8/1/2007

Division of Wildlife

Fish Salvage at Summit Reservoir

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will temporarily suspend most fishing regulations at Summit Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Aug. 4 – 24, to allow for emergency harvest of fish by the public.
 
The reservoir, located 10 miles northwest of Mancos in Montezuma County, will be chemically treated in late August to eliminate white suckers, a non-native fish species.
 
The lake will be restocked next spring.
           
Anglers will be allowed to keep all the fish they can catch, explained Mike Japhet, senior aquatic biologist for the southwest region of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.  Those fishing must have a Colorado fishing license.
 
Because white suckers dominate, there is not an abundance of other fish in the reservoir. Other fish species in the lake include rainbow trout, black crappie, bass and channel catfish. White suckers are not native to the San Juan River Basin.
           
According to the DOW's emergency fish salvage order: all bag and possession limits are lifted; besides hook-and-line methods, fish can also be taken by snagging and with hand dip nets. Emergency fishing will be allowed only from sunrise to sunset.
           
The following methods cannot be used: seines, cast nets, trotlines, underwater spearfishing, firearms, explosives, toxicants and electricity. Use of live fish for bait is also prohibited. Live fish cannot be transported to other bodies of water.
           
Non-anglers, ages 18 to 62, who enter the wildlife area are reminded that they must possess a habitat stamp.
           
The reservoir will be closed on Aug. 25 to prepare for the chemical treatment operation.