CHEYENNE— Springtime often brings some of the best fishing of the year, and accompanying that good fishing comes a dramatic increase of the number of anglers and boaters on Wyoming waters.
With that influx of activity, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department urges anglers to check out the new regulations to make sure that when they do venture out they are familiar with any of the regulation changes that are now in effect.
“There have been a number of significant changes in the regulations for 2008 and 2009,” said Dirk Miller, fisheries management coordinator with the Game and Fish Department. “The biggest changes are in creel limits and species restrictions on certain waters.”
For trout, the general creel limit has stayed the same as previous years, allowing anglers six fish of which no more than one can exceed 20 inches. The general statewide trout regulation now separates brook trout, allowing a limit of 16, but no more than six brook trout can exceed eight inches. In addition to creel limit changes for brook trout, there are a number of waters where creel limits have been changed from previous years. These changes often involve length of fish that can be kept and creel limits regarding different trout species.
The first section of the regulations booklet contains general information on creel limits, license requirements and Wyoming laws and regulations. The booklet also has five separate sections for each of the state’s major drainages. Each section contains a map of that drainage along with regulations and seasons that differ from the general statewide regulations.
To determine which regulations are new or have been revised, anglers can look for the blue and yellow highlighted information throughout the booklet. Of particular note are the drainage-wide regulations that are highlighted in yellow. Anglers should note that not all waters are listed in the booklet. Only waters with exceptions to the general fishing and boating regulations are listed. If a specific water is not listed, it simply means that the general seasons and creel limits apply.
Fisheries regulations are available at all Game and Fish license agencies, on the Game and Fish Web site http://gf.state.wy.us or by calling (307) 777-4600.
CHEYENNE – A recent survey by the American Sportfishing Association ranks Wyoming as the top state in the lower 48 for having the highest number of residents who fish based on the percentage of population. Only Alaska ranked higher. The survey included residents 16 and older.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department fisheries chief Mike Stone is pleased with the long standing tradition Wyoming’s residents have in fishing opportunities in the Cowboy state. “Our ranking is undoubtedly due to the interests of Wyoming people,” Stone said. “Residents have a high interest in outdoor activities in Wyoming and streams and lakes play a big role in those activities. At the Game and Fish we strive to maintain a variety of fishing opportunities through our fisheries habitat improvements, hatcheries and regulations.”
Wyoming is also a fishing destination state for residents and nonresidents. Participation is captured in Wyoming’s economy. The 2006 survey revealed that Wyoming anglers spent more than $528 million pursuing their sport during the year, providing an estimated 7,398 jobs. In addition, anglers pumped more than $64 million into state and local tax coffers.
On a national scale, the survey confirmed that recreational fishing is more than just an outing for millions of Americans. Nationwide, America’s nearly 40 million anglers spend more than $45 billion per year on fishing equipment, transportation, lodging, equipment, licenses and more.
Through their purchases, anglers more than any other group, play a major role in fisheries conservation efforts through special taxes on fishing and boating equipment and motorboat fuel. In fiscal year 2007, these taxes provided by Dingell-Johnson and Wallop-Breaux legislation returned nearly $5.5 million to Wyoming to be used for various fisheries programs.
WYOMING RESIDENTS ADVISED TO AVOID
EATING FISH HIGH IN MERCURY
Cheyenne--The Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Game and Fish
Department are advising state residents to be mindful about mercury levels in
fish they eat. In addition to some saltwater fish, the agencies are advising
caution when consuming certain fish from Big Horn, Seminoe, and Pathfinder
reservoirs.
“Eating fish with high amounts of mercury can cause health problems,
especially in children,” said Timothy Ryan, environmental public health section
chief with Wyoming Department of Health.
“In general, Wyoming fish are low in mercury,” Ryan said. “But we are
recommending that women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers and
children under the age of 15 should eat more small Wyoming-caught fish and fewer
large fish, and should avoid eating channel catfish, bass, sauger and walleye
from certain waters.
Specifically, the agencies are recommending the following guidelines
relevant to fish consumption:
· Women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under
15 are advised to consume no more than two meals per week of fish that are low
in mercury. People in that group should not eat fish that are considered high in
mercury.
· For people not in the above category, the agencies are advising prudent
consumption of fish that are low in mercury and no more than one to two meals
per month of fish that are high in mercury.
· Freshwater fish that are low in mercury include: Wyoming-caught trout and
farm-raised tilapia and farm-raised catfish.
· Freshwater fish that are high in mercury include: channel catfish, sauger, and
walleye from Big Horn, Seminoe, and Pathfinder reservoirs.
