Muir Stocking 2015

[PeterSL]

Would like to give Fisheries a recommendation on 2015 stocking numbers for Muir as we've done in the past, so wondered what your experience has been there this year.

Last 5 years:

2010,11,12 - 5700 triploid rainbows

2013 - reduced to 3000 triploid rainbows based on feedback that despite high catch rates %age of 20"+ trout was lower

2014 - 3000 triploid rainbow, 450 browns

 

Plan to summarize all feedback received and pass on recommendation by Dec 11th

 

Thanks

Peter

[fsa313]

My vote - 3,000 Rainbows AF3N @ 200mm and 500 browns also @ 200mm

Neil

[dipperdan]

With the Lower water levels in the past years, wouldn't it be more productive for less fish stocking and maybe a bit larger . Say 2000, 25 cm. Rainbow and 500 25 cm. Browns.

Just " my nickel "

Brown caught in October . I did not catch any of this years stocked Rainbows, I did catch Rainbows 16" + . Looking forward to 2015 and the overwintered browns

[PeterSL]

Thanks for the feedback. From that, from posts on the Alberta Fly Fishing forum, members of the Edmonton Trout Club and others who fish Muir regularly the general opinion seems to be:

 

that catch rates were generally lower in 2014 with many reporting that they caught few if any of the 2014 stocked rainbows;

that 50+ cm trout were caught at about the same rate as the last couple of years but with a notable lack of the 60 to 65cm trout caught last year;

that the brown trout grew to approx. 30 to 34 cm by season's end and added to the quality of the angling experience and the number of anglers;

that stocking should continue to focus on providing a diversified fishery with as many fish as possible 50cm+

 

Based on that, the recommendation sent to Stephen Spencer, the ESRD biologist responsible for Muir, is therefore:

3000 RNTR 14 -17 cm as in last 2 years

400 RNTR approx. 30 cm to try to reestablish what seems to be the missing or severely depleted 2014 year class

450 BNTR 14 -17 cm as in 2014.

 

Have also asked for information on the status of adding tiger trout to the stocking list for 2015 - not for Muir but for somewhere locally. Will post any response I receive.

Peter

[dipperdan]

Thanks for all your efforts Peter , much appreciated !!!!

[PeterSL]

Just received information that raises some questions about the reports of many, including me, that there weren't many of this year's stocked fish caught and thus concerns that this year's age class may have been at best severely depleted. Hatchery staff did some test netting on July 29th 2014. 10 nets were set, each for 30 mins and 56 fish were caught. Of those 37 fish (66%) were this year's stock!! 16 were 2 yr olds, 2 were 3 year olds and 1 was a 4 year old. Water quality was adequate but temperatures were very high up to 3 meters below the surface, which was also where the only sufficient oxygen levels were found. I've not heard any reports of a summer kill in August or Sept. and even if there was a partial kill it would likely have affected older fish more than the younger ones. Based on the hatchery data, Fish and Wildlife is reluctant to approve an additional stocking of 400 30cm+ fish to try to reestablish what I thought was a missing year class. Would appreciate any opinions/ possible explanations re the apparent discrepancy between hatchery data and angler observations.

Peter

[fsa313]

In 2014, I fished Muir with three visits in May and September(1 visit). All visits were two experienced fly fishers. We caught fish steadily in May (all 3 visits) but on the September visit we had possibly three "hits" in 6-7 hrs. A guess might be that the lake has suffered a summer kill but we only saw one (16"-18") fish floating and at the time we wrote it off as "injured". Does anyone have data on summer kills as to how many fish float on the surface and how many decay on the bottom, unseen?

Summer kills are caused by decreases in dissolved oxygen and DO is affected by temperature, salinity, barometric pressure, wind turbulence, cold rain and other factors. Some scientists report that trout need >7 ppm DO to survive. At our altitude, at 15 degree C, DO 100% saturation is 8.39 ppm and at 22 degree C it is 7.34 ppm. We do walk a thin line and it does not take much for a summer kill to happen.