Smallmouth Bass Transplanted From Utah to Wyoming Side of Flaming Gorge

What would lead fifty-eight anglers to spend their afternoon on boats in serious wind conditions? Would you believe it was to relocate smallmouth bass from the Utah side of Flaming Gorge to the Wyoming side. Why would anyone be doing that? Burbot, an illegally introduced freshwater cod, has decimated the smallmouth bass population, it is estimated to be by 90 percent on the Wyoming side. The Utah side still has a very healthy population, some even believe they are being stunted because of overpopulation. There are strict regulations about restocking smallmouth in Flaming Gorge from outside sources and so anglers from the Utah and Wyoming Bass Federation Nation, the Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department gathered together to have a smallmouth bass transplant day. Each angler signed a disclosure that allowed them to hold more than the legal limit so they could be transported. It was timed to be at the tail end of the annual bass spawn so that fish were easier to find. One thousand four hundred and forty-five smallmouth bass where relocated thanks to the efforts of the group.