Gorge Macs Need to Go

[nofish2]

So i've got a question about fishing the gorge, If I was leaving from Utah, driving down I-80 to the gorge to fish the Utah side.  Do i need to have the Wyoming invasive species tags?  Also i heard something about having some sort of seal put on your boats, what are they?, where do you get such things done?  This has been one of my big concerns over fishing the gorge lately is I'm not sure of all the invasive species regs and don't want to get in trouble or spend a fortune... Think my boat is big enough now that I'm not as worried about weather as I was so i need to figure out the rules... I wouldn't mind helping reduce the pups....  Kind of crazy if the pups are as plentiful as you say, I sure haven't run into those numbers in my ice trips up there.... however, I do know a boat opens up the use of sonar to find the schools... also know that the mac do take the top predator roll really well.. Was fishing a lake in the Winds that had mac in it as well as brookies.  I caught a brookie on a fly and released it in the shallow crystal clear waters edge... As the brookie swam back towards the deeper water two mac rushed in and attacked the brookie, ended up tearing the fish in half in front of me as one mac was on each end trying to tear it away from the other fish..  Last time I was there the mac were starting to get skinny and all the chubs and such that used to be in that lake weren't visible any longer, so i think they do eat everything... Later J

Jeff, if you are fishing the Utah side of the lake you only need the same tags you need  for any other lake in Utah. As for the cable seal, you by law have to stop at the port of entry at the Wyoming line and they will inspect your boat for muscles and they will install the seal and you are on your way. This doesn't cost you anything but a little time.

[wormandbobber]

The fear posed in the initial post in this thread is that the lake trout will eat themselves out of house and home and destroy the kokanee population. If this happens, the lake trout population will quickly turn into a stunted population (may already be heading that direction) where fish are unable to grow to trophy sizes. In these types of fish populations, fish numbers increase, growth rates decline, and overall fish sizes peak without fish reaching any kind of trophy potential. A "crash" where a species dies off simply doesn't happen.

I have been saying for years that all age and size classes of fish need to be harvested from Flaming Gorge in order to maintain a healthy population. Not just the pups.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks guys for the info on fishing the gorge and invasive species.... I thought I had heard that you don't need to get the Wyoming AIS sticker if you were fishing Utah, but you had to have the seal thing while traveling through the state, but I wasn't sure how that worked.. Thanks for more info on this... Later Jeff

[ducksfresh]

The fear posed in the initial post in this thread is that the lake trout will eat themselves out of house and home and destroy the kokanee population. If this happens, the lake trout population will quickly turn into a stunted population (may already be heading that direction) where fish are unable to grow to trophy sizes. In these types of fish populations, fish numbers increase, growth rates decline, and overall fish sizes peak without fish reaching any kind of trophy potential. A "crash" where a species dies off simply doesn't happen.

I have been saying for years that all age and size classes of fish need to be harvested from Flaming Gorge in order to maintain a healthy population. Not just the pups.

That is exactly what the Western Lake Trout Woes study says. If you believe that study, I do because of the state of those great waters now, there is only one way out. Hopefully sooner than later.

[FishwithKids]

I know several people who have tried to go target pups at the gorge and had poor success and some even got skunked. The more detailed information that is posted about when, where and how to catch pups will help those guys who can only get there occasionally. It will also help the fishery the more guys who harvest pups. That's a long drive and a lot of gas to go and only catch one or 2 pups but if better intel was provided I think more guys would target them if they knew how to go and fill a cooler. Just my $.02

Ducksfresh, do you make your own glow head jigs?


We use 3/8 oz glow head with red eyes. 4" yamamoto glow curlies tipped with a small piece of sucker or other non-game fish. We vertical jig using the spot lock on my Minn Kota. Target the fish you see on your finder. 70' to 90' of water. Some on the bottom, but lots suspended. We had schools of pups come buy at 30' and attack our offerings. There are literally thousands of pups in the buckboard area.

Here is a link to a very recent KSL Outdoors show on how to catch them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKyx_IPEB9Y

TJ Valdez at Buckboard Marina has a special going now. I think its $100 a day charter chasing the pups.

What kind of rod/reel setup?

[Gone Forever]

I thought the Burbot were going to destroy the Laker fishing at the gorge? Are they not?

[TubeDude]

I thought the Burbot were going to destroy the Laker fishing at the gorge?  Are they not?

The macks probably eat more small burbot than burbot eat macks or eggs.

[duofish]

First thing that needs to happen is to make it cheaper to fish the Wyoming side. $30 reciprocal stamps when The Utah side is $10 is stupid. Residents of either state should be able to fish the whole lake with their States respective license.
Boats registered in either Wyoming or Utah should be able to fish the whole lake without additional cost.

I haven't fished the Wyoming side in several years because of the additional costs. To get my boat and family legal costs over $200. It's just not worth it.

I am totally with you on this. Make the playing field equal for both states. With the travel time and now cost of fuel and fees Wyoming puts on it is easier to stay close to home.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

First thing that needs to happen is to make it cheaper to fish the Wyoming side. $30 reciprocal stamps when The Utah side is $10 is stupid. Residents of either state should be able to fish the whole lake with their States respective license.
Boats registered in either Wyoming or Utah should be able to fish the whole lake without additional cost.

I haven't fished the Wyoming side in several years because of the additional costs. To get my boat and family legal costs over $200. It's just not worth it.

AMEN, ON THE DIFFERENCE IN COSTS!   THAT IS THE REASON I QUIT FISHING THE WYOMING SIDE.  WITH A RECIPROCAL STAMP OF $30 AND ANOTHER $30 FOR A WYOMING QUAGGA STICKER IT IS JUST NOT WORTH ANOTHER $90 FOR ME AND MY WIFE TO CATCH A COUPLE LIMITS OF KOKES/YEAR.  I CAN CATCH SOME DECENT KOKES ON THE UTAH SIDE (MAYBE A LITTLE BIT SMALLER IN SIZE) AND I'M HAPPY WITH THAT.  I think ALL the fish and game departments are overpricing out-of-state licenses and they are seeing buyer resistance kick in.  I used to also fish and hunt Idaho and quit buying their out-of-state licenses for the same reason (COST).  They priced themselves out of my range.

[UTFISHING]

Hi Folks,
It is not in my nature to be a town crier. My usual stance is to sit back and watch. I have been fishing the Gorge A Lot for the last 22 years. I spend my summers camped at the Buckboard RV park. I am an avid Kokanee fisherman. The last few years I have tried to do my part by catching and keeping more pups. I made two trips this winter to catch them on the hard water. I teemed up with a friend and entered the Pupulation Tourney and finished 3rd. Not bad for my first ever tournament.

Two weeks ago I fished South Buckboard for pups and caught more than I have ever caught. We were vertical jigging and had schools of pups come by at 30 feet. We thought they may have been kokes, but to our surprise they were pups and they were so aggressive. Of coarse we marked and caught many fish on the bottom in 70' to 90' of water.

The Kokanee are disappearing and it is well documented by studies for years. From what I have read the Macs have to go if we ever want this to be a great Kokanee fishery in the future.

If you care about this fishery you will at least read these two documents. The Utah State University study is dead on regarding the fishery. They forecast what has happened as early as 1992. The other study was produced in 2009. It describes what is happening to our Gorge, with many examples from other great fishery's the Macs have devastated.

Flaming Gorge USU Study
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=investigations+of+forage+fish+and+lake+trout+salvelinus+namaycush&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

Western Lake Trout Woes

https://pinedaleroundup.com/article/soy-...stone-lake

[Wpahole]

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing!