DWR proposes several changes to fishing regulations in Utah

Salt Lake City — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing changes to the current fishing regulations in Utah, as well as a few other rule amendments, and is seeking the public's feedback.

Proposed changes for fishing regulations for 2025–26

In order to implement some needed fishery management updates at various waterbodies across the state and to accommodate angler feedback (garnered through a recent survey), the DWR is recommending several regulation changes for fishing. If approved, the changes would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The proposals include:

Central Utah waterbodies

• Deer Creek Reservoir: Removing the requirement that white bass caught at Deer Creek Reservoir must be killed immediately, and instead adding no limit on white bass at that waterbody.
• Provo River Delta: Requiring that any June suckers caught at the Provo River Delta be immediately released. The DWR is also proposing that any walleye caught in that area from March 1 through 6 a.m. on the first Saturday of May must be released (while the fish are spawning). The DWR is also proposing to remove the limit on northern pike in the Provo River Delta and to require any northern pike caught in that area to be immediately killed. It is also proposed to close the Provo River Delta area to nighttime bowfishing (from sunset to sunrise) from the first Saturday in May through 6 a.m. on the second Saturday of July.
• Utah Lake and its tributaries: Allowing spearfishing for white bass (in addition to northern pike) at Utah Lake and its tributaries west of I-15, including American Fork Creek, Beer Creek, Dry Creek, Hobble Creek, Spanish Fork River and Spring Creek Run.
• Stansbury Lake: Stansbury Lake was recently opened to the public, and the DWR is proposing that any largemouth bass caught there must be released. The DWR is also proposing a 10-fish limit for bluegill, green sunfish and black crappie (a combined total), and a limit of two channel catfish.
• Yuba Reservoir: Allowing setline fishing at Yuba Reservoir.

Northeastern Utah waterbodies

• Pelican Lake: Proposing to keep the daily limit of 15 bluegill at Pelican Lake, but proposing that only five of the fish caught may exceed 8 inches. The DWR also recommends allowing an angler to use up to six lines when ice fishing at Pelican Lake, but would require the angler to check their own lines and attach their name to each line, pole or tip-up if more than two poles are being used at a time.
• Strawberry River: Clarifying that artificial flies and lures regulations also applies to instream lakes and ponds between the Pinnacles and Soldier Creek Dam on Strawberry Reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir proposals

Several updates to fishing regulations were also proposed for Flaming Gorge Reservoir. These changes would benefit the kokanee salmon population at the reservoir, while also reducing the overly abundant small lake trout population. The proposals would also create consistency with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's new fishing regulations for the Wyoming side of the reservoir, which will go into effect in October. If the Utah Wildlife Board passes the regulations proposed below, they would not be in effect on the Utah side of the reservoir until Jan. 1, 2025. Some of the proposed changes for Flaming Gorge include:

• Proposing that anglers can use lake trout (caught as part of their daily limit) as bait — or legally dispose of them (without violating the state's wasting laws) — while fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
• Proposing that chumming be allowed at Flaming Gorge, but only with legal baits, dead burbot or dead lake trout.
• Removing the daily limit for lake trout 28 inches or less caught at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
• Decreasing the daily fish limit for kokanee salmon caught at Flaming Gorge to threefish. (Currently, the daily limit for kokanee salmon at all Utah waterbodies is four fish.)
• Removing the ice hole size restriction at Flaming Gorge. (Currently, there is an 18-inch restriction for ice fishing holes at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.)
• Requiring anglers to label their fishing rods or tip-ups with their name if ice fishing with more than two lines.
• Allowing anglers to harvest both burbot and lake trout with artificial light when spearfishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. No other fish species may be harvested using artificial light while spearfishing.
• Limiting the shooting line for spearfishing to 20 feet.

Northern Utah waterbodies

• Willard Bay Reservoir: Reducing the daily limit of yellow perch to 15 at Willard Bay Reservoir and its inlet channel. (Currently, the statewide daily limit for yellow perch is 50 fish.)
• Causey Reservoir: Allowing an angler to use up to six lines when ice fishing at Causey Reservoir, but requiring the angler to check their own lines and attach their name to each line, pole or tip-up if more than two poles are being used at a time.
• Cutler Reservoir: Reducing the daily limit for black crappie to 15 fish. (Currently, the statewide daily limit for black crappie is 50 fish.)
• Echo Reservoir: Removing the catch-and-kill regulation for walleye at Echo Reservoir and implementing the statewide walleye regulation of allowing people to keep 10 walleye, with one fish over 24 inches.
• Pond at Poulter Preserve: Adding this waterbody as a new community pond. Also adding a regulation that from the second Saturday in September through 6 a.m. on the third Saturday of the following May, only artificial flies and lures and catch-and-release fishing would be allowed. The rest of the year, the statewide community fishery regulations would apply, which allow the use of bait and allow a daily limit of two fish.
• Porcupine Reservoir: Allowing an angler to use up to six lines when ice fishing at Porcupine Reservoir, but requiring the angler to check their own lines and attach their name to each line, pole or tip-up if more than two poles are being used at a time.

