Outdoor notes

FISHING ON WEBER RIVER

OGDEN — Fishing on the Weber River is heating up these days.

"Fishing is better than it's been in years," said Paul Thompson, northern region aquatics manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources and one who fishes the Weber River regularly. "I've caught several brown trout in the 18- to 20-inch range this spring. And the mountain whitefish numbers have rebounded in reaches that were hit hard by the drought a couple of years ago."

In addition to catching browns and whitefish, nice Bonneville cutthroat trout are being taken in the Henefer, Peterson and Mountain Green areas. Thompson has landed three Bonneville cutthroats so far this spring. The fish he caught were between 15 and 16 inches long.

Fishing tips for the Weber River are available at www.j.mp/c4d8bg or in a DWR news release available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/news.html.

A list of points from which you can access the river is available in the same news release and at www.j.mp/ahD0LX.

Updated fishing reports for the Weber River are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/reports.php.

For more information, call the DWR's northern region office at 801-476-2740.

RUSTY CRAYFISH FOUND

VERNAL — News from Colorado is capturing the attention of biologists, anglers and water managers in Utah.

For the first time, the Colorado Division of Wildlife recently reported finding rusty crayfish in the Yampa River Basin. The Yampa flows into the Green River in northeastern Utah.

In response to their discovery, the CDOW has issued an order prohibiting the removal of live crayfish from the Yampa River and any streams, lakes, canals or rivers that adjoin it. Utah already has a similar rule for the crayfish species found in the state. No one has found the rusty crayfish in Utah, but Colorado's recent discovery indicates the crayfish are moving westward.

In Utah, live crayfish are on the state's prohibited list. Live crayfish cannot be collected, imported or transported anywhere without a valid certificate of registration from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Anglers may use crayfish as bait but only at the same water where the anglers collected them. Crayfish caught for human consumption must be dead before they're removed from the water where they were harvested.