Flaming Gorge

[Bduck]

As of Jan 1 Wyoming is on board with 4 kokanee in possession. The daily possession limit remains the same.

Trout in combination (includes brown, cutthroat, grayling, golden,
rainbow, salmon, tiger trout, and other trout hybrids). Excludes
brook trout, lake trout and splake. The creel limit on trout (excluding lake trout) shall be four (4) per day or in possession.

[liketrolling]

I was thinking if you fished two days you could have 8 in possession  but I cant find it, cant find the Possession in Utah either

Just bought my $30 WY. Aquatic Invasive Species Decal.
and will stop some where in WY. and buy the $30 reciprocal fishing permit for the  Wyoming side. I like the green one they give you, A lot better than the paper you print

[Bduck]

I was thinking if you fished two days you could have 8 in possession  but I cant find it, cant find the Possession in Utah either

Just bought my $30 WY. Aquatic Invasive Species Decal.
and will stop some where in WY. and buy the $30 reciprocal fishing permit for the  Wyoming side. I like the green one they give you, A lot better than the paper you print

Hey Robert, unfortunately Wyoming does not have a 2 day limit possession. You can find Utah's rule on Pg 20 of the Guidebook under both headings Daily Limits and Additional Limits in the Field

[dubob]

I was thinking if you fished two days you could have 8 in possession  but I cant find it, cant find the Possession in Utah either

Just bought my $30 WY. Aquatic Invasive Species Decal.
and will stop somewhere in WY. and buy the $30 reciprocal fishing permit for the  Wyoming side. I like the green one they give you, A lot better than the paper you print

Robert, the POSSESSION limit in Wyoming is equal to a one day creel limit:

7. Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Sweetwater County. • The creel limit on trout (excluding lake trout) shall be four (4) per day or in possession.

The POSSESSION limit in Utah is equal to two daily limits:

Additional limit in the field
You may possess up to two daily limits of fsh as you travel within Utah—or if you leave the state—as long as you meet all of the following conditions:

Here's the conundrum - Utah says you can possess two days’ worth of fish caught in Utah even if you leave the state.  Let's say you stay in Manila, UT but fish the Wyoming side of the Gorge.  You can bring your Wyoming caught 4-kokanee limit back to your Utah abode (RV, motel, etc.) two days in a row where it is legal to have a two-day possession limit.  Now you head back to your Utah residence through Wyoming (as most people do).  You get stopped/checked by a Wyoming CO in Mountain View while stopping to eat or fuel up (not likely, but possible).  Wyoming says the possession limit for kokanee caught in the Gorge is 4.  Is the Wyoming CO going to write you a citation for violation of the Wyoming law?

[wiperhunter2]

Here's the conundrum - Utah says you can possess two days’ worth of fish caught in Utah even if you leave the state.  Let's say you stay in Manila, UT but fish the Wyoming side of the Gorge.  You can bring your Wyoming caught 4-kokanee limit back to your Utah abode (RV, motel, etc.) two days in a row where it is legal to have a two-day possession limit.  Now you head back to your Utah residence through Wyoming (as most people do).  You get stopped/checked by a Wyoming CO in Mountain View while stopping to eat or fuel up (not likely, but possible).  Wyoming says the possession limit for kokanee caught in the Gorge is 4.  Is the Wyoming CO going to write you a citation for violation of the Wyoming law?

I guess that is up to the CO but you would hope that he or she would see you are from utah and not give you a ticket. Of course if you tell them you caught them all on the Wyo side, I'd say you would likely get a ticket.

[smokepoles]

Here's the conundrum - Utah says you can possess two days’ worth of fish caught in Utah even if you leave the state.  Let's say you stay in Manila, UT but fish the Wyoming side of the Gorge.  You can bring your Wyoming caught 4-kokanee limit back to your Utah abode (RV, motel, etc.) two days in a row where it is legal to have a two-day possession limit.  Now you head back to your Utah residence through Wyoming (as most people do).  You get stopped/checked by a Wyoming CO in Mountain View while stopping to eat or fuel up (not likely, but possible).  Wyoming says the possession limit for kokanee caught in the Gorge is 4.  Is the Wyoming CO going to write you a citation for violation of the Wyoming law?

I guess that is up to the CO but you would hope that he or she would see you are from utah and not give you a ticket. Of course if you tell them you caught them all on the Wyo side, I'd say you would likely get a ticket.

