Fishing Regulations

2008·1.7 MB·English

29.9:Y 3/2008
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Fishing Regulations
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FEDERAL
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to Use These Regulations
1. Familiarize yourself with the GENERAL REGULATIONS, listed on pages
6-7. They include permit requirements for fishing, boats, and float
tubes; tackle & bait restrictions; and size or possession limits.
2. See the map on pages 8-10 to determine WHICH OF THE TWO
MANAGEMENT AREAS WITHIN THE PARK-the Native Trout
Conservation Area or the Wild Trout Enhancement Area—you will be in.
3. Read the POSSESSION LIMITS BY MANAGEMENT AREA on page 8 to
determine the allowed harvest. Catch-and-release is mandatory for
cutthroat trout and all other native species in both management areas.
4. Check if the stream or lake you will be fishing is listed on page 10 in
the EXCEPTIONS TO GENERAL REGULATIONS.
Attention Anglers
fawtiStii&New Regulations and
^Wrhless Hook Requirement
To reduce competition, predation, and hybridization stress on native
fishes, Yellowstone has increased harvest limits of rainbow and
brown trout in waters where they co-existwith cutthroattrout.
Two areas with differing regulations now exist: the Native Trout
Conservation Area and the Wild Trout EnhancementArea. A map of
these areas and listofthe regulation changes are found on pages
8-10. In addition, Yellowstone has adopted a barbless hook rule, to
reduce handling time and injury, and improve the overall condition
and appearance offish, especia!ly in heavilyfished waters.
Help preserve Yellowstone for the future.
Contents
NewRegulationsandBarblessHookRequirement 2
AquaticInvasiveSpecies 4-5
GeneralRegulations—fishing&boating 6-7
ManagementAreaLimitsandMap 8-10
ExceptionstoGeneralRegulations 10
FishIdentificationandDistribution 11-13
ReleasingFish 14
VolunteerPrograms 15
AnglerEtiquette 15
IllegalActions/ReportingViolations 15
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Yellowstone'sFishery 16
FrequentlyAskedQuestions 17 CL
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ForMoreInformation Back Cover
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Aquatic Invasive Species
Already here
ThreeinvasivespeciesalreadyexistinYellowstone'swaters:
Whirling diseaseparasitecausesdeformitiesinyoungnative
trout,whichthencannotfeednormallyandarevulnerableto
predation. WhirlingdiseaseexistsinPelicanCreekanditstributaries,
oneofthelargestaquaticsystemsdrainingintoYellowstoneLake.
New Zealand mud snailsoccurinmanyparkstreams,where
theyconsumeaquaticvegetationthatimmaturetroutandothernative
speciesdependon.
Lake trout, anon-nativepredatoryspecies,wereintroducedto
YellowstoneandHeartlakes,whicharenativecutthroatwaters.They
growmuchlargerthannativecutthroattroutandconsumethenative
trout'syoungandadults,andcompetewiththenativetroutforfood.
NewZealandmudsnail
laketrout
On their way
TheseinvasivespeciesarelikelytoarriveinYellowstone:
Eurasian water-milfoil growsinlakes,ponds,shallowreservoirs,
andcalmareasofriversandstreams.Itisparticularlytroublesomein
waterbodiesthatexperienceabundantmotorboatuse (suchasBridge
Bay). Milfoilcolonizesnewhabitatsjustfromstemfragmentstrans-
portedbyboatingequipment.
Exotic plankton, suchasspinywaterflea,displacenative
zooplanktonandaredifficultforyoungfishtoeatbecauseoftheir
longspines. Planktoneggscanremaindormantfordecades,even
survivingpassagethroughfishgutstocolonizenewwaters.
Zebra mussel adultsareusuallythesizeofyourfingernail,butcan
growtotwoinchesinlength.Thelarvae (immatureform) canbeso
tinythatyoucannotseethem. However,exoticspecieslarvaecanlive
inmud,dirt,sand,andonplantfragments.
Exotic fish species, suchasbigheadcarp,silvercarp,and others
canirreversiblydamageecosystemsthroughcompetitionwithnative
zebramussel
fish.
E
bigheadcarp
.
Anchor
LowerUnitPropeller
Prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
BeforeyouenterYellowstoneNationalParkandanytimeyoumovetoanotherbodyofwater
withinthepark:
CLEAN YOUR BOAT
CLEAN YOUR GEAR
1 RemoveALLvisiblemud,plants,fish,orethertinyanimalsfromyourboats,trailers,and
otherequipment,includingwaders,boots,clothing,andnets.
2. DONOTdumpanywaterfromothersourcesintoYellowstonewaters.Drainyourboathull
andlivewellinasafelocation (aflat,paved,dirt,orgravelarea) awayfromallparksurface
waters.
