Reader comments
Ray Grass: Come back, organization urges lapsed fishermen

Years ago, the DWR began focusing on diversifying the fishing opportunities in Utah by planting warm water fish/non trout fish into Utah's reserviors. Most of these reserviors were good trout fisheries. After they planted small mouth, large mouth, blue gill, tiger Muskie, etc into reserviors such as Deer Creek, Jordanell, Pine View, Rock Port, and other waters, the trout fishing in those reservoirs took a dive. Most Utah fishermen prefer to catch trout. Furthermore many of those fisheries did not develop good warm water/nontrout fishing. Now all we have left is a bunch of mediocre fisheries for both trout and nontrout that are often not worth the time or money to fish. How then are we going to entice a teen to leave his video games and have a good day of fishing. What often happens is we pry our teens away from their games and the don't catch many fish or catch only small fish. Then all they want to do is stay home next time. I blame DWR and their effort to put warm water fish in our cold water fisheries.

You have a point... but, I think the biggest turn-off for fishing is the pages and pages of special rules in the proclamation. I kid can't fish any more. In fact, a kid probably should be required to be accompanied by an adult. Hand a proclamation to any kid under 12 and see if he can understand it or find the rules for the water he is going to fish. While the rules list a state-wide limit, it's seems there are more waters with special limits than there are standard limits. If you want an example try Strawberry. Would you dare send your kid down to the shore to fish while you ate breakfast? Adults have a hard enough time with that regulation, let alone a child. Utah's used to be premier family fishery isn't family friendly any more. When it isn't fun... you don't go. DWR needs to be more in touch with the general user and less driven by special interest fishermen.