Fishing Forum

on the wyo board there is a deal about a meeting at western wyo colleage check it out and let's see what ya all think about them taking your money and seeing nothing from it on flaming gorge.[mad]
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We were talking about this very issue last weekend when we were fishing the Gorge. I don't know what Wyoming receives each year for user fees but it doesn't appear they are spending much on improvements. The Gorge is a huge area so it is possible they are up grading an area that I've never seen. My concern is that the more they improve an area the more the fees will increase, just like Utah. It will be interesting to see what comes from this meeting. WH2
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wiper ,you are right the wyoming side sure doesnt seem to see as much money as the forest service says it does.yet they keep telling the public about all the improvements that are done for the wyo side.most people i know say they just dont see these improvements .i think that it wont be much longer before a increase in the price of the user pass will be raised.the issue of charging to camp at south buckboard will be brought up again at this meeting,the public spoke out about this with a loud NO last spring,but seems someone didnt hear what the public said.

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I have been reading the posts on this site about twice a week for a few years now, mostly watching for posts about the Gorge.
I almost never reply.

But you guys have this so wrong that I just cant hold my .

First of all $20 a year / $ 3 a day is probably the best DEAL on recreation in the country.
They should raise the fees and I hope they do.

Second the Gorge is'nt just big...Its HUGE !
91 miles long through 2 states, plus about 17 miles of world class fly fishing water that flows out the bottom. Boat ramps, Roads, Bathrooms, Visitors Centers, Campgrounds (some accessable only by boat), Trash collection, Fish cleaning stations, Picnic tables, Floating docks all over the lake, Snow removal, Game wardens, Fish stocking and reasearch, Not to mention maintenance on the actual giant cement dam itself !!!

Do You have any idea how big of a management job it must be ???
Or how much money it must cost ???

And how much money do you really think they make off those fees ?

Think about it...

I'm one of the ones like you guys. Who will brave any elements (set aside the east wind), any time of year, just to be out there and have a chance to catch those fish.
And other than Memorial, July Fourth, and Labor day, and a few other summer weekends, I consistently see about 30 - 40 other boats out there (Esp. this time of year).

So us 40 lunatics, X $20, contribute about $800 a year to the millions it must cost to run the place.

And from October to May on weekdays, we have it pretty much to ourselves. It almost makes me feel guilty !

And you guys want to see them spend more money on ROADS and RAMPS ???

To do what, bring even more weekend warriors in the summer ???

To add a few more waverunners and waterskiers to those precious May and June days in Swim and Antelope ???

Lets face it you guys, the fishery has some problems right now.
The Kokanee numbers are very low, even for the low end of their normal "cycle".
The Smallmouth Bass have pretty much stunted.
They pour serious $$$ and effort just trying to sustain a population of rainbows and browns.
The small Macks are beginning to overrun the lake.
That is what we should be spending money to fix !

If things keep going like their going, in 20 years the lake is going to be full of 6 inch bass, 9 inch Kokanee, and 18 inch macks. And twice a year, when some lucky fool catches a 20 pounder, all of us "old timers" will tell tell stories about how this lake used to be FULL of fish even bigger than that.

Its a good thing for you guys that I'm not in charge...

[#ff0000]Caughtmydink's New Rules for Flaming Gorge:[/#ff0000]

[#000000]1. New Fees... $100 per year / $10 per day.[/#000000]
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[#ff0000][#000000]2. No more Improvements to roads or ramps EVER ! (I'd drag a canoe 3 miles through the dirt[/#000000] [/#ff0000][#000000]to fish it.)[/#000000]

3. Tiger Muskies in to thin the Bass and not touch the Kokes.

4. MANDATORY to keep 6 Macks under 20". And there would be a stiff fine for releasing them.

5. MANDATORY catch and release on all Macks over 36".

[#ff0000]6. NO MORE BUZZ BOMBS !!![/#ff0000]
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[#000000] You snaggers should be ashamed of yourselves !!![/#000000]
I know you're reading this.
I was up quite a bit this fall and I see even the guides are in on it now.
Breaking curfew by an hour or so and ripping buzz bombs on top of the spawning beds I mean.
I won't name names...
But just think of the State you live in naked...
You know who I'm talking about...
I'd hire 10 extra Wardens from October 1 to December 1, and have them sit in Linwood, and at the Koke spawning beds up the lake (and possibly even buoy and close those !) and write you guys tickets all day long ! (and pick up some extra revenue too !)

The truth is I dont know how to solve all the Problems of the Gorge, and make us all happy.

But I do know this...

