By catching and killing pike, you’re helping conserve the June sucker, as well as protect popular sportfish opportunities. All northern pike caught in Utah Lake or its tributaries must be killed immediately.

Another project that will be completed using Cutthroat Trout Slam funds involves removal of the Porter Fork weir, which is a fish barrier in Mill Creek Canyon. Revenue from the Cutthroat Slam will be combined with grant money from the National Forest Foundation to remove the weir.

This stream now boasts >600 fish per mile and has several fish growing over the 18-inch mark. Due to the lack of fishing pressure, or what I call “education,” these fish will take about anything.

So, then I had to figure out exactly how to get the fish down to the stream.  I asked a few co-workers with horses whether they would be able to help, but none of them had time during that part of the year.

But among the other 75 percent, many boaters are getting the bigger picture. They know that prevention is the best way to keep Utah’s waters healthy. Many feel that Clean, Drain and Dry is just part of taking proper care of their boat.

The UDWR is currently aware of almost 900 guzzlers throughout the state. The exact locations of these guzzlers are not published in order to provide some protection to the animals that use them, but general locations of the guzzlers are shown in this map.

It’s been great to talk with anglers on where to catch the four cutthroat trout subspecies and it is even more rewarding when they follow up with me once they’ve completed the slam. For the most part, everyone has truly enjoyed completing the slam and they feel that the challenge makes the reward that much more enjoyable.

The purchase of this power plant will aid the Division of Wildlife Resources in keeping a disease-free operation at the Fountain Green Fish Hatchery by switching from an open-reservoir water source to a covered and piped-at-the-source system.

Many fish lose weight during the winter months and when ice off occurs, they’re hungry and eager to put the lost weight back on. What this means for anglers is that during ice off, fish are hungry, active, concentrated and willing to take almost anything you throw.

Last spring, annual netting revealed an 89 percent increase in the number of lake trout that measured less than 25 inches. Biologists also aged over a hundred lake trout of varying sizes, and it was immediately clear that they are growing much slower than they did back in the 1980s and 90s.

ARE YOU IN search of Christmas gifts for your favorite angler? We can help! We asked a whole bunch of avid anglers around here what they could never have enough of, and these are the top picks.

Many DWR biologists (including me!) started off as university students working on projects funded by the DWR, and that led them to a career with the agency. It’s a great path if you are truly serious about becoming a professional biologist.