Beaver tailwater sampling

[Quillback]

Beaver Tailwater 2025 Sampling

The Trout Management Program recently completed the annual sample of Beaver Tailwater. The 2025 sample was comprised of 43% Brown Trout, 54% Rainbow Trout, and a large (16 inch) Cutthroat Trout, a fish accidentally stocked by the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. The largest trout collected was a 30-inch, 15-pound Brown Trout! Several large Rainbows were also collected, with the largest measuring 19 inches. Visit our website for more information about fishing Beaver Tailwater.


Large Beaver Tailwater Brown Trout


A beautiful Beaver Tailwater Rainbow Trout!


Cutthroat Trout


Brown Trout

[tjm]

If my arithmetic is good that means that a single cutthroat makes up  3% of the sampling, so a total of 33 fish with 14 browns and 18 rainbows, that's not nearly as many fish as I would have thought they would collect over a 7mile stretch. 

[Devan S.]

3 minutes ago, tjm said:

If my arithmetic is good that means that a single cutthroat makes up  3% of the sampling, so a total of 33 fish with 14 browns and 18 rainbows, that's not nearly as many fish as I would have thought they would collect over a 7mile stretch. 

Good point although there is usually other by-catches in the sampling but they were not mentioned. Those browns are all congregated up last time I was down there. Would not surprise me at all if all the browns came from a single 50-100 yard stretch of water. In that second picture, you can see several 6-8 laying in the tank behind the picture of the cutthroat. 

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I’ve always wanted to check it out.  But that doesn’t sound like many fish??

[Devan S.]

They said zero stocking since the emergency orders and likely zero for awhile. 

I'm still seeing some pictures on facebook of guides and the front of the boat "keeper" pictures. 

[tjm]

13 hours ago, Devan S. said:

Good point although there is usually other by-catches in the sampling but they were not mentioned.

No doubt,  but the non trout wouldn't be counted as part of the trout sampling. They might have been recorded as part of another species study.  But I'd say that you are right in that all the sample trout came from a very small stretch of the river. Whatever they could cover in given 1/2 hour and from that they'll extrapolate. 

[rps]

Bass, walleye and striper are in the same area. Remember, above Houseman, the river is largely 50 yards wide and not more than five feet deep. Not a lot of water. Between Houseman and the 62 bridge, water turns into the riverine area of Table Rock and the ratio of fishes changes.  I have caught trout and one good brown below the 62 bridge.