05-21-2019, 09:32 PM
Interesting discussion! Personally, the people at the DWR Fisheries today are head and shoulders ABOVE what we used to have. When I first moved to Utah in 1969, everything was a put and take trout fishery with no regard to trying to establish self sustaining fisheries, no diversification of species, no regard for warmwater fisheries, no management to speak of regarding places like Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell, Fish Lake, or Bear Lake. Everything was planter rainbow, raised in the hatchery system. The premier fisheries in the system were Strawberry and Scofield, which to maintain the fishery, had to be "treated" every 8-10 years. Compare that to what we have today. You have a tremendous fishery at Soldier Creek/Strawberry for cutthroat, rainbow, and tiger trout, with the Kokanee comming on strong. You have multi tiered fisheries all over the state like Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Rockport, Echo, Minersville,, Pineview, and Starvation. You have a Premiere warmwater fishery in Lake Powell, a revitalized fishery in Bear Lake, Fish Lake, and Flaming Gorge, where you can go and catch a 20 plus lake trout. You have Bear River, Willard bay, Utah Lake, Yuba, and several other waters that are incredible warmwater fisheries for LMB, Walleye, Channel Cat, Crappie, and Yellow Perch. Sure, we wish that they could be better, but hey gang, 40 years ago it was a whole different ballgame with two waters getting 80% of the funding and the rest of the state scratching for the crumbs. My suggestion, quite complaining, enjoy what you have, support the Fisheries guys in what they are trying to do and have done, and count it good !!! The pressures that they deal with are tremendous, many of the problems are beyond their control and unsolvable. These men and women are dedicated and work their butts off for us. Be grateful they are there and doing the job !!