A new rule at Flaming Gorge is a matter of too many mouths to feed. Flaming Gorge is known for producing some of the largest lake trout in the country but an abundance of small lake trout is creating competition for a limited food supply. The result is a reduction in lake trout growth rates and a decrease in kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. “An eight-year-old lake trout was about 30 inches long in the 1990s,” shares Flaming Gorge biologist Ryan Mosley. “Today, an eight-year-old fish is only about 23 inches long…The number of lake trout in the reservoir has increased 89 percent in just the last two years.” The Division of Wildlife Resources is urging anglers to hit the ice and target smaller lake trout. Ice thickness is increasing on waters throughout the Uintah Basin, says Outreach Manager Tonya Kieffer. For more information, call 435-885-3164.