3. NEVERemptybaitorreleasefish,otheranimals,orplantsintoabodyofwaterunlessthey
cameoutofit.Itisillegaltotransportlivefishwithinthepark.
4.CLEANANDDRYEVERYTHINGthatcomesincontactwithwaterbeforeenteringanew
bodyofwater,followingthesedirections:
Dryeverythinginthesunfor5 daysor
Usehigh-pressure,hot(>104°F)water(availableatcarwashesoutsidethepark)tocleanyour
boat,trailer,waders,andequipment
Forequipmentthatcannotbeexposedtohotwater,dipinto 100%vinegarfor20minutesora
1%tablesaltsolutionfor24hours,usingthefollowingratios:
water(gallons) 5 10 25 50 100
salt (cups) K % 3 6% \llA
Dispose of all bait before you enter Yellowstone National Park
Nonaturalororganicbaitsuchasminnows,salmoneggs,worms,insects,orfoodstuffs—aliveor
dead—areallowedinYellowstoneNationalPark.SeeGeneralRegulation4bonpage6fordetails
andtheoneexception.
. .
General Regulations
ifcdH.II.I.KMIIJ*WJ.».l.l.l.Ha«
TheseasonbeginstheSaturdayofMemorial Alltypesofvessels—includingfloattubes-
Dayweekend(usuallythelastweekendinMay) requireaboatpermit. Feesarecharged. Float
andextendsthroughthefirstSundayin tubesarenotallowedoncertainlakesoron
November.Exceptionsarelistedonpage 10. anyriverorstreaminYellowstoneexceptthe
Opendailyfrom5amto 10pm. Fishingwithan LewisRiverbetweenLewisandShoshone
artificiallightisprohibited.Someareasare lakes.ObtainpermitsinpersonattheSouth
closedtohumanentry,havetrailorseasonal Entrance,LewisLakeCampground,Grant
closures,off-trailtravelanddaylighthour VillageBackcountryOffice,andBridgeBay
limitations,orpartysizerecommendations.See RangerStation.Obtainnon-motorizedpermits
theBearManagementArearestrictionsinthe (only) atMammoth,Canyon,orOldFaithful
YellowstoneBackcountryTripPlannerfor backcountryoffices,NortheastEntrance,the
specificrulesandinformation. WestYellowstoneVisitorInformationCenter,
Streamsmaybetemporarilycloseddueto andtheBechlerRangerStation.
a
lowwaterlevelsandhighwatertempera-
hi—
turestoprotectfishpopulations.
mi
a.Eachanglermayuseonlyonerodorline,
whichmustbeattendedatalltimes.
a.Whenrequired,anglersmustbein b.Onlyartificialluresandfliesmaybeused.
Nonaturalororganicbaitsuchasminnows,
possessionofavalidYellowstoneNational
Parkfishingpermittofishinthepark.Afee salmoneggs,worms,insects,orfoodstuffs
permitisrequiredforanglers 16yearsofage areallowed.Scentedattractantsareillegal.
(Exception:GardnerRiverdrainage,where
orolder.Anglers 15yearsofageoryounger
havetwooptions: children 11 yearsofageoryoungermayfish
withwormsasbait.Seenextpage.)
1 Children 15 oryoungermayfish c. Hooksmustbebarbless,orbarbsmustbe
withoutapermitiftheyarefishingunder pincheddownbypliers.
thedirectsupervisionofanadultwho d.Luresmayhaveonlyonehookwithasingle,
hasavalidparkfishingpermit. double,ortrebleconfiguration.Nofish
2. Children 15 oryoungermayobtaina
snaggingisallowed.
freepermitthatmustbesignedbya e.Fliesmayhaveonlyonehookwithasingle
responsibleadult;withthispermit,achild point.Uptotwofliesmaybeusedona
canfishwithoutdirectadultsupervision.
singleleader.
Witheitheroption,theadultisresponsiblefor f Leadedfishingtacklesuchasleadedsplit-
thechild'sactionsandmustensurethechild shotsinkers,weightedjigs (leadmoldedtoa
complieswithallfishingregulationsand hook),andsoftlead-weightedribbonfor
provisions. nymphfishingarenotallowed. Leadcore
b.Parkrangersmaycheckpermits,inspect lineandheavy(>4lb.) downriggerweights
tackle,fish,creels,and/orothercontainers usedtofishfordeep-dwellinglaketroutare
wherefishortacklemaybestored. permissiblebecausetheyaretoolargetobe
ingestedbywildlife.
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Nofishingfromanyroadbridgeorboatdock.
a.Sizeandpossessionlimitsvarybyspecies
andmanagementarea.Themaximum
numberoffishananglercankeepisfive
fishperday.Ananglermustceasefishing
immediatelyafterfillingthepossessionlimit.
