WAYNE'S RETIREMENT DATE

Status
Not open for further replies.
What can be said that hasn't already be said, other than thank you Wayne. You've inspired so many with your wisdom, kindness, and generosity. You've helped me so many times meet a deadline, I've lost count. You drove 70 miles to join my family and I on vacation, to help me shoot a story, when you didn't have to. You've changed your plans to accommodate my needs, when you didn't have to. You took the time to help mentor a young journalist, when you didn't have to.
I guess you did all of these things and so much more not because you ever had to, but because you wanted to and for that I thank you. I'm so excited for you and your wife. Although, I suspect you'll spend much of your retirement on the lake you have poured your life and love into. Tight lines my friend and we'll see you in July.
 
unnamed.jpg


I started working at Lake Powell in 1975 and became the Project Leader in 1978. It seems like yesterday. My responsibilities included fish sampling, fish population dynamics, food habits, growth rates, physical condition, catch rates, and providing information to anglers on how to catch fish at Lake Powell.

When Striped Bass were introduced into Lake Powell in 1974, they were expected to run up to the Colorado River to spawn where the eggs would have a poor survival rate. In 1978, while fishing one spring morning near the dam, I found millions of eggs floating on the surface from Buoy 3 to the dam. We took some eggs to our lab, put them under the microscope, and determined that they were striped bass eggs. My whole life changed as it was now my job to understand how to manage an overwhelming population of striped bass. Stripers and I have been close friends since that day of discovery. Instead of being an uncommon trophy fish, stripers would now be the dominant species in Lake Powell.

It took a while, but I finally convinced the Salt Lake staff that the skinny youngster who was the biologist down at Lake Powell was now managing a completely different fishery than was expected. Instead of a trophy fishery with a 2-fish limit, the striper population was overwhelming and had to be kept in balance by unlimited harvest. It took a decade of scrutiny before the striped bass limit was completely removed and the angler harvest became unlimited.

Largemouth bass were the predominant fish species until 1980 when the lake filled and then began to fluctuate. Declining water levels reduced shoreline vegetation and reduced brushy habitat. Without brush, largemouth bass were no longer spawning successfully and declined in number. I suggested to the Salt Lake staff that smallmouth bass could rehabilitate the bass fishery because they spawned in rocky habitat which was abundant in the lake. Smallmouth bass would fit in very well and provide a great bass fishery in years when largemouth numbers were scarce.

I was given approval to raise smallmouth at the defunct hatchery where stripers had been raised in the 1970’s. The smallmouth were to be stocked in three different reservoirs in Utah.

There was a hiccup when an inadequate number of smallmouth bass were produced the first year in 1982. There were only 10,000 fish and that was not enough to stock 3 different Utah reservoirs. We drained the pond, loaded all the fish into a fish truck, drove up the hill, and loaded them onto a plane which took the fish to the first- priority reservoir. An hour later we discovered that a few fish had escaped from the holding net. I had about 800 fish left in the pond. With no means of communication from the hatchery to the Salt Lake office (no office, no phones, and no other means of communication), I made the choice to stock the survivors in Lake Powell (which was the third-priority lake) so I dropped them off as I was driving home from the hatchery. I found out later we did not yet have the authorization to stock those fish in Lake Powell. Whoops!

Today, striped bass and smallmouth bass dominate the Lake Powell fishery with occasional strong productive years for largemouth bass and crappie and a persistent walleye population.

Somehow, 45 years have slipped away and now it is time to relinquish my supervision of Lake Powell fish. I will retire on June 30, 2021. There is a retirement party planned on July 9th from 5-8 PM at the Picnic area near the Wahweap Fish Cleaning Station. All are invited to stop by and swap fish stories.

I am totally addicted to Lake Powell fishing so I cannot give up on my weekly fishing trips to the lake. During retirement, I plan on providing fish reports as often as possible. I may miss a few reports when my wife makes me go on vacation. More importantly, I will keep the website going so that all who come to Lake Powell will have an idea of where to start fishing and all those leaving LP can share their fishing information on the website for others to see. This process of sharing fishing information has been extremely important in managing the Lake Powell fishery for a very long time.

