how can we get more people to keep a limit of laker pups?

[Ryno]

Good points. The message was meant to get anglers to keep a limit starting right now (back in December) and not wait for a regulation increase that wouldn't occur until January 1, 2019. There's a lot of angling ahead of the regulation process, and lots of time to generate angler support and start increasing harvest of pup lake trout.

There's so many pups already "in hand". In an angler survey conducted in 2013, only 22% of pup lake trout caught in Flaming Gorge Reservoir were harvested. Of those anglers that kept pups, only 8% kept more than two lake trout. Getting anglers to keep what they've already caught is still very important until a limit increase can be implemented.

As you're probably aware, it can be difficult to change a regulation, especially when two states are involved. There's several steps in the process, which ultimately has to have support from the angling public. Having said that, the current proposal(s) is to increase both the daily and possession limit for lake trout on both sides of the reservoir.

In the meantime, hopefully anglers will continue to show strong support and harvest some pups while fishing the Gorge this upcoming season.

Hope that helps, Ryan
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