Big Spring Biologists Report

[JackM]

PFBC just posted the report of survey on Big Spring. I can't draw any conclusions other than that they are wasting a lot of fingerlings. Anyone read anything interesting in the results?

Here's a link: Big Spring Electroshock Survey Report 2006

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Jack,

I don't know what conclusions to draw from the survey either.

I did fish Big Spring for a bit this past Saturday afternoon and can say that my creel survey mirrors the electro-shocking results.

I caught primarily wild rainbow trout including one that I consider a nice fish for that creek. I caught one brook trout that was below legal size and all the other trout were cookie cutter rainbows of 7 to 10 inches with the exception of one 16 inch fish. It was quite a shock to have a fish that size launch itself out of a 12 inch deep riffle.

While retrieving a snagged fly I managed to spook a much larger trout but I have no idea what specie it was.

I don't know where the brook trout are, but there is no shortage of wild rainbow trout in the creek. Brown trout were also suspiciously absent during my creel survey. I fished a total of about 100 to 150 yards of stream so I didn't extensively sample the waters. I stuck to "trouty" looking spots and stayed away from the slow cress filled muskrat holes that are so common on this creek.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

now i fished big spring back in august. my creel findings were all rainbow trout, but i did see one nice 15 inch brown and a 8 inch brookie that kept attacking my fly but i never hooked. i does seem that rainbow trout and primarly wild ones are dominating the stream. something that is good and bad. its a shame to see our world famous brook trout fishery dominated by rainbows, but at least there are wild fish in the stream! :-D

 

[Stone_Fly]

It is a Class A Stream at least down to the old fish barrier, below that it may be a Class A Rainbow fishery. In any case they are still wasting fingerlings by putting them in there. And why are there C & R regulations on the stream so that the populations of trout fully recover.