ASK THE WYOMING GAME AND FISH

[thirdeye]

I have a question regarding bead location on a trout rig.  Photos on the G&F poster and in the Casper Star Tribune made specific mention of the bead being within 2" of a "fly".  Is it legal to use a bead as a slip sinker stop above a barrel swivel, which is generally 2 feet to 4 feet above a bait hook or a fly?  I use soft beads as a shock absorber of sorts when drift fishing this rig in the river, or when using this rig for shore fishing lakes.  The color of the bead I use does not matter to me... but many of the soft beads for sale are in the red/orange range (which is the color of eggs).  I can't imagine that this set-up could be called some sort of snagging rig but wanted some input.  I guess I could go for a piece of yarn above the barrel swivel if I had to, but isn't that an attractor too?

[Nezlugh]

WYGF question. Days are getting shorter and thoughts are turning to burbot fishing. Just want to know if there has been any decisions on the use of the Glow-in-the-dark lures, jigs and baits. Companies will be introducing their Ice Fishing supplies soon and looking for the next big thing to use.

[ClearCreek]

Nezlugh

See my reply to fishingeorge below.

ClearCreek

[Nezlugh]

Thank you ClearCreek I look forward to the announcement of their decision.

[ClearCreek]

Please see the update on the artificial light regulation in the artificial light thread below.

ClearCreek

[jacinc2]

Saw a post earlier about "shrimp" falling off an anglers hook. Is it legal to use raw shrimp as bait in Wyoming? Any shrimp like store bought not from a bait shop?

Actually it is legal to use shrimp, unless it is specified that you may only use artificial bait it is legal... Also you may NOT take a live bait from one body of water to fish at a different body of water..while the bait is alive... you must make sure the bait is DEAD but you can still fish with it.. Also, if you buy the bait, make sure it is NOT ALIVE when you use it... this is the way that they can keep invasive fish problems from happening..

Wyoming Game and Fish are a great help and I totally support the way they handle these kind of situation.  I come from Florida and have seen how serious this kind of problem can be..

Hope I helped you.. if you would like, email me at: [email protected] and I can send you a copy of fishing regulations or you can go to http://wgfd.wyo.gov/ and obtain it from them...

Have a great day in the water...

Johnny Quest - Out!

[jacinc2]

Has there been a change the last two years in how west newton lake in Cody has been stocked?  Historically I have always caught a bunch of cutts in the lake although they were quite small.  The last two years I have been averaging much larger fish but the count seems to be less.

Thanks!

The Newton Lakes Endowment is a permanent fund in the Wyoming Community foundation to ensure the future of Newton lakes and other sport fisheries within Park County, Wyoming. This endowment was initially established by the members of Absaroka Flycasters and Trout Unlimited. For more information contact the Wyoming Community Foundation 307-766-2477

This is the information I have about Newton Lakes.. I believe you might get some information from the Foundation regarding sport fishery there..

[htc]

i'm curious what qualifies as a live bait west of continental divide. worms waxies minnnows crawdads. is it only live fish being minnows that can't be used?

i've gotten into using creek chubs over here in keyhole and wow it would be amazing using them in the gorge but i know that would be illegal so it it just live fish or minnows that are banned?

thanks htc

[prospector]

Wondering if Renner was restocked with Bass this year and if the catfish survived last winter? Not targeting cats, just curious. Thanks!

[SDFlagChaser]

Why do all the rainbows in granite and crystal reservoirs look so sickly?  Is there no feed in those lakes.  The browns look fat and healthy.  Are there never any rainbows that holdover from year to year in that lake. Seems like every fish you catch is a mirror image of the last one, 9 inches long and skinny as a pencil.

[akaakira]

I heard rumors of sauger stocked in the N. Platte below Dave Johnston powerplant, kokanee stocked in Alcova and crappie from Keyhole stocked in Lake McKenzie...any truth to these? Thank you!

[WGFFishBio]

I heard rumors of sauger stocked in the N. Platte below Dave Johnston powerplant, kokanee stocked in Alcova and crappie from Keyhole stocked in Lake McKenzie...any truth to these? Thank you!