I have been extremely fortunate to hold the job as Lake Powell Project Leader. I thank the Utah Division of Wildlife and my supervisors for putting up with me for over four decades. I have really enjoyed helping you have successful fishing trips on the lake. Keep looking for me!! I will be out there and we may cross wakes again on the lake.

Wayne Gustaveson

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Lake Powell Project Leader
Good for you Wayne ! Thank you for the years of knowledge. Enjoy !!! I have learned so much from your reporting and so much appreciate you. Powell has become my passion !
 
Wayne it is with a touch of misty eyes that I bid you farewell. I think about the times we got to fish together and helping with fish surveys. You have touched me as I did not know. I will miss you on the lake on Tuesdays and our chance meetings on the lake. You have no idea how cool it is to say I know Wayne. I know I will see you on the water at some point. Carry on my man and enjoy the retirement. You will learn to enjoy the non stressed days and want to share as always. Carry on. Love you man.
 
Wayne,

Four + decades is a long time! Thank you for your never ending dedication to one of the most beautiful places on earth. You have shared your LP fishing knowledge, experience and time with many WW’s followers and we’ve all benefited greatly from it.
Glad we’ll still see ya on WWs and hopefully too on the water. 🙂

Have a fantastic retirement!
 
Last summer I was preparing the boat to leave the lake with my son in the boat and a gentleman walks buy and stops and says, "Looks like you have a little fisherman there". I say "yah I sure do and he catches more then me." about 20 seconds later I realize who it was. I'm like that was Wayne. My lake Powell idle had just walked by and talked to us. Congratulations on retirement. Thank you for your work
 
Congratulations! Thanks for your input into fish management decisions for Lake Powell over the years. Your contributions to make this a fantastic fishery will not be forgotten. Wishing you a wonderful retirement.
 
Last edited:
Congrats Wayne on the well deserved retirement! As mentioned many times now, the new guy has enormous shoes to fill that I have the feeling never quite will. But hopefully you will still be available for some guidance along the way. Thank you again for all that you have done. Cheers 🍻
 
Wayne, as mentioned above, what you've done for Powell and the people who enjoy it cannot be overstated. You will forever be intertwined in the history of Lake Powell and hopefully inspire many more fishery biologists to follow your example. Thank you..
 
I have only been reading this forum for the last few months, yet I feel I am part of a brotherhood that is special to lake Powell. Usually, fishing is a very selfish and best-kept secret. Not at this place or lake. Since I first read my first fishing report by Wayne, I was immediately sucked in. I knew an addiction had started and my poor wife would have to suffer with me for many years to come. The first trip in April-May was successful thanks to Wayne's neverending knowledge and unselfishness. It is so neat and breathtaking to be able to take loved ones to the lake, all banking on your knowledge and months of reading that you will catch fish.....and then.............WHAM WHAM WHAM!!!! You know what I am talking about......IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS!!!

Wayne, congratulations! I am happy for you and feel like I know you. I hope to meet you out there with my boys and wife (maybe one day a daughter....I can keep hoping!) If not in this life, I believe we will get to do what we love also in the next, with friends and loved ones alike. Happy fishing and whatever else you do.
 
Congrats Wayne!

Lake Powell sure captured our hearts and minds the past four years and meeting the man who made it what it is, was a genuine honor!

Godspeed my friend! Hope to see you soon!
 

Attachments

  • 2A655C37-1C34-413F-B885-2D19EA6C8094.jpeg
    2A655C37-1C34-413F-B885-2D19EA6C8094.jpeg
    324.1 KB · Views: 14
Wayne you made life better for generations of people, by effectively and fairly managing this eco-system we all love.

It’s a legacy to be proud of, and I’m sure one that will live on for generations to come.

The stuff of legends…
 
Wayne,

From one fish squeezer to another, I wholeheartedly wish you the best in your next chapter in life. Your written reports at Hite marina in the 80's and early 90's certainly brought many successful fishing trips to my family and had part in shaping my future career as a native fish squeezer. I have always appreciated that you have shared not only your sportfish catch on this forum - but, your native fish catch as well. Tight lines, and if you are ever interested in working on the Colorado, Gunnison, or San Juan Rivers or in the arms of Lake Powell collecting native fishes as a volunteer - drop me a line.

Sincerely, Travis Francis
Deputy Project Leader, USFWS, Grand Junction FWCO
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top