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Council retains Strawberry, Jordanelle, Deer Creek and Provo River on Blue Ribbon list; Utah Lake deferred for further work
Summary
At its Nov. 20 meeting the Blue Ribbon Fisheries Advisory Council reviewed scoring for multiple waters. Strawberry, Jordanelle, Deer Creek and the Middle/Lower Provo River were retained as Blue Ribbon fisheries by voice votes; the council deferred a final decision on Utah Lake pending additional management work and monitoring.
The Blue Ribbon Fisheries Advisory Council voted on Nov. 20 to maintain several waters on Utah’s Blue Ribbon list after staff presentations on biological metrics, access and management.
Strawberry Reservoir: Staff reported strong kokanee and cutthroat recruitment indicators, reliable angler use and fulfillment of management objectives. On a motion to retain Strawberry as a Blue Ribbon fishery the council voted in favor.
Jordanelle Reservoir: The council reviewed mixed outcomes — stronger rainbow trout catch rates but small smallmouth bass size structure and reduced measured angler hours. Staff described planned habitat work and monitoring to support forage and bass size. Despite close scoring, members voted to keep Jordanelle on the list.
Deer Creek and Provo River (Middle and Lower reaches): Presentations highlighted strong rainbow and walleye data at Deer Creek and high fish‑per‑mile and mountain whitefish opportunity on the Provo River. The council voted to retain each of these waters as Blue Ribbon fisheries.
Utah Lake: Staff presented warm‑water fisheries data showing high quality catfish and white bass opportunities in some seasons, ongoing carp removal work and coordination with June Sucker recovery efforts. Council members raised concerns about historic water quality perceptions, varying access and the size of stakeholder coordination required. Rather than a yes/no vote, the council agreed to defer a final Blue Ribbon decision and to revisit Utah Lake after two years of implementation and monitoring of the current management plan.
Other business: The council approved routine minutes, confirmed an appointment to the advisory body, and directed staff to continue scoring and to follow up on habitat funding requests and monitoring needs linked to waters under review.
