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Show Wednesday, August 14, 1974- - FISHING by Dave Mueller ii cur Page 21 THE CUTTHROAT, Survival and Revival The riffle above the pool breaks sharply over a ledge of piled boulders and pours below in a concentrated flow, spreading out gradually as the pool widens. You cast your fly to the seam of the inpouring current, watching as it bounces in the heavy water and then is swept to the inside edge, where the water starts feathering slightly. TTie fish flashes, taking the fly the instant it falls from the swift portion of current, and you set the iron into a trout which immediately bores deep into the pool. Your rod tip bounces as the fish shakes its head, and as you gain line, you begin to think the fight is over. But the fish renews its quest for survival with another run upstream, your line hissing as it cuts through the water'. Three runs later the fish lies exhausted in the d shallows, its sides glistening; yellow-goltouched with a pink iridescence. The bright orange-re- d slashes on the lower parts of the gill coverings tell you that your catch is none other than the native trout of the West, the Cutthroat. With the variety of trout available to the Utah angler today, it is hard to imagine that 100 years ago the only species of trout found through the western United States was the cutthroat trout. There were many strains of the native trout, the result of each g watershed being separated by mountain or desert barriers for. upwards of 100,000 years. Each strain (subspecies) evolved adaptive traits which allowed it to survive in the type of water found within its watershed. As the range of the cutthroat was settled by the early pioneers, the cutthroat came under pressures never experienced through the centuries. Irrigation channels were cut, connecting heretofore isolated drainages. The introduction of the other species of trout was initiated, and competition for trout water began. The arrival of the rainbow accounted for a particularly damaging influence of the cutthroat populations. The rainbow was able to crossbreed with the native trout, diluting the original strains. d But probably the most destructive form of interference with the cutthroat populations occurred when folks decided to supplement cutthroat numbers with introductions of their own. The idea in itself was not a bad one; the native trout populations in many areas were giving way to man and the other species of trout. Cutts were on the decline, and since their primary spawning run was in the spring, was drastically interfered with by runoff conditions. Cutthroat eggs and fry were transported from one drainage to another, with hopes of bolstering declining numbers in certain locales. The would-b- e just werent selective enough. They took eggs where they could obtain them with the greatest ease, and individual cutthroat strains were mixed until each strain lost its subtle differences. dark-spotte- d trout-holdin- man-relate- well-meani- egg-hatchi- ng ng man-produc- do-good- ed ers The most dramatic loss of a pure strain occurred within the La Hon-ta- n cutthroat population of Pyramid Lake, Nevada. The native trout found in this lake had been the largest trout found bn the North American Continent, evolving over thousands of years to take advantage of the exceptionally rich faunal composition of the lake. The largest fish taken by rod and reel from Pyramid Lake was a 62 pound cutthroat, with much larger fish taken from commercial fish nets. By 1920, parts of the Truckee River and its tributaries had been obstructed and the spawning waters for the great fish were fast becoming lost. When other strains of cutthroat were introduced to die Nevada watershed, the size of the fish dramatically dropped. In recent years, the largest cutt taken from Pyramid Lake has been 19 lbs, 9 oz.-- no slouch, for sure. But that fish weighed less than the average weight of individual fish during the last pure La Hontan spawning run in the spring of 1938. The Pyramid Lake cutthroat had been lost, and although today the fih still run larger than usual, the truly amazing giants are gone. But why all the fuss? Certainly, the other species of trout have filled in where the cutthroat has given way, and our fishing is just as good as it ever was. It is true that many sections of the origianl range of the cutthroat have been claimed by the brook, brown, and rainbow trout. But each of these introduced species has certain characteristics within its makeup which present problems within our sport fishery. The major complaint about the brown trout is that it is too hard to catch. Brook trout are easier to catch, but they mature at an early age and have a tendency to overpopulate, with stunted fish the result. Rainbows have proven easy to raise within a hatchery, but seem not tp propagate themselves as successfully as the other trout in a wild habitat. Additionally, all species introduced into the Rocky Mountain area have illustrated a lack of ability to compete with the Rocky Mountain Whitefish, Utah