WEBER BASIN ANGLERS

Trout Unlimited  CHAPTER 681

Hello anglers, do you want to learn new fishing strategies, network with fisher-friends, tie flies, or volunteer your time? If so, we’d love for you to join us. We’re located in the still untamed Ogden, Utah area and our chapter goals work towards conserving, protecting, and restoring our local Utah trout waters. Chapter meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month and you can find all the details on our Facebook page: Weber Basin Anglers Trout Unlimited. We currently have over 360 active TU members in our Chapter.

Strawberry Creek

About 100 feet east of the Mountain Green exit off I-84 there is a 385-foot long culver that was built under the freeway so Strawberry Creek could connect with the Weber River. This concrete culvert had for decades presented a barrier to Bonneville cutthroats trying to migrate up stream to historical spawning grounds. TU along with DWR designed 40 ten-foot structures to provide fish passage under the freeway. Once installed the fish counters indicated that many fish were returning to their native spawning areas.

Upper End

Lower End

Path of Fish Ladder

Success

 

The Weber River from Morgan downstream through the canyon and into the Wasatch Front has a population of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout that are fighting to survive. One of the major problems for these trout trying to get upstream to spawn is the power facility in Weber Canyon. The only fish that make it past this plant are those that find the pass when the forebay gates are open in late winter through early Spring. After which the gates are closed.

With the FERC relicensing coming due for this facility, TU is working closely with PacifiCorp to improve passage for these Utah sensitive species fish. The diversion dam at the I-84 eastbound rest area in Weber Canyon is the main problem. Here water is piped to the power plant lower in the canyon. Although this dewaters much of the river in the canyon, there remains just enough for fish to move upstream. Once in place a new fish ladder will provide passage to the historical small headwater streams that are historical spawning areas.

Many of these spawning streams have barriers that restrict upstream movement of spawning trout. As these barriers are redesigned and rebuilt, further passage to upstream spawning areas will occur. The rebuilding of these barriers will prevent many Bonnevilles from ending up in irrigation ditches where they may end up in fields or dewatered streams. Those Bonnevilles that have spawned and make it back to the Weber will spread out along many areas of the Weber as far downstream as to where the Ogden River joins the Weber. Many of these fish will exceed 20-inches in length. Wildfires in September 2017 decimated hundreds of acres of riparian and upland vegetation along the Weber River and destroyed six homes. The fire destroyed the buck and rail fence that surrounded the Fisherman’s Point Angler Access parking lot. DWR had the material, but not the staff, to rebuild the fence. Weber Basin Anglers said they would rebuild it if DWR delivered the material.

It was on a cold December day that TU volunteers and others went to work. After ten hours of work over the weekend, the 12-foot poles were transformed into a new fence around the parking lot. The fence provides protection to the upland and riparian habitats from motorized vehicles and functions as a public access point to the Weber River Trail system for anglers and other recreational users of the Weber.