Map Revealed for Flaming Gorge Burbot Bash

Provided is the map for the upcoming Burbot Bash. This map is to be used as a tool to improve angler odds in catching a tagged fish for the competition.

Two state wildlife agencies and three chambers of commerce have teamed up to fight a finned invader in Flaming Gorge Reservoir.


Catching a burbot at this year's Burbot Bash could net you a cash prize. Their goal is to put some severe fishing pressure on burbot. To reach that goal, they've enhanced an annual event called the Burbot Bash.

Cash prizes
On Jan. 22, the Burbot Bash will become a formal fishing derby offering up to $10,000 in cash prizes. The event will also change from an event held on a weekend to an event that includes a full week of fishing.

A burbot with a tag on it could be worth up to $5,000. The longest burbot caught is worth $1,500. This year's event will also include a youth derby with its own set of prizes.

Helping biologists gather data
The two wildlife agencies—the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD)—have been marking burbot with small tags. Their goal is to tag 500 fish throughout Flaming Gorge Reservoir in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Because the 91-mile-long reservoir crosses into both states, the biologists have too, working together as a team to catch burbot using nets and other methods.

When biologists catch a burbot, they record where the fish was caught and its length and weight. The fish is then tagged and released where it was caught. Hopefully, some of these fish will be caught by anglers during the Burbot Bash.

Because each tag is unique, the biologists can track any changes in individual fish that are recaptured during the Burbot Bash or later during the biologists' own surveys. Recapture data supplies biologists with vital information about the structure of the burbot population, movements of the fish, how long burbot in the reservoir are living and how much each fish has grown since it was first caught.

If this aspect of the Burbot Bash continues, the agencies will tag more fish, which will allow them to acquire more years of additional data.

Removing burbot is the ultimate goal
The ultimate goal of the agencies, however, is to remove as many burbot as possible. To help reach that goal, three chambers of commerce—Flaming Gorge, Green River and Rock Springs—have joined with the wildlife agencies to enhance this year's Burbot Bash.

The chambers have raised funds and are providing prizes, lodging discounts and other incentives to help attract anglers to the event.
Burbot Bash
The derby kicks off at the Buckboard Marina on Jan. 22 with an array of demonstrations and discussions about how to catch burbot and what to do with them after you've caught them. This part of the event is free. If you want to participate in the quest for prizes, you'll have to register and pay a fee.

After the Jan. 22 opener, anglers have a week to catch burbot and bring them to a checking station. (You need to follow all of the fishing regulations, so make sure you're familiar with the fishing regulations for the state in which you're fishing and have the proper licenses and permits.)

The final check will take place at the Manila Rodeo Grounds on Jan. 29. After the final check in, the prizes will be awarded.

Fishing regulations, and more information
You can learn more about the Burbot Bash and obtain registration forms at several locations, including www.flaminggorgeresort.com/attractions.php  and http://www.daggettcounty.org/  .

Fishing regulations, guidebooks and licenses can be found and bought at many stores and shops in the Flaming Gorge area.

Regulations and licenses are also available at http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/  and http://www.gf.state.wy.us/  

$10,000 in prizes at the Burbot Bash

Division of Wildlife Resources Photo

Vernal — Two state wildlife agencies and three chambers of commerce have teamed up to fight a finned invader in Flaming Gorge Reservoir.


Catching a burbot at this year's Burbot Bash could net you a cash prize. Their goal is to put some severe fishing pressure on burbot. To reach that goal, they've enhanced an annual event called the Burbot Bash.


Cash prizes
On Jan. 22, the Burbot Bash will become a formal fishing derby offering up to $10,000 in cash prizes. The event will also change from an event held on a weekend to an event that includes a full week of fishing.

A burbot with a tag on it could be worth up to $5,000. The longest burbot caught is worth $1,500.

This year's event will also include a youth derby with its own set of prizes.

Helping biologists gather data
The two wildlife agencies—the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD)—have been marking burbot with small tags. Their goal is to tag 500 fish throughout Flaming Gorge Reservoir in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Because the 91-mile-long reservoir crosses into both states, the biologists have too, working together as a team to catch burbot using nets and other methods.

When biologists catch a burbot, they record where the fish was caught and its length and weight. The fish is then tagged and released where it was caught. Hopefully, some of these fish will be caught by anglers during the Burbot Bash.

Because each tag is unique, the biologists can track any changes in individual fish that are recaptured during the Burbot Bash or later during the biologists' own surveys. Recapture data supplies biologists with vital information about the structure of the burbot population, movements of the fish, how long burbot in the reservoir are living and how much each fish has grown since it was first caught.

If this aspect of the Burbot Bash continues, the agencies will tag more fish, which will allow them to acquire more years of additional data.


