A fishery in the Uintah Basin has big changes ahead as biologists aim at creating the best bluegill fishery in the region. According to the Division of Wildlife Resources, there was a time that Pelican Lake was among the best bluegill fishing waters in the West but the lake’s water quality has lead to the fish’s decline over the years. The reset to the fishery is scheduled for October 2018 when the fish population will be killed off with a rotenone treatment. Fish from Steinaker Reservoir will then be used to restock Pelican Lake after the treatment is complete. Fish from Pelican cannot be saved because of the presence of yellow grub in the population. “Fish in Steinaker Reservoir have also been reported to have yellow grub, but in far lower numbers,” shares Trina Hedrick, DWR regional aquatics manager. Rather than save fish in Pelican Lake, the DWR has liberalized the bass and bluegill limits there through 2018. “Extending the rotenone treatment to fall 2018,” explains Hedrick, “gives anglers additional opportunities to harvest fish from Pelican Lake before the treatment occurs.”
