Happy July 4th - Big Thompson River

Those of us that live in Colorado know that the Big Thompson River recently experienced a giant renovation.  What was called “the 1000 year flood” ripped through a few months ago, leaving a path of devastation.  I don’t know the biology of fish well enough, but given the destruction I witnessed on my drive up – I assume it altered their feeding patterns significantly.

It truly is a tragedy, what happened to the surrounding areas.  It will take years to repair the damage – while some may be irreversible.  The fishing, however, has begun to rebound.

If you’re looking for scenic and serene, the Big Thompson is not the river for you.  Amidst catching beautiful trout, I was actively drowning-out the screaming children and whipping go-carts in the amusement park.  Nevertheless – it was all beautiful in its own right. 

The fish were rising all day, as well as feeding subsurface.  The only successful area was between the Lake Estes Dam and the first private-property bridge.  I stuck to the same setup all day – Yellow Foam Grasshopper with a size 20 Grey, Bead-Head BWO Emerger.  No weight, 6x fluorocarbon tippet.  I caught several great rainbows throughout the late afternoon – some on the BWO, some on the Hopper.  What was most encouraging… they were rising to the hopper all day!  Slightly discouraging that I missed most of the hook-sets, but it’s been a while since I’ve fished top water.

If you’re looking for a quick trout-fix-trip out of Denver – head to the Big Thompson.  The fish are rising!  And the go-carts aren’t the worst soundtrack…when you’re catching fish.

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The Report -- Bull Shoals and Norfork Tailwaters

Background

The tailwaters of Norfork and Bull Shoals Dams were created as a result of the construction of these dams in 1944 and 1952 respectively. Initial operations of these dams created a coldwater habitat that was unsuitable for native fish species. To mitigate the loss of the warmwater fishing, fingerling trout were stocked in 1948 and 1952. These stockings demonstrated great growth potential, and thus regular stockings began in 1955. The rest is history.

Four species of trout are stocked into Bull Shoals and Norfork Tailwaters: rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, and brook trout. Brown trout, brook trout, and cutthroat are all stocked at an average length of 6 inches. The stocking rates for each of these waterways is as follows:

1. Rainbow Trout - Approximately 1.2 million catchable rainbow trout are stocked in the Bull Shoals Tailwater every year. Similarly, the Norfork Tailwater receives around 90,000 rainbows. These fish are stocked seasonally with the AGFC adjusting stocking rates based on angling pressure.
2. Brown Trout - The Bull Shoals Tailwater receives around 100,000 brown trout annually, and the Norfork gets about 10,000.
3. Cutthroat Trout - Bull Shoals also receives around 195,000 cutties, while the Norfork only receives around 25,000. 
4. Brook Trout - The stocking numbers of brook trout are the same - 15,000 each. 

Goals

So what are the fishing goals for these two fisheries? In 2008, the AGFC Trout Management Program set up a management plan for these two rivers. The overarching goal set out in the plan was the same for both. I'm not going to quote it for you, but essentially they want to do the best they can, and the best the river can, to provide you with the best fishing possible. They planned to do this in the following ways:

Bull Shoals - 

• Maintain an average catch rate of rainbow trout of around 1 fish/hour. Essentially, they want you to catch fish! How?
• Stock 1.1 million rainbows annually with an average length of 11 inches.
• Monitor the harvesting rates and angling pressure on these fish through an ongoing creel survey (so if they ask to look in your basket, know it's just for management purposes).
• Increase the proportion of rainbows > 16 inches
• Conduct some electrofishing to assess and monitor rainbow population.
• Conduct a mark-recapture study to monitor growth and mortality rates of rainbows.
• Develop a fish ruler and/or decal that details recommended handling techniques for fish that are to be released. I want one of these!
• Achieve a trophy brown trout fishery.
• Implement a minimum length of 24 inches and a 1 fish/day creel limit. 
• Conduct electrofishing sample to monitor population and size.
• Ongoing creel surveys.
• Conduct a mark-recapture study to monitor growth and mortality rates.
• Maintain an angler success rate for browns of > 0.1 fish/hour (I wish this was more like 1 fish/hour).
• Maintain an angler success rate for brook trout of > 0.005 fish/hour from Bull Shoals Dam to Cotter.
• Maintain an angler success rate for cutthroat trout of > 0.05 fish/hour.

