If you’ve spent much time reading this blog, you’re probably aware that I haven’t posted any new material over the last few weeks. It’s been an awful busy time for me personally. I just landed a job as a fisheries biologist with the state of Montana, and have spent most of my time trying to finish my master’s thesis at Utah State University so I can start work. I’ll have to make some pretty big decisions about the future of the blog over the next couple of months, but for now I’ll try to post new material whenever I get the chance. Thanks for your patience, and I hope you continue to check the Fish Geek blog for updates.

If you’re an Arizona fisherman you may be in for some of the best fishing the state has seen in decades.  According to a local paper, hydrologists are predicting water levels to be off the charts this year due to the large snowpack.  And more water means better fishing in this dry state.

“This looks like an historic year in our fisheries, in large part because of the tremendous runoff in 2005 and resulting spawns, but also because of the widespread deep snowpack in the high country we haven’t experienced since at least 1993,” said Fisheries Chief Kirk Young. “The Arizona fishing outlook is the best we’ve seen in 25 years or so.”

Spawning fish from the 2005 year class, revitalized vegetation growth and newly flooded reservoir edges are all expected to make 2008 a banner year for fishing in Arizona.  Remember, it’s never too early to gear up for the upcoming season.  It looks like Arizona fishermen and other fishermen in areas throughout the arid West have a lot to look forward to this year!

Read more here

Ice fishing derbies are often frowned upon because of the large number of fish that are killed in order to be weighed in, regardless of whether they have a chance to win a top prize.  While this isn’t always an issue, sometimes it can have negative effects on a lake’s fishery.  Luckily, many anglers, derby organizers and fish biologists are recognizing the need for additional conservation measures to reduce unneccesary harvest.

For instance, this from Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife fisheries biologist Gordon Kramer:

The annual Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby is coming up on the weekend of Feb. 16 and 17. This year there will be a change in the way lake trout and salmon are entered in the derby. At our request, the Milo Fire Department will not register any lake trout or salmon less than 22 inches. It is still legal to keep those fish, but in the interest of maintaining a high quality cold-water fishery at Schoodic, fish less than 22 inches will not be eligible for a prize. Kudos to the Milo Fire Department for their conservation minded change in the derby rules. More information can be obtained at: http://www.trcmaine.org/fishingderby/

And this from a Massachusetts bass fishing derby:

Anyone who catches a bass weighing 2 pounds or more and brings it live to the derby weighing table wins a $10 gift certificate to Taft’s Tackle Shop. Once weighed in, the bass must be released live into a nearby hole which has been cut into the ice. If the bass cannot be released alive, then the deal is off.

This is a win-win situation for all. The angler receives the $10 certificate even though he may not have won the contest; the contest winner who caught the largest bass gets the certificate, the first place prize and bragging rights; and the fish is allowed to live and free to spawn in June and maybe fight a lucky fisherman next summer.

These are just a couple of ideas that can be implemented to reduce the potential negative affects of fishing derbies and keep them going without hurting the fishery.

Worried about unsafe ice conditions this winter? Check out this video.

Title: Squaretails, Biology and Management of Maine’s Brook Trout

Author: Forrest Bonney

Copyright Date: 2007

Price: $10 at http://www10.informe.org/webshop_ifw/index.php?p=1859&c=12&storeID=2

ISBN-13: 978-0-9794363-0-7

Maine anglers and those who travel to the Pine Tree State in pursuit of trout have long been aware of the value of the brook trout fishery it provides.  Not until recently, however, has the unique worth of Maine’s wild and native brook trout populations been widely exposed.

Forrest Bonney’s new book, Squaretails, Biology and Management of Maine’s Brook Trout, comes at the heels of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a collaborative project evaluating brook trout populations throughout their native range in the United States.  Preliminary results from the Joint Venture are showing that Maine represents the last stronghold for native brook trout, containing more brookies in their historic range than any other state.  A heightened focus on brook trout in Maine sets a perfect stage for Squaretails, where Bonney attempts to provide a compilation of brook trout history, biology, and current status in the state from the perspective of both angler and fisheries manager.  

The history of fisheries management is rooted in the attempt to reverse declines in popular fisheries and maintain fishing quality over time.  While most people can easily relate to this concept, further understanding of the practice of fish management is often lacking.  Bonney attempts to bridge this gap in understanding between biologists and the public by describing in detail the research and data collection practices undergone in the fisheries field and why biologists do certain things.

In the book, Bonney, who has been a fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for 34 years, illustrates perhaps the best case yet for responsible stewardship of Maine’s brook trout resources.  He describes the long history and current status of brook trout fishing in Maine, including historical accounts of trophy squaretails caught in the state, and changes in the fishery over time resulting from the decline of brook trout populations in many waters. 

Forrest Bonney not only thoroughly describes the biology of brook trout in Squaretails; he also documents a fairly complete history of research and management practices that relate to brook trout in the state of Maine.  He explains the current threats to brook trout populations, as well as the future research needs to allow for proper stewardship of this valuable resource well into the future. 

