Northeastern Utah is a bit of a drive for many Wasatch Front anglers, but fishing at places such as the Green River, Flaming Gorge Reservoir or lakes on the North Slope of the Uintas is always good.
Biologists from the Division of Wildlife Resources are working to add two more excellent fisheries in the area.
A rotenone treatment for Pelican Lake 25 miles southeast of Roosevelt, once one of the top bluegill fisheries in the United States, has been rescheduled for October 2018. After all fish are removed from Pelican by the chemical treatment, biologists will use largemouth bass and bluegill from Steinaker Reservoir to restock the reservoir.
Between now and then, the Division of Wildlife Resources has liberalized bass and bluegill limits at Pelican. There is no limit on bluegill, and the limit on largemouths is 12 a day.
"Extending the rotenone treatment to fall 2018 gives anglers additional opportunities to harvest fish from Pelican Lake before the treatment occurs," said northeastern regional aquatics manager Trina Hedrick.
Work is also planned at Steinaker Reservoir near Vernal. The Bureau of Reclamation is going to repair the dam, which will require that the reservoir be completely drained. That draining will occur during the 2018 irrigation season, with work on the dam scheduled to begin in 2019.
In advance of that draw-down, the DWR has removed fish limits entirely at Steinaker, giving anglers two full years to harvest fish before the water goes.
"Taking and holding large bass and healthy bluegill will allow us to jump-start populations at both waters," said Hedrick. "Anglers can expect bluegill to bounce back at Pelican the year following the treatment. At Steinaker, bass and bluegill should bounce back shortly after the repairs are completed and the water level starts to come up."
She said that small numbers of adult largemouth bass will be placed in both waters. They won't be restocked in large numbers until after the bluegill are stocked, giving the bluegill one reproductive cycle with few predators in the two reservoirs. The biologists expect growth rates to be faster than normal for a few years after the projects, though it will take about two years for newly hatched bluegill to reach 6 inches and largemouths to reach 12 inches.
Natalie Boren | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources A nice largemouth bass fishery is developing at Steinaker Reservoir. Once the dam repair and earthquake work are done, DWR biologists will start bringing the largemouth bass fishery back.
Natalie Boren | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources This summer, DWR biologists will take largemouth bass from Steinaker and hold the fish for future stocking in both Steinaker and Pelican Lake.
Trina Hendrick | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Pelican Lake used to be home to thousands of fat bluegill, like this one marked with a tag. DWR biologists are working to bring the bluegill fishery back.
Natalie Boren | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources This summer, DWR biologists will take bluegill from Steinaker -- like this one marked with a tag -- and hold the fish for future stocking in both Steinaker and Pelican Lake.