Southeastern Utah waterbodies

• Recapture Reservoir: Closing Recapture Reservoir to underwater spearfishing for largemouth bass from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in June (during the spawning period).

Southern Utah waterbodies

• Manning Meadow Reservoir: Allowing bait and increasing the daily trout limit at Manning Meadow Reservoir to four fish. (The current daily limit is two fish.) The seasonal closure to protect spawning cutthroat trout there would remain in place.
• Barney Lake: Allowing bait and increasing the daily trout limit to four fish. (The current daily limit is two fish.)
• Gunlock Reservoir: Allowing a daily limit of six largemouth bass of any size. The DWR also proposes increasing the daily limit for black crappie to 100 fish. (Currently, the statewide daily limit for black crappie is 50 fish.)
• Quail Creek Reservoir: Allowing a daily limit of six largemouth bass of any size.
• Sand Hollow Reservoir: Increasing the daily limit for largemouth bass to eight fish of any size. (Currently, the daily limit is six largemouth bass, with only one fish over 12 inches.)
• Mill Meadow Reservoir: Decreasing the current daily limit of eight tiger muskie at Mill Meadow Reservoir to match the statewide daily limit for tiger muskie of one fish over 40 inches.

Statewide fishing regulations

• Allowing spearfishing to take place any time of day or night. (Currently, it's only allowed between sunrise and sunset.)
• Allowing the use of artificial light while spearfishing at any location for Utah chub.
• Allowing spearfishing at 15 high-elevation waterbodies in the Uinta Mountains, including Alexander Lake, Wall Lake, Fish Lake, Hoover Lake, Whitney Reservoir, China Lake, Hoop Lake, Chepeta Lake, Papoose Lake, Wigwam Lake, Moccasin Lake, Paradise Park Lake, Hacking Lake, Upper Stillwater Reservoir and Spirit Lake.
• Reducing the number of hooks allowed per setline from 15 to 8. (Setline fishing typically targets channel catfish, which have a statewide daily limit of eight fish.)
• Limiting setline tending to only those anglers who have a setline permit.
• Prohibiting the mechanical retrieval of a setline.
• Requiring a setline to be checked at least once every 48 hours.
• Requiring that a setline be permanently marked with the angler's setline permit number.
• Allowing the use of airguns (archery tackle) to remove carp at any open waterbody, as long as the airgun is only capable of firing arrows or bolts, is pneumatically powered and is solely pressurized through a separate charging device.
• Removing the "bonus" brook trout limit at lakes and streams in the Uinta Mountains in Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah and Wasatch counties. (Currently, there is a "bonus limit" of four brook trout.)
• Adding four community fishing ponds across the state, including Dry Creek Highland Pond, Provo River Delta Gateway Park Pond, Jordan River Big Bend Pond and the Willow Spring Pond.
• Allowing anglers to kill and possess the fish they catch that are included on the prohibited species list and asking anglers to report those fish to the DWR. (Currently, anglers must release all prohibited fish species that they catch, including potentially harmful species.)

Proposed updates to the rule for real property transactions

The DWR is also proposing a few updates to the rule that provides the standards and procedures for how the DWR may buy, sell or exchange land. The proposed updates are primarily minor rule wording changes to provide additional clarification and detail about the process — these proposals don't change the process itself.

The proposed changes include restructuring the rule to create different sections for acquisition, disposal and exchange of properties owned by the DWR. This will help with clarity in separating those processes and to create congruence of value established in each section. A few other minor clarifications to the rule and associated definitions were also proposed.

Give feedback

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. 6 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. Members of the public can choose to either watch the meetings online or attend them in person. If you wish to comment during the meeting, you must attend in person. Online comments will only be accepted until the deadlines listed below.

The meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

• Central Utah RAC meeting: Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. at the DWR Springville Office at 1115 N. Main St. in Springville. (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 22 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Northern Utah RAC meeting: Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Weber County Commission Chambers at 2380 Washington Blvd. #240 in Ogden. (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 22 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Southern Utah RAC meeting: Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at the DNR Richfield City Complex at 2031 Industrial Park Road in Richfield. (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 29 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Southeastern Utah RAC meeting: Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at the John Wesley Powell Museum at 1765 E. Main St. in Green River. (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 29 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Northeastern Utah RAC meeting: Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at the DWR Vernal Office at 318 N. Vernal Ave. (Online comments must be submitted by Aug. 29 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Utah Wildlife Board meeting: Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center at 1157 South Waterfowl Way in Farmington. (Online comments must be submitted by Sept. 10 at 11:59 p.m.)