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VERNAL — The Red Fleet Fishery near Vernal was destroyed after walleye were illegally introduced to the reservoir. After years of gathering data, the Division of Wildlife Resources plans to rebuild the fishery this fall.
Based on data, DWR biologists are proposing a unique list of fish to introduce into the renovated fishery, according to a DWR news release. Although walleye were the species that initially destroyed the fishery, sterile walleye will once again be introduced into the reservoir to serve as a predator. However, because the species will be sterile, they will be manageable, the news release said.
Sterile hybrid species of wipers and tiger trout will also be included in the fishery to serve as predators. These fish will help balance the ecosystem of the fisher and are highly desired by anglers, the news release said.
Colorado River cutthroat trout and bonytail will be the sport fish included in the Red Fleet Reservoir. The forage fish species will include a combination of yellow perch, black crappie, mountain whitefish and fathead minnow.
"Colorado River cutthroats are native to the area," DWR regional aquatics manager Tina Hedrick said in the news release. "We'll reintroduce them into Brush Creek. They'll provide an occasional sport fishing opportunity in the reservoir. The bonytail, another native fish in the Green River drainage, will serve as an experimental sportfish/forage fish."
DWR biologists plan to begin stocking the reservoir in November and will continue introducing the new fish species into the fishery until the summer of 2016. Some of the species — like the tiger trout and cutthroat trout — will come from the DWR fish hatcheries and may take longer to stock in the reservoir.
"The bonytail will also come out of the hatchery system, but a lot of paperwork will be associated with them. It might take a year or two before we can place bonytails in the reservoir," Hedrick said in the news release. “It won’t happen overnight. We're asking anglers to be patient."
DWR officials are holding an open house so the public can learn more about the plan for the Red Fleet Fishery. The open house will be April 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Department of Natural Resources Building at 318 N. Vernal Ave.
"Our goal is to make Red Fleet a destination fishery," Hedrick said. "Our planning teams have worked hard. Now, it's time to show everyone the results."
