09-05-2007, 11:53 PM
[size 1]RAC meetings will also discuss 2008 fishing proposals.
Should the fishing tournament rules in Utah be changed to draw big-name fishing tournaments to the state?
The Division of Wildlife Resources would like to know your thoughts about that question.
You can provide your ideas several ways, including at a series of upcoming public meetings. At the meetings, the DWR will also seek input about proposals for Utah's 2008 fishing season.
Citizens from Utah's five Regional Advisory Councils will take the public input received at the meetings to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets Oct. 4 in Salt Lake City. Members of the board are expected to approve Utah's 2008 Fishing Guide at the meeting.
The RAC representatives will also share the input received about the fishing tournament rules. The board will not vote on those rules at the Oct. 4 meeting, however.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
* Southern Region
Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver
* Southeastern Region
Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
885 E. Main St., Green River
* Northeastern Region
Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Western Park, Rm. #2
302 E. 200 S., Vernal
* Central Region
Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m.
Springville Junior High School
165 S. 700 E., Springville
* Northern Region
Sept. 19, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W., Brigham City
Fishing tournaments
The DWR has been approached about changing Utah's fishing tournament rules. Changing the rules could help draw big-name warm water fishing tournaments to Utah. And that could help local communities and the state's economy.
One area the DWR is seeking public input about is how the fish caught in these tournaments should be weighed and measured.
One option is to allow anglers to temporarily possess fish that they normally wouldn't be able to have in their possession.
For example, at some waters, anglers can't possess fish that are more than 12 inches long. Should Utah's fishing tournament rules be changed so competitors could take fish longer than 12 inches to a weigh station on shore before releasing the fish back into the water?
Another option is to place a paid judge in each angler's boat. In the boat, the judge would weigh and measure each fish boat before it was placed back in the water.
A third option is to put two anglers who don't know each other into the same boat, and have them weigh and measure each other's fish.
In addition to fishing tournaments, the DWR also wants public input about the best way to manage fishing contests. Catching a fish that has been tagged and then released into a water is one example of a fishing contest. Fishing contests involve luck more than skill.
"We need to take a good look at fishing tournaments and contests," says Drew Cushing, warm water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "We need the public's input to help us determine the best way to manage these public events."
If you can't attend one of the upcoming meetings, you can still get your comments to the DWR. Please e-mail them to DWRComments@utah.gov. You can also mail your comments to Warm Water Fisheries Coordinator, Division of Wildlife Resources, P.O. Box 146301, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84114-6301.
Your comments about tournaments and contests must be received no later than Oct. 15.
"We're gathering input right now," Cushing says. "Once we've received that input, we'll present specific proposals to the public at another series of meetings in November."
2008 fishing rules
In addition to Utah's fishing tournaments rules, proposals for Utah's 2008 fishing season also will be discussed at the meetings. The following are among the DWR's proposals:
Allow anglers to fillet fish at most of Utah's fishing waters. The only exceptions would be Strawberry Reservoir, Panguitch Lake and Jordanelle Reservoir (smallmouth bass are the only fish anglers would not be allowed to fillet at Jordanelle). The DWR has biological and law enforcement concerns about filleting fish at these waters. "This change would allow anglers to take advantage of fish cleaning stations and get their fish ready for the table before they got home," Cushing says.
Underwater spearfishing
* Add Jordanelle, Yuba and Pineview reservoirs to the list of waters where spearfishing is allowed. Anglers at Pineview would not be allowed to spearfish tiger muskies, however.[/size]
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* Drop Joes Valley Reservoir from the list of waters where you can spearfish.[/size]
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* The spearfishing season would run June 1 - Nov. 30, 2008. Anglers who spearfish could take game and nongame fish that were legal to take at the water they're fishing. They could also take carp at any water in Utah as long as the fishing season for that water was open.[/size]
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o Change the state's bait and bait fish restrictions to keep bait fish that might have aquatic diseases out of Utah, particularly those from the Great Lakes region. The only bait fish anglers could have are the species that are currently found in Utah.[/size]
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o Allow anglers to keep up to 10 yellow perch at Yuba Reservoir in central Utah. Between Jan. 1 and April 30, anglers would be required to keep all of the yellow perch they caught, up to their 10-perch limit.[/size]
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o Allow anglers to keep up to six bass at Sand Hollow Reservoir in southwestern Utah. Only one of those bass could be longer than 12 inches.[/size]
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o Replace special regulations at several Utah streams with the general statewide regulation, and simplify regulations at other waters.
East Canyon Creek, the South Fork of the Ogden River and Wheatgrass Creek are three of the streams that would be put under general statewide regulations. The general statewide regulation allows anglers to catch and have up to four trout in their possession. There's no restriction on the size or species of trout.
"There's no longer a biological reason to keep these streams under special regulations," says Roger Wilson, cold water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "Placing them under the general statewide regulation would make it easier to know what the regulations are and allow anglers to keep a few more fish." [/size]
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Should the fishing tournament rules in Utah be changed to draw big-name fishing tournaments to the state?