Norfork (The strategies with which to accomplish these goals are very similar to that of Bull Shoals. As a result, I will not go into as much detail) -

• Maintain an average catch rate for rainbows of approximately 0.8 fish/hour. This will be accomplished by stocking about 92,000 rainbows annually and following similar strategies as those mentioned above. 
• Increase the proportion of rainbow trout > 16 inches.
• Achieve a trophy brown trout fishery in the Norfork.
• Maintain an angler success rate for browns of > 0.2 fish/hour.
• Maintain a success rate for brook trout of > 0.04 fish/hour.
• Maintain a success rate for cutthroat trout of > 0.1 fish/hour.

Results

The latest results available are those from the 2009 annual report from the Trout Management Program. According to these results, rainbows in the Norfork ranged in length from 8-17 inches with an average length of 12 inches. Brown trout ranged in length from 6-28 inches with an average length of 11.9 inches. This was a slight decrease in size from 2008. It is important to remember that this could be partly due to the large number of young brownies that were stocked in early 2009. 

Additionally, the annual report indicates that between September 2008 and August 2009, angling pressure equalled 850,000 hours on Bull Shoals Tailwater and nearly 134,000 hours on Norfork Tailwater. 

Currently, Trout Management officials are conducting a mark-recapture study. In December of 2009, 21,400 brook trout and 13,000 brown trout were stocked in the Norfork. These fish were marked with a fin clip. By comparing the size and abundance of fish at the time of stocking with the size and abundance in later electrofishing samples, these officials can calculate the growth and mortality rates of the stockings. 

The Other Side Fly Analysis

Overall, here at TOSFly we believe the AGFC is doing a great job at accomplishing their goal to provide a great fishery in these waters. Honestly, the White River below Bull Shoals dam is one of the most prolific trout steams in the country. The area immediately below the dam is easily accessible and is home to some of the largest brownies on the river. Another 14 miles downstream is Rim Shoals, a popular hole for the crew here at TOSFly. It is full of large rainbows and browns, although the cutthroat and brook trout tend to thin out the further downriver you get.

At the mouth of the Norfork, where these two rivers intersect, there is an infusion of cold water that allows trout to thrive for another 50 or so miles. Good fishing access below the Norfork's mouth include Red's landing, Calico Rock, Mount Olive, Sylamore, and Roundbottum. All of these access points provide bank and boat fishermen with opportunities to catch rainbow and brown trout.

These fisheries are not difficult to fish for the most part and can provide some excellent recreational and teaching opportunities for inexperienced or youth fly fishermen. Remember this, a thirty fish day is considered average on the White in these areas. So get out there, throw in a line, and have fun. But most of all, remember to cast to The Other Side! See you on the river.

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The Report -- AGFC Management of Beaver Tailwater

TOSFly readers, welcome to the first installment of "The Report," a series of posts that provide vital statistical information regarding the rivers we all fish in the Natural State. We are starting with the Beaver Tailwater. For those of you who do not know, the Beaver tailwater is a result of the construction of Beaver Dam in 1965, the last project constructed on the White River. The tailwater flows through northwest Arkansas and enters Table Rock Lake. The tailwater is stocked regularly with rainbows and browns, and the AGFC has set a management/strategy plan for improving the quality of fish in the water. Below, you will find this plan as well as the most recent data collected from the river.

AGFC Fish Goals, Objectives, and Strategies

The goal for AGFC is to "provide a diverse recreational trout fishing experience that addresses the full range of angler desires and expectations within the biological and physical capacities of the tailwater." This goal was set in 2006, with a desired completion year of 2011. In order to reach this goal, trout management officials have set several objectives and strategies:

1. By 2011, achieve a rainbow trout population in Beaver Tailwater that meets the following criteria:
• Electrofishing catch rate of > 25 fish/hr for fish 13-16 in.
• Electrofishing catch rate of > 5 fish/hr for fish > 16 in.
2. Maintain an average angler catch rate of nearly 1 fish/hr.
3. Maintain a brown trout population in Beaver Tailwater that meets the following criteria:
• Electrofishing catch rate of ≈ 55 fish/hr.
• Electrofishing catch rate of ≈ 20 fish/hr for fish 13-16 in.
• Electrofishing catch rate of ≈ 10 fish/hr for fish > 16 in.