Mark McCollough provides captivating cover art and other illustrations, and Ethan Nadeau and others provide excellent photography and illustrations, adding a valuable artistic element to the book.    

Squaretails is the most complete resource on Maine brook trout currently available and is a must read for Maine anglers and brook trout enthusiasts everywhere.  This book, as well as a more technical version of the same content are published by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and can be purchased at http://www10.informe.org/webshop_ifw/index.php?p=1859&c=12&storeID=2 . 

It’s ice fishing time, and for many in the state of Maine, that means hook-and-lining it for smelts in the ice shack.  The rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) is native to many coastal waters in Maine, and has been extensively introduced to inland lakes.  The smelt is a thin, silvery fish that ranges in size between a couple of inches and nearly a foot in some areas.  Smelts are an important forage fish in both inland and coastal waters in the state.  In fact, smelts can often constitute over 90% of the diet of landlocked salmon in Maine lakes. 

Aside from being forage for other game fishes, though, smelts also directly provide an important sport fishery for many Maine anglers.  Fishermen set up fishing cabins, or ‘ice shacks’ on lakes to provide shelter while they jig for smelts, using small hooks tipped with little chunks of bait.  The bite can be fast and furious at times, and smelt fishing typically provides steadier action than targeting other species.  There’s nothing quite like spending a quiet day out at the cabin pulling in smelt after smelt.    

Many of Maine’s coastal rivers experience vast runs of smelts, which ascend into freshwater in preparation for spawning.  When the ice is thick enough, some establishments place dozens of shacks out on the ice for fishermen to rent.  I’ve spent my fair share of time in some of those shacks, and the fishing can be incredible.  It’s not rare to come home with a few hundred smelts, and a ’smelting’ trip with friends or family is always worth the few bucks paid to rent a shack.       

In addition to the direct recreational benefit smelts provide, smelts are a very popular food item, and are absolutely essential to the baitfishing market.  Many anglers will fry up a mess of battered smelts, but others save their catch to use as bait.  The vast majority of Maine ice fishermen use tip-ups rigged with live bait to catch salmon and trout, and smelts are far and away their top choice of bait.  These baitfish can cost upwards of $10/dozen, so it’s no surprise that many anglers take the opportunity to catch their own bait!

Smelts play a vital role in Maine’s fisheries.  They provide a crucial forage base for gamefish and are popular sportfish in their own right.  Smelts are also excellent table fare and are a very important part of Maine’s live bait industry.  If you haven’t been out smelt fishing, you may be missing out on one heck of a time! 

Here’s a great article about smelt fishing Maine’s coastal rivers

Click here for places to rent smelt shacks.  I’ve been to James Eddy’s and Jim Worthing’s smelt shacks.  Both provide good cabins for a decent price.

Here’s an article on smelts in Maine written by fisheries biologist Jim Pellerin, who is considered the smelt expert within the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Wildlife photographer Dennis Bright recently caught this amazing image of trout attempting to escape from an English fish farm via the water supply pipe.  The farm’s owner doesn’t believe that many fish are actually escaping via the pipe, but still, a screen might be in order! 

Full Article

After being introduced to Colorado waters in the 1980’s via fish transport from a private hatchery, whirling disease has had substantial impacts on the state’s rainbow trout populations.  Whirling disease causes nerve damage and skeletal deformities in juvenile trout, and can cause very high juvenile mortality rates.  Many waters have seen major trout declines since the disease hit the West, but Colorado researchers are now predicting a huge comeback in rainbow trout populations. 

Through experimental breeding and stocking programs, the Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists believe that they can rebuild rainbow trout populations with a strain of fish that is generally resistant to the disease.  The strain was developed by crossing Colorado rainbows with a resistant strain of rainbows from Germany.  This new strain of trout will be heavily stocked next year.

 Read the full story here 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! 

Hope you and your family enjoy a great Holiday Season!

There’s nothing like a little habitat destruction to ruin an otherwise great day of stream fishing. 

Pictured above is what’s left of a section of stream that I caught dozens of fish in this past year.  Now, it’s nothing but a wide, shallow run with no cover or other fish habitat remaining.  The landowner took a bulldozer in the stream and completely obliterated this stretch, pushing all of the stream material into large banks at the stream’s edge.

I’m assuming that whoever decided to do this to the stream intended to prevent bank erosion in a camping area, and may not have realized the damage they were doing to the stream by destroying trout habitat.  This stretch once had contained undercut banks, a nice deep pool, and numerous rocks and trees used for cover and holding habitat by trout. 

It’s now just a wide, shallow stretch of gravel, and I was unable to locate any fish in the area.

It’s hard to believe that activities like this are still going on in the 21st century.  We should know better.  We’re spending millions of dollars to work on stream restoration and some yahoo can go into a stream with a dozer for a couple of hours and completely ruin a great stretch of trout stream. 

I spoke to a local biologist about the situation, and it sounds like Utah state law doesn’t give them much leverage to stop things like this from happening.  Still, I think there should be better communication between landowners and biologists concerning fish habitat.

I’d like to think that if the landowners were aware of the damage they were doing, they would voluntarily take measures to preserve trout habitat, but that remains to be seen.