1991 – Anglers are restricted from taking cutthroat from the Strawberry River but are encouraged to harvest brown trout.

1991 – 1991 Utah fishing proclamation. New magazine style fishing proclamation with adds significantly reduces cost of publishing.

1991 – Record for striped bass weighing 41 pound 10 ounces caught at Lake Powell.

1991 – Whirling disease shows up in Utah for the first time. Fish at three private fish hatcheries test positive for the disease. The disease spreads quickly and causes lots of money and man hours to combat.

1992 – Owners of the private fish hatchery that spread whirling disease are fined $29,000 by the DWR. The hatchery is owned by the governors family.

1992 – 1992 Utah fishing proclamation. Tiger Trout are now considered a game fish in Utah.

1992 – Mill Meadow, Forsyth, UM Creek, and the Freemont River are all chemically treated to remove whirling disease.

1993 – Whirling disease is discovered in northern Utah. Fish from a hatchery in Paradise test positive and a rainbow trout from the Little Bear River tests positive for the destructive disease.

1993 – Whirling disease now in three northern Utah fish hatcheries as well as in Blacksmith Fork.

1993 – 1993 Utah fishing proclamation.

1993 – Director of the DWR Tim Provan resigns his position. Robert Valentine is named interim director.

1993 – Wyoming cancels reciprocal stamp for fisherman on Flaming Gorge. Utah fisherman will now need to buy a non resident Wyoming fishing license to fish on the Wyoming side of the lake. The two states disagree on how lake trout should be managed.

1993 – Utah state record for Sacramento Perch is caught at Pruess Reservoir weighing 4 pounds 5 ounces.

1994 – After the legislature slashes the budget DWR is forced to eliminate 28 full time positions. Thousands of sportsmen protest on the steps of the capitol.

1994 – Electric Lake has the only certified disease free Yellowstone cutthroat trout eggs in the world. Over 700,000 eggs are collected by biologists to be raised at the Glenwood and Fountain Green hatcheries. In nature only 1% of the cutthroat eggs survive to be fingerlings. In the hatcheries that number goes up by 75%.

1994 –1994 Utah fishing proclamation.

1994 – In an effort to combat litter the DWR comes up with the Utah Stream Team. It’s pretty much like an adopt a highway program but instead groups can volunteer to clean up sections of rivers in the state.

1994 – DWR finishes the year with a $1.2 million shortfall of the 1994 budget.

1995 – Legislature passes bill that transfers control of commercial fish from DWR to the Department of Agriculture. Private fish hatcheries are now tested for diseases by a division that doesn’t even have facilities to test the fish. Sportsman groups were very angry about what appeared to be a retaliation attack on the division that fined the governors families fish hatchery, after it spread whirling disease.

1995 – The FDA forces biologists at Strawberry Reservoir to stop using Methyl-testosterone to sterilize rainbow trout. The FDA didn’t outright make the use of the chemical illegal but instead forced the DWR to spend millions of dollars in studies if they wanted to continue using it. Biologists are searching for a new method to sterilize fish.

1995 – 1995 Utah fishing proclamation.

1995 – Bonneville cutthroat trout is in danger of being listed on the endangered species list. Parley’s Canyon is treated with rotenone so the Bonneville cutthroat can be restocked.

1996 – 71 DWR employees have either left or were terminated from their jobs in the last three years. Several of these employees played a key role in investigating whirling disease in the governors family owned fish hatchery.

1996 – DWR asks for anglers opinion on changing regulations to allow two poles and change fish kept from eight to four.

1996 – Permit for spearfishing is repealed. Bag limits at Jordanelle and Strawberry reduced from eight to four trout.

1996 – DWR receives almost 2 million dollars in funds for fish hatchery remodel from legislature. They are also eligible for 6 million in federal dollars.

1996 – Six years after treatment chubs are found again in Strawberry Reservoir gillnet study.

1996 – 1996 Utah fishing proclamation.

1996 – Bob Valentine director of the DWR announces his retirement. John Kimball becomes acting director while a nationwide search for a full time replacement is conducted.

1997 – 1997 Utah fishing proclamation. Anglers can now fish with two poles by purchasing a second pole permit for $10. The two pole permit is only valid on some Utah waters. The limit of trout was reduced from eight to four at some Utah waters. Utah now has a catch and release record. Each catch must be witnessed and photographed.