Exceptions:alllaketroutcaughtfrom
YellowstoneLakemustbekilled;nolimit
forlaketroutcaughtfromHeartLake.
Possessionlimitsincludeallfish—fresh,
stored,orpreserved.
b.Fishthatdonotmeetthespecifiedsize
restrictionsmustbereturnedcarefullyand
immediatelytothewatersfromwhichthey
weretaken.Unintentionallykilledfish Where to Take
shouldalsobereturnedtothewatersothey
canbeconsumedbywildlife.Itisthe Young Anglers
responsibilityoftheanglertobeableto
measurefishlengthsandtoidentifyfishby Familiesandyounganglerscanenjoyfishing
species. togetherinmanylocationsthroughoutthe
park. Parkrangers'kidsrecommend:
Mammoth:BlacktailDeerCreek,Indian
Ifyoukeepanyfish,youmustleavetheskin Creeknearcampground,GardnerRiverat
attachedtothefishsothefishspeciescanbe theMontana/Wyomingstateline,JoffeLake
visiblyidentified.IntheLewisRiversystem Lake:YellowstoneLakealongGullPoint
abovetheLewisRiverFalls,includingthe DriveoratSandPoint
LewisChannelandShoshoneLake,youmay
Grant:AsterCreeknearLewisFalls,Lewis
keeponlyonefishgreaterthan20"andit—
Lakeshoreline
alongwithallotherfishinyourpossession,
whileintransitorinthefield—mustbewhole EastEntrance:MiddleCreek,SylvanLake
withhead,skin,fins,andtailattached.Gills Norris:GibbonRiveratVirginiaMeadows
andentrailsmayberemovedfromallfishin orothermeadowreaches,SolfataraCreek
possessionbutdiscardedonlywithinthe nearcampground
waterswherethefishwerecaught.
Madison:GibbonRivernearTuffCliffs
OldFaithful:GooseLake,FireholeRiverat
Youmustdisposeoffishandfishentrails picnicareas,NezPerceCreek
withinthewaterswherethefishwascaught Northeastarea:PebbleCreeknear
andatleast 100feetfrombackcountry campground,TroutLake
campsites.Formoreinstructionsforfishand
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entraildisposal,seepage 13.
Possession & Length Limits By Management Area
Native Trout Conservation Area
Thisareaconservesnativetroutintheir
remainingdrainages,including:
Gallatin,Yellowstone,Shoshone,Snake,
andFallsrivers,tributaries,and
associatedlakes
HebgenLaketributariesandassociated
lakes,includingCougarCreek,Duck
Creek,andGraylingCreeksystems
ThisareadoesnotincludetheLewisRiver
systemaboveLewisRiverFalls(Lewisand
Shoshonelakesandtributaries).
Possessionandlengthlimits:
Catchandreleaseallnativespecies.
Possessionlimit:5 combinednon-native
fishanysizeperday.
AlllaketroutfromYellowstoneLake
mustbekilled.
Nopossessionlimitonlaketroutin
HeartLake.
Wild Trout Enhancement Area
Thisareaconservesnativetroutandsome
non-nativetrout.Itincludes:
MadisonRiver,itstributariesand
associatedlakes(butnotincluding
streamsandassociatedlakestributaryto
HebgenLake)
LewisRiversystemabovetheLewisRiver
Falls,includingLewisandShoshone
Lakesandtheirtributaries
LTSHOSHONE
Possessionandlengthlimits: V LAKE
Catchandreleaseallnativespecies.
Catchandreleaseallrainbowtroutand
browntrout.
Possessionlimit:5combinedbrooktrout a CT
orlaketrout.Exception:IntheLewis RT
RiversystemabovetheLewisRiverFalls, BK
thiscombinationmayincludetwobrown
/
trout. )
AboveLewisRiverFalls,onefish >20";
allfishinpossessionmustremainwhole.
__ SouthEr
Exceptions to General Regulations
If a stream or lake is not listed by name orasa tributary, general regula
apply. You mustfollow bearmanagement and hydrothermal
listed in the Yetfowstone Backcountry Trip Planner, which is available
backcountry officesoratwww.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/publication
Madison & Gallatir a. Closedtofishing: Firehole River from road bridge mile upstream ol Old Faithful toroad bridge
River Drainages al BiscuitBasin;Firehole River200yardseithersideofMidway luothndge. Madison Riverfrom
Seven Mile Bridgeupstream250yards.
(includingFireholeand
Gibbonriversand b. Flyfishingonly: Madison River, Firehole River,Gibbon RiverbelowGibbon Falls(notincluding
tin ir mhut.inesl ikeonly artificial flies regardlessofthetypeofrodorline.
a. Heart LakeopenstofishingJuly 1 duetot
b. Nosizeorpossession limitonlaketrout a ;htinHeart Lake,
c. AboveLewisRiverFalls,onefish >20";all hinpossessionmi lwhole.Seep.6,
Section7.
