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Show THE Wednesday, May 29, 1974 PARK CITY GUAM raising hatchery fish. Fingerlings can be raised for $1.25 per pound. Since there are anywhere between 30 to 80 fingerlings per pound, it breaks down to between 1.5 to 4 cents per fish. Legal-size- d fish weigh d of a pound, can be raised for $.80 to $1 a pound, or 30 to 40 cents each. No one pretends that all fingerlings will survive to legal size, but assuming one in ten does live for a year in the river, then the cost to the angler is still lower per fish than for legal-size- d trout, somewhere between 15 to 40 cents each. And the important thing is that the fish that make it a year will be wild trout, not domesticated excuses for trout. No better than a covey of confused carp, claims a local angler. You may wonder why Im optimistic about the survival of trout the fact is fingerlings, while I have no faith in the legal-size- d that it has been dramatically shown in many studies that the longer a fish remains in captivity, the less chance it has for survival. Therefore, contrary to common belief, a fingerling trout raised only a few months in a hatchery situation still retains vital survival-oriente- d behavior patterns, while the longer period of time a fish spends within the hatchery, the more domesticated the fish becomes, and the less likely it is one-thir- to survive. Another important new finding is that hatchery fish, when stocked in great, concentrated numbers, upset the natural territorial instincts of the wild fish which may already be present. The wild fish will then leave the section planted. When the planter trout are all caught out or die from their lack of ability to survive, the Wild trout will be gone and reluctant to return. The vicious cycle is repeated when another planting is made to compensate for the poor fishing. . cousins, still retain Fingerling trout, unlike their larger legal-size- d the dispersal instincts which will ultimately lead to their survival and to their more natural assimilation into the existing fishery . Fishery biologists point to the Madison River in Montana for an example. The Madison now supports a much greater population of fish now that legal-size- d stocking has been discontinued. Charlie Thompson tells me the planting of the brown trout fingerlings last year will be followed up by a similar plant this season, though not of browns, but of cutthroat or native trout. Thompson says, We know that the brown trout frequent the lower reaches of this section of the river, but were afraid that they wont do so well in the water above Woodland, where it gets rockier and there is very little overhanging vegetation. This year the cutthroat trout will be stocked which traditionally have done better further up the Provo. The Fish and Game will try something different with this stocking also, using a different strain of cutthroat than is currently found in the river. Well plant 100,000 Snake River strain of cutthroat, states Thompson. We feel that theyll adapt better to the rocky-ledg- e type water found through this sector than the Yellowstone cutthroat which is presently in the stream. As with all manipulation of wild animal populations by man, the program will have to undergo the test of time to determine its success or failure. Those survivors of the fingerling brown trout planted last season will begin showing up in fishermens creels as the season progresses this year. The jury will be out on the cutthroat trout planted this season well into next year. The Fish and Game plans on making fish population surveys on this sector this autumn and each successive year until some trend in the wild population is determined. In the fall of 1973, the wild fish sector supported a population of 360 trout per mile. It will be extremely interesting to see if the river is holding more trout this season than last. Some of This part of the Provo has not been dredged since 1952-5the holes are coming back each year, says Mrs. Leoda Dunham who e right on the banks of the river outside of operates Camp Woodland. It is imperative to the wild fish concept that the Provo is allowed even more of a chance to reclaim itself, each year relentlessly seeking its original character. Maybe in ten years. . . Park City merchant Ed Grose sighs, with a distant nostalgic look in his eye. As for. now, biologist Thompson feels the need to support the wild population with'anrual plantings of fingerling trout. Too much damage to the spawnin ; beds, he says. The river has recovered somewhat as a holding environment, but Im afraid about all that can spawn successfully is the whitefish. Theyre getting by somehow. 3. Kill-Kar- And that is the key: habitat. Perhaps some of the money saved by program of hatchery legal sized fish can eliminating the be spent on specifically improving spawning areas thi ough the wild put-and-ta- ke -- Page IS fish sector (60,000 brown trout fingerlings cost the fishermen of our rainbows have a hatstate between $900 and $2400; 30,000 legal-size- d chery cost of $9000 to $12,000 just the elimination of the program saves Utah anglers quite a sum of money). The river conies back slowly by itself. If it has help, it can make it back much faster. Next week, I will talk about the current problems facing the wildlife resources departments in their attempt to preserve and reclaim quality trout habitat within Utah. put-and-ta- ke Just remember when you go fishing this year, the fishing you have can get worse. The only way it can get even a little better is if you go beyond the privileges of your fishing license and get involved in making it better. If you would like to read further on the making of quality 'fishing I strongly suggest reading the following three titles, all available at DOLLYS (or they can order them for you) : . . THE JOYS OF TROUT by Arnold Gingrich (Crown Publishers, New York) THE STREAM CONSERVATION HANDBOOK by Michael Migel ed. (Crown) A MODERN DRY FLY CODE by Vincent Marinaro (Crown) Locally, several anglers have expressed interest in forming a conservation-oriented organization, with its only goal as better trout fishing. If you have similar interests, contact one or several of the following Park City residents: Jim Grinsell, Bill Bertagnole, Mel Armstrong, Ed Grose, Steve Hebron, Frank Marcellin, Steve Ritchey, or Bob Dean. If you have views, pro or con, towards the subjects covered within this article, please write The Coalition; Charles Thompson, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Provo District, Provo, Utah; Dan Duffy, Utah Fish and Game, 1596 West North Temple, S.L.C., Utah, or your congressman. It all comes down to what kind of fishing you would like to see here in Uta- hItcan get better. i Local Water Conditions Water conditions on local rivers and streams above the dams will be high, but the peak runoff crest seems to have passed. Conditions below the dams will be dependent upon water released from them - all impoundments are approaching high levels which indicates that water will be let through them by opening day. How much is just speculation at this point. Added Tips fishermen will take after olde Mossyback next Sat. Avoid all driving if your patience wears thin. Promises to be biggest traffic jam in worlds history up Daniels Canyon toward Strawberry. Second 225,000 biggest will form Sunday, minus only those unfortunates who will get mired in the cheese along the border of the lake. If you insist on going out to Strawberry, take chains, or stay at least mUe from the melee. Marshmallow poisoning is another common ailment. Wear protective helmet for hail of chum which develops around noon when fishing slacks off . The rivers and streams will still be high and discolored - best bet above the dams is to fish between 10 AM and noon. This time period is BEFORE the daily rise from the melt-of- f at higher elevations! An unseasonably cool, precipitation-fre- e day in the season will spell a break from the high water for the fish - fishing can get hot when the water drops and clears slightly. For those who insist on fly fishing, it is better to use DARK flies in dark. water. It is the silhouette you are trying to present to the trout early in the season, because the fish cannot hope to see detail in the roily water. Dark brown or black flies will show up better than pure white flies. Remember, if you plan on going back later in the season, obtain access rights before you fish on private grounds. If you dont cherish' people getting mad at you, dont change into another mans fishing spot. I know its tough to do on opening day, but if you cant find a place to fish, then maybe somebody is trying to tell you something. The opening day hordes usually leave a trail of litter which rivals the old Park City dump, if you don't have any fish in that creel when you of beverage cans or hamburger quit for the day, take home a creel-fuone-ha- lf ll wrappers. |