SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Wildlife Board approved some updates to several fishing regulations, elk hunting and a few other rule changes during a public meeting on Thursday.
Fishing regulation updates
Earlier this year, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conducted a survey to gather angler feedback on proposed regulations and administrative rule changes. The results of that survey — and its overwhelming statewide support — were presented to the Utah Wildlife Board, who approved the DWR's proposals. The changes include a variety of updated fishing regulations for various waterbodies and species across the state, including:
Statewide
- Allowing take with multiple methods — including angling, traps, underwater spearfishing, bowfishing, liftnets, dipnets, cast nets, seine or spear — for common carp, fathead minnow and redside shiner in any waterbody in Utah that is open to fishing.
- Allowing take with multiple methods — including angling, traps, underwater spearfishing, bowfishing, liftnets, dipnets, cast nets, seine or spear — for Utah chub, Utah sucker and white sucker in any waterbody in Utah that is open to fishing, except for the Weber River, Utah Lake and Utah Lake tributaries.
- Updating rules to be consistent for listing burbot and zander as prohibited fish in Utah.
- Clarifying the time of spearfishing reopening after seasonal spawning closures. Spearfishing will reopen at 6 a.m. on the fourth Saturday in June.
- Removing the special regulation designation for roundtail chub in McElmo Creek and reducing the roundtail chub daily limit to zero statewide.
- Reducing the daily fish limit for largemouth bass to zero fish at eight community ponds along the Wasatch Front, in order to reduce harvest at these heavily fished waterbodies. The change applies to Spring Lake, Salem Lake, Highland Glen Pond, Dry Creek Pond, the Old Provo Channel in Utah County, Sunset Pond in Salt Lake County, Andy Adams Reservoir in Davis County and Goode Ski Lake in Weber County.
- Proposing to change the status of 14 native fish species to game fish. The daily limit for these species would be zero. This change increases conservation protections and helps increase support for these species. The reclassified species would include Bear Lake sculpin, bluehead sucker, desert sucker, green sucker, flannelmouth sucker, least chub, longnose dace, mottled sculpin, mountain sucker, northern leatherside, Paiute sculpin, southern leatherside, speckled dace, and Virgin spinedace. The roundtail chub daily limit would also be decreased from 2 fish to zero fish in all locations, due to current population status.
- Removing mountain sucker, longnose dace, speckled dace, mottled sculpin, Paiute sculpin and golden shiner from the list of dead fish that may be used as bait in Utah.
- Proposing to add white sturgeon to the list of fish species with a daily limit. The daily limit would be zero.
Central Utah
- Allowing spearfishing for common carp, white bass and northern pike in the Provo River Delta, while maintaining the nighttime closure during the June sucker spawning period.
- Allowing bowfishing for northern pike in Utah Lake.
Northeastern Utah
- Allowing the use of dead yellow perch and perch parts as bait in Brough Reservoir.
- Increasing the daily limit for bluegill at Pelican Lake to 50 fish (the statewide bluegill limit).
- Removing the daily limit for black bullhead at Pelican Lake.
- Implementing a protective slot limit for walleye at Starvation Reservoir. Daily limits and regulations would include: a limit of 20 walleye less than 15 inches, the immediate release of any walleye from 15-20 inches and a limit of 1 walleye over 20 inches.
- Closing Starvation Reservoir to spearfishing for walleye greater than 15 inches from April 1 through 6 a.m. on the fourth Saturday in June (making it consistent with other spearfishing closures and to help protect spawning walleye).
- Allowing bowfishing for all fish species at Starvation Reservoir, with a seasonal closure from April 1 through 6 a.m. on the fourth Saturday in June.
- Reducing the daily limit at all the Lower Stillwater Ponds from 4 trout to 2 trout, due to the increased popularity of fishing at this waterbody.
Northern Utah
- Reducing the daily limit for bluegill at Mantua Reservoir from 50 to 15 fish.
- Adding no limit on walleye (an illegal introduction) at Mantua Reservoir and requiring all walleye caught to be killed. This will be in effect Nov. 1.
- Implementing a minimum-length limit for walleye caught at Willard Bay Reservoir. Anglers would be able to keep a daily limit of 6 walleye over 18 inches and only 1 walleye over 24 inches.
