SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is seeking public input on proposed changes to several fishing regulations.
DWR conducted surveys and gathered angler feedback on management practices and are proposing a variety of updated fishing regulations for various waterbodies and species across the state.
Statewide
Anglers can use multiple methods for catching common carp, fathead minnow and redside shiner in any waterbody in Utah that is open to fishing. The use of traps, underwater spearfishing, bowfishing, liftnets, dipnets, cast nets, seine or spear for harvesting the selected fish.
- DWR would also allow the same multiple methods for catching Utah chub, Utah sucker and white sucker in any waterbody in Utah that is open to fishing, except for the Weber River, Utah Lake and Utah Lake tributaries.
- Updated rules listing burbot and zander as prohibited fish in Utah.
- Spearfishing will close during seasonal spawning and reopen at 6 a.m. on the fourth Saturday in June.
- Reducing the daily fish limit for largemouth bass to 0 fish at eight community ponds along the Wasatch Front, in order to improve survival rates at these heavily fished waterbodies.
- Proposing to change the status of 14 native fish species to game fish to allow them to be caught and released by anglers, which will help build support for these species. The reclassified species would include Bear Lake sculpin, bluehead sucker, desert sucker, green sucker, flannelmouth sucker, least chub, longnose dace, mottled sculpin, mountain sucker, northern leatherside, Paiute sculpin, southern leatherside, speckled dace, Virgin spinedace and white sturgeon to the list of game fishes with a daily limit. However, the daily limit would be listed as 0 fish for all of these species. The roundtail chub daily limit would also be decreased from 2 fish to 0 fish in all locations, due to drought.
- Removing mountain sucker, longnose dace, speckled dace, mottled sculpin, Paiute sculpin and golden shiner from the list of dead fish that may be used as bait in Utah.
Northern Utah
In Northern Utah, DWR would like to implement the following changes:
- Reducing the daily limit for bluegill at Mantua Reservoir from 50 to 15 fish.
- Adding no limit on walleye (an illegal introduction) at Mantua Reservoir and requiring all walleye caught to be killed.
- Implementing a minimum-length limit for walleye caught at Willard Bay Reservoir. Anglers would be able to keep a daily limit of 6 walleye over 18 inches and only 1 walleye over 24 inches.
- Allowing a bonus daily limit of 8 kokanee salmon at Causey and Stateline reservoirs, in addition to the daily limit of 4 trout.
- Increasing the daily limit for tiger muskie caught at Newton Reservoir to 1 fish over 40 inches.
- Allowing the use of bait at Hobbs Reservoir only to catch white sturgeon, while using a single hook no smaller than size 4/0. Anglers may not use bait when fishing for trout.
Fishing rule amendments
In addition to the fishing regulation proposals, the DWR is also recommending a few corresponding fishing rule updates, as well as a few new rule changes, including:
- Clarifying that an angler or spearfisher targeting a legal species of game fish, who catches a nuisance prohibited species, is allowed to possess it if they use a legal method of take to capture it and dispose of it properly.
- Clarifying that diploid (fertile) grass carp are prohibited, but triploid (sterile) grass carp may be stocked in Utah, in accordance with rule.
- Adding golden shiner, burbot and zander to the prohibited fish list.
- Adding gizzard and threadfin shad and Utah and white sucker to the controlled list, and clarifying that common carp is the carp species on the controlled list.
- Adding mollusks to the definition of “protected aquatic wildlife” in Utah.
- Reclassifying white sturgeon and 14 native fish species as game fish, and updating the rules and definitions for game and nongame fish species.
- Clarifying the requirements for bowfishing equipment.
- Clarifying that underwater spearfishing may only target species of game fish that have a daily limit of 1 or more fish. (Game fish species with a daily limit of 0 fish may not be targeted or harvested by underwater spearfishers.)
- Clarifying the rules and fish species allowed for baitfish.
The public meetings for the recommendations can either be viewed virtually or attended in person. You can view the biologists’ presentations before the meetings and share your feedback about them on the DWR website. The presentations are also available on the DWR YouTube channel, but comments can only be submitted through the forms on the DWR website.
The public comment period opened on Aug. 12 for each of the five Regional Advisory Council meetings and for the Utah Wildlife Board meeting. Public comments submitted within the online-comment timeframes listed below will be shared with the RAC and wildlife board members at each respective meeting.
The meetings for Northern Utah will be held on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Weber County Commission Chambers at 2380 Washington Blvd. #240 in Ogden (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 20 at 11:59 p.m.).
Other meeting times and proposed changes to other state waterbodies can be found on the DWR website.