Chub, and other rough fish found in the area. The Cutthroat, as has been explained, has always lived in conjunction with these species, and developed adaptive advantages over the centuries to cope with the rough fish. After years of disregard and abuse, the cutthroat is once again being given a close look by federal and state fishery management. Where introduced trout have failed for one reason or another, the cutthroat is being tried in hopes that those subtle traits which allowed its origianl survival will contribute to present success. Several factors are working against the fishery biologists in their search for cutthroat which will provide good fishing. Deterioration of watersheds has made it tough for all trout to survive. The mixing of the original strains has made it next to impossible to find untainted subspecies which evolved to meet the demands of a particular watershed. Extensive exploration into some of the more isolated drainages of the West has uncovered some remnants of pure cutthroat strains that have not been subjected to artificial pressures applied by man. Members of these populations have been planted in their original range to see if they can reestablish themselves to their former levels. Glenn Davis of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is optimistic about the revival in the use of the cutthroat as a fishery tool. He views the native trout as a prime species to use in the wild fisheries program, trout for where sections of our rivers are not stocked with legal-size- d purpose. The cutthroat is a very active feeder, says Davis, and can be taken throughout the day or evening. He notes that even the larger members of the cutthroat population, feed on smaller insect forms both in lakes and streams. This characteristic, makes them prime targets for flyfishermen. The cutthroat starts its evening feeding activity much earlier than the brown trout, and the man who can only get away from work to fish in the evening is rewarded by several hours of good fishing when trying for cutthroats, instead of as is the case with brown trout. Much publicity has been given to the cold water situation below Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River. In the first years after construction of the dam, the water directly below the reservoir was a mec-c- a for exceptionally large trout. Now, the temperatures have dropped so that growth rates of the brown and rainbow trout found below the dam have been inhibited to such a degree that fish seldom grow more than twelve inches. The Snake River strain of cutthroat is being tried in this water in hopes that its cold water adaptive qualities will allow it to brown and rainbow grow to larger sizes than the put-and-ta- ke right-at-dark-fishi- ng warm-water-lovi- ng trout. Jim Mullan of the U.S. Fish and Game in Vernal has studied the cut- throat quite closely the past several years. He claims that the native trout will not stunt in a small stream situation like the Eastern Brook trout. They grow to surprising sizes, says Mullan. Youd think theyd freeze solid in the winter because of the low water flow, but somehow they survive. Jim says that a cutthroat will live up to six or seven years in a situation where brook trout have only a low life The water winter span. level situation is becoming more prevalent as water demands increase through the West. The cutthroat ability to survive this particular limiting factor is one of its characteristics which is just now becoming appreciated. Utah Fish and Game programs with emphasis on Cutthroat fisheries are being established around the state. Wild fisheries on. cutthroat streams haye been designated on Seven Mile Creek, a tributary of Johnson Reservoir, UM Creek which flows into Forsythe Reservoir, and sections of the Duchesne River and Provo River, both cutthroat and brown trout fisheries. Cutthroat are being exclusively introduced after treatment of Woodruff Reservoir in Rich County, and in Electric Lake on Huntington Creek. The absence of rainbow trout in these reservoirs is coming under criticism from bait fishermen, who find the cutthroat much more difficult to take than the rainbow. But the Fish and Game are managing these lakes in the hopes that they will produce trophy cutthroats some day. It has been shown that the native trout do not grow to optimum sizes when living in conjunction with rainbow trout. Hopefully, these ponds will someday produce a truly magnificent fish to bear out the thinking of our state biologists . thought, has Fishery science, along with much of our present-da- y proceeded in too many cases in a stopgap manner, resulting in situations which have cost us too much for the rewards received. It is refreshing to see fishery biologists trying to delve into the past to make use of an originalnot as an outmoded relic, but as a useful component in a viable fishery management program. The cutthroat, long ignored in favor of the other species of trout, seems to be making the point that just because a thing is new doesnt mean it is better. three-or-four-ye- ar |