1997 – John Kimball is named full time director of the DWR. He has a bachelors degree in zoology from the University of Miami and has worked with the DWR for over 30 years.

1997 – Popularity of fishing the Boulder mountains booms after major outdoor magazine has an article on trophy brook trout. Fishing limit changes to only two trout over 13 inches to try and maintain the large fish population.

1997 – Fish infected with whirling disease near fish hatchery in Nephi. Despite several indications the Department of Agriculture took over a year to identify and test the fish.

1998 – The public is fed up with the way the UDA is handling whirling disease. Trout Unlimited of Utah helps a new law HB0407 pass. This law removes control of fish health from the UDA and creates a board of members from several divisions in Utah to control fish health policy.

1998 – 1998 Utah fishing proclamation.

1998 – Whirling disease found in upper Provo River area. Beaver Creek which is just upstream of the Kamas fish hatchery also test positive for the parasite.

1998 – State representative challenges stream access law for right to fish in rivers that pass through private property.

1998 – Brown trout are dying in the Ogden river due to overpopulation. The public is asked to harvest more brown trout.

1999 – 1999 Utah fishing proclamation. Utah Lake tributaries are closed to fishing in the spring time to protect spawning walleye. Anglers and hunters are required to purchase a $6 habitat authorization permit.

1999 – In effort to keep the Coloroado River cutthroat off of the endangered species list, the DWR stocks nearly 80 lakes in the Uintas with the trout.

1999 – New fish hatchery announced in Fountain Green which will replace the current one built in 1940.

2000 – Whirling disease hits Midway hatchery and workers have to kill 1 million fish. Whirling disease is now in the middle Provo River and contaminated the hatchery. Fish stocking in the state is reduced by 20%.

2000 – 2000 Utah fishing proclamation.

2001 – Blue ribbon fisheries program is created.

2001 – The governors family owned hatchery that originally spread the whirling disease in 1991 once again tests positive for the parasite.

2001 – 2001 Utah fishing proclamation.

2001 – Two new urban ponds open, one in Bountiful, and one in Murray. An increase in fishing license fee is asked so that more urban ponds can be built around the state.

2001 – DWR director John Kimball retires after 36 years. Kevin Conway steps in as acting director while a search for Kimball’s replacement is conducted.

2002 – 2002 Utah fishing proclamation. Statewide limit on trout is reduced from eight to four. When fishing in the Uintas you can keep an additional four brook trout.

2002 – After a three month search Kevin Conway is named director of the DWR.

2002 – Walleye numbers grow so fast in Yuba Reservoir that the fish completely wipe out their food supply. The DWR removes over 9,000 walleye from the reservoir with nets. Around 2,000 Christmas trees are dumped in Yuba with the goal of providing a place for Perch populations to grow.

2003 – 2003 Utah fishing proclamation. Strawberry Reservoir slot limit goes into effect. You now must release any cutthroat between 15 and 22 inches.

2003 – Couple arrested for keeping 174 trout in their freezer. This is 166 trout over the legal limit.

2004 – 2004 Utah fishing proclamation. Bait fishing is now allowed on the middle Provo River.

2004 – DWR director Kevin Conway passes away after tough fight with cancer. Miles Moretti is named interim director.

2005 – Only one commercial fish hatchery in Utah tests negative for whirling disease.

2005 – Jim Karpowitz is named as director of the DWR.

2005 – 2005 Utah fishing proclamation.

2005 – whirling disease found in Springville hatchery. Almost 900,000 trout have to be destroyed. 5,000 of the bigger trout are frozen and given to the public for food. Whirling disease does not affect humans when eaten.

2005 – Angler hours at Scofield Reservoir was around 347,000 in 1986. In 2005 the number of angling hours is around 115,000 at Scofield. Anglers caught around 252,000 trout at Scofield in 1986 and that number in 2005 was less than 36,000 trout caught.

2006 – 2006 Utah fishing proclamation. Lake trout limit upped to 8 fish at Flaming Gorge. The following was one of the stupidest entries I’ve seen in a proclamation. The limit on burbot is 25. Anglers must not release burbot, all burbot caught must be killed and count towards your bag limit. So if you catch 25 burbot you pretty much have to stop fishing.

2006 – Fishing license were set to increase in 2007, but the legislature funded the DWR $2.2 million dollars from the general fund instead.