Keep receipt/proof of camping or staying in Utah for days prior to travel?

[liketrolling]

WYOMING GAME & FISH
Q. Is there a law restricting the number of fish I can keep in my freezer?
A. The daily creel limit in Wyoming is also the possession limit. This means that according to Wyoming law no person may have in their possession more than the number and length of fish specified as the creel limit. The law stipulates that possession limit includes fish in transit or storage. In other words, if you catch your limit of fish, you should eat some before catching more.

Wyoming 2021

this is what I think people who drive from The west cost states and it cost them a lot,  are going to catch and release most of the kokanee they catch.  with kokanee 10 to 20% May die.

[doitall5000]

So if you catch 4 rainbows that means you have your trout and can not catch more kokanees. But you can catch 12 more pup lakers?

[fishskibum]

seems like if ya just let em go
you or others could catch em again
and ya wouldnt need to worry
about possession regulations
and bs on a 10 to 20% catch and release mortality rate
for properley handled and released fish
unless you have some factual study or data to support that malarkey

[PAC12_AfterDark]

seems like if ya just let em go
you or others could catch em again
and ya wouldnt need to worry
about possession regulations
and bs on a 10 to 20% catch and release mortality rate
for properley handled and released fish
unless you have some factual study or data to support that malarkey

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5228508/


Methods section of this paper describes what lengths were gone to keep fish alive to collect data on re capture. Not a leap to draw some conclusions.

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seems like if ya just let em go
you or others could catch em again
and ya wouldnt need to worry
about possession regulations
and bs on a 10 to 20% catch and release mortality rate
for properley handled and released fish
unless you have some factual study or data to support that malarkey

This one I actually like better. Closer to the question at hand.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...o-releases

[Coho975]

So if you catch 4 rainbows that means you have your trout and can not catch more kokanees.  But you can catch 12 more pup lakers?

That is correct.  Also, with the 12 pup lake trout you can possess two limits.

7. Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Sweetwater County.
 • The creel limit on trout (excluding lake trout) shall be four (4) per day or in possession.
 • The creel limit on lake trout shall be twelve (12) per day, twenty-four (24) in possession. No more than one (1) lake trout in possession shall exceed twenty-eight (28) inches.

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From the WGFD:
What can kokanee anglers do to help manage this
valuable sport fish? No studies have been
conducted examining hooking mortality
(estimating how many fish die after the fish are
released) by anglers, but most likely hooking
mortality is high for kokanee. The reason for the
high mortality rate is due to the basic anatomy of
the fish. Unlike lake trout, kokanee do not have
the ability to release air from their air bladders
when caught from deep water. The deeper the
kokanee are (especially during the summer) the
more difficult it will be for kokanee to swim back
down to the depth necessary for them to survive
after they are released. If kokanee cannot return
to suitable water depths and are stranded in warm,
less oxygenated water, they become stressed and
die. In order to reduce hooking mortality of
released kokanee, please keep all the fish you
catch and once your daily limit is reached stop
fishing for kokanee and target lake trout, rainbow
trout, brown trout or smallmouth bass. During
late summer, one of the common methods to fish
for kokanee is finding a school of adult fish and
jig for them. Anglers not only fowl hook many
fish by doing this, but they also tend to release
more fish. It is hard to estimate how many
kokanee are lost each year to hooking mortality,
but fewer fish lost to hooking mortality will
equate to more fish on the spawning grounds in
the fall and increased recruitment of kokanee the
following spring. The old saying “limit your
catch and limit your kill” best describes the action
Flaming Gorge kokanee anglers need to take to
help manage their kokanee fishery.

[doitall5000]

"once your daily limit is reached stop
fishing for kokanee and target lake trout, rainbow
trout, brown trout "

If you have your limit on kokanees that does not mean you can go after rainbows. You can have four trout, which includes, rainbows, browns, cutthroat, and kokanees. Not four of each.

[Coho975]

"once your daily limit is reached stop
fishing for kokanee and target lake trout, rainbow
trout, brown trout "

If you have your limit on kokanees that does not mean you can go after rainbows.  You can have four trout, which includes, rainbows, browns, cutthroat,  and kokanees.  Not four of each.

Yes, this was written before the creel limit was changed.  You would have been able to catch one more rainbow previously.

