Game and Fish finalizes 2023 plans for watercraft check stations in eastern Wyoming

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has finalized plans for the operation of watercraft check stations in eastern Wyoming for 2023.?Check stations are operated annually in Wyoming to inspect watercraft for aquatic invasive species. In July 2022, South Dakota documented an infestation of invasive zebra mussels at Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills ? 30 miles from the Wyoming border. This is the closest location to Wyoming where this species has been found, significantly increasing the risk to Wyoming?s waters.?The new? changes will provide additional opportunities for watercraft owners to comply with inspection requirements and better protect Wyoming waters.

Join us for our first ever overnight fishing camp at Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp!

Get away to Whiskey Mountain with your family this summer or send your youth for a week of summer fun. The best part? The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has all the details and equipment handled. Game and Fish is hosting a series of overnight family and youth camps. New this year is a camp dedicated to fishing! Join us this summer at the Department?s top-notch outdoor educational facility near Dubois.

Women who fish have greater grit, self-esteem according to research?

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation? announced new research that shows fishing provides positive psychological benefits for women. Research reveals female anglers are more likely to have a positive outlook on life, higher levels of perseverance and a greater self-worth. These insights come after the?2022 Special Report on Fishing?revealed women now compose 37% of all anglers, the largest share on record.

Watercraft last used out-of-state must be inspected for AIS

Spring and summer might feel far away, but boating season is approaching the Cowboy State. Beginning March 1, any watercraft transported into Wyoming must undergo a mandatory inspection to look for aquatic invasive species. Inspections must be done by a certified AIS inspector prior to launching on any Wyoming waters.

Ask Wyoming Game and Fish: Can fish get sick?

Just like people, fish can become sick with viruses.?Viruses affect fish a little differently than they affect you and me. Instead of getting a stuffy or runny nose, fish can exhibit signs such as: irregular swimming behavior, swelling of the eyes and darkened color or even death.?Depending on the virus, it can be extremely detrimental to the population and kill a large percentage of the fish.?The Wyoming Game and Fish Department Fish Health Lab monitors for three major fish viruses in the state: infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, infectious pancreatic necrosis virus and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus. Typically, we monitor for viruses in our aquaculture facility systems, but fish in the wild can still get sick. Game and Fish does not move or stock fish in streams and lakes around the state for anglers to catch unless they are known to be disease-free? If you see a sick fish, you can contact the?Fish Health Laboratory?with details about the fish?s behavior and location.

Take a virtual tour of the Dubois fish hatchery

The Dubois fish hatchery is the only hatchery in Wyoming that hatches and rears arctic grayling. The eggs come from a wild population of grayling in Meadow Lake near Pinedale, Wyoming. The Dubois hatchery raises a number of other species as well, which include brook trout, brown trout, Eagle Lake rainbow trout, fall spawn rainbow trout and Wyoming's four native cutthroat trout??Watch the video below to learn more about the hatchery?located at the base of the Whiskey Mountain.

Sportsperson Hotline: ?(307) 777-4600?| Open?8 a.m.- 5 p.m. MT Monday-Friday

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages and conserves more than 800 species of fish and wildlife across Wyoming. ?For nearly 120 years, we?ve carried out our mission to conserve wildlife and serve people. Through these efforts, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department ensures the public continues to enjoy Wyoming?s vast fish and wildlife resource ?through ?hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife watching and other forms of outdoor recreation. Hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers contribute over a billion dollars to Wyoming?s economy each year.

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