Grab your rod, drill a hole, and go get some ice fishing in. Anglers are needed to address a worry of fisheries managers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The recent cold has helped the ice to reach areas where small lake trout are abundant on the Wyoming side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Lake trout that are less than 28 inches are so abundant in the reservoir that they have lead to concerns with their growth rates having slowed because of the competition over limited food sources. Another concern is the number of juvenile kokanee salmon and rainbow trout that are consumed by the lake trout. “Anglers are the most important tool we have for controlling the numbers of small lake trout,” said biologist John Walrath. “By thinning the small lake trout, anglers are helping to ensure healthy populations of kokanee and trophy lake trout well into the future.” The daily catch limits have even been changed in hopes to thin out the lake trout. “Beginning January 1, 2019, the creel limit on lake trout in Flaming Gorge Reservoir will increase to 12 fish per day, 24 in possession, only one Lake Trout in possession over 28 inches,” said Robert Keith, Game and Fish Green River Fisheries Supervisor.
