State of the Lake

For over 40 years, the Saratoga Lake has boasted a pinnacle event in the state of Wyoming in the form of the Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby. Fish aficionados from all over converge on the lake to try to capture the prize for the largest trout based on length and girth.

In 2021, a graduate student from the University of Wyoming discovered an invasive non-native species of Yellow Perch in Saratoga Lake. The anglers during the 2022 fishing derby also caught more than just trout. By all accounts, the perch were introduced illegally or illicitly and necessitated action.

According to a Wyoming Game and Fish Laramie Region Fisheries Biologist Chance Kirkeeng in the Feb 2, 2022 Saratoga Sun article “Problematic Perch,” “Based on experiences elsewhere in Wyoming, it is highly unlikely that Yellow Perch will create a quality fishing experience at Saratoga Lake. Most fisheries in Wyoming that have Yellow Perch contain small stunted fish with fish averaging 6 inches or less and very few reaching 8 inches. In Wyoming, Yellow Perch often proliferate, reaching sexual maturity at very small sizes. Over time, this leads to a ‘stunted population’ with very few fish reaching a size that is sought by anglers.”

To prevent further distribution of the perch in the Platte Valley watershed, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) took the discovery very seriously. As stated in the “Problematic Perch” article, WGFD previously abandoned trout management at Black Hills Power and Light Reservoir near Newcastle following an illegal introduction of perch.

Immediate reactionary steps were necessary to keep Saratoga Lake trout management healthy.  According to their website, after standard sampling of the lake in 2022, WGFD stopped the flow of water into the lake and began a project to kill all fish in the lake by using rotenone.

Rotenone is a naturally occurring substance used as a tool for unwanted fish removal by removing the oxygen from the water when applied. The Yellow Perch would curtail quality trout fishing due to competition for growth in small, shallow reservoirs based on definitions from the Alaska Department of Game and Fish.

The 2023 ice fishing derby did not occur as the lake was going through the invasive fish purging process. The project successfully removed all fish in the lake to include the perch, suckers, and trout, and the derby returned in 2024.

At the October 31 Wyoming Game and Fish Commission public meeting in Saratoga, an update to the health of the Saratoga Lake was given by now Assistant Fisheries Management Coordinator Kirkeeng.

“The rotenone project successfully removed the unwanted suckers and perch and restocking occurred with about 24,000 Rainbow, Tiger and Brown Trout in 2023,” said Kirkeeng. “This year the lake was stocked with 6,500 Rainbow, 2,500 Tiger and 1,500 Brown Trout. The stock of the lake is possibly the best it has been in 20 years.”

The prospect of a robust fishing event on January 18 and 19, 2025 at the Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby should be successful.