Snagging fish illegal in WY; anglers watch for area kokanee salmon fishing closures

 Photo: Lucy Wold, WGFD

Close up of a male kokanee salmon in a tributary to Flaming Gore Reservoir. 

 

Contact: Robb Keith, Lucy Wold 307-875-3223                             September 9, 2015

Don't snag that fish

GREEN RIVER - The kokanee salmon are spawning in the Green River. If you are even the slightest bit tempted to snag one of those large, red, spawning kokanee, a word to the wise - don’t do it! Snagging kokanee or any fish is illegal in Wyoming.

Snagging is an attempt to take a fish in such a manner that the fish does not take the hook voluntarily in its mouth. In the “old days” it was legal to snag fish and consequently, many vulnerable spawning fish were taken.

Each year Wyoming Game and Fish Department game wardens issue warnings and citations for snagging kokanee on the Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The Game and Fish is asking for help from parents to get the message across to children, as most warnings are typically issued to children. Parents are encouraged to inform their children that snagging fish is against the law. In addition, suggest they observe the natural process taking place and with their help, kokanee will continue to spawn in the Green River for their children.

Kokanee are fall spawners and begin running the Green River in late August. There are two distinct strains of kokanee in the Green River, an early run strain, which spawns in September, and a late run strain, which spawns in October. The spawning fish can’t eat, as their stomach is absorbed. After spawning is complete, all kokanee die. Their decaying carcasses supply nutrients for other plant and animal life, as well as their offspring when they hatch.

The early spawning runs are a direct result of fingerling kokanee planted in Flaming Gorge Reservoir since 1992 by the Game and Fish. These fish can only spawn in a river or stream. Since they were raised at the Auburn Fish Hatchery, the kokanee are basically “lost,” and don’t know which stream they should run to spawn. Some imprinting occurs to the area where the fish were stocked, and some fish are able to locate the Green River.

“The early strain kokanee running the Green River will spawn anywhere conditions are favorable,” said Green River Fisheries Supervisor Robert Keith. “And that means anywhere from the town of Green River to Fontenelle Dam. The shoreline spawning kokanee in Flaming Gorge Reservoir are also vulnerable to snagging. If we want these kokanee around for future generations, we need to protect these vulnerable spawning fish.”

Anglers on both the Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir should be aware of the following closures: All kokanee caught from Sept. 10 through Nov. 30 on Flaming Gorge Reservoir must be released and returned to the water immediately. Fishing on the Green River from the Fontenelle Dam downstream (one mile) to the USGS Gauge Station (Cable Crossing) is CLOSED Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

Anglers can pick up a free copy of the Wyoming fishing regulations at any regional office of the Game and Fish, most license selling vendors, or print them for the Department’s website wgfd.wyo.gov.

For questions and or more information call the Game and Fish Green River Regional Office at 307- 875-3223.

~WGFD~

• nice+male+koe+october+2014.JPG