REGIONAL OFFICES

​Photo: Lucy Wold, WGFD
boater on Flaming Gorge Reservoir


Questions and Answers Regarding Lake Trout in Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Flaming Gorge Reservoir is a magnificent, man-made reservoir, offering so many recreational opportunities, especially fishing and boating. Flaming Gorge Dam stands 502 feet tall and was completed in 1964. The surface area of the reservoir is over 65 sq miles, with varying depths, and is 430 feet deep in its deepest spot,

So many anglers have asked questions about lake trout management in Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming side that Green River fisheries managers have put together a list of these questions and their answers for anglers to review. Click below to learn more about lake trout management in Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Lake trout management in Flaming Gorge Reservoir


A couple of anglers enjoyed a beautiful December day jigging for Lake Trout ranging from 19 to 22 inches, just out from Buckboard Bay. Fish were caught on 1/2 ounce jigs dressed with a lime green skirt and tipped with a small piece of sculpin.  Anglers caught their limit (8 Lake Trout less than 28 inches) in just over 4 hours.

Fishing for small Lake Trout on Flaming Gorge Reservoir is hot now and will be good through the winter whether ice arrives or not.  Lake Trout from 18 to 25 inches are plentiful and easy to catch whether fishing from shore casting spoons  and white jigs or casting out a dead minnow on the bottom.  Fish are also easy targets from a boat whether you like to vertical jig deep water or troll.  Boat anglers are finding fish in 45 to 65 foot of water on flats adjacent to deep water.  Fish can be caught vertical jigging tipping the jig with a little piece of fish or by trolling the same habitat with lures just a few feet off the bottom.  Lake trout can also be pursued near shore from a boat.  Cast white jigs to shore in 10 feet of water and hop them back to the boat along the bottom.


Photo: Lucy Wold, WGFD

One of the trophy lake trout weighed and measured and released back into the Gorge.
​ATTENTION ANGLERS! PLEASE CATCH AND KEEP SMALL LAKE TROUT TO HELP THE TROPHY LAKE TROUT! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE DETAILED INFORMATION!



Flaming Gorge Reservoir is known for its trophy lake trout. Currently, the population of smaller lake trout is high and fisheries managers want anglers to catch the smaller lake trout to help maintain the trophy class lake trout. Small lake trout also taste really good. You can learn more about how to catch smaller lake trout and how to cook smaller lake trout by clicking on the attachments below.

Tips on how to catch small lake trout
Recipes for cooking small lake trout

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Photo: Lucy Wold, WGFD
​This is just one of the illegally introduced burbot in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. This fish was caught by the Green River Fisheries Crew during annual gill netting operations on the Gorge. The burbot has swallowed a rainbow trout whole. 

Sometime in the late 1990's or early 2000, someone or some persons illegally introduced burbot
, also known as ling, into the Green River Drainage. The invasive species began showing up in WGFD Green River netting surveys in 2003. Their presence as changed area fishing management and opportunities forever. The only way to have some sort of control on burbot is with angler harvest and liberal regulations.

Fishing for illegally transplanted burbot in the Green River drainage has become popular with ice anglers.  Fishery managers have set liberal regulations on burbot to encourage anglers to harvest as many burbot as possible and help suppress these voracious non-native predators.  There is no limit on burbot in the Area 4, which includes all of the Green River drainage including Flaming Gorge, Fontenelle Reservoir and Big Sandy Reservoir.
​You can learn more about how to catch burbot and how to cook burbot by clicking on the attachments below.

Tips on how to catch burbot
Recipes for cooking burbot





 

 


 

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