Public invited to offer ideas on fishing regulations

Wish to offer suggestions for changes in Utah's fishing regulations?

Along with possible changes suggested by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Utah Wildlife Board is also looking for input from sportsmen.

Suggestions can be made by mail, e-mail or at one of the three remaining public meetings. The deadline is June 1.

The division's recommendations for 2011 focus on Utah's bass. The recommendations include:

A limit of six bass, with no size restrictions, at most of Utah's bass waters.

Five reservoirs — Jordanelle, Quail Creek, Sand Hollow, Gunlock and Huntington North — would also have a six-bass limit. But only one bass in that six-bass limit could be longer than 12 inches.

Biologists would like to simplify the bass limits at Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge. But the Utah scientists need to do additional work with biologists in Arizona and Wyoming to make that happen.

It's likely the bass limit at Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge in 2011 will be similar to the limits in place now at those waters.

Currently, with the exception of Lake Powell, there is an overpopulation of bass in most waters holding the fish. One reason is that, with the exception of Lake Powell, fishermen are keeping only about 4 percent of the adult bass population being caught and are releasing the rest, said Drew Cushing, the division's warm-water sport fisheries coordinator.

Because of the overpopulation, the bass are smaller than they should be.

The e-mail address for sportsmen to send their suggestions to the wildlife division is DWRComment@utah.gov.

The mailing address is: Sport Fisheries Coordinator, Division of Wildlife Resources, Box 146301, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301.

The three remaining public meetings will be:

Thursday at Uintah Basin Applied Technology College, 450 N. 2000 West, Vernal, at 6:30 p.m.

May 18 at Springville Civic Center, 50 S. Main St., Springville, at 6:30 p.m.

May 18 at Brigham City Community Center, 24 N. 300 West,Brigham City. at 6 p.m.

At its last meeting, the Utah Wildlife Board approved the division's request to allow rifle elk hunters with both cow and bull elk permits in the same unit to hunt both in the same area.