Fishing Forum

I want to head up to the gorge to get in on some of these burbot kills(have to do my part for the environment). I don't think I'll make the burbot bash but I have some questions regarding Wyoming laws.

The Wyoming regs state;

"No person shall use an artificial light with the sole purpose of aiding in the attraction or taking of fish."

"It is illegal to use or attempt to use artificially lighted hooked devices."

1)Does this prevent the use of underwater cameras that use lights? Specifically I have an aqua-vu quad 4x4.

2)Does "artificially lighted hooked devices." mean glow jigs?

3)To fish in Wyoming on flaming gorge I need a Reciprocal Stamp $10 and I need a Wyoming Conservation Stamp $12.50?

4)Has Linwood bay or Sheep creek bay frozen yet, or will it? Is there year round access There?

5)How is the burbot fishing in the Utah waters of flaming gorge?

I know that's a lot of questions but I tried calling the Wyoming DWR and the person I spoke with wasn't sure about the first three questions which made me feel real good that even the DWR doesn't know. At least the person at the office I called didn't know. [:/]

Well thanks in advance,
Bigpapafish
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[indent]I am pretty sure you don't need a conservation stamp if you have one of those reciprocal stamps, only if you buy a regular Wyoming out of state license or resident license.
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I believe you just need the Wyoming reciprical stamp $10, however the regulations aren't totally clear because page 27 of the regs imply you don't need the conservation stamp mentioned on page 4. See Wyoming Regulations [url "http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/fishregs.pdf"]http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/fishregs.pdf[/url] pages 4 and 27 and make your own interpretation.

Glow jigs are not considered "artificial light"

There are burbot on the Utah side but according to net surveys I heard about, the numbers are still generally low in most areas. I did hear about some good catches of burbot in Linwood during the mac spawn. I don't know about ice conditions on the Utah side.
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Hey thanks guys for the responses, I was really surprised when I called Wyoming fish and game and the person I spoke with really didn't have any answers. Maybe the person I spoke with was new... well good luck to them.[]

Thanks for clarification about the glow jigs not being "artificial light".

I had found the part on page 4 but didn't find the part about the reciprocal licenses on page 27 until fishnate pointed it out. I just wasn't thrilled with the Idea of another $12.50 on top of the reciprocal license. I believe in supporting fish conservation efforts, but with the economy the way it is $5 here and $10 there really starts to add up. I realize that $12.50 probably isn't that much money when you think about driving to Wyoming and all that is involved in getting out on the ice, but I work construction and work is slow and money is tight.

I guess it makes sense that people are driving to Wyoming because the fishing is better. I was just trying to stay in Utah because you don't need the reciprocal licenses and a little more lenient fishing regs, re. lights, # of hooks etc.

That's answered the bulk of my questions, just one left.

Any ideas about lights on the underwater camera?

Thanks again for the great responses,
Bigpapafish[fishin]
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All you need is the WY reciprocal stamp. It's $10 and good through December 31, 2010. It allows you to fish the WY end and remember you can use up to 6 poles/tip-ups through the ice only on Flaming Gorge (UT and WY). You don't need any extra stamps to partake, but you do need to have all poles or tip-ups marked with the user's name if you're using more than two.

There's burbot in Utah, but like you said in lower numbers. You could probably do well near Lucerne/Linwood where numbers are relatively high, but currently ice is non-existent. Definitely hit the WY portion for higher catch rates.

You can't use artificial light to attract fish in WY. Your camera has a infrared light source which is used for nightime/low light operation. I wouldn't think that constitutes attraction, only operation. Just to make sure I would contact WY Game and Fish in Green River. Their number is 307-875-3223. Ask for one of the fisheries guys to get clarification. Good luck, Ryno
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