I have a dream today...

I have a dream that all of our little children will fish in a lake where they have the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime...

I have a dream that some day the fish in the Gorge will be judged not by the scales on their skin but by the size of their bodies...

I have a dream that someday Wyoming and Utah can work together hand in hand to save the fish and not the toilets...

Big fish at last ! Big fish at last!

Thank God Almighty we have Flaming Gorge in which to cast !!!

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I think your right, it is a good thing your not in charge! The whole problem is that the fee increases will never stop! Just like willard Bay $9.00 a day come on what am I getting ? all I need is a boat ramp and a parking lot. By the way that big huge slab of concrete holding the water back, at the Gorge was paid for by electricity generated at the Dam!
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well caught my dinks, you are so far out in left field i dont know where to start. but i will agree with you on this ,iam damn glad your not in charge.but let me point out a few facts to you.the operation of the damn is under the beauea of reclamation,and does not fall under the juriduction of the forest service.the salary for the game wardens comes from the states(utah wyo) budgets not from the forest service.


i know what the project budget for the gorge is ,i know what they plan as far as projects and what money is spent where,any one that has every attended a forest service meeting knows where the money goes.we might not like it ,but they cant make every one happy.you want to change the regulations to fit YOUR perspective of what the gorge should be,and i hope your vision never,never gets any thought form any one that makes the decisions that affect the gorge.

if you had your way ,the gorge would be nothing more then a big pond in the middle of the sage brush.the marina's would be gone ,because none of the boaters that surrport these marinas would be able to afford the costs.sounds like to me ,you want to turn the gorge into a rich mans club,where only the wealthy can fish and use it.you say that the fees should be raised and that you would gladly pay it,well at a $100.oo a year ,you can pay your and mine too.because the majority of the people wont.

you have all these wonderful ideas how to fix the problems in the gorge ,but most of what you say is a game and fish problem not the forest service.you want to intoduce new species and make new regulations,but have you ever stopped to think what would be the affects ,if people like you got your way.i really think that you need to attend meetings and get involved before spouting off half [#ff0000](fast)[/#ff0000] ideas that you have mentioned.
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I also get on this sight daily and do not put many posts up. My first question is why do i as a taxpayer of the state of Wyoming and the United States of America have to pay to use a National Recreation Area in the first place. That one i have yet to figure out. Also it is nice that the forest service tries to justify the money by the improvements that they due such as the Anvil Draw boat ramp that has been unuseable for to damn long. Second has any been down the smooth squaw hollow road, it is very nice. Also many of use ice fish in Wyoming in the winter and if you go to the gorge on the East side of the lake Wow no maitenance what so ever it is just miles and miles of dirt road that the is mostly maintained by the Sweetwater County not Ashley National forest. As for the fish i don't think i am going to get into that discussion now. Just my two cents worth.
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Well all I can say is that you "caught your Dink" in the door with your comment's ....I like many gorge lover's know that there is a serious problem at the lake and the last thing you want to do is raise fee's so as to keep all the average every day fisherman from coming out and catching there limit's of small laker's and helping decrease this ever raising problem that we have. I am a Kokanee Addict and many of you know me thru my Shasta Tackle Company, and I am scared for our kokanee and I know without a doubt that we need every angler possible to target the laker's (18-28 inch)fish or we will be in a world of hurt when it crashes. The only thing that I agree with you on is that it is cheaper then the rest of places at 20.00 but that's what makes it special any family can afford it and enjoy it and taking that away from them would be wrong. I know everybody is entitled to their opinion but do your homework first before you present your idea's...The forest service does have alot of work to do before I think they deserve the fee's that they charge. If everyone does there part we'll all benefit from it later.
SOCKEYESLAYER
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I think a lot of us were not very happy then they raised the price at Willard Bay and a few others to $9.00 a day. At least you can see what has changed at Willard, there has been several million spend there in recent years on up grades. A lot of us would rather not see so many improvement because they draw more people, which in turn causes more problems for fishermen. Because Willard is so close to so many people there is nothing we can do about them charging these high prices but the Gorge is a different matter all together. There needs to be some kind of balance between the prices we pay to fish and use this big lake and the amount of improvement they made. Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with improvement but I hope the Gorge never becomes a Willard Bay. Keep the improvements confined to the areas that already have ramps and leave the side roads unimproved(is this a word?). This is just my opinion but it would be nice if they did not charge for using the side roads and the fees for using the lake were confined to the launch areas and camping sites. It's always nice to be able to fish any lake with out paying a fee just to fish from shore. WH2
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