More trout stocked in Panguitch Lake

PANGUITCH — More than 60,000 trout have been stocked into Panguitch Lake since right before the Memorial Day weekend. And some of the recent additions weigh close to three pounds each!

Panguitch Lake is 14 miles southwest of Panguitch, in the Dixie National Forest.

The Division of Wildlife Resources has been restocking the lake to restore fishing after completing a rotenone treatment on May 2 to remove the lake's Utah chubs. The lake was declared nontoxic just before the Memorial Day weekend, and restocking began immediately thereafter.

Since that time, almost 60,000 10-inch rainbow trout have been released into the lake. Then, during the week of June 5, more than 2,000 larger trout were also stocked.

"These larger fish average just less than two pounds each, but some of them weigh close to three pounds and are more than 16 inches long," says Richard Jensen, DWR aquatics biologist. "They should be a lot of fun for anyone who is lucky enough to get one on their hook."

The DWR has also scheduled 315,000 fingerling trout for stocking into Panguitch Lake this year. These fish are three, six and seven inches in length.

"These smaller fingerlings represent the future of Panguitch Lake," says Mike Ottenbacher, DWR regional aquatics manager. "They may be small now, but they will grow rapidly. By next year they will be big enough to catch and will provide some great fishing, which will continue for the foreseeable future."

All of the fish stocked into Panguitch Lake are raised in DWR hatcheries. Stocking at the lake will continue through the summer and should be completed by late fall.

Panguitch Lake has a reputation as an angler's paradise, producing big fish in a short period of time. Fishing should be great there this summer, and it will only get better as time goes on.