Mike Stone, Fisheries Chief with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, explained
that fish size is a factor affecting mercury levels. “The longer a fish lives
the greater its chances of accumulating mercury in its tissues,” Stone said. “In
general, fish that feed on other fish or bottom-feeders are also more likely to
accumulate mercury.”
Game and Fish has conducted baseline surveys on major reservoirs around the
state for several years. Fish from the majority of waters exhibited low levels
of mercury. A few waters warranted additional testing that led to the fish
consumption advisory. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is
distributed throughout the environment by both natural processes and human
activities.
The specific recommendations are available on the Department of Health’s website
and will be included in the 2008-09 Wyoming Fishing Regulations, which will be
available at Game and Fish offices and license selling agents on January 1,
2008. The recommendations include information about various fish types and
bodies of water in the state, and are based on current information from the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Future guidelines may change as further
testing results become available.
Ryan emphasized that finding mercury in fish is not unique to Wyoming. “In fact,
all other states except Alaska have previously issued similar fish consumption
advisories for their citizens.”
For more information about mercury levels in saltwater species, and for more
information about the guidelines, go to
www.health.wyo.gov.
WALLEYE FISHERIES IN BOYSEN RESERVOIR AND OCEAN LAKE RECEIVE HELP FROM GAME AND FISH
LANDER - Fisheries in both Boysen Reservoir and Ocean Lake are important destination points for anglers seeking to catch a cunning, secretive walleye. Both fisheries have been under the Game and Fish radar for several years as biologists seek to find ways to improve the chances for anglers to catch nice-sized walleye. Because issues can vary greatly among different bodies of water, biologists have adopted different management strategies and studies for both Boysen Reservoir and Ocean Lake.
The health of walleye populations is more often than not a function of the habitat walleye have to live with. Preferring cool, clear waters with lots of oxygen, walleye tend to flourish in large lakes. Rocky shorelines for spawning habitats are key to walleye reproduction, without which populations cannot sustain themselves. Fisheries biologists have to take all of the factors into consideration when coming up with a strategy for managing different populations and habitats.
The populations and habitats in Ocean Lake and Boysen Reservoir are just that – very different – giving managers the challenge of two very different approaches. Ocean Lake, for example, is the only water in the region in which walleye are stocked, mainly because no good spawning habitat exists in Ocean Lake for walleye to reproduce on their own. Conversely, Boysen Reservoir offers good spawning habitat that allows walleye to reproduce on their own.
“Walleye populations in Boysen Reservoir are self-sustaining because there is good spawning habitat,” said Fisheries Biologist Kevin Johnson, “One of the main reason we don’t consider a stocking program on Boysen is complications with sauger. Sauger are known to hybridize with walleye, and because the sauger population in Boysen and upstream in the Wind River is one of the last genetically pure populations in North America, we don’t want to jeopardize that with a walleye stocking program.”
Because there is adequate habitat for walleye reproduction in Boysen Reservoir, fisheries managers focus their energy on monitoring walleye populations and improving habitat for other cool water fish species. Walleye are monitored each year with gill nets set on shoreline habitat. Walleye swim into nets and become trapped allowing fisheries managers to collect the fish and obtain information on abundance and the health of the fish.
“Walleye populations are cyclic in most waters, and in recent years we have noted an increase in the number of fish we catch in gill nets,” said Game and Fish Fisheries Biologist Joe Deromedi. “We are especially encouraged to see an increase in young fish in this year’s netting effort. Nearly half of the walleye caught in gill nets were 15 inches or less; mean length for walleye netted was 16.3 inches.”
“Walleye recruitment is dependent upon several factors such as adequate spawning habitat, cover and food for the young, predation, and other factors, said Deromedi. “Boysen Reservoir supports an abundance of mature fish, has large areas of spawning habitat, and stable water conditions are usually available during egg incubation for walleye. Poor walleye recruitment results from predation on young walleye during years when nursery habitat ‘cover’ is not available.”
Fisheries managers also use gill nets to monitor walleye populations in Ocean Lake, but take a different approach. Gill nets are floated at the water surface to reduce the chance of catching other fish species. Fisheries managers collect information on walleye populations, age classes, and overall health of the fish that helps them determine strategies for stocking.
“We stock about 320,000 fingerling (1-2 inch) walleye in Ocean Lake each year because walleye do not naturally reproduce in this system and there is no threat of hybridization with sauger,” said Johnson. According to Johnson, walleye do not reproduce in Ocean Lake because there is no spawning habitat.
Although some fishing regulations will see changes beginning in January 2008, there are no changes proposed for walleye regulations on either Boysen Reservoir or Ocean Lake. Fisheries managers hope that the information they obtain from their studies on these two bodies of water will help them improve walleye fisheries and management strategies.
