Dry Creek Reservoir will be 22 acres in size and it is anticipated to receive very heavy use given its location and proximity to population centers and current heavy use by recreationists bike, walking etc. It is estimated that approximate 1,000,000 people pass by this area annually. Lehi City, in addition to creating an irrigation reservoir, also want to provide family friendly recreation opportunities including angling for their residents. Thus they have determined that given the location and surrounding facilities (picnic sites, park, biking and hiking trails, new homes) this would be a perfect fit to meet their recreational demands. UDWR community fishing programs are designed to help develop new anglers and encourage them to visit other streams and water bodies of Utah and we hope the location and opportunities at Dry Creek Reservoir will help meet this goal. UDWR will be managing the reservoir with several fish species including trout, bass, Bluegill and wiper... Enhancing the reservoir habitat will help promote better fish survival and recruitment and ultimately reduce the cost of maintain sufficient numbers of fish in the reservoir to meet anticipated angler use and demand.

Provide sufficient habitat within targeted areas of the reservoir basin to attract and allow fish to escape predation, spawn and recruit to the adult fish population. In order to accomplish this artificial and natural materials and habitat structures will be purchased and transported to Dry Creek Reservoir prior to the reservoir filling in spring of 2020.

Construction of this new reservoir will result in a uniform bottom that may lack complexity. The addition of these habitat structures will allow fish to survive better. This will result in more fish being available to the anglers and may also reduce the cost to the UDWR in stocking. It also provides anglers an area of the reservoir to target and concentrate their fishing efforts. It is anticipated that this reservoir will receive heavy recreational use by many types. The targeted placement of habitat structures may help in segregating these recreational users.

Installation of the habitat structures will help with the goals and objectives of the Community Fishery Plan/Program in introducing youth and adults to fishing close to home in an environment that will have potentially heavy use and high catch rates. Once skills are learned and developed through the program, participants and public in general will be encouraged to try fishing in other more traditional waters throughout the state. Meets the goals and objectives of providing angling opportunities to UDWR constituents.

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Habitat structures will be placed primarily on the east shore (angler access trail area) and the northwest shoreline areas away from the sandy beach areas where other recreational activities will dominate. Some deep water locations will also be targeted for fish to escape predation and possible temperature thresholds. The structures will typically be placed in groups or patches to better attract and provide areas for fish to congregate and anglers to target in some cases.

Underwater observations with cameras and perhaps diving given expected water clarity will be used to document fish utilization of the habitat structure patches or areas.

NUCWCD, Lehi City, various angling organizations (Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Anglers, Utah Bass Federation)

This new community fishery will be managed a little differently than many of the community fisheries in the area given its large size and depth. We anticipate this fishery to attract cold and warm water enthusiast with trout, bass, wipers and perhaps tiger muskies.

With the addition of habitat structure to the reservoir we anticipate anglers will have more and extending angling opportunities for the fish species introduced and attracted to the type of habitat being placed in the reservoir.

07/01/2019

06/30/2020

2020

All products have been ordered, received and paid for. Coordinating with contractors and Lehi City to install. Hauling of root wads and rock have yet to be completed. This will utilize in-kind resources and regional budgets to cover those costs since contractors were delayed and we were unable to get things installed during FY20.

All of the fish habitat structures were purchased through various vendors and received prior to June 30, 2020. They are in storage in the CRO ready for installation. Due to some construction/flooding delays the structures have not been installed yet. We are waiting for the contractors to finish excavating the Dry Creek Reservoir basin so that we can then install the habitat.

Fish will be stocked and fishery will be monitored as reservoir fills during spring run-off (2021). Habitat utilization by fish will also recorded in the future.