Changes in fishing regulations are being considered by Utah DWR

Those who would like to see fishing regulation changes in Utah in 2009 have until June 4 to submit their suggestions.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will present its final recommendations to the public in September.

There are three ways of making comments — attend one of the remaining Regional Advisory Council meetings, provide comments by e-mail to www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings or mail ideas to: Sport Fisheries Coordinator, Division of Wildlife Resources, Box 146301, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301.

The remaining meetings will be:

Today — Northeastern Region, 6:30 p.m. at Western Park, Room 2, 302 E. 200 South in Vernal.

Wednesday — Central Region, 6:30 p.m. at Springville Junior High School, 165 S. 700 East in Springville.

June 4 — Northern Region, 6 p.m. at Brigham City Community Center, 24 N. 300 West in Brigham City.

All of the proposed changes the biologists are considering for 2009 should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings by May 19.

"The topics you see there are only proposals," said Drew Cushing, warm water fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "We're very open to what anglers think about them. We're hoping they'll let us know."

Among the changes biologists are considering for 2009 are the following:

HYRUM RESERVOIR: Increase the bass limit to six fish. Only one of those fish could be longer than 12 inches.

"This change would accomplish two things," Cushing said. "It would allow anglers to keep a few more bass at Hyrum. It would also make the bass limit at Hyrum the same as the bass limit at many of the other bass waters in Utah." Cushing said Hyrum is a water you may want to consider fishing.

"Our biologists found good numbers of nice-sized bass during surveys in 2006 and 2007," he said. "This change would allow anglers to catch and keep a few of those fish while protecting the larger fish in the reservoir."

FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR: Allow anglers to fish with up to six poles when fishing through the ice. A second pole permit would not be required to fish through the ice at the reservoir.

"This change would make the ice-fishing rules at the Gorge the same between Wyoming and Utah, and it would give anglers a chance to take more burbot out of the reservoir," said Roger Wilson, cold water sport fisheries coordinator for the DWR.