New Strategy for Fast Baiting in the Middle of a Busy Utah Fishing

There may, as they say, be plenty of fish in the sea — but fishing opportunities on Utah’s streams, rivers and lakes are getting tighter.

The number of anglers trying their luck in Utah’s waters has steadily increased over the years, meanwhile it is becoming more expensive for state managers to raise and stock gamefish and increasingly difficult to -access to water-based recreation during persistent drought.

State fisheries managers are being asked to do more with less these days, and they’re working more strategically to create sustainable opportunities for everyone who takes a rod and reel. A new report from a team led by Jordan Smith identifies a creative strategy for possibly increasing recreational fishing capacity in the state, and it’s a bit like making matches.

“The key to offering an enjoyable day of fishing starts by determining what type of experience an angler wants and then matching them with those resources,” said Smith, from Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Quinney College of Natural Resources.

According to surveys completed by the team, a primary motivation for anglers is to get away from crowds in natural settings to relax. Beyond that, there’s a lot of variation among anglers in the types of experiences they want. Ultimately, your motivation to fish depends on who you are and the type of experience you want to have, Smith says.

“Outside of some common shared motivations, it’s not really possible or useful to make general assumptions about fishermen as a whole,” said Chase Lamborn, co-author on the research.

Using the data, the team created unique angler profiles for different types of fishing experiences. The profiles allow managers to cultivate a range of opportunities that offer Utah anglers an enjoyable experience, Lamborn said.

With results from their extensive user survey, the team found that Utah anglers can be classified by motivation into five fairly distinct groups:

• Explorers.
• Social Anglers.
• Anglers Committed to Catching.
• Ambivalent Anglers.
• Catch and Drink Anglers.

“Those in the Explorers and Social Anglers groups tend to be the most receptive to new experiences, even though their preferences, behaviors and motivations are different,” Lamborn said.

Ambivalent and Catch & Consume anglers are the least likely to seek out new experiences.

“Fishermen with different motivations can use the same fishery, but in different ways,” Lamborn said. This underscores the need for individual fisheries to provide a diverse spectrum of opportunities, he said.

For example, a single reservoir can provide more remote, secluded and natural areas for Explorers, and for Social Anglers looking for easier access, a place to meet up with friends and family. Catch-Focused Anglers may target tailwaters, while Catch & Consume Anglers are more likely to seek out familiar areas with good water quality and a high probability of catching fish, so they can bring home those fish that are safe to eat.

“The report identifies specific elements that are important to the fishing experience, helping managers understand what needs to be preserved or improved in Utah’s fisheries,” Lamborn said. “Managers can use this information to develop recreational solutions that improve the sustainability of Utah’s fisheries and also meet key public motivations, hopefully gaining public support along the way,” he said.