03-07-2008, 04:24 PM
[reply][ But, the last "flood" washed just about all the trout away and it took a few plantings to reestablish any kind of fishery.[/blue][/b]
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[#0000ff]TERRESTRIALS? Give me a break. There are no trerrestials of any consequence in that part of the river. They do not come from the bottom of the lake and there is no vegetation along the river banks to grow many bugs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Have you fished Lee's Ferry? I have...going back to the "heydays" of the 70's. There were fewer but bigger trout before the lake finally reached full status and spilled for the first time in the early 80's. The river bed was lush...full of aquatic weed growth and plenty of food for big fish. An average trip produced many bows in the 5-10 pound range. In those days we fished big black marabous...flies and jigs...and caught some real hogs...bows, cuts, browns and brookies. A lot of the "regulars" fished with crawlers and took home coolers full of trout. Didn't seem to hurt the fishery. Plenty of fish and plenty of forage.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Every time they LET 'ER RIP, the bottom gets scoured. All of the scuds and other invertebrates go bye bye. It takes a long time for them to repopulate. The fish that survive or get replanted do not reach good size or girth for years after a flush. Yes, there are fish to be had...and to keep the outfitters in clients...but it ain't the same as before a flush.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Before you accuse others of making "DUMB" comments you might want to think about what YOU are posting.[/#0000ff][/reply]
1) You greatly exaggerate the effects the previous floods have had on trout populations...in fact, the reduction in trout populations was even less than expected. No new stocking was instigated like you claimed to reestablish populations.
2) Stomach sampling studies of rainbow and brown trout in the Colorado River have shown that terrestrials comprise about 10% of the trout diet...that 10% can only increase with increased flows.
3) IN the heyday of the Colorado River, brown trout, brook trout, and cutthroat trout didn't exist. The trout populations were entirely dependent upon stocking and only rainbow trout were stocked...other species were introduced later. The biggest change to the river has been the gradual improvement of the spawning habitat and the number of fish...
4) The test studies on the impacts of previous floods have shown that the aquatic food base in the Colorado River recovered to pre-flood levels within 1 to 7 months after the flooding (depending upon the taxa). "Macroinvertebrates and filamentous algae recovered within three months depending on the taxa. The test flood removed suspended particles from the water column and increased water clarity, which enhanced benthic recovery."
5) Perhaps the largest reason outfitters hate the flush is because fish numbers are reduced and thus the catch of clients...also, because of the increased availablity of food, fishing below Glen Canyon Dam is not too good for a good time period following the flood--the fish are full. So, outfitters lose money in poor fishing. But, because the aquatic insect life returns quickly and less fish are alive to forage on available food, fish growth is much higher (as has also been documented following previous floods)!
6) The great thing about this year's flood is that more sediment has been accumulating since the past flood than in the previous two. In fact, because of huge flooding in the Paria and Little Colorado Rivers, the sediment load is much more this time...which will have an even greater benefit to the system than the previous floods!
7) I stand by statement about there being a lot of dumb comments in this thread...and a lot of ignorance and lack of understanding of the biology behind these floods!
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TERRESTRIALS? Give me a break. There are no trerrestials of any consequence in that part of the river. They do not come from the bottom of the lake and there is no vegetation along the river banks to grow many bugs.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Have you fished Lee's Ferry? I have...going back to the "heydays" of the 70's. There were fewer but bigger trout before the lake finally reached full status and spilled for the first time in the early 80's. The river bed was lush...full of aquatic weed growth and plenty of food for big fish. An average trip produced many bows in the 5-10 pound range. In those days we fished big black marabous...flies and jigs...and caught some real hogs...bows, cuts, browns and brookies. A lot of the "regulars" fished with crawlers and took home coolers full of trout. Didn't seem to hurt the fishery. Plenty of fish and plenty of forage.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Every time they LET 'ER RIP, the bottom gets scoured. All of the scuds and other invertebrates go bye bye. It takes a long time for them to repopulate. The fish that survive or get replanted do not reach good size or girth for years after a flush. Yes, there are fish to be had...and to keep the outfitters in clients...but it ain't the same as before a flush.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Before you accuse others of making "DUMB" comments you might want to think about what YOU are posting.[/#0000ff][/reply]
1) You greatly exaggerate the effects the previous floods have had on trout populations...in fact, the reduction in trout populations was even less than expected. No new stocking was instigated like you claimed to reestablish populations.
2) Stomach sampling studies of rainbow and brown trout in the Colorado River have shown that terrestrials comprise about 10% of the trout diet...that 10% can only increase with increased flows.
3) IN the heyday of the Colorado River, brown trout, brook trout, and cutthroat trout didn't exist. The trout populations were entirely dependent upon stocking and only rainbow trout were stocked...other species were introduced later. The biggest change to the river has been the gradual improvement of the spawning habitat and the number of fish...
4) The test studies on the impacts of previous floods have shown that the aquatic food base in the Colorado River recovered to pre-flood levels within 1 to 7 months after the flooding (depending upon the taxa). "Macroinvertebrates and filamentous algae recovered within three months depending on the taxa. The test flood removed suspended particles from the water column and increased water clarity, which enhanced benthic recovery."
5) Perhaps the largest reason outfitters hate the flush is because fish numbers are reduced and thus the catch of clients...also, because of the increased availablity of food, fishing below Glen Canyon Dam is not too good for a good time period following the flood--the fish are full. So, outfitters lose money in poor fishing. But, because the aquatic insect life returns quickly and less fish are alive to forage on available food, fish growth is much higher (as has also been documented following previous floods)!
6) The great thing about this year's flood is that more sediment has been accumulating since the past flood than in the previous two. In fact, because of huge flooding in the Paria and Little Colorado Rivers, the sediment load is much more this time...which will have an even greater benefit to the system than the previous floods!
7) I stand by statement about there being a lot of dumb comments in this thread...and a lot of ignorance and lack of understanding of the biology behind these floods!
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