Fishing Regulations on Utah's Boulder Mountain

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Why Special Fishing Regulations on Boulder Mountain?

By Dale Hepworth, DWR Southern Region Aquatics Manager

The photo shows a nice rainbow from Lower Bowns

The best thing I can think of to mention would be to explain the current fishing rules. I don't think most people understand the purpose of this.

For example, special fishing rules that have been imposed at Minersville and currently in effect at Kolob Reservoir would not work for the Boulder Mountain. In regard to the former, we are trying to save all the fish we can because over-harvest and survival are problems, whereas maintaining good growth is not a problem.

On the Boulder Mountain, density of trout is the key issue.

Although many fishermen will never believe it, too many trout can ruin any of these lakes very easily. For example:

1. Horseshoe Lake on Boulder Top was over stocked in the 1980s. Everyone quite fishing it because the fish were too small. The fish totally quite growing because they were too crowded. All the fish were 8-11 inches, skinny, and they stayed that way. We waited for 6 years and they did not get any bigger and no one took any out because they were of no interest. Finally, we took drastic action to thin them down and get back to 1-3 pound fish.

2. MaGath Lake is known as one of the best trophy lakes. However, we even over-stocked it at one time. We stocked 12,000 fish one year rather than the usual 2,000-4,000. The shrimp disappeared, growth slowed, and the fish became relatively thin.

3. Whoever hears of someone planning a Boulder Mountain fishing trip to Solataire Lake, Short Lake, Round Willow Bottom, Robs Reservoir or Pine Creek Reservoir? Not very many people, because the brook trout naturally reproduce, over-populate, and are stunted (11-inch maximum length and skinny). The same thing can happen to any of the lakes with stocking if too much catch-and-release is promoted or regulated.

4. Stocking rates of 50 fish per acre in a productive Boulder Mountain lake will produce 1-pound trout a year later. The same lake loaded at 100 fish per acre will produce 0.5-pound trout in a year. Density matters!

The current rules are intended to promote anglers taking small brook trout. That is just like thinning carrots in your garden. If the small fish are removed, it allows the remaining fish to grow. The more small fish taken, the faster the remaining fish grow. You can not take small fish out too fast because the remaining fish will grow so fast they will not remain small (they will exceed the 14-inch size minimum within a year if enough "thinning" occurs).

At the same time the rules promote conditions for growth of smaller fish, they also promote conservation of the larger fish greater than 13 inches. The 2-fish limit on the larger fish allows more fishermen an opportunity to catch brook trout of this size.

In Boulder Mountain streams, most fish are less than 13 inches. Thinning helps in streams as well as lakes. Taking of the small fish helps produce more larger fish, which should receive more protection.

If we can get fishermen to abide by these regulations, take smaller fish and conserve the larger ones, it helps everyone.

(Editor's note: On most Boulder Mountain lakes the limit is four fish, and only two of those fish may be over 14 inches. A bonus of 4 additional brook trout may be harvested. Always check the proclamation for current regulations.)

(Published in Utah Outdoors magazine, Sept., '99)