To my knowledge, there are no biologists from Casper who participate on IS. I would give the Casper Regional Office a call and ask to speak with a fisheries biologist about your questions. 307-473-3400

[akaakira]

To my knowledge, there are no biologists from Casper who participate on IS. I would give the Casper Regional Office a call and ask to speak with a fisheries biologist about your questions. 307-473-3400

I appreciate the response! I'll call tomorrow and share the info here. Thank you!

[wforbes]

Could we get the Game and Fish to stock some walleye in Granite reservoir between Laramie and Cheyenne?  Someone put a few in there illegally over the years and someone caught a 10lb+ fish out of there a few years ago?

You recently put in 500 or so lake trout... I think the majority of them were harvested...  With perch, crawfish, suckers and planter rainbows as forage.... couldn't granite provide some interesting walleye fishing if you stocked 500-1,000 walleyes in there?  They obviously can do well in this lake.  It would provide anglers in the Laramie and Cheyenne region a closer place to fish for them too.

I don't think you'll see very many people complain about walleye in there... in fact it could increase fishing interest big time.

planter rainbows are way too "precious" and expensive for forage lol I would love to see it become a walleye lake too but it will never happen. It would be awesome if they stocked walleye and shad for them to feed on but if they continue to stock little trout, walleye are out of the question

[SDFlagChaser]

I could care one way or the other about walleyes, what I want go see in there is a good population or perch and crappies. Those rainbows out of there look ill.  But it is there for one reason, a place close to cheyenne and laramie to take your family for a weekend of easy fishing.

[wforbes]

gemcityslayer

lol that's exactly what's going on at Alcova and that's why they upped the limit to 12 walleye per day in there. I wish we could use 12" rainbows for bait haha but instead of fighting the walleye I agree they should manage some more of these lakes for them instead! 

[Wyofarmer]

Our Wyoming Game and Fish has offered to volunteer their valuable time to answer our questions. Please keep in mind that their time on the site is very limited, and that not all questions may be answered. Hopefully this thread can be used by both sides to gain valuable insight. Please maintain the Q&A nature of the thread by reserving discussion for separate threads.

All G&F employees are invited to use the thread as a resource to share information, news and events affecting Wyoming sportsmen.

On behalf of our members, I thank the Wyoming G&F for taking the time to contribute to the site and it's members.
Thanks,
Mod Team

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

Thanks again for opening this thread to the WGFD and to allow us the continued opportunity to answer questions and exchange information.  I look forward to answering questions pertaining to the management of waters within the Laramie Fisheries Management Region, which covers the Upper North Platte River drainage before it enters Seminoe, the Medicine Bow River drainage before it enters Seminoe, the Laramie River drainage, the Horse Creek drainage, and the South Platte drainage.  When appropriate, I will provide answers based on sound science and professional judgment and look forward to the opportunity to have thoughtful discussions on fisheries issues in southeast Wyoming.  I'll take a look at past posts and make sure I get caught up for this year. I am excited about once again participating in the Ice Shanty community.

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

Why do all the rainbows in granite and crystal reservoirs look so sickly?  Is there no feed in those lakes.  The browns look fat and healthy.  Are there never any rainbows that holdover from year to year in that lake. Seems like every fish you catch is a mirror image of the last one, 9 inches long and skinny as a pencil.

Dear SDFlagChaser,
Annually Granite Reservoir is stocked with around 30,000 catchable (8-10 inches) rainbow trout and some cutthroat trout subspecies. In addition, 5,000 advanced fingerling (3-5 inches) brown trout are also stocked. Granite Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir are both popular fisheries, our last creel survey in 2004 estimated over 6,000 anglers spent over 30,000 hours fishing Granite Reservoir from April through September in 2004. These anglers caught almost 26,000 stocked catchable rainbow trout, with over half harvested. Their catch rate was 0.84 rainbow trout/hour and around 70% of anglers interviewed were satisfied to very satisfied with their angling experience. Our Fish Culture Section spends a considerable amount of their time raising catchable trout for waters like Granite and Crystal and they do a great job. I'm sorry that you felt the trout you caught looked sickly and skinny. Trout stocked into Granite Reservoir do not grow as the water is extremely unproductive as it enters and leaves quickly, which doesn't allow for zooplankton to establish and be abundant, which really drives trout and other game fish growth. However, by stocking catchable trout we can serve the anglers at these waters with quality fish, high catch rates, and and overall great angling experience. We have found that brown trout have far better growth rates, due to the abundance of crayfish and smaller suckers, yellow perch. These browns provide anglers with the opportunity to catch larger fish as well as the annual brood cull rainbow trout that we stock every winter. These brood culls were just stocked recently. If you are interested to talking more about the management of these waters, please give me a call at the Laramie WGFD Office, send me a message on this site, or email to [email protected], stop by to chat, or I'm always up to meet and discuss things over coffee.   

