11-06-2011, 05:38 PM
Bassrods: for a few years after the last treatment Panguitch Lake had lots of big rainbows. They were placed in a protective slot with the cutts and tigers. But the good ole boys from Panguitch didn't like rainbows being in a protective slot. Hatch wanted to help his old cronies out but knew it would be a hard sell to convince anyone to change the regulations based on some old timers grumbling about the regs. Hatch decided to change his strategy and he started claiming the businesses around the lake were suffering. This was not true because at the time the big resort at the lake was going through a major expansion and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new cabins, an rv park etc. The recreation manager at Panguitch Lake resort even went to a RAC meeting and said they were happy with how things were going and business was fine. since Hatch was on the Wildlife Board he pushed through a change in rules and strong armed the board members into changing the regulations. He did not go through the RACs or get the blessing from the DWR to do this. Shortly after that he resigned from the Wildlife Board because he got what he wanted. Now the wildlife board realized they got duped and are hearing the anglers complain. Perkins on the Wildlife Board is sick and tired of getting emails from anglers complaining. If the Wildlife Board had questioned Hatch originally and pushed him to actually prove his point we probably wouldn't be in this mess. But the board got suckered into his sales job and now they are payin' the price. Good ole boy Utah politics and backroom dealings at its best. The DWR probably didn't want to speak up because Hatch held a powerful position in the senate and was on the committee that decided the DWR's budget.
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