By Tom Pettengill
DWR Sport Fisheries and Aquatic Education Coordinator

(Published Jan. 15, 2003)

 

(Editor’s note: This comes in response to rumors that say DWR lists Lost Creek Reservoir as open to winter fishing but State Parks will ticket people who fish there.)

 

I have talked to the Division of Wildlife Resources Office in Ogden, Bruce Hamilton with Utah State Parks (he is the Ranger at East Canyon and Lost Creek), and Shane Matthews (Chief Deputy, Morgan County Sheriff's Department). 

From what I can find out these agencies have NOT written any tickets for tresspassing at Lost Creek. According to Jim Jensen, the Bureau of Reclamation does not care if people park below the locked gate and walk into Lost Creek to fish and neither do any of the agencies listed above.  State Parks has not been over there since the end of October.  Morgan County will only go up if they get complaints from landowners or if there is some other law enforcement problem.

The reservoir is open to fishing.  We have been told that the Bureau of Reclamation put the No Trespassing sign on the gate a couple of years ago but as long as people are just going in to fish they don't care.

From what I can find out, NO tickets have been written unless there was a wildlife violation, and the accusations of getting a ticket for walking in to fish are just rumors or misinformation.

I hope this will help stop the rumors. The Standard Examiner I understand had an article this morning saying DWR said it's closed but from everything I can find out it is NOT and people can walk in.