Sincerly,
WGFDFishBioLaramie

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

Could we get the Game and Fish to stock some walleye in Granite reservoir between Laramie and Cheyenne?  Someone put a few in there illegally over the years and someone caught a 10lb+ fish out of there a few years ago?

You recently put in 500 or so lake trout... I think the majority of them were harvested...  With perch, crawfish, suckers and planter rainbows as forage.... couldn't granite provide some interesting walleye fishing if you stocked 500-1,000 walleyes in there?  They obviously can do well in this lake.  It would provide anglers in the Laramie and Cheyenne region a closer place to fish for them too.

I don't think you'll see very many people complain about walleye in there... in fact it could increase fishing interest big time.

Dear GemCitySlayer,
I always appreciate your thoughts, concerns, and opinions on waters in the Laramie Fisheries Management Region. Granite and Crystal reservoirs are both important waters within our region. I would really like to answer some of your questions and concerns in person, please read my response to SDFlagChaser and contact me so we can discuss it further.
Sincerely,
WGFDFishBioLaramie

[Catfishking]

I had a question about granite is there any Kokanee salmon in the lake and if there is how many are stocked each year thanks

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

I had a question about granite is there any Kokanee salmon in the lake and if there is how many are stocked each year thanks

DearCatfishking,
Stocking kokanee in Granite Reservoir was not effective.  Around 20,000 fingerling (2-3 inches) kokanee were stocked in 1991, 1993 and 1995 through 1998. A creel survey conducted in 1995 estimated anglers caught only 164 kokanee May through June of that year.  No kokanee were reported caught in the 2004 creel. Given the poor return to anglers creel and poor growth, due to the low abundance of zooplankton (see reply to SDFlagChaser), it was determined that stocking should not be resumed.
Sincerely,
WGFDFishBioLaramie

[WyoDoc]

Hi WGFD fisheries folks,

Questions about Soda Buttes lake in Albany County.  Is there any way/are there any plans to flush the lake a little bit?  Is the water there alkaline/saline or both?  It's turning into a fun lake to fish with some nice trout caught, but never builds much ice and is pretty hard on equipment (the white crusts that grow on augers, rods, line, lures, my boots, the sled, etc.!).  How long do fish actually survive in the lake?  And just FYI - I've caught a few decent trout there (3+ lb) with stomachs filled with immature tiger salamanders. 

Thanks much for any answers.

[SDFlagChaser]

Why does the GFP not stock fish in Crow Creek that runs through Cheyenne?  Sure, some parts of it are a bit slow and probably polluted, but I have seen big browns live in much worse water.    Looks like it would be an awesome fishery to me.

[akaakira]

I just read the regulations from the Game & Fish effective January 1, 2015, and noticed the change to small and largemouth bass at Grayrocks (thumbs up!), but more interestingly the creel and size restrictions for Northern pike & Tiger Musky...limit of 3 and 30" minimum length waived. My two questions are: 1) Is the mention of Northerns an admission of their presence in Grayrocks water? and 2) Was the tiger musky program not working as planned? Thank you.

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

Hi WGFD fisheries folks,

Questions about Soda Buttes lake in Albany County.  Is there any way/are there any plans to flush the lake a little bit?  Is the water there alkaline/saline or both?  It's turning into a fun lake to fish with some nice trout caught, but never builds much ice and is pretty hard on equipment (the white crusts that grow on augers, rods, line, lures, my boots, the sled, etc.!).  How long do fish actually survive in the lake?  And just FYI - I've caught a few decent trout there (3+ lb) with stomachs filled with immature tiger salamanders. 

Thanks much for any answers.

Dear WyoDoc,

Are you talking about Twin Buttes Reservoir?

