FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 



Historically, the Clark Fork was a major corridor and 

 spawning ground for fish migrating out of Lake Pend Oreille, 

 Idaho. The lake supports a fishery of national renown, 

 including westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, rainbow 

 trout, lake whitefish, and kokanee salmon. All of these 

 species once had spawning migrations into the Clark Fork 

 drainage (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1966; Vanek 

 1972) . 



Residents who fished the lower Clark Fork in Montana 

 prior to construction of Cabinet Gorge Dam indicated that it 

 was generally unproductive except during the seasonal 

 spawning migrations out of Lake Pend Oreille. Of particular 

 importance was the snag fishery for kokanee salmon at 

 Thompson Falls and Heron Rapids, 68 and 15 miles upstream 

 from Lake Pend Oreille, respectively. Mature bull and 

 cutthroat trout were readily caught in many of the tributary 

 streams and in the mainstem near the mouths of these 

 tributaries (Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks 

 1981) . The fall kokanee salmon migration probably lasted six 

 to eight weeks (Graham et al. 1980; McMullin and Graham 

 1981; Vanek 1972). Lake whitefish were captured migrating 

 up the Clark Fork during autumn (Vanek 1972) , and mountain 

 whitefish also provided an autumn fishery (Gaffney 1956; 

 Malouf 1975) . 



Indian historians referred to the significance of trout 

 migrations in the Clark Fork. Salish Indians used weirs to 

 catch migrating fish in side streams of the Clark Fork such 

 as Graves Creek, Deep Creek, Beaver Creek, and others 

 (Malouf 1975) . Fish made up as much as 30 percent of the 

 Salish diet with bull and cutthroat trout the most favored 

 (Malouf 1979) . The Salish also fished for migratory bull 

 trout near Missoula. In fact, the Salish name for the 

 Missoula, Milltown, and Butte areas refers to "bull trout" 

 that were caught there. The construction of Thompson Falls 

 Dam at river mile 70 blocked the ascent of bull trout up the 

 Clark Fork (Malouf 1974). 



''-'-' A sport fishery was virtually nonexistent in the upper 

 Clark Fork until pollution abatement programs were imple- 

 mented in the headwaters in the early 1970s. Since then, a 

 significant trout fishery has developed, but its quality is 

 quite variable. 



Although some progress has clearly been made in 

 addressing the fisheries' problems, the Clark Fork is still 

 well below its potential. Today, rainbow and brown trout 

 probably rank as the most abundant and sought after trout 

 species in the basin. Cutthroat and brook trout are locally 



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