Trout monitoring program

[Quillback]

Got this in my email today:

The Trout Management Program (TMP) conducted its annual population monitoring survey on Beaver Tailwater at the end of September. A total of 920 trout were collected, 66% of which were Rainbow Trout and 34% were Brown Trout. Brown Trout collected ranged in size from 6 to 26 inches and Rainbow Trout ranged in size from 7 to 19.5 inches. This year’s catch rate and total fish collected were slightly below last year’s sample but well above the long-term average for Beaver Tailwater over the course of the previous 18 years.

 

Additionally, the TMP tagged 189 and recaptured 11 Brown Trout as a part of the ongoing growth and movement study on the tailwater. Fish that are tagged have their weight, length and GPS location recorded. When tagged fish are recaptured the TMP can then look at the difference between their length and weight from initial tagging to calculate growth rates. Locations from initial tagging and subsequent recaptures also give the TMP insight into how fish move throughout the tailwater.

[Devan S.]

When they did their study the parker bottoms area was absolutely full of browns. Would be interesting to see the distribution like they use to give by section.  

I also hope the brown trout study ultimately leads to some regulation changes that produce more larger browns.