Lower Yellowstone a. AgateandCottonwoodcreeks,andportionsofthe Yellowstone Riverwithin 100yardsol these
River Drainage creeks,opentofishingJuly 15.
(YellowstoneandLamar b. GardnerRiver,Obsidian,Indian,andPanthercreeks,andJofTeLake:Children 11 yearsofageot
Rivers&tnbutanesbetween youngermay fishwith wormsasbait.
North Park Boundaryand c SloughCreekuppermeadowshavebeen invadedby rainbowtrout. Ifyouare positiveofyour
Chittenden Bridgenear fishidentification,pleaseharvestrainbowtrout hereto helpconservecutthroattrout.
d Iruut,Shrimp,and Buck lakes,andconnectingvvateis,open to fishingJune 15.Thestfeamand
inletareathatdrainsintoTrout LakeopenstofishingJuly 15.
e. Closedtofishing:Yellowstone River,fromChittenden Bridgedownstream through theGrand
CanyonoftheYellowstonetoapointdirectlybelowSilverCordCascade.
Middle Yellowstone a FishingseasonopensJuly 15.
River Drainage b. Permanentlyclosedtofishing:
[betweenChittenden B idge i FishingBridgeandanareaonemiledownstream (toward Canyon) andone-quartermile
nearCanyonand upstream Howard Yellowstone Lake) fromthebridge.
ii.TheYellowstoneRiverfor 100yardsup-anddownstreamofLeHardysRapids.
hi.TheentirewestchanneloftheYellowstone Riverneartheroadal NezPerceFord.
iv.TheYellowstone Riveranditstnbutanesthrough Hayden ValleyfromtheconfluenceofAlum
Creekupstream(toward Yellowstone Lake)toSulphurCaldron.
Yellowstone Lake and ,i Fishingseason on Yellowstone LakeopensJune 15.
Upper Yellowstone b. StreamsflowingintoYellowstone Lake(itstributaries) andareaswithin 100yardsofeach
River Drainage stream'soutletopenJuly 15.
(Lake&tnbutanes) c. ClearandCubcreeksopenAugust 11 duetobearactivity.
d. Sylvanand EleanorlakesopentofishingJuly 15. Boatsand floattubesareprohibited.
e. Permanentlyclosedtofishing:
i. PelicanCreekanditstributaries.
ii.TheshorelineofYellowstoneLakefrom WestThumbGeyserbasin toLittleThumbCreek(to
protectfragilethermalresources).
lit Bridge BayMarina/HarborkGrant VillageManna/Harborandtheirchannelstothelake.
( All lake troutcaught in YellowstoneLake, itstributaries,and the Yellowstone
Rivermust bekilled. Ifyou donot want tokeep the fish, puncture theair bladder(see
drawingpage 13)anddropitintowaterasdeepaspossible.
Themaponthettren*sideJudical*knownlocationsoffishspecieswithinfl
YellowstoneNationalPart,usingthetwo-letterabbreviationsbelow.Thismapisprovided
anaidtoanglers6shingforparticularspeciesanddoesnotimplyalegalbassforspecies
wish one fish species
NATIVES
Cutthroat Trout—CT Native Trout Conservation Area:
5 fishanysizeincombination
CATCH 8. RELEASE ONLY Wild Trout Enhancement Area: CATCH AND RELEASE
EXCEPT LewisRiverSystem (LewisLake,LewisChannel,and
ShoshoneLakeand tributaries)TWO FISH (onlyonefishofany
speciesover20 all fish inpossession mustremainwhole)
i
toexistintheYello
Three subspecies:
Yellowstone, Westslope, Snake Riverfinespotted
Allfish with redstash areconsideredcutthroat
Rainbow Trout—RT
If it has a red slash, put it back.
Fluvial Arctic Grayling—GY
CATCH & RELEASE ONLY
Native Trout Conservation Area:
5 fishanysizeincombination
Wild Trout Enhancement Area: CATCH AND RELEASE
A Note about Hybridized (genetically impure) Cutthroat Trout
In cutthroattroutwaterswhere rainbowtrout havebeen introduced,eitherbv intentional,historic
stockingorbyinvasion fromadownstreamsource,the result hasbeen aseriousdegradation ofthe
cutthroat trout population through interbreedingof the twospecies Presently, hybridizedcutthroat
troutexist throughout the Bechler, Falls,Gallatin,Gardner,and Lamarrivers,andtheYellowstone
RiverbelowtheUpperFalls.
rationandspottingpatternnss))tfiat
species, makingidentificationoften difficult. Inall cases,hybt
thathaveanyindicationofared/orangejawslasharefullyprotectedby atch*
has a red slash, put it back."