It’s official. Pelican Lake has been scheduled for rotenone treatment by the Division of Wildlife Resources. The treatment is aimed at removing common carp in order to improve water clarity and start the process of restoring the Pelican Lake fishery. Located about 25 miles southeast of Roosevelt, Pelican Lake has been known as the place to go to catch big bluegill in Utah as well as largemouth bass. An influx of common carp in 2008 and 2009, however, has changed the quality and the bluegill fishery has sharply declined. “In 2016,” shares DWR regional aquatics manager Trina Hedrick, “agency representatives and anglers that make up the Pelican Lake Management Team made the decision to remove common carp from the lake. The only way to completely eradicate carp is through the use of rotenone. We needed to wait for low water levels, though, to ensure no carp escaped the treatment. This year’s drought dropped the lake to the target water levels. It’s time to treat it.” The treatment is scheduled for
October 10th
and 11th and the lake will be signed and closed to the public
from October 10th to the 31st.