Removing burbot is the ultimate goal
The ultimate goal of the agencies, however, is to remove as many burbot as possible. To help reach that goal, three chambers of commerce—Flaming Gorge, Green River and Rock Springs—have joined with the wildlife agencies to enhance this year's Burbot Bash.

The chambers have raised funds and are providing prizes, lodging discounts and other incentives to help attract anglers to the event.


Burbot Bash
The derby kicks off at the Buckboard Marina on Jan. 22 with an array of demonstrations and discussions about how to catch burbot and what to do with them after you've caught them. This part of the event is free. If you want to participate in the quest for prizes, you'll have to register and pay a fee.

After the Jan. 22 opener, anglers have a week to catch burbot and bring them to a checking station. (You need to follow all of the fishing regulations, so make sure you're familiar with the fishing regulations for the state in which you're fishing and have the proper licenses and permits.)

The final check will take place at the Manila Rodeo Grounds on Jan. 29. After the final check in, the prizes will be awarded.


Fishing regulations, and more information
You can learn more about the Burbot Bash and obtain registration forms at several locations, including www.flaminggorgeresort.com/attractions.php  and http://www.daggettcounty.org/ .

Fishing regulations, guidebooks and licenses can be found and bought at many stores and shops in the Flaming Gorge area.

Regulations and licenses are also available at http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/  and http://www.gf.state.wy.us/ .

Burbot Captured In Green River

Photo by Ryan Mosley, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Vernal -- On July 28, researchers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found something they didn’t want to find: a 21-inch burbot in the Green River below Flaming Gorge dam.

Burbot are a nonnative fish from east of the Rocky Mountains. The fish was captured during an electrofishing study to recover and study endangered fish in the Green and Colorado rivers.

“The burbot was captured from an electrofishing raft roughly 1.5 miles upstream of the Split Mountain boat ramp in Dinosaur National Monument,” says Paul Badame, UDWR native fish project leader. “This is the first capture of a burbot below Flaming Gorge dam that I’m aware of.”

The burbot likely came down the Green River after someone illegally introduced the species upstream in Big Sandy Reservoir in Wyoming. The burbot have worked their way downstream, bypassing dams at Big Sandy and Flaming Gorge.


Why the concern?
Burbot are a voracious predator, capable of breeding in both rivers and reservoirs. As a result, they can have a serious impact on both native and sport fish populations.

Biologists working on Flaming Gorge Reservoir have already noticed a rapid increase in the number of burbot in the reservoir and a corresponding decline in the number of kokanee salmon.

Burbot also pose a major risk to native fish in the Green River.

“We’re concerned that burbot will negatively impact endangered fish and other native fishes in the Green River,” says Krissy Wilson, native aquatic species coordinator for the UDWR. “We’ve seen this happen before with other nonnative fish, including northern pike, redshiner and smallmouth bass.”

Wilson says the UDWR and its partners in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program are working together to determine the best way to deal with this latest threat.


Catch and kill regulation
The UDWR has placed a ‘no tolerance’ fishing regulation on burbot in Utah: (There’s no limit on the number of burbot an angler can catch. Anglers may not release any burbot they catch.

All burbot must be killed immediately. For more information, call the UDWR’s Northeastern Region office at (435) 781-9453.

Biologists find big trout during Flaming Gorge Surveys

Dutch John -- Freezing temperatures and rising winds couldn’t keep Matt Breen and Calvin Black from breaking out in a big grin.

As they pulled the first lake trout out of the water that day, they knew the fish was a monster.

And was it ever: it weighed more than 29 pounds!

The two Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists were helping Ryan Mosley set and pull nets on the first day of the annual fisheries survey at Flaming Gorge Reservoir last May.

Mosley is the UDWR’s aquatic project leader at Flaming Gorge. Based on years of data, he and the other biologists say fishing should be good at the reservoir this year.

“The data hasn't been summarized [yet], but this year's catch shows a healthy population for anglers to target this fishing season,” Mosley says.

Mosley says rainbow trout were well represented in the nets. Many of the rainbows pushed 20 inches in length. They weighed about three pounds each.

“We also sampled 37 fish in our lake trout nets,” he says. “The fish looked good. The largest lake trout weighed 29.1 pounds, which is about the threshold the nets can handle.”

Mosley says the water in mid-May was too cold for smallmouth bass to show up in the nets.

So what are his recommendations for this year?

“Come out and enjoy the great fishing at the Gorge," he says. “The person who coined the phrase ‘Money can't buy you happiness’ never bought a Utah fishing license!”

Mosley also encourages you to take a limit of lake trout and smallmouth bass home with you. Reducing these predators will help the reservoir’s kokanee salmon, lake trout and smallmouth bass fisheries.

Also, please remember that you must kill and keep all the burbot you catch.


