Thursday, April 17, 2014

Farewell to a Fishery

I'm not sure why I still bother trying to keep the place a secret, it’s purely out of habit at this point I suppose. Word is out. For about three weeks during spring the creek is now crawling with anglers of all stripes. It wasn't always like this. They come out of the woodwork to pillage the non-native Yellowstone cutthroat spawning run (yes, non-native) and have been cordially invited to do so over the past couple of years by state and federal agencies. Stringers weighing upwards of fifty pounds were regularly hauled out of the remote mountain valley last spring. The trout that manage to successfully navigate the armada of treble hooks along the creek are funneled into a weir, filleted by agency employees, and trucked to local food banks. This experimental management strategy is in place for the next few years, and possibly in perpetuity if deemed beneficial to the native fish inhabiting the watershed.

Last weekend some friends and I made the long drive to the remote valley to see for ourselves what remains of the run of big cutthroat trout, a run that was long kept quiet by those in the know. Considering the cold, snowy winter that we endured in Montana this year, we knew that late April would probably be more of a sure thing in regard to road conditions and the timing of the run. But we also knew that everyone else was likely thinking the same thing. It’s heartbreaking to see a pristine valley overrun with pickup trucks and anglers who have little appreciation for the resource. So we went in early, ahead of the crowds. We saw the valley as it should be seen and as I remember seeing it for the first time, stark and beautiful, and largely devoid of people.

It was also devoid of trout. Winter hadn’t fully loosened its grip on the valley, ice on the lower end of the creek was preventing the cutthroat from making their annual migration upstream. With warming temperatures the creek will soon flow freely, and those trout that remain will run the gauntlet. It's unlikely that I'll return anytime soon – at least not for the cutthroat run. I’d prefer to remember the fishery as it was, and hope that it will someday recover to resemble the days of old.


7 comments:

  1. That sucks. I feel the same way about some of the places here in AZ. From year to year they seem to change so much with everyone talking about them and increased pressure. Sorry to hear about your water. Take care.

    Ben

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    1. It reminds me a lot of what became of Bright Angel Creek's incredible, and relatively unknown brown trout run. This was another special place, the majority of the run consisted of Yellowstone cutts over 20".

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  2. It is bizarre. I get it, but it's tough to accept it. Occupying the habitat of an imperiled native species never bodes well for the non-natives.

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  3. Will,

    Would you mind explaining the whole story. What was the reasoning for decreasing the population of the non-native Yellowstone cutts.

    Thanks,
    Joe DiSilvestro Phx, AZ
    I

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    1. Joe,
      The reason for decreasing the non-native Yellowstone cutthroat is that biologists believe they are detrimental to the recovery of grayling in the same watershed. It's too bad that the cutts aren't westslope, which are native to the drainage.

      http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2013/01312013_RRLNWR_EA.html

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  4. Will,

    Thanks for the link. This situation made me think of how the non-native lake trout in Yellowstone lake are being killed by the thousands to save the remaining 5% of the native Yellowstone Cutts.

    Joe D

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    1. Joe,
      It's an ironic situation, considering all the effort being made to save Yellowstone cutts a short distance away. These fish just happen to be on the wrong side of the divide. Hopefully the loss of this cutthroat fishery won't be for naught and the grayling will actually rebound.

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