Several nonresidents got their just deserts after blatantly ignoring fishing regulations on a popular Wyoming river. According to a Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGFD) press release, three anglers from California recently pleaded guilty to exceeding possession limits and size restrictions on the North Platte River in southern Wyoming.
The North Platte is one of the most well-known trout fisheries in Wyoming—and across the West. The blue-ribbon stream is known for its high densities of large brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. WGFD manages the trophy fishery tightly to preserve its quality, with a daily creel limit and overall possession limit of just three trout. Additionally, anglers fishing on the North Platte are only allowed to keep one trout over 16-inches long per day.
"Daily or creel limits mean the total number of game fish a person may harvest in any one day," the agency clarified in its press release. "In contrast, possession means the maximum number of game fish that may be legally in possession at any time and in any form, even at home, regardless of how many days an angler has fished or how long it has been between catching those fish."
On November 12, 2024, though, a WGFD game warden found dozens of brown trout vacuum sealed and frozen in the freezer of a Saratoga, Wyoming resident. The resident was allowing a group of out-of-state anglers to use his shop to process meat and store fish.
WGFD game warden Levi Wood interviewed the anglers, who initially said they were confused about possession limits. However, several witnesses said that the anglers had been “informed of the regulations.” During questioning, the anglers eventually admitted to exceeding both creel and possession limits. In total, the three anglers poached 32 brown trout, including 18 that surpassed the 16-inch size limit.
"The current special regulation on North Platte River in Saratoga helps to maintain a thriving wild brown trout population and its blue-ribbon classification,” said Bobby Compton, WGFD fisheries supervisor in the Laramie Region. “These are places where trout exceed 600 pounds per mile, making them exceptional places to fish. There are only 16 rivers with a blue-ribbon classification in Wyoming.”
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After pleading guilty, the poachers were ordered by a Carbon County Judge to pay $1,140 in fines and $1,500 in restitution. Their fishing privileges were revoked in Wyoming and 48 other states for one year. “This case highlights the importance of understanding and following fishing regulations,” Wood said. “Possession limits exist to protect fish populations, and it’s every angler’s responsibility to know the rules.”
