The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently stocked Arctic grayling in southwest Wyoming, providing anglers an opportunity to catch this unique fish.
Artic grayling were stocked in Kemmerer Community Pond, Lower UP Ice Pond near Evanston, Rock Springs Pond, Mountain View Pond, Sweetwater Kids Pond in Jamestown, and Murray Reservoir, southwest of Mountain View.
“This is a great opportunity for anglers to catch a unique fish and we were excited to stock them into waters, not only in Pinedale, but across the state, just in time for free fishing day and many kid fishing events,” Guy Campbell, WGFD Assistant Fish Culture Supervisor, said. “These fish are already 11 to 14 inches in size, so anglers can easily catch them on spinners, baits, and small flies.”
These Arctic grayling were transplanted from Meadow Lake outside of Pinedale, a water the Wyoming Game and Fish uses to maintain its wild brood population. Pinedale Fisheries Biologist Darren Rhea has been monitoring the grayling population for several years.
“We are trying to maintain the Meadow Lake grayling population around 7,000 fish,” Rhea said. “Over the last few years, the population has doubled in size. The population needed to be reduced, which provided an opportunity to transplant 11 to 14 inch grayling to several waters throughout the state. Because this brood stock and water source is certified pathogen-free, similar to our hatcheries, we were able to transplant these adult fish in community fisheries across the state,” Campbell said. “Anglers now have more diverse fishing opportunities in communities across the state.”
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