Kettle Creek Special Reg. Sec.

[dryflyguy]

I also remember catching some nice wild browns there in the '80's.
Then it started going down hill. And - as Chaz stated - they made it delayed harvest for a few years.
I quit fishing it then. But the reports I've gotten from friends who still do, have not been good. And that's too bad. It is a very beautiful area, and I have lots of fond memories of it, while learning to flyfish there

 

[OldLefty]

My reason for confusion is that the OP referred to fish that are released. I could interpret his intent to mean that if hatchery fish die after release they are wasted and they would better serve anglers by being creeled. When he says if they survive then they would better serve anglers if they were allowed to creel them. In other words, they shouldn't be stocked in an area where creeling is prohibited. The key here is that the OP is inquiring about fish having been caught and released, not just trout surviving or not surviving in a catch and release area.

Now, mind you, I said I could interpret his intended meaning as such. I believe only the OP can clarify his meaning of the question for us.

 

[troutbert]

On Kettle Creek as with other freestone streams, physical habitat, pools and cover, is very important. Where there are good pools and habitat, there will be trout. Including wild trout, in the regs area and clear to the headwaters.

And where it's flat and shallow, it simply won't be any good. In low flows those sections are so shallow, even "down in the rocks" that there simply is no place for an adult trout to exist.

Back in the 1999 there was a great deal of concern that the physical habitat in the regs area had gotten worse.

But, what are the details? Where within the regs area did it get worse? And how and why?

Do any of you who have fished the regs areas for a long time have any observations about what happened?

 

[outsider]

troutbert,

Most noticeable to me is some of the holes are shallower than many years ago. Two years ago I spoke with the owner of Kettle Creek Outfitters (I think that is the name) which is across the road from the special regs area.

At that time he was doing some supplemental stocking (rainbows), and he wanted to do some stream improvement to the regs area. But my understanding is the Kettle Creek Conservancy (again not sure of the correct name) fought this and the fish commission rejected his offer to do the improvements.

 

[Chaz]

There were major projects completed on Kettle Creek over the last 10 years that are supposed to improve the habitat. It remains to be seen though. As I said before temperature is the biggest issue (habitat). It gets warm up as far as Rauch Rd. that's pretty bad for the downstream areas. Even if the trout did survive, they wouldn't be in the C & R FFO section during most summers.

 

[dryflyguy]

troutbert,

I usually fished the lower end of the project - just above the 144 bridge.
And I wasn't catching any wild fish anymore, like I did when I first started fishing there, which was in the early '80's.
The hatches also seemed to wane too.