Trophy Taker
Well-known member
I have been communicating with the DWR biologist at Flaming Gorge to find out what we can do to help sustain/maintain the Kokanee population. This was the e-mail response:
Thomas,
It's always good to hear about folks trying to take a proactive
approach to fisheries management. The big browns in the Gorge collapsed
when the lake trout consumed the majority of the Utah chubs in the
reservoir. Since then, only a few smaller browns remain in the WY end
of the reservoir where a remnant Utah chub population exists. Only a
few fish make it over 5 lbs anymore. We're hoping tiger trout take the
same approach with burbot that browns did with chubs.
We are going through a time where the kokanee fishery is in serious danger
and any help we can get from anglers to remove burbot and small lake trout
and help with kokanee spawning operations will only help the fishery.
You may not have heard but our reservoir management plan calls for
stocking up to 2 million kokanee each year if we can find the eggs,
hatchery space or develop large enough runs in sheep creek that we can
harvest the eggs ourselves. This involves both early and late run fish.
It is a big goal to attain and it will take help from anglers to
practice "catch your kok limit and go fish for small lake trout"
techniques to get it done. Anything you can do to help promote the idea
of removing small lake trout and burbot is only going to help the future
of the entire fishery not just kokanee.
Thanks again for your interest and ideas and feel free to contact me if
you need info for developing the kokanee power chapter. I'll put your
contact info in my file and let you know if we need assistance in the
future.
Lowell Marthe
UDWR Flaming Gorge/Green River Project Leader
As most of you picked up Tiger Trout have been stocked in FGR:
“Last year we stocked tiger trout (brown t. x brook t.)in FGR. We hope that this species of fish will target YOY burbot which spend part of their first summer in shoreline areas that tiger trout typically forage. Tigers do not typically forage in deep open water areas that kokanee utilize so they should not have an impact on kokanee. Tiger trout are also sterile and short lived. If tiger trout survived, we hope to sample them this spring and determine if they are consuming burbot.
Additionally, both lake trout and smallmouth bass have been observed with burbot in their stomachs and the hope is they will continue to key in on them. With the great response we've gotten from burbot anglers, they are harvesting large amounts of fish during their most vulnerable time of the year. We and the WY G&F Dept still have hopes that angling pressure may have an impact on the population as it appears to have done in its native waters east of the continental divide.
With these multiple burbut consumers, we hope to make a big dent in the population.”
Lowell Marthe
UDWR Flaming Gorge/Green River Project Leader
Thomas,
It's always good to hear about folks trying to take a proactive
approach to fisheries management. The big browns in the Gorge collapsed
when the lake trout consumed the majority of the Utah chubs in the
reservoir. Since then, only a few smaller browns remain in the WY end
of the reservoir where a remnant Utah chub population exists. Only a
few fish make it over 5 lbs anymore. We're hoping tiger trout take the
same approach with burbot that browns did with chubs.
We are going through a time where the kokanee fishery is in serious danger
and any help we can get from anglers to remove burbot and small lake trout
and help with kokanee spawning operations will only help the fishery.
You may not have heard but our reservoir management plan calls for
stocking up to 2 million kokanee each year if we can find the eggs,
hatchery space or develop large enough runs in sheep creek that we can
harvest the eggs ourselves. This involves both early and late run fish.
It is a big goal to attain and it will take help from anglers to
practice "catch your kok limit and go fish for small lake trout"
techniques to get it done. Anything you can do to help promote the idea
of removing small lake trout and burbot is only going to help the future
of the entire fishery not just kokanee.
Thanks again for your interest and ideas and feel free to contact me if
you need info for developing the kokanee power chapter. I'll put your
contact info in my file and let you know if we need assistance in the
future.
Lowell Marthe
UDWR Flaming Gorge/Green River Project Leader
As most of you picked up Tiger Trout have been stocked in FGR:
“Last year we stocked tiger trout (brown t. x brook t.)in FGR. We hope that this species of fish will target YOY burbot which spend part of their first summer in shoreline areas that tiger trout typically forage. Tigers do not typically forage in deep open water areas that kokanee utilize so they should not have an impact on kokanee. Tiger trout are also sterile and short lived. If tiger trout survived, we hope to sample them this spring and determine if they are consuming burbot.
Additionally, both lake trout and smallmouth bass have been observed with burbot in their stomachs and the hope is they will continue to key in on them. With the great response we've gotten from burbot anglers, they are harvesting large amounts of fish during their most vulnerable time of the year. We and the WY G&F Dept still have hopes that angling pressure may have an impact on the population as it appears to have done in its native waters east of the continental divide.
With these multiple burbut consumers, we hope to make a big dent in the population.”
Lowell Marthe
UDWR Flaming Gorge/Green River Project Leader
Last edited:
