Cast your lines while you can. That’s the advice of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources after the state’s worst snowpack in decades. This means water levels in popular fishing holes are low, and so are fish numbers.
“This year, folks are wanting, going to want to get out now, especially if they have a boat,” said Trina Hedrick, the state's cold water sport fish coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
In Utah, species like rainbow trout are bred in hatcheries around the state before being used to stock the state's water bodies. Staff begin rearing the fish about a year in advance, but this year, several of the state's watering holes are low. That puts pressure on the hatcheries to find new homes for the fish.
State hatchery coordinator Richard Hepworth said Bear Lake is a good example.
“They know they're going to be low this year,” he said, adding that the popular recreation spot had to cut the number of stocked cutthroat by about 20,000 fish. For scale, Hepworth said the lake usually stocks around 105,000.
So, he sent out a request across the state explaining the situation. Strawberry Reservoir answered the call to take extra fish.
Figuring out what fish need to stock which lake or reservoir has been a balancing act this year.
“What may have been supposed to go here ends up in a different place, because we know this place might get drained,” he said.
In addition to the musical chairs, the wildlife division has made several changes over the past few years to adapt to Utah’s changing weather and climate. Smaller fish are sent to locations where they’re more likely thrive, and they stock fewer but larger fish to increase survival rates.
According to data from the Department of Natural Resources, about 11.6 million fish were stocked across 665 Utah water bodies in 2025 – a decrease from 12.8 million the year before.
Hepworth said the financial impacts are yet to be seen, but he predicts they will be minimal. Much of the state’s income from angling comes from licenses, and he said most people who buy a license “buy it every year.”
Trina Hedrick said that as the season goes on, water levels will continue to drop and warm. In turn, warmer water holds less oxygen, which can “stress out” cold water-oriented fish like trout, one of the main species that populate Utah’s fishing spots. Trout in mid-elevation water bodies are likely to be the most impacted by the drought this year, particularly in southern Utah.
And as the Flaming Gorge Reservoir water release to Lake Powell helps raise its critically low levels, anglers who fish the Green River and Flaming Gorge could see the difference. Up to one million acre-feet of water will be delivered between now and April 2027, and fish will likely move to different areas. Boat ramp conditions could also change.
Despite the coming strain, Hepworth said anglers in Utah should seize the day.
“We don't know what the fall is going to be like, or the late summer. Right now, fishing should be good,” he said. “We'll do our best. But I would suggest getting out and enjoying it right now while you can.”
