With spring in full bloom, it’s time to put the fish back in fishing at local reservoirs.
Settlement Canyon and Grantsville reservoirs received their first stocking visit of the season Wednesday. Brennan Hannifin from Springville Fish Hatchery in Utah County released about 700 and 900 rainbow trout in the respective reservoirs.
Over the next couple months, Hannifin or one of his coworkers will return about every three weeks to release more trout in the reservoirs.
In total this year, the Utah Department of Natural Resources plans to release 12,000 rainbow trout in Settlement Canyon and 15,000 in Grantsville, said Ric Hartman, superintendent of Springville Fish Hatchery.
Jason Tull, superintendent of Midvale Fish Hatchery, released 1,600 rainbow trout in Vernon Reservoir today, he said.
Employees from Fountain Green Fish Hatchery in Sanpete County will also release 3,000 tiger trout in Vernon Reservoir this fall, said hatchery employee Corey Roper.
The DNR raises fish to release in state reservoirs so people can enjoy good fishing without having to travel too far, Hannifin said.
“A lot of (fish in) the smaller ponds don’t make it through the winter,” he said. “We stock trout basically so people who enjoy fishing can go without having to travel to the bigger reservoirs like Strawberry.”
All the trout used to stock Tooele Valley reservoirs come from Springville Fish Hatchery. Workers there raise fish year-round. In a controlled environment, with steady water temperature and feeding schedules, the fish can grow as much as an inch per month, Hannifin said.
Outside the hatchery, fish growth depends on water temperature and food availability. Whenever Hannifin releases trout in a reservoir, he measures the water temperature, pH level and water hardness.
“Usually everything’s fine — we worry more about the temperature than anything else,” he said. “I don’t worry about pH or hardness too much unless it’s really high. Even then, I’ve released trout in some hard water and they seem to do fine.”
Fishermen over 12 years old must get a license from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to fish in the state. Licenses may be purchased for three days, seven days, a year or multiple years and are available online at wildlife.utah.gov or over the phone at 1-800-221-0659.
This year, Free Fishing Day is scheduled for June 11. On that day, everyone in Utah can fish for free, according to the 2016 Utah Fishing Guidebook.