if the fish prey on other fish). When this happens, it can cause the fish in the waterbody to grow slower and remain smaller.
""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," DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick said. "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. 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. We tend to think of reservoirs as having endless resources, but really, they are just giant fish bowls, and anyone who takes care of an aquarium can tell you that too many fish can have negative impacts."
There are a few waterbodies in Utah where this is happening, so the DWR is asking anglers to harvest specific fish species that they catch in the following areas:
Small lake trout at Flaming Gorge Reservoir
The DWR and Wyoming Game and Fish Department are requesting that anglers catch and keep small lake trout — less than 28 inches — at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Currently, the popular reservoir in northeastern Utah — known for producing some of the largest lake trout in the U.S. — has too many small lake trout in it. Lake trout are known to be predators on fish like kokanee and rainbow trout. The abundant population of smaller lake trout has impacted the kokanee salmon and rainbow trout populations in the fishery and reduced the number of fish available for the trophy lake trout to eat.
"By keeping small lake trout, anglers are truly one of our best partners in helping maintain a balanced fishery," Hedrick said. "A balanced fishery serves everyone by providing a healthy lake trout fishery with enough resources to continue growing world-trophy lake trout, while also providing a nationally-recognized destination kokanee fishery. To help with increased harvest, we have removed the wasting restriction on small lake trout from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. We encourage anglers to prioritize eating the fish or sharing them with others for consumption. Anglers can also use the harvested fish to fertilize their gardens or compost bins with fish — or you can even feed your pets fresh fish. If anglers choose not to take their harvested lake trout home, please deflate their swim bladders and sink them into the reservoir to return their nutrients as a food source for other fish."
Fishing can be excellent for lake trout this time of year. Anglers should target lake trout under 17 inches in deep areas (50-75 feet) along channel walls. Lake trout between 17-25 inches have started migrating to spawning areas and can currently be found in graveled and sloped areas. For anyone trolling, lures like a dodger and squid will work, as well as spoons and crankbaits about 3 inches in size. For those who like to vertically jig, tubes tipped with sucker or chub meat will work, as well as jigging spoons and blade baits in 3/8-ounce weight. The color of lure can vary, but white, chartreuse and even pink will work, depending on the day.
For more information about the Flaming Gorge fishery, listen to the DWR Wild podcast.
Carp at Pelican Lake
The DWR is also requesting increased harvest of carp at Pelican Lake. Carp are invasive and when their population grows too large, they can impact the water quality of a waterbody by uprooting the vegetation and degrading the habitat. They also compete with other species for food.
Due to the current low water levels at Pelican Lake, using a light boat will provide the best access for fishing.
"The low water also provides a good opportunity to bowfish for carp," DWR Sportfish Biologist Josue Hernandez said. "The visibility varies throughout the lake, but there are areas with good visibility that can be found. Anglers can typically target carp by fishing in shallow areas with vegetation, particularly bulrush. Harvesting more carp will help the fishery at Pelican Lake, so we appreciate anglers for helping with these efforts."
There is not a daily limit for carp, and anglers should immediately kill any they catch.
Visit the DWR website to learn about some of the ongoing efforts to improve the fishery at Pelican Lake.