[dubob]

[SARCHASM]It's truely amazing on just how much "bs & malarkey" there is out there on the C&R mortality rates for kokanee salmon.  And it's being spread by unreliable sources such as State Wildlife Agency's and folks with degrees in piscatorial management.  Here's just a mere sampling of the atrocious "bs & malarkey" being fed the unsuspecting fishing public.[/SARCHASM]

As a biologist and angler who spends a lot of time on the reservoir, I have received reports and witnessed kokanee mortalities on the surface of the reservoir during the summer months. Sometimes there are so many dead fish, they look like bread crumbs trailing behind trolling boats. This loss could have population impacts, but taking some simple precautions can minimize it.

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, Fisheries Scientists Dr. Paul Askey adds; “Trolling with  downriggers can be a very effective method to catch fish on large lakes in summer months. The reason why downriggers are so effective is that fish are forced to congregate at specific depths in the water column where they can find temperatures that meet their thermal tolerance limits. However, for this same reason, fish are put under a lot of stress when they are hooked and reeled to the warm surface water. This is not an appropriate method to practice catch-and-release because we expect a high portion of released fish will die. Basically anglers should view summer downrigger trolling as a catch and kill method of fishing.”

The fact is – mortality for caught and released Kokanee and Sockeye are much higher than most of us anglers want to believe or accept. When to choosing to practice catch and release, it comes down to each angler to make their own judgement call based on personal ethics and knowledge. In the end, all Kokanee make incredible table fare no matter what size they are.  So enjoy! By making conservational decisions it will help to ensure we still have an abundance of Kokanee and Sockeye to target and catch well into the future!

The main factors found to reduce survival are: • fishing method • deep hooking leading to tissue damage and bleeding • physical damage from poor and excessive handling leading to scale loss abrasions and infection • being kept out of the water for a prolonged period causing tissue and gill damage • high water temperatures

Fishing at the Gorge
Fish survival rates in Flaming Gorge Reservoir are also a concern, as the water temperature in local reservoirs is also warming up.
Keith said many anglers are proud of the fact that they catch and release fish, however, the percentage of fish lost after release could be as high as 10%.
For kokanee, the death rate is higher than other fish species because they are more fragile than other fish.
“Anglers are having a great year fishing for kokanee salmon,” Keith said. “However, kokanee do not handle catch and release fishing very well and do even more poorly when water temperatures are warm.

“If you are fishing for kokanee, we recommend limiting the practice of catch and release, especially when surface temperatures are warm. Surface temperatures are reaching the low 70’s on hot days. The kokanee are living at depths of 45 to 65 feet where the water temperature is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The more than 20 degree temperature change from depth to the surface is stressful to the fish. Add to that the stress of being caught, handled, and released. The result is some kokanee swimming away to die.”
— Green River Fisheries Supervisor Robert Keith

“It's becoming the most popular fishery in the entire west. It's even eclipsing salmon fishing, steelhead fishing across the entire west where you find Kokanee and most of our western states now you'll find Kokanee in bodies of water. A lot of us because of the table fare it's a landlocked sockeye salmon. So again it has a great table far, a great fighting fish. A lot of fun for the kids also. And that's what we're trying to promote is to try to get the kids out and get them involved in this sport because it really can be addicting. It's a lot of fun. So it's not just catch and release. No we don't promote catch and release on Kokanee. When you bring a Kokanee up typically they're in deeper water and they throw out so much energy during the fight that when you get them to the boat they're exhausted and you try to release a Kokanee that is extremely exhausted. The mortality rate is quite high on released Kokanee so it's something that we don't promote. We would just personally like the folk to land that fish if they can and then properly put it in some storage you know in some ice so that you keep it cool and get it home and fillet it out and barbecue it smoke it, can it, do with it the way you want. It's a fabulous fish to eat, a great table fair fish.” So bon appetit.

Fish survival rates in Flaming Gorge Reservoir are also a concern, as the water temperature in local reservoirs is also warming up. Keith said many anglers are proud of the fact that they catch and release fish, however, the percentage of fish lost after release could be as high as 10%. For kokanee, the death rate is higher than other fish species because they are more fragile than other fish.

[SARCHASM]There are an untold number of pages on Google search detailing the claptrap of these unscrupulous heretics when we all KNOW there isn't any reason to believe that C&R will have ANY impact on the mortatlity rate of our beloved kokanee.[/SARCHASM]