Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. For Immediate Release: New Record Gizzard Shad CASPER - The fall months appear to be the time to catch a new Wyoming fish record as long as the water you are fishing is Glendo Reservoir and the species is the gizzard shad. The latest shad record is due to the efforts of Casper area angler Justin Howard. Howard was fishing Glendo Reservoir this past September and was having great fishing for walleye when the record shad took his small crankbait. He had caught gizzard shad before and on boating the fish thought it had a chance at qualifying as the new state record. Subsequent weighing on a certified scale proved his hunch right. Howard's fish weighed in at 2.65 pounds easily besting the two pounder - also caught out of Glendo - in in the fall of 2012. Howard's fish was 18-inches long with a girth of 13 inches. The previous record was 17-inches in length with an 11.5-inch girth. When gizzard shad are small, they serve as an excellent forage fish and they have been stocked in Glendo periodically to provide an additional food supply, primarily for the walleye in the reservoir. The world record gizzard shad weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces and was caught in 2006 out of Lake Oahe in South Dakota. To qualify for a new fish record, anglers need to get the fish weighed on a certified scale and have it verified by the Game and Fish Department. A listing of state record fish is on the Game and Fish website. Burbot tagged on Flaming Gorge Reservoir GREEN RIVER--Fisheries biologists with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are tagging fish in Flaming Gorge Reservoir to learn more about the burbot (ling) population. This is the third year the illegally introduced fish species have been tagged in preparation for the Burbot Bash. Anglers will have a chance to catch tagged fish and win over $100,000 in prizes and a two year lease on a new truck at the annual Burbot Bash. The Burbot Bash is a fishing tournament for burbot and is sponsored by Dagget County, Utah. The events began the weekend of Nov. 15- 17 and will end the weekend is Jan. 24-26, 2014. Game and Fish Green River Fisheries Biologist Craig Amadio says 50 burbot were tagged in the first week of November. Only the 50 tagged burbot were released. All other burbot netted were killed and their stomach contents were examined. "We don't typically get too involved with fishing contests except for the permitting process," Amadio said. "However, tagging these fish should help generate angler interest and will allow us to collect some useful information about the burbot population. We also felt that assisting Dagget County with this contest would benefit the fishery by promoting the burbot fishery and increasing angler harvest of burbot. During the 2013 Burbot Bash over 4,000 burbot were removed from the Flaming Gorge fishery." Biologists from Wyoming and Utah netted burbot in Flaming Gorge Reservoir and implanted the fish with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags. The PIT tags were inserted into the abdomen of the fish and can only be identified with specialized electronic readers. Amadio and other fish biologists hope to learn more about biology of burbot in Flaming Gorge based on tag return data during the contest. Information from the tagging program will allow biologists to gather a variety of information about the species including movement patterns, habitat use, growth rates and abundance. "One goal of the tagging project is to collect some biological data to help with future management of the reservoir," Amadio said. "At a minimum, tagged burbot caught during the contest will give us information on their movement in the reservoir because we know the exact locations where every fish was tagged. This may be particularly useful if tagged fish are caught in spawning areas, helping us to identify important spawning sites and habitat." There is a "catch" to the burbot contest: Burbot Bash anglers will not know if they have caught a tagged fish. Amadio says the internal tags are not visible and have been implanted in all sizes of fish. Therefore, all burbot caught will need to be checked in and scanned for tags at official inspection sites that will be open daily throughout the derby. For more information, or to register for the Burbot Bash. For more information on burbot management in Flaming Gorge Reservoir contact a fisheries biologist at the Green River Regional Office of the Game and Fish at (800) 843-8096) (Contact: Lucy Wold (307) 875-3223) Sheridan Regional Information Specialist Warren Mischke retires after 35 years of service SHERIDAN - Warren Mischke, the information and education specialist in Sheridan, recently retired after