GREEN RIVER—New fishing regulations for the Wyoming portion of Flaming Gorge Reservoir go into effect Oct. 1, 2024. The Game and Fish Commission approved the regulation changes at its July meeting, following an extensive public outreach campaign in which fisheries managers from Wyoming and Utah engaged with the angling public to address concerns about the fishery.
Effective Oct. 1, lake trout in the Wyoming portion of Flaming Gorge will be classified as nongame fish, and the creel limit for lake trout 28 inches and under will be unlimited. Anglers will only be allowed to have one lake trout over 28 inches in their possession. The creel limit for kokanee will be reduced from four to three.
Managers from Wyoming and Utah are working to align reservoir regulations to provide a simple set of common rules, including unlimited harvest of lake trout 28 inches and under. Utah managers are still working through the rulemaking process, and any changes made will not be in effect on the Utah portion of the reservoir until Jan. 1, 2025.
Fisheries managers implemented these changes to encourage the harvest of small lake trout. A recent population estimate suggests there are approximately 143,000 lake trout under 28 inches in Flaming Gorge, over three times higher than estimates completed in the 1980s. There is also concern regarding the number of kokanee these predators consume. A biologist caught a 22-inch-long lake trout this spring with over 50 kokanee in its stomach, and two others caught that evening had 25 kokanee fingerlings in their stomachs.
Because of the sheer number of small lake trout and their appetite for kokanee, it is imperative that as many small lake trout as possible are removed from the reservoir prior to kokanee stocking in the spring of 2025. The regulation changes will provide opportunities for anglers to improve the fishery and fill their freezers with tasty fish.
Shortly after the new regulation goes into effect, many small adult lake trout will be spawning in 10-70 feet of water over gravel/cobble slopes primarily associated with cliffs on the east side of the reservoir. These small adults are very vulnerable to anglers throwing one-quarter or three-eighth-ounce black, white and luminescent grub body jigs.
Fisheries managers want anglers to succeed and have put together resources to aid in their success. These include maps of the reservoir highlighting areas to target small lake trout and burbot, tips on how to fish for small lake trout and recipes for cooking the fish. Those resources are available on the Flaming Gorge Management page.
