CRYSTAL AND LA VON LAKES 

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Because they are connected through a passable channel, Crystal Lake and Lavon Lake will be 

 considered as a single management unit for the purposes of this document. Crystal Lake is a 

 medium sized lake connected to Lavon Lake through a 20 feet wide by 4 feet deep channel. The 

 lakes are a closed basin. 



Crystal Lake has a maximum depth of 154 feet and has a surface area of 178 acres (Figure 7). 

 Lavon Lake is a small, relatively deq) lake. It has a maximum depth of 91 feet and has a surface 

 area of 17 acres. Between March 1, 1993 and February 28, 1994, FWP estimated that as many 

 as 2,868 anglers, of which 84 pracoit were residaits, fished at Crystal and Lavon Lakes (Montana 

 Statewide Angling Pressure Report). 



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Management of Crystal Lake and Lavon Lake commenced in 1924, when Crystal Lake was 

 stocked with 100,000 chinook salmon and Lavon Lake was stocked with bass and sunfish (Table 

 10). Angling success was marginal and several other species were tried including rainbow trout, 

 cutthroat trout, brook trout, coho salmon, and arctic grayling. The lakes already had strong 

 populations of largescale suckers. Coho salmon plants were relatively successful through the 

 1950s but sucker numbo^ continued to dominate gill net catches. The Libby Rod and Gun Club 

 offered to run traps in the spring to capture spawning suckers that traveled through the chaimel. 



FWP decided to rehabilitate the lakes and in August of 1960 both lakes were treated with 

 Toxi^hene. Because of lake dq)th$, slow mixing and toxicity of Toxaphene, Lavon Lake would 

 not support fish until 1962 and Crystal Lake until 1964. In 1962, Lavon was planted with an 

 unknown number of kokanee salmon and when Crystal Lake was planted with kokanee and 

 rainbow trout in 1964, Lavon Lake was officially removed from the stocking list although it 

 continued to receive a portion of Crystal Lake plants. The lakes remained "clean" of unwanted 

 species until the early 1970s when unauthorized plants established yellow perch and pumpkinseed 

 populations in both lakes. 



A self-reproducing population of kokanee salmon was established from plants between 1964 to 

 1967. Between 1967 and 1976, angling was excellent for large kokanee and FWP planted only 

 rainbow trout in Crystal Lake. In 1976, FWP initiated kokanee stocking for Crystal Lake to 

 oihance fishing opportunities. At the same time FWP began monitoring kokanee populations in 

 Crystal Lake (Table 11). Kokanee plants continued through the 1970s and early 1980s with voy 

 good success. 



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