- Allowing a bonus daily limit of 8 kokanee salmon at Causey and Stateline reservoirs, in addition to the daily limit of 4 trout.
- Increasing the daily limit for tiger muskie caught at Newton Reservoir to 1 fish over 40 inches.
- Allowing the use of bait at Hobbs Reservoir only to catch white sturgeon, while using a single hook no smaller than size 4/0. Anglers may not use bait when fishing for trout.
Southern Utah
- Allowing bowfishing for striped bass at Lake Powell.
- Allowing the use of a setline at Lake Powell.
- Increasing the daily limit for tiger muskie at Navajo Lake to 1 fish of any size.
- Creating a limit of 40 northern pike, with only two over 36 inches, at DMAD Reservoir, Gunnison Bend Reservoir, Redmond Lake and the Sevier River in Garfield, Kane, Piute, Sevier, Sanpete, Juab and Millard counties.
- Allowing spearfishing and bowfishing for northern pike in Redmond Lake.
- Reducing the daily limit of brook trout at Donkey Lake from 16 trout to 8 trout.
- Updating the current closure dates to Jan. 1 through 6 a.m. on April 1 and Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 for Beaver Dam Reservoir, Bulberry Lakes, Fish Creek Reservoir, Honeymoon Lake, Long Willow Bottom Reservoir, McGath Lake, Pacer Lake, Pine Creek Reservoir, Round Willow Bottom Reservoir, Scout Lake and Solitaire Lake in Garfield and Wayne counties. (This change will open these 11 Boulder Mountain waterbodies for seven additional weeks of fishing each year.)
Fishing rule changes
In addition to the fishing regulation changes, the board also approved some corresponding fishing rule updates, as well as a few new rule changes, including:
- Clarifying that an angler or spearfisher targeting a legal species of game fish, who catches a nuisance prohibited species, is allowed to possess it if they use a legal method of take to capture it and dispose of it properly.
- Clarifying that diploid (fertile) grass carp are prohibited, but triploid (sterile) grass carp may be stocked in Utah, in accordance with rule.
- Adding golden shiner, burbot and zander to the prohibited fish list.
- Adding gizzard and threadfin shad and Utah and white sucker to the controlled list, and clarifying that common carp is the carp species on the controlled list.
- Adding mollusks to the definition of "protected aquatic wildlife" in Utah.
- Reclassifying white sturgeon and 14 native fish species as game fish, and updating the rules and definitions for game and nongame fish species.
- Clarifying the requirements for bowfishing equipment.
- Clarifying that underwater spearfishing may only target species of game fish that have a daily limit of 1 or more fish. (Game fish species with a daily limit of 0 fish may not be targeted or harvested by underwater spearfishers.)
- Clarifying the rules and fish species allowed for baitfish.
Elk hunting amendments from mid-plan review
The DWR recently completed a mid-plan review of the Utah Statewide Elk Management Plan with the elk committee. The review evaluated the current plan, with an emphasis on the changes made in 2022. Several things were evaluated, including hunting opportunity, quality, weapon types, hunter success rates, average ages of harvested bulls, hunter distribution and demand for elk hunting permits. As a result, the board approved a few changes to elk hunting during Thursday's meeting, including:
- More flexibility on weapon splits for the handguns, archery equipment, muzzleloaders, shotguns and straight-walled rifles (HAMSS) units, which will allow biologists to adjust the weapons splits from the standard 50/50 split between the September archery hunt and the November HAMSS hunt. The weapons splits could be altered up to 70/30, with the higher percentage being allocated to the hunt that offers the most opportunity.
- Combining the early- and late-season hunts for the any-bull any-legal-weapon hunts into one 14-day hunt.
- Adding the Paunsaugunt unit as an area that can be hunted during the general archery season.
- Removing the 15,000-permit cap on general-season any bull permits.
- Re-establishing a multiseason any-bull permit to provide hunters with the opportunity to participate in the general-season archery, muzzleloader and any legal weapon any-bull hunts.
- Implementing a 5,000-permit cap on multiseason any bull bull permits.
- Removing the 4,500 permit cap on multiseason spike permits. (Overall 15,000 cap on spike permits will remain in place)
"The goal of these proposals is to maintain accessible, low-barrier elk hunting opportunities, while allowing hunters more flexibility to choose the permit that best meets their needs," DWR Big Game Coordinator Mike Wardle said.