For more information contact the local Game and Fish office at (307) 332-2688, or visit the Game and Fish web page at http://gf.state.wy.us.
It is nothing new for most anglers to hear that sauger
populations are not what they used to be. Throughout Wyoming, sauger
populations have declined, but the populations in the Bighorn-Wind river remain
valuable sport fisheries. In an effort to continue to protect the Wind River
population, Game and Fish biologists have been working with the University of
Wyoming to enhance understanding of this important sportfish.
Saugers are adapted to large, un-dammed, slow-moving rivers with warm, muddy
water. Populations were once widely distributed throughout North America, but
populations have been reduced due to damming of rivers that block migration
routes and result in a loss of river habitat, competition with introduced
species, over harvest, and hybridization with walleye. In Wyoming, saugers are
native to the North Platte, Bighorn-Wind, Tongue, and Powder River drainages.
They are considered a State Species of Special Concern, no longer occurring in
the North Platte drainage and rare in the Tongue and Powder drainages.
Genetically pure populations still occur in the Bighorn-Wind rivers.
The Wind River sauger population is one of the few pure wild populations left,”
said Game and Fish Fisheries Biologist Kevin Johnson. “Most populations of
sauger have been contaminated with saugeye, a sauger-walleye hybrid. The
overall population in the Wind River is relatively small and could be impacted
easily. The study we are conducting will give us a better understanding of this
population and hopefully help us protect it from such impacts.”
Sauger research in the Wind River began in 2002 with three University of Wyoming
graduate students. These students researched occurrence, habitat use, and
movement of adult and juvenile saugers and laid the groundwork for Game and Fish
biologists to manage the species.
“As part of a long-term management plan, we have begun returning to some of the
sites established by the graduate students to monitor the population,” said
Johnson. “These data should allow us to monitor the trends in sauger numbers.”
Game and Fish biologists sample these sites by electrofishing, or running an
electric current into the water to stun fish. This is a practice afforded only
to trained, certified biologists and far from legal as a means for anglers to
catch fish according to Game and Fish regulations.
“Electrofishing is a practice that allows us to quickly collect fish from a
stretch of river, giving us an good look at sauger numbers,” said Johnson. “It
is a method we prefer because it is not harmful to fish and we can release them
with little to no mortality.”
Biologists monitor the entire Wind River drainage but focus much of their time
on the Little Wind and the Popo Agie as these provide important spawning areas
for sauger. The study is a cooperative effort among Game and Fish, Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the Wind River Reservation.
“Much of the sauger habitat monitored is located on the Reservation, and this
study would not be possible without the great cooperation we get from the tribes
and the Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Johnson. “It is great to be able to
work together to preserve this valuable resource for the entire public.”
For more information, contact your regional Game and Fish office at (307)
332-2688 or visit our web page at
http://gf.state.wy.us/services/news/RegionalNews/Lander/index.asp.
(Thanks to Erin Smith of the Lander Regional Office)
CASPER ANGLER REELS IN STATE RECORD SAUGER
FROM BOYSEN RESERVOIR
CASPER * A new state record was set Jan. 7 when Casper angler Tom Durst reeled
in a 7.5 pound, 26.5 inch sauger from Boysen Reservoir, breaking the old record
that has stood since 1999. The old record, a sauger weighing in at 7.4 pounds
and measuring 26.2 inches long, was also caught at Boysen by Brad Berg of
Riverton March 14, 1999.
"I wasn't expecting to catch a state record sauger," Durst said. "I always
figured if I caught a state record it would probably be a carp or sucker."
He caught the fish at a depth of about 13 feet, using a live minnow on a tip-up.
He reported cold, cloudy conditions with no wind at the time of the catch.
"It was really cold, about 8 degrees above zero," Durst said.
Not having any luck at their first location, Durst and his fishing buddy, Bruce
Parker, also of Casper, decided to move to a different spot on the lake. After
struggling with a malfunctioning auger, it was about 9:30 a.m. when they finally
got set up and began fishing. They were soon catching crappie and even a burbot.
When Durst later went to check one of his tip-ups he was surprised to feel
resistance, as the flag had not been set off. He pulled the line to check it and
was surprised when he landed the large sauger. Durst struggles with an eye
condition that makes his eyes water in cold weather, which might explain why he
first thought the fish was a walleye. Parker also thought the fish was a walleye
and pestered Durst to release it because it was too big to eat. "But I kept it
anyway, it was a nice fish," Durst said.
After another angler identified the fish as a sauger, Durst knew it could
possibly be a record. So they took the fish into Shoshone to have it weighed.
The following day he took the fish to the Casper Game and Fish office to get a
positive identification.
