The number of small lake trout continues to be a concern for Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Wyoming Game and Fish reported last week that Green River fisheries biologists recently completed the annual spring netting at Flaming Gorge and the hope is more anglers will keep more of the shorter lake trout. Fisheries managers have been encouraging the harvest of small lake trout or pups for several years due to concerns about the abundance of small lake trout and the impacts the large number of small predators are having on wild and stocked salmon and stocked trout. Fisheries Supervisor Robb Keith said “It’s well documented in fisheries across the west that lake trout smaller than 25 inches can consume a lot of juvenile trout and salmon, especially when their numbers get really high.” The abundance of small lake trout is the reason fisheries managers increased the bag limit and possession limits of small lake trout and continue to encourage participation in fishing derbies which encourage the targeting of small lake trout.