These changes will be implemented during the 2027 hunting season, and the DWR will review the plan again before the end of 2032, which is when the current statewide elk plan expires.
Amphibian and reptile collection rule updates
The board also approved some changes to the rules regarding the collection, importation, transportation and possession of amphibians and reptiles, including:
- Updating the definition of a "prohibited species" to allow the DWR to issue a certificate of registration only under special circumstances. (A person who wants to collect and possess a prohibited species with a collection permit would still be required to obtain a variance approval from the Utah Wildlife Board.)
- Clarifying the prohibited species rule with updated language about the bite severity and also adding the families, genera and species of non-native venomous reptiles that are prohibited.
- Amending the rule to include mention of the Utah Desert Tortoise Adoption Program. This program allows a person to possess a Mojave desert tortoise by submitting an application to the DWR to adopt a captive tortoise and receiving a certificate of registration upon approval. (Individuals interested in desert tortoise adoption must follow the program guidelines, and they cannot live in Washington County.)
- Allowing a gig to be used as a collection method for the American bullfrog, which is a non-native, noncontrolled species in Utah.
Fee changes
The board also approved a few fee changes, including:
- Reducing the spot-and-stalk black bear permit from $93 to $50 for residents and from $889 to $480 for nonresidents.
- Increasing the sportsman bison permit fee from $454 to $460 to correct a clerical error and to align the permit cost with all other resident bison permit fees.
- Adding a flat fee for leases or easements.
- Increasing the cost of the aquatic invasive species decal for motorized boats from $20 to $25 for residents and from $25 to $50 for nonresidents in order to adjust for the rising costs of operations and recent reductions in federal funding.
Conservation and expo permits
The Utah Conservation Permit Program was launched in 1980 in an effort to increase funding for conservation projects for fish and wildlife throughout Utah. Each year, the Utah Wildlife Board designates a small percentage of limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime hunting permits as "conservation and expo permits." Since 2001, conservation permits have generated more than $106 million for conservation work in Utah.
The conservation permits are offered to conservation and sportsmen's groups, who then auction them at banquets, fundraisers and other events. The DWR and these conservation groups allocate 90% of the money raised from these permit sales toward conservation and research projects, including:
- Habitat enhancement
- Wildlife transplants
- Aerial surveys
- Deer survival studies
The remaining 10% of the proceeds may be retained by the conservation groups to help cover administrative costs. In 2026, 336 conservation permits were allocated (less than 2% of all permits). The 2026 conservation permits generated more than $9.15 million for wildlife conservation.
The expo permits are not auctioned, but rather, are offered once each year through a public drawing currently held at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City. Utahns and nonresidents who attend the expo can apply for the 200 limited-entry permits. There is a $5 application fee and part of that fee goes to the conservation groups hosting the expo to help pay for costs associated with hosting and running the permit drawing. The remaining portion of the application fee is used for conservation efforts, including habitat and restoration projects that benefit wildlife in Utah. In 2026, just over $2 million was generated through the expo permits for conservation projects and initiatives.
During Thursday's meeting, the wildlife board approved annual audits of the two programs, as well as the annual report for the Conservation Permit Program. Allocations for the 200 expo permits for the 2027 Western Hunting and Conservation Expo were also approved with the following changes:
- Removing one expo permit for the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek cow elk any-legal-weapon hunt
- Adding one expo permit for the Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South cow elk any-legal-weapon hunt
- Removing one expo permit for the Wasatch/Central Mountains any-legal-weapon moose hunt
- Adding one expo permit for the Cache any-legal-weapon moose hunt
Other rule amendments
The board also approved a few additional updates to current rules, including:
- Updating the natural disaster relief rule to clarify the criteria for when the DWR director can provide permit relief options for impacted hunters if a natural disaster affects a hunting unit. Another proposed change would allow the DWR director to waive the requirement that a permit be surrendered more than 30 days before the hunt in order to qualify for point reinstatement.
- Allowing nonresident active-duty military personnel to be eligible for resident pricing on all draw application fees and for resident rates on hunting or combination licenses.
- Clarifications and updates to the rule requirements for hunting and fishing accommodations for people with disabilities.
- The board also approved the 2027 dates for the Regional Advisory Council and Utah Wildlife Board meetings.
You can watch the full meeting on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.