Trend netting
Since fish don’t voluntarily rise to the surface whenever biologists need to see them, researchers use a variety of techniques to catch fish so they can study them.

One of those techniques involves catching fish in nets.

“Gill netting has been used as a fisheries monitoring tool on Flaming Gorge since 1965, three years after it began filling,” Mosley says. “[The gill net monitoring] is a coordinated effort between the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.”

Although the methods biologists use have changed a little over the last 40 years, they still sample at the same sites, using the same type of nets and sampling at the same time of the year.

These standard procedures remove variability from the data they collect.

UDWR biologists currently sample at 10 sites. The sites extend from the Green River arm at the head of the reservoir, all the way down to Jarvies Canyon, about five miles from the dam.

Biologists set the nets each May when the water temperature reaches about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Comparing the results of a capture technique over time allows biologists to detect trends they may not see if they looked at data only from a single day. These trends include the size of the population, the health and condition of the fish and what the fish are eating.

Depending on these trends (and other trends collected using additional sampling tools), managers can make changes to address potential concerns. “For example, biologists observed an increase in the abundance of lake trout back in the 1990s and early 2000s,” Mosley says. “Unfortunately, they also noted a severe decline in the Utah chub population and a corresponding decline in [the number of kokanee salmon.]”

As the Utah chub declined, Mosley says the lake trout in Flaming Gorge started eating kokanee salmon. To address this population imbalance, the lake trout limit at the reservoir was liberalized.

The current regulation, which dates back to 2006, allows anglers to keep up to eight lake trout. But only one of those fish can be longer than 28 inches.

For more information about fishing at Flaming Gorge, call the UDWR’s Flaming Gorge office at 435-885-3164.

DWR provides Tips to catch Rainbow Trout this Spring

If you fish at Steinaker Reservoir this spring, you might catch one of these — an albino rainbow trout.

Photo courtesy of Ron Stewart, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Vernal -- Fishing has been good to excellent in the Uinta Basin this spring.
In the past few weeks, the ice has melted off all of the lower elevation waters in the basin, including Starvation, Steinaker, Big Sandwash, Brough, Red Fleet and Pelican Lake.

Even waters as high in elevation as lakes on Diamond Mountain and Flaming Gorge Reservoir are free of ice.

Most of these waters have trout in them. And the trout have responded to the warmer weather. Anglers are enjoying excellent fishing.


Tip for catching them
Trout are a cold-water fish. They’re most accessible to anglers during the spring and fall. (That’s when the water temperature is cold or cool across the entire lake or stream the fish are in. When the water temperature on the surface warms, the trout go deeper to find colder water. But until then, they’ll feed aggressively closer to the surface.)

Areas close to shore are good places to target in the early spring. Later, as the water warms a bit, try fishing near inlets that flow into the lake or reservoir you’re fishing. Trout swim to these areas to feed. Some of them also spawn in these areas.

Try casting along the leading edge of the cloudy water where the inlet water meets the clearer water in the lake. Spring floods sweep insects, small fish and other food downstream. The fish congregate in the cleaner water, watching for food that floods in from the dirtier water. Since visibility is poor, the fish have to move fast to catch a meal.

A small, bright, flashy lure usually does the trick in the spring. A quick, bright flash often triggers the trout to strike.

Baits also work well because the fish can smell the bait. They’ll often follow the scent of the bait right to your hook.

While lure anglers want something bright and flashy, fly anglers might want to stay conservative. While “matching the hatch” is always the tried and true method when fly fishing, sometimes the fly you pick won’t be visible to the fish. So go dark—black ants and dark-colored grubs are common items swept into lakes and reservoirs by the spring runoff.

Updated fishing reports for northeastern Utah are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/reports.php .

If you have questions about fishing in northeastern Utah, call the Division of Wildlife Resource’s Northeastern Region office at (435) 781-9453.

Spring Fishing Report Northeastern Region

BIG SANDWASH RESERVOIR: (April 12) The ice just came off and there have been reports of good fishing along the shoreline for rainbows.

BROUGH RESERVOIR: (April 12) The ice recently blew off and fishing has been good along the shoreline.

BROWNE LAKE: (April 12) The lake has ice, but we do not have any recent reports on ice conditions. You can access the lake by snowmobile or ski. Watch out for storms. The weather can change very quickly in the Uinta Mountains. Our last report was of fair fishing with periods of good fishing.

BULLOCK RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir is now ice-free. There are no new fishing reports but fishing should be fair for rainbows.

CALDER RESERVOIR: (April 12) The lake has questionable ice. Snowfall and snow drifts limit access. The area has been receiving more snow during the recent storms. Read Utah Fishing Guidebook for more information about Calder's special regulations.

