Fishing Forum

We've just posted our proposals for Utah fishing changes in 2015. Please take a look, and then attend one or more of the RAC meetings if you'd like to weigh in: http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings...packet.pdf

There was great attendance at last year's RAC meeting in Salt Lake City, so we'll be holding the Central Region RAC there again this year (Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m.). Here's the complete RAC schedule:

Southern Region
Sept. 9, 7 p.m.
Snow College Richfield Campus (location updated on Sept. 8)
800 W. 200 S., Richfield

Southeastern Region
Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E Main ST, Green River

Northeastern Region
Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N Vernal Ave, Vernal

Central Region
Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m.
Department of Natural Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City

Northern Region
Sept. 17, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N 300 W, Brigham City

The Utah Wildlife Board will hear the DWR proposals, RAC recommendations and public input at its meeting on Oct. 2.


Amy Canning
Communications Specialist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
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No Utah Chubs for bait?

Quote:([f]g) Dead mountain sucker, white sucker, Utah sucker, redside shiner, speckled
dace, mottled sculpin, fat head minnow, Utah chub, and common carp may be used as bait in any water where bait is permitted.

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No limit on perch at fish lake is really saying something, especially during ice season. I'd say maybe increase limit but not have no limit. Then Sandhollow and gunlock no limit for bass can be a little scary after a few years.

Something I want to see is that the people who spear fish have to have a separate license then just the regular fishing license. In my opinion spear fishing isn't fishing. It's a different category. Will love to know what the population of them are in Utah.

I'd agree to have strip bass to be used as bait or chum just to see for a few years to see if we can get a more healthy population.
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I like the Fish Lake management plan. Sure hope it works and nice to have another kokanee fishery.
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I love the Fish Lake plan. To show my support, the next time I take a trip to Southern Utah I'm packing the tube and stopping for a Perch Fest on the way home.
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It does sound like a good plan overall. I was bummed to read that the DWR was short on their splake quota this year though. I suppose the replacement tiger trout will have to do.
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Will I probably go to a rac.meeting if they where not so far away the southern rac.should be split in to section so us angler that live in Washington county might attend one
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I read over the management plan for the Boulders. It looks to me like they are converting it to a Tiger Trout mountain.
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A tiger trout mountain? Did you miss the part of the plan that showed that 62% of the mountain's lakes are managed for Brook trout compared to only 39% for tiger trout? What about the part of the plan that shows that 35% of all the brook trout waters are going to be managed under a "trophy" plan while only 26% of the tiger trout waters are going to be managed under a "trophy" plan? And, what about the part of the plan that allows tiger trout to make up at most 25% of the total fish in a lake?
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Pacu in Utah, must be people throwing their fish into Blue lake again[:|].

What do you think this means, " Excluding trout, other game fish kept at the angler’s permanent residence
do not count towards an angler’s possession limit for that species or species aggregate."?
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They want to encourage more fish to be kept, and not limiting the quantity of fish in home freezers and etc, theoretically, allows anglers to keep more fish. I think they want to experiment with it for a year or two and perhaps allow trout in the future.
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Hi,

Just trying to provide the clarification on possession limit that you requested.

Currently, as you know, fish that you have at home are included in the total number of that species you may legally possess. The DWR is proposing to removing that limitation on warm and coolwater species. This would not pertain to trout, salmon, grayling, or whitefish.

So, under this proposal, when you get home with your limit of walleye, you can prepare them for the freezer and then go fishing the next day without worrying how many you have at home. The two day possession limit in the field would still apply for multiple day fishing trips.

I hope this helps.

Paul Birdsey
Coldwater Sportfish Coordinator
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
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Awesome, that is how I read it as well but thought maybe it meant something else. So basically if this rule change is accepted and goes into law there is no limit on how many warm water fish I have in my freezer, is that correct?
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That is correct
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Bravo for the proposed changes, and thanks for posting. Special thanks for the proposed possession limit changes.

You may want to look at section R657-13-12 (g) and edit the crossout.

The suggestion above for an additional license for scuba/spear fishing is definitely worth considering. Even if it is a free tag, requiring it would be a valuable management and planning tool. As it is, nobody knows how much of this is going on.
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[quote Flyfishinglover]Then Sandhollow and gunlock no limit for bass can be a little scary after a few years. [/quote]

SMALLMOUTH bass. They aren't supposed to be in either place (including Quail Creek too). No limit on smallmouth is appropriate for those lakes. They are an illegal introduction, and do not belong in those lakes.


keep managing those lakes for the approved sportfish (largemouth, bluegill, crappie), but let's send a message to those people that want to use a bucket to introduce non-approved fish in Utah!
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You can keep as many fish in your freezer (besides trout) as you want? You can go to the lake, catch a limit, take it home, put it in the freezer, go back to the lake and catch another limit, bring it home, put it in your freezer, go back to the lake, catch another limit... and so forth?

I really hope that I am understanding this incorrectly, because that sounds like a God awful idea. The inlet at Willard next year should be a real hoot.
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[#0000FF]They are just legalizing for everyone what the "happy harvesters" are already doing.

More freezer-burned fish cardboard to be dumped periodically.
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This is insane.
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[quote FishMcFisherson]This is insane.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Really??? Based on what set of factual data? I'm all for it. My pressure canner is going to be getting a real workout starting next year.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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