more than 35 years of service with the Game and Fish Department. Mischke started his Game and Fish career as a temporary fish culturist at Wigwam Rearing Station near Ten Sleep. He was promoted to a permanent fish culturist at the Auburn Hatchery in Star Valley in 1978 and to assistant superintendent at Como Bluff near Rock River in 1983. He transferred to the Ranch A Hatchery near Beulah in August 1988 and was promoted to his current position in January 1995. "Warren was the ultimate ambassador for the Department in northern Wyoming," said Joe Gilbert, wildlife supervisor in Sheridan. "He knew hundreds of our customers and their children by name and did a wonderful job of disseminating information and carrying our conservation message to the people of Wyoming. " Gilbert said Mischke was very well thought of in the Sheridan area. "Wherever Warren went people recognized him by sight or the sound of his voice, they would stop him and say "Hey I heard you on the radio or saw you on TV," Gilbert said. Mischke is a Crofton, Neb. native graduating from Crofton High in 1966. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. and a master's in science education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He previously served as a science teacher, outdoor education program leader and coach in Omaha. Mischke, 64, is a member of the Great Plains Fishery Workers Association, the Wyoming Biologists Association and The Wildlife Society. He and his wife, Patricia, have three grown children: Jake, Mike and Sadie. Man sentenced for shooting moose for elk BAGGS--Thanks to a tip from a concerned hunter, a Rawlins man is facing fines and penalties for killing a moose he thought was an elk and leaving it to waste. Albert Wayne Vanderford Jr., 49, of Rawlins, was sentenced by Judge Jane Eakin in the Carbon County Circuit Court on Nov. 6 for taking a moose without a license. Judge Eakin sentenced Vanderford to a one year probation, hunting and trapping privileges suspended for three years, and $8,520 in court fines and restitution for the moose. Baggs Game Warden Kim Olson said had it not been for a tip from another hunter who suspected something was illegal this case might not have been solved. "On Oct. 25, Vanderford asked another hunter not associated with him if he would help load his "elk", Olson said. "This legal hunter immediately knew that was no elk and told Vanderford that it was a moose and not an elk." Vanderford proceeded to tell the other hunter that he moved to Rawlins from Florida and it was his first time hunting elk. The other hunter was able to provide a physical description of Vanderford, including that he had a southern accent, a vehicle description, and a partial license plate number. "Had this man not taken the time to record this information we might not have been able to solve this case," Olsen said. Olson said everyone makes mistakes at some time in their life and hunters are no exception. "We understand that accidents happen, but honesty is the best policy in every case," Olson said. "Mr. Vanderford had two opportunities to turn himself in and admit he made a mistake. Instead, he chose to flee the scene, lie about the moose poaching, and leave a moose to waste instead of field dressing it. He could have made the best of a bad situation, but he chose poorly. If there is a bright side, it's the fact that another hunter cared enough to notice there was a problem and take action." Olsen said the moose did not go to waste. "The Snake River Taxidermy and Processing Plant in Baggs donated the time and cost to process the moose and the meat was given to those in need." Anyone with information on a wildlife violation may call the Stop Poaching Hotline at 877-WGFD-TIP. Tips may be reported online and to local Game and Fish offices and game wardens. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 if the information leads to a conviction. WHEATLAND - Hunters are alerted Hunt Area 9 (Glendo State Park) will be stocked with pheasants twice a week through the second week of December.

The stocking is possible because of good pheasant production at the Downar Bird Farm near Yoder and fewer suitable walk-in areas to release pheasants in southeast Wyoming. Glendo State Park is open to general pheasant hunting in December for all ages and no special Glendo permit is required.

All Glendo pheasant hunters are required to purchase a pheasant management stamp and all hunters 14 and older are required to have a game bird license. Hunters can bag three pheasants (roosters or hens) daily with a possession limit of nine at Glendo and pheasant hunting hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hunters are encouraged to read the 2013 Upland Game Bird pamphlet for complete regulations.