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A Fisherman's Friend Can Often Break Ecologists' Hearts
There may be plenty of unwanted fish in the sea for government ecologists, but often those invasive aquatic species are a boon to local anglers. Take the brown trout. A European native, the trout was introduced into America in the late 19th century and can now be found in bodies of fresh water from coast to coast. Though they may might provide tasty meals after lazy summer afternoons, new fish species come at a cost greater than a bucket of worms. "There's a number of either purposely introduced, or accidentally introduced, species that have provided quite a recreational resource," said George Madison, fisheries supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the Western Upper Peninsula. "So while smelt can be desired by people, or brown trout or rainbow trout, it's very clear that they out-compete the native species." In the Great Lakes region, the introduction of salmon has changed the aquatic landscape, displacing native fish such as the coaster brook trout, a minnow forager.
All systems go for trout season
Finally, thousands of wader-wearing Vermont anglers will have the chance to dance on the grave of Old Man Winter when trout season opens Saturday morning.
"It seems like people have a lot of desire and demand to get outside and do something than going skiing," said Roger Ranz, owner of the Classic Outfitters tackle shop in South Burlington. "Everybody is primed for a good season."
Opening-day trout fishing in Vermont usually means more freezing fingers than fish. Rivers and streams swollen with rain and melting snow and near-freezing water temperatures conspire to make catching trout an iffy proposition.
"The water will be high and it will be cold," said John Hall, a spokesman for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. "The trout are going to be down deep and not as active as they will be later in the year.
Fish stocking near Rollinsville Pass
Driving down from the Forest Lakes area on the Rollinsville Pass road, we were lucky to come upon a Colorado Division of Wildlife truck that was about to stock Yankee Doodle Lake recently. The truck had driven from the Rifle fish hatchery that morning and driver welcomed our interest and help with the fish delivery. Rifle Falls Hatchery is the largest trout production hatchery in Colorado. Yankee Doodle Lake is a beautiful spot surrounded by wild flowers. She brought 2500 Rainbow trout that were up to 10 inches in length. Nearly every fish was safely delivered and the driver noted that it was common for them to arrive safely. Since the lake has a steep bank, a tube was fashioned for the actual delivery. Many of the fish upon arriving at the lake actually tried to swim back upstream into the tube and had to be encouraged to "explore" the lake.
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