May 2023 - 16

IN THE FIELD
Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel sample Soda Lake for trout. (Photo by Mark Gocke/WGFD)
Soda Lake grows big fish
Several factors leave this trophy fishery in peril
By Mark Gocke
T
he Wind River Range and its westslope,
glaciated valleys provide anglers
with a number of deep, cold-water
lakes, making the Pinedale Region's
upper Green River basin well-known for its
great fishing. Among them all is one lake that's
always had the ability to punch above its weight
when it comes to producing big fish.
" It was named Soda Lake for a reason, " said
Pete Cavalli, fish biologist for the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department in the Pinedale
Region. " It has a weird water chemistry. "
That weird water chemistry has the ability
to produce the biggest brown and brook trout
most anglers will ever catch, not to mention
10-inch salamanders. Why? Cavalli said the
water chemistry produces an uncommon abundance
of scuds for trout and salamanders to eat.
16 | May 2023
Cavalli, who has logged more than 20 years
managing the lake and several other high-quality
fisheries in the region, has seen both good
and bad times at Soda Lake. Cavalli said despite
its ability to produce some large fish, it really
is at the margin as a trout fishery. The lake was
likely barren of fish until the late-1940s when
Game and Fish started stocking it with rainbow
trout, which didn't go well. Brook trout were
first stocked in 1952. Brown trout followed
in 1960. But in reviewing the records, Cavalli
said it has always been subject to die-offs about
every decade.
Several factors contribute to fish die-offs.
Unlike most other lakes around Pinedale,
Soda is a shallow lake. Its deepest spots are
less than 50 feet. It has no outlet and it sits at
the bottom of a small basin. It receives limited
amounts of fresh water. Consequently, it tends
to have high concentrations of many chemical
components including calcium, sodium and
magnesium. Naturally, these effects become
more pronounced during times of drought,
which Wyoming has been experiencing for
the last 20 years.
Unfortunately, this has set the stage for
another fish population crash at Soda Lake.
Each October Cavalli sets nets to collect
a sample of brook and brown trout as they
search for a place to spawn. The most recent
sampling effort showed there are still some of
those trophy-class trout anglers have historically
traveled hundreds of miles for. Unfortunately,
current fish numbers are comparable to the
lowest on record.
The lengths of trout caught during the
2022 sampling effort showed fish that have
survived are doing relatively well. The average
length of brook trout were 15.7 inches, which
is above their long-term average by nearly two

May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023

May 2023 - 1
May 2023 - 2
May 2023 - 3
May 2023 - 4
May 2023 - 5
May 2023 - 6
May 2023 - 7
May 2023 - 8
May 2023 - 9
May 2023 - 10
May 2023 - 11
May 2023 - 12
May 2023 - 13
May 2023 - 14
May 2023 - 15
May 2023 - 16
May 2023 - 17
May 2023 - 18
May 2023 - 19
May 2023 - 20
May 2023 - 21
May 2023 - 22
May 2023 - 23
May 2023 - 24
May 2023 - 25
May 2023 - 26
May 2023 - 27
May 2023 - 28
May 2023 - 29
May 2023 - 30
May 2023 - 31
May 2023 - 32
May 2023 - 33
May 2023 - 34
May 2023 - 35
May 2023 - 36
May 2023 - 37
May 2023 - 38
May 2023 - 39
May 2023 - 40
May 2023 - 41
May 2023 - 42
May 2023 - 43
May 2023 - 44
May 2023 - 45
May 2023 - 46
May 2023 - 47
May 2023 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com