Durst, who recently retired from the Bureau of Land Management, is pleased that
his fish broke the old record and he plans to have it mounted. "But even if it
wasn't a state record, this fish is a trophy anyway. It's a once-in-a-lifetime
catch," he said.
Sauger are a member of the perch family and closely resemble walleye. The
species, which is native to the Missouri River drainage, is distinguished from
walleye by the absence of a white tip on the lower tail fin. In Wyoming, sauger
are found in the Bighorn-Wind, Tongue and Powder River drainages. Sauger and
walleye are both found in Boysen Reservoir, although walleye are more abundant
and grow larger.
"Sauger distribution has declined across their native range and they are no
longer found in the North Platte River drainage in Wyoming," said Joe Deromedi,
fisheries biologist for Boysen Reservoir. Concerns over declining sauger numbers
and distribution prompted the Game and Fish and the University of Wyoming to
conduct several studies over the past several years.
"Though much has been learned from this research, the Game and Fish is still
very concerned about the long-term future for this species in Wyoming," Deromedi
said.
The North American record is shared by two 8-pound, 12-ounce fish. The first one
caught in Oct. 6, 1971 at Lake Sakakawea, N.D. and the other Dec. 12, 1994 at
Fort Peck Lake, Mont.rbot caught west of the Continental Divide to the Game and Fish. In addition, any illegal transportation or introduction of live fish should be reported to the Stop Poaching Hotline (800) 442-4331.
TIGER TROUT HITS WYOMING RECORD BOOKS
GREEN RIVER- When Encampment resident Greg Salisbury caught a large tiger trout in the new High Savery Reservoir July 3 he knew he had some sort of state fish record. He just wasn't sure which one.
The fish hit a gold spinner and weighed 1 pound 10.4 ounces and measured 16.5 inches long with a 9-inch girth. The "tiger" is a cross between a brook and brown trout. It has white-edged fins on its underside like a brook trout, but its body features irregular dark green lines or vermiculations on a lighter green background with infrequent spots. Salisbury has the honor of holding the first Wyoming record for the species.
"I caught tiger trout in High Savery last year and they were around 7 to 9 inches long," Salisbury said. "I usually catch and release my fish, but when I caught this trout I knew I had some sort of a record."
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department stocked the reservoir with Colorado River cutthroat, kokanee salmon and tiger trout, which were obtained from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, in June 2005. High Savery Reservoir is the only Wyoming water hosting the species.
Game and Fish chose to stock tiger trout because the hybrid is sterile, so stocking can strictly control their numbers. Tiger trout have been used in Utah in association with their Colorado cutthroat recovery plan with good success. The "tigers" should stay along the shorelines and prey more specifically on white suckers and creek chubs than cutthroats or kokanee. Tiger trout are also very aggressive and readily take flies and lures.
Salisbury, a taxidermist, has plans for his record. "I know this record will be broken soon, but in the meantime I am going to mount this fish," he said.
To get to High Savery Reservoir from Rawlins, take Wyoming Highway 71 approximately 35 miles south and turn west into the lake. Or from Wyoming Highway 70 in the Medicine Bow National Forest, take Forest Service Road 801 approximately 8 miles north of the forest boundary and turn west. There is no sign marking the turnoff.
The North American tiger trout record weighed 20 pounds 13 ounces and was caught on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan in August 1978.
RECORD GREEN SUNFISH HITS BOOKS IN UNIQUE FASHION
LOVELL - The bobber signaled a good bite, but the tangle in his reel signaled trouble. Doug Nixon of Lovell overcame the monofilament mess, set the hook and landed more memories than just fishing with his grandkids - a new state record green sunfish.
Reflective of Wyoming's last record that was broken, when a trout angler caught the state's biggest carp to date, Nixon was actually fishing for carp at the Lovell Lakes when he caught the .82-pound nearly 10-inch panfish May 30.
"It fought hard enough that I thought it was a carp," he said of the fish that uncharacteristically bit on a dough ball fashioned for carp. "The lake is full of green sunfish and I know there's bigger ones out there."
The 57-year-old avid angler loves to fish the lakes with his grandkids since the lakes are so close "I can throw a rock into the lakes from where I live."
Since setting the record, Nixon caught another green sunfish at the lakes on a beetle spin he said would have also beaten the previous .67-pound record caught Aug. 9, 2001 in a pond near Kaycee.
The excellent-eating green sunfish was introduced to Wyoming. It is common in ponds and small lakes of eastern Wyoming and the Big Horn Basin.
Two anglers share the North American record with 2 pound, 2 ounce green sunfish. One was caught at Stockton Lake, Mo. in 1971 and the other in a Cherokee County, Kansas sandpit in 1961.