COTTONWOOD RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir is now ice-free. There are no new fishing reports, but fishing should be slow until the water warms. (Cottonwood Reservoir has mostly warm water fish species.)

CROUSE RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir has ice but the condition of the ice is changing. The ice along the edges is not safe.

CURRANT CREEK RESERVOIR: (April 12) The lake has ice, but it is filling so the edges are not safe. Access is limited to the dam only by winter conditions.

EAST PARK RESERVOIR: (April 12) The lake has ice but it is filling so the edges are likely unsafe. If you do decide to try it, check ice conditions carefully before venturing out.

FLAMING GORGE: (April 12) The ice is deteriorating or gone in the Utah section. Anglers can launch boats at Lucerne, Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps in Utah. There may still be ice or ice sheets in the canyon and in Sheep Creek Bay. Boat carefully and watch for floating ice sheets.
You can help the Flaming Gorge fishery by harvesting your limit of smaller lake trout (the limit is 8 lake trout with one over 28 inches) and burbot (there it no limit for burbot).

Lake trout: Lake trout fishing has been good. Angler technique advice varies, however. Some anglers recommend jigging while others are trolling. Everyone agrees that if you can find a school, the hits will be faster though most likely light. A good line (flourocarbon or braid) will help you feel the strike and get a good hook-set when you are jigging.

Burbot: Burbot fishing has been good through the ice, but its now time to learn to catch them from shore or boats. Try targeting rocky points and cliffs near the main channel that have depths from 10 to 30 feet. Tip just about anything that glows (spoons, tube jigs, curly-tailed jigs, minnow jigs) with some type of bait. Anglers should place their baits close to the bottom and recharge the glow frequently. Don't be surprised if you catch a fish immediately after reglowing and dropping a lure. Burbot hit during the day, but they become extremely active during the twilight hours.

Kokanee salmon: Kokanee fishing is slow this time of year, although anglers have reported catching a few. Although the DWR has stocked millions of kokanee over the last few years, the population remains low due to predation by lake trout and burbot. Anglers need to harvest small lake trout and burbot to reduce consumption of kokanee.

Rainbow trout: Anglers report good to excellent fishing for rainbows from the shore or a boat. Although most of the access is by boat, there is now some limited shore fishing near the visitors' center and the boat ramps. Rainbows are shallow and cruising the shoreline. Look for schools near cliffs, points and submerged ridges.

GREEN RIVER BELOW FLAMING GORGE DAM: (April 12) The daily flows on the river fluctuate. Watch the depths of the waters around you. Try fishing glowbugs (trout egg imitations) scuds, nymphs and small fish imitations. The brown trout spawning run is over, but the redds are still there. If you wade, be careful that you don't damage the eggs. Spin anglers should try Rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); spinners; spoons; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and plastic jigs.

MATT WARNER: (April 12) There are no new fishing reports and the ice conditions are unknown. Drifts limit access to skis and snowmobiles.

MOOSE POND: (April 12) The ice is melting quickly.

PELICAN LAKE: (April 12) The recent winds blew most of the ice off the reservoir. However, the water is quite cold so fishing will be slow or spotty until the water warms. Try fishing the lake after a few sunny days with warm nights. Note: This is an Aquatic Invasive Species watch water for invasive mussels. Before and after use, be sure you clean and dry any fishing, hunting or other equipment that is exposed to water (like decoys, waders, rubber boots and fish finders).

RED FLEET RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir went ice-free because of the high winds on Tuesday night. Park managers have opened the main access road to Red Fleet and the boat ramp. There is a vault toilet near the ramp, although the area does not have running water yet. Anglers may access the reservoir from the backside, but the closed gate means that access is walk-in only. The gate is intended to hinder the movement of invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels by controlling boat launching. Note: . Note: This is an Aquatic Invasive Species watch water for invasive mussels. Before and after use, be sure you clean and dry any fishing, hunting or other equipment that is exposed to water (like decoys, waders, rubber boots and fish finders).

STARVATION RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir still had ice when we went by last weekend but as it looked like it was in the process of changing and high winds blew ice off other reservoirs at similar elevations it is likely ice free or nearly so. If the ice is gone or present with an expanse of water along the shoreline, it should be good fishing for rainbows and browns. Try fishing either just below the ice or parallel with the shoreline as big fish often cruise the shore looking for anything that might have melted out or for places to spawn.

STEINAKER RESERVOIR: (April 12) The reservoir went ice-free this weekend. Park rangers report that anglers are catching fish, mostly rainbows, from the shore or a boat. Boat and shore anglers are doing equally well using baits and lures. The trout are near the surface and often right along the shoreline. The DWR stocked roughly 13,000 white rainbows last fall. Don't be surprised if you catch a fish that looks like an albino trout.