WGFDFishBioLaramie

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

I just read the regulations from the Game & Fish effective January 1, 2015, and noticed the change to small and largemouth bass at Grayrocks (thumbs up!), but more interestingly the creel and size restrictions for Northern pike & Tiger Musky...limit of 3 and 30" minimum length waived. My two questions are: 1) Is the mention of Northerns an admission of their presence in Grayrocks water? and 2) Was the tiger musky program not working as planned? Thank you.

Dear akaakira,
Tiger muskie were stocked in 1985, 1986, 1989, and 1991. Stocking ceased after 1991 due to public input, difficulty in getting an out-of-state source, and costs. The WGFD was able to secure a good source for tiger muskie recently and stocking throughout the state resumed in 2012 and one of those waters was Grayrocks Reservoir. Almost 4,800 6-8 inch tiger muskie were stocked into Grayrocks in 2012. They were stocked to once again assist with control of nongame fish and provide a limited trophy component to the fishery. During the summer of 2012 two anglers reported catching Northern Pike (around 28 inches in length) in Grayrocks Reservoir, but a non-descript picture and word of mouth were the only confirmation. Again, in 2013, there were angler reports of Northern Pike being caught in Grayrocks Reservoir and one fish was visually identified by the Laramie Fisheries Management Crew as a Northern Pike, it was 32 inches long and weighed over 7 pounds. Otoliths and other aging structures were collected from that fish and efforts using otolith microchemistry are ongoing to assist with identifying the source water for this introduced species. The establishment of Northern Pike in Grayrocks Reservoir would alter the current predator/prey dynamics of the fishery. Regardless of how Northern Pike may have entered Grayrocks Reservoir, the Laramie Fisheries Management Crew is addressing it with regulation changes and education. As stated above, the establishment of Northern Pike, and if they were to successfully reproduce, would alter the dynamics of the reservoir, which is currently is in a good place in regards to Walleye abundance and catch rates. According to recent angler interviews, Walleye continue to be the preferred fish for anglers at Grayrocks Reservoir. Tiger muskie are sterile and their numbers can be controlled through stocking. We have chosen, for now, to eliminate the 30-inch minimum for Northern Pike and tiger muskie, until their population dynamics and potential for cross breeding can be better understood. Signs at major access points and/or boat ramps will be installed this coming spring to alert anglers to the presence of both species and how to proceed if they catch a Northern Pike. Anglers will be encouraged to harvest all Northern Pike caught. Sampling will continue in the spring and fall, annually, to continue to try to address a number of population dynamics issues of Northern Pike in Grayrocks Reservoir. If Northern Pike do not become established, resuming the stocking of tiger muskie can then be reevaluated. As always, myself or any of the fisheries biologists would be more than willing to talk about this issue over the phone (307) 745-4046. 
Sincerely,
WGFDFishBioLaramie

[WGFDFishBioLaramie]

Why does the GFP not stock fish in Crow Creek that runs through Cheyenne?  Sure, some parts of it are a bit slow and probably polluted, but I have seen big browns live in much worse water.    Looks like it would be an awesome fishery to me.

Dear SDFlagChaser,
The Laramie Fisheries Management Crew has tried for almost thirty years to establish brown trout in various sections of Crow Creek through Cheyenne. More recently (last ten years) our Fish Division is eliminating stream stocking where natural reproduction cannot sustain the fishery and focusing our fish culture efforts on standing waters. Our Laramie Fisheries Management Crew has sampled Crow Creek numerous times over the last ten years and have found minimal to no reproduction of brown trout in the various sections of Crow Creek that have been stocked in the past. The section that has most recently been stocked is on the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, the Ranch is supposed to grant permission to fish. Brown trout will not be stocked in the future, given the current data we have on their success in Crow Creek. If something were to change in terms of habitat, water temperature, or amount of water available, stocking of trout could then be reevaluated.
Sincerely,
WGFDFishBioLaramie

[SDFlagChaser]

Thanks for the quick response. If trout wont do well in there, I vote for carp!!  I have been looking for a close spot to fly fish for them. I know this would never happen, but a guy can dream, right?

[akaakira]

Indeed, thanks for the info. I understand completely. When I read that, I knew something was wrong. What you said makes perfect sense, and we anglers appreciate your efforts and actions. It's too bad some "bucket biologist" felt it necessary to overstep the tiger musky program with the Northerns...barely had enough time to see it's effectiveness. Thanks to the guys in red for genuinely caring for the best interest of our fisheries.