So how do they plan to meet these lofty goals? Well, lets start with the first. To achieve the desired population of rainbows, trout management officials will monitor growth and mortality rates through a mark-recapture program. This will give them an idea of how close they are to reaching this goal. Additionally, AGFC personnel stocks the tailwater with 96,000 catchable rainbows annually. These fish are on average 11 inches in length. Finally, the AGFC has instituted a new "no bait fishing" zone to reduce angler conflict and allow for assessing hooking mortality.

To achieve the desired brown trout population, the AGFC plans to stock brown trout at a rate of 5,000 fingerlings with an average length of 6 inches on a biennial basis. They also will use the results from a mark-recapture study to assess the successes of the programs. 

Finally, throughout the tailwater, the AGFC has instituted the following angling regulation package:

1. 13-16 inch protected slot limit for all trout. Any trout caught within this slot limit must be released immediately.
2. Daily bag limit of 5 trout, only one of which can be over 16 inches.
3. Single barbless hook restriction on bait fishing to reduce hooking mortality of released trout.

So how are the trout management officials doing?

2009 AGFC Annual Report

Trout Program personnel conducted their annual population survey of Beaver Tailwater trout in September 2009. Overall, the population rates remained roughly the same from the previous year. However there is good news; it appears the tailwater is starting to produce bigger fish. As I mentioned above, in 2006 the AGFC instituted a 13-16 protected slot limit. At that time, roughly seven percent of rainbows were within the slot limit while none measured greater than 16 inches.  For the past 3 years this figure remained about the same, as no substantial change was reported. This was due in part to an inability to measure the water in 2008 following substantial flooding and high water. However, as of the 2009 sample, the proportions of fish within (23%) and above (1%) the slot limit are much higher than in 2006. Additionally, the mean size of rainbows in the tailwater has increased slightly less than one percent. While one percent is not a substantial number, it is important to remember that this is the average size of rainbows. The important figure here is that more fish are within and above the slot limit. This means bigger fish.

Further, the average size of brown trout has increased by nearly 2 inches since 2006. However, it is important to remember that data collected for brown trout is inconsistent from year to year, and likely fluctuates in response to when fish were stocked in the tailwater. Nonetheless, it appears the program is on track to meet its population goals.

The AGFC Trout Program also began an ongoing study to measure the growth and mortality rates of rainbows and browns in the Beaver Tailwater. The program has tagged numerous rainbow with wire tags for easier identification and recapturing. The length data collected demonstrated a growth of less than 1 inch in the first three months of the program (July through December). At that rate, it would take a rainbow trout stocked at 11 inches 1.5 years to grow into the slot limit and over 3 years to grow out of it. Brown trout growth, on the other hand, is much faster. Preliminary estimates from the studies being conducted indicated that brown trout are increasing in size at a rate of roughly 6 inches per year.

In regards to mortality rate, shortly after the July stocking, Trout Program personnel began monthly samples. The results indicate that at approximately 5 months after being stocked, mortality of the rainbow trout will approach 100%. This number was not as high for the November stocking, most likely because of factors such as angling pressure and harvest differential. This data will continue to be monitored to obtain seasonal growth and mortality rates.

The Other Side Fly Analysis

After analyzing the above information, we at TOSFly believe the AGFC is doing an excellent job of improving the fish quality in the Beaver Tailwater. The data is already indicating bigger fish and a steady population. In the reports we have already seen this year, the tailwater is definitely producing some large fish including several 20+ inch browns below the dam. If this management pattern continues, don't be surprised if this stream becomes more of a hot spot and destination for Arkansas anglers. 

So, if you are ever in or around Carroll county and feel up to it, go out and press your luck against the bruisers swimming around in Beaver Tailwater. And as always, remember to cast to The Other Side! Have fun guys.

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