Rainbow trout face uncertain future at Barren

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September 17, 2009

Local fish hatcheries working

By JOEL WILSON The Glasgow Daily Times Thu Sep 17, 2009, 09:43 AM CDT

Some news, some good, some bad, this week from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Good news, the daily creel limit for rainbow trout on the Cumberland River is being doubled. The bad news is that big rainbow trout continue to face a troubling future in the river because of water temperatures.

Fishermen may now keep five more rainbow trout for a total of 10 daily on the Cumberland River from Wolf Creek Dam to the Tennessee state line. This measure includes Hatchery Creek and all tributaries up to the first riffle. The 15- to 20-inch protective slot limit on rainbow trout remains in effect. One of the 10 rainbow trout in the daily creel may be 20 inches or longer. The 20-inch minimum size limit and one fish daily creel limit on brown trout is unchanged.

KDFWR Commissioner Jon Gassett authorized the emergency measures on the entire 75-mile stretch of the Cumberland River in Kentucky, downstream of Wolf Creek Dam.

Trout stockings will also be moved up to ease pressure on trout production at Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.

The hatchery uses cold water from deep in Lake Cumberland in normal conditions to produce rainbow and brown trout for release in waters across Kentucky. Due to ongoing repairs at Wolf Creek Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is keeping the water level in Lake Cumberland at elevation 680 feet above sea level to relieve pressure on the structure.

The wet spring and summer prompted the Corps to release a great amount of cold water from Lake Cumberland to maintain that water level.

“Basically, there is little cold water left in the lake,” said James Gray, manager of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery. “The water coming to the hatchery from the intakes in the lake is 70 degrees, with little dissolved oxygen. The continued decline in water quality coming from the lake prompted this decision,”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s fisheries division recently stocked 20,500 rainbow trout at Wolf Creek Dam, Helms Landing, Winfrey’s Ferry and Crocus Creek.

“We are trying to reduce our numbers a little bit to help out things,” Gray said. “The less fish you have at the hatchery, the more it helps maintain production with these water quality issues.”

Rod Middleton and the staff of Minor Clark Fish Hatchery near Morehead brought 18 blowers to Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery to help inject air into the water.

Trout stockings scheduled for October will be moved up to mid-September, when about 21,000 fish will again go into the four upper release spots.

“We want these fish available to our license holders and not ship them off somewhere else,” said Ron Brooks, director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We need to reduce the numbers of trout in the hatchery, but had no other place to put them at this time of year due to warm water temperatures.”

Later in the fall, these fish could be stocked in lakes and streams across Kentucky. “In October, we could load up the small lakes in Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Fishing in Neighborhoods program and the smaller streams,” Gray said. “When you look across the state right now with the water temperatures where they are, the Cumberland is about the only place you can put them.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also implemented emergency measures on the Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam in 2007.

“The growth and condition of the larger fish in the Cumberland River is rapidly deteriorating,” said Dave Dreves, fisheries research biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We want anglers to take advantage of these early stockings. Conditions will likely worsen before they get better.”

The new creel limit on rainbow trout will remain in effect until normal conditions return. Anglers fishing the Cumberland River must possess a trout permit in addition to a valid fishing license.

Meanwhile on Barren, the fishing report remains basically unchanged from last week.

This week on Kentucky Afield TV, there will be segments on turkey calls made from leftover wood used to make musical instruments, and on the trophy deer population in Kentucky. The show airs on KET Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and repeats Sunday at 3 p.m.

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