Feds have big plans for Panguitch Lake

There is, on the drawing board, a proposal to treat Panguitch Lake and turn it into a top-notch fishing hole. Currently, it, like other waters in the past, is plagued by Utah chubs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment for the proposed enhancement of the lake.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing that the lake become a viable sport fishery by treating portions of three inlet streams, the upper reaches of Panguitch Creek and two small ponds.

The plan is to use rotenone in the treatment, which will take place this spring. Rotenone is made from a root found in South America. When mixed into water, it removes the oxygen, which kills the fish.

Rotenone was selected as the chemical of choice because of its effectiveness in controlling fish populations and its lack of long-term effects on the environment.

Rotenone was, in fact, used in the treatment of Strawberry and Scofield reservoirs back in 1991.

Prior to treatment, fish limits will be liberalized to allow anglers to harvest as many of the trout in the lake as possible.

The remaining fish will be left to decompose and return, in the form of nutrients, to the lake. These nutrients will stimulate the recovery of aquatic insects and zooplankton, which will help re-establish the fishery.

The DWR will monitor the effects of the treatment throughout a three- to four-week period, which will include the use of sentinel fish, to determine when the chemical has been completely oxidized and rendered completely safe to begin restocking.

DWR will restock the lake with catchable rainbow trout to provide a summer fishery. In the following season, the lake will be restocked with fingerling rainbow trout, Bear Lake Bonneville cutthroat trout and tiger trout. Treated streams will be restocked with native Bonneville cutthroat trout.

The estimated cost of the proposed project would be about $252,000.

The DWR will provide 25 percent of the cost as a match for the 75 percent provided by a federal grant under the Sport Fish Restoration Act. The federal funds are administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service and come from an excise tax on fishing equipment, import duties on tackle and boats, motorboat fuels and small-engine fuel.