The Division of Wildlife Resources would like to know your thoughts about that question.
You can provide your ideas several ways, including at a series of upcoming public meetings. At the meetings, the DWR will also seek input about proposals for Utah's 2008 fishing season.
Citizens from Utah's five Regional Advisory Councils will take the public input received at the meetings to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets Oct. 4 in Salt Lake City. Members of the board are expected to approve Utah's 2008 Fishing Guide at the meeting.
The RAC representatives will also share the input received about the fishing tournament rules. The board will not vote on those rules at the Oct. 4 meeting, however.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
* Southern Region
Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver
* Southeastern Region
Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
885 E. Main St., Green River
* Northeastern Region
Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Western Park, Rm. #2
302 E. 200 S., Vernal
* Central Region
Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m.
Springville Junior High School
165 S. 700 E., Springville
* Northern Region
Sept. 19, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W., Brigham City
Fishing tournaments
The DWR has been approached about changing Utah's fishing tournament rules. Changing the rules could help draw big-name warm water fishing tournaments to Utah. And that could help local communities and the state's economy.
One area the DWR is seeking public input about is how the fish caught in these tournaments should be weighed and measured.
One option is to allow anglers to temporarily possess fish that they normally wouldn't be able to have in their possession.
For example, at some waters, anglers can't possess fish that are more than 12 inches long. Should Utah's fishing tournament rules be changed so competitors could take fish longer than 12 inches to a weigh station on shore before releasing the fish back into the water?
Another option is to place a paid judge in each angler's boat. In the boat, the judge would weigh and measure each fish boat before it was placed back in the water.
A third option is to put two anglers who don't know each other into the same boat, and have them weigh and measure each other's fish.
In addition to fishing tournaments, the DWR also wants public input about the best way to manage fishing contests. Catching a fish that has been tagged and then released into a water is one example of a fishing contest. Fishing contests involve luck more than skill.
"We need to take a good look at fishing tournaments and contests," says Drew Cushing, warm water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "We need the public's input to help us determine the best way to manage these public events."
If you can't attend one of the upcoming meetings, you can still get your comments to the DWR. Please e-mail them to DWRComments@utah.gov. You can also mail your comments to Warm Water Fisheries Coordinator, Division of Wildlife Resources, P.O. Box 146301, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84114-6301.
Your comments about tournaments and contests must be received no later than Oct. 15.
"We're gathering input right now," Cushing says. "Once we've received that input, we'll present specific proposals to the public at another series of meetings in November."
2008 fishing rules
In addition to Utah's fishing tournaments rules, proposals for Utah's 2008 fishing season also will be discussed at the meetings. The following are among the DWR's proposals:
Allow anglers to fillet fish at most of Utah's fishing waters. The only exceptions would be Strawberry Reservoir, Panguitch Lake and Jordanelle Reservoir (smallmouth bass are the only fish anglers would not be allowed to fillet at Jordanelle). The DWR has biological and law enforcement concerns about filleting fish at these waters. "This change would allow anglers to take advantage of fish cleaning stations and get their fish ready for the table before they got home," Cushing says.
Underwater spearfishing
* Add Jordanelle, Yuba and Pineview reservoirs to the list of waters where spearfishing is allowed. Anglers at Pineview would not be allowed to spearfish tiger muskies, however.[/size]
[size 1]
* Drop Joes Valley Reservoir from the list of waters where you can spearfish.[/size]
[size 1]
* The spearfishing season would run June 1 - Nov. 30, 2008. Anglers who spearfish could take game and nongame fish that were legal to take at the water they're fishing. They could also take carp at any water in Utah as long as the fishing season for that water was open.[/size]
[size 1]
o Change the state's bait and bait fish restrictions to keep bait fish that might have aquatic diseases out of Utah, particularly those from the Great Lakes region. The only bait fish anglers could have are the species that are currently found in Utah.[/size]
[size 1]
o Allow anglers to keep up to 10 yellow perch at Yuba Reservoir in central Utah. Between Jan. 1 and April 30, anglers would be required to keep all of the yellow perch they caught, up to their 10-perch limit.[/size]
[size 1]
o Allow anglers to keep up to six bass at Sand Hollow Reservoir in southwestern Utah. Only one of those bass could be longer than 12 inches.[/size]
[size 1]
o Replace special regulations at several Utah streams with the general statewide regulation, and simplify regulations at other waters.
East Canyon Creek, the South Fork of the Ogden River and Wheatgrass Creek are three of the streams that would be put under general statewide regulations. The general statewide regulation allows anglers to catch and have up to four trout in their possession. There's no restriction on the size or species of trout.
"There's no longer a biological reason to keep these streams under special regulations," says Roger Wilson, cold water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "Placing them under the general statewide regulation would make it easier to know what the regulations are and allow anglers to keep a few more fish." [/size]
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