DWR stocks Deer Creek Reservoir with thousands of rainbow trout

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is stocking Deer Creek Reservoir with thousands of rainbow trout ahead of the winter season.

DWR crews brought the fish to the reservoir by truck before releasing them into the water.

Brennan Hannifin, assistant supervisor at the Springville Fish Hatchery, said about 2,000 fish were stocked during the visit, with tens of thousands more planned throughout the year.

"We're stalking about 2,000 fish today, but this year, just out of Midway in Springville, we're going to be stalking about 88,000 fish," Hannifin said.

The trout are raised at hatcheries from eggs until they reach about 10 to 12 inches long.

Deer Creek is a popular fishing spot for anglers along the Wasatch Front. DWR says stocking helps maintain fish populations in reservoirs that see heavy fishing activity.

"A lot of these water bodies, just like Deer Creek they get a lot of pressure, a lot of angling pressure, and the fish that are typically in here throughout the year kind of ebbs and flows," said Mike Packer, DWR conservation outreach manager. "They grow, and they diminish. We can kind of control their numbers and stock up, according to make sure there's enough resources for anglers to catch, but not so much that it becomes too prolific to take over."

DWR says stocking fish is one way it helps maintain fishing opportunities throughout Utah.

For anglers, the excitement is part of the experience, Hannifin said.

"When you go out and you're fishing and you hook on to something you really don't know what you've got until you get it in and especially if it's putting up a fight that's really the thrill and the excitement of it," he said.

More information about fishing and fish stocking locations is available on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website.