2007 – 2007 Utah fishing proclamation. Anglers with a two pole permit can now fish at any water in the state with two poles. The 2nd pole permit is $15.

2007 – Fisheries experiment station run by the DWR find a rainbow trout mix that is 10 times more resistant to whirling disease.

2007 – DWR asks for the public’s input on changes to fishing tournaments laws.

2007 – Whirling disease is found at the Springville hatchery again. This time 60,000 fish will be killed.

2008 – DWR asks for the public’s input on allowing up to 6 fishing poles while ice fishing on Flaming Gorge.

2008 – Aligator pulled from Stratton pond in southern Utah is euthanized.

2008 – DWR asks for publics opinion on reducing the limit of fish from four to two at community ponds.

2008 – 2008 Utah fishing proclamation.

2009 – 2009 Utah fishing proclamation. Scofield now has a slot limit similiar to Strawberry Reservoir.

2009 – A small population of greenback cutthroat trout is discovered in southern Utah. The fish at one point was thought to be extinct.

2010 – After spending $5 million dollars a year for the last ten years a non hatchery born junesucker is finally found in Utah Lake.

2010 – 2010 Utah fishing proclamation.

2011 – Whirling disease found in the Green River.

2011 – Whirling disease found in Strawberry Reservoir. The Bear River cutthroat and rainbow trout strain being used in Strawberry is not as susceptible to the disease.

2011 – 2011 Utah fishing proclamation.

2012 – Loa fish hatchery put under quarentine after New Zealand mud snails are found.

2012 – Jim Karpowitz retires. Greg Sheehan is announced as the new director of the Division of Wildlife.

2012 – 2012 Utah fishing proclamation.

2012 – Anglers keep 1,500 walleye at Willard Bay compared to the year 2000 when they kept around 16,000.

2013 – The DWR sets fourth a plan to save the rare least chub. The fish will be planted at several ponds and small lakes around the state.

2013 – Management plan for Yuba Reservoir recommends rotenone poisoning.

2013 – 2013 Utah fishing proclamation.

2014 – Utah Division of Wildlife Resources releases an award winning mobile app. Editors note: Seriously this app is really well done, put it on your phone.

2014 – The DWR recommends that the perch limit be eliminated at Fish Lake.

2014 – 2014 Utah fishing proclamation.

2015 – DWR asks anglers to kill any pike they catch out of Utah Lake.

2015 – 2015 Utah fishing proclamation.

2016 – DWR asks for input of public on fish the would like planted at Scofield Reservoir. DWR also recommends a 2 year pilot program on the usage of corn as bait at 8 Utah lakes.

2016 – During construction of the Tibble Fork Dam a bunch of sediment is washed down the American Fork River killing thousands of fish in a 2 mile area.

2016 – 2016 Utah fishing proclamation.

2017 – Mike Fowlks is named the new director of the DWR . Greg Sheehan accepted a position as the deputy director at the US fish and wildlife service.

2017 – Idaho man catches record breaking lake trout at Flaming Gorge. It tuns out his license was expired so his record catch is void.

2017 – After a few years of studies it is deemed to difficult to treat Yuba Reservoir with rotenone. The major issues being that the tributaries leading to the lake are full of Pike and they would be too difficult to treat.

2017 – Record wiper caught at Newcastle Reservoir weighing 14 pounds.

2017 –2017 Utah fishing proclamation.

2017 – Three new fish species are introduced into Scofield Reservoir. Wiper, tigers musky, and sterile walleye.

2018 – DWR recommends changing the fishing regulations for the next two years. Allowing corn in all waters where bait is legal. Legal limit of lake trout be increased to 12 with only one being over 28 inches at Flaming Gorge. Reduce the limit of catfish at Cutler Reservoir in hopes of increasing the size of the fish.

2018 – 2018 Utah fishing proclamation.

2019 – Perch structures are added to deep water in Rockport Reservoir. In the past perch structures were built in more shallow water but new research shows the fish can live year around in 60 plus feet of water.

2019 – 2019 Utah fishing proclamation.

2019 – More than 10 million fish stocked in Utah during 2019. Stocking numbers were close to 10 million fish over 100 years ago in Utah. The difference is the average weight of fish stocked is much higher.

2020 – 2020 Utah fishing proclamation. Fishing records for cutthroat trout are now available for each sub species.