% 



April through 30 June 1980. The results are shown in Table 4. No sturgeon eggs 

 or larvae were found. 



It is important to note that no trout eggs or fry were captured in the 

 larval nets. Trout are not thought to spawn in the mainstem Kootenai in Idaho 

 (Appendix F) . The same is suspected in Montana (May & Huston 1975), and a 1980 

 survey by the DFWP found no spawning areas in the Kootenai River between Libby 

 Dam and Pipe Creek (May et al . 1980). The success of any spawning that did 

 occur would be limited by the daily river level fluctuations caused by Libby Dam 

 power peaking. Therefore, access to suitable spawning tributaries is highly 

 important to the survival of Kootenai River trout populations. Table 5 shows 

 the spawning habitat available to trout between the Reregulating Dam site and 

 the Idaho state line. It is likely that trout from Idaho use the tributaries in 

 Montana below Kootenai Falls for spawning (Appendix F.). 



The Yaak River, Callahan Creek, and Lake Creek support fall spawning runs of 

 kokanee and mountain whitefish, and large rainbow trout (4 to 10 pounds) spawn 

 in Callahan Creek and the Yaak River in March and April (May and Huston 1975). 

 Fishermen report catching rainbow trout up to 15 pounds in the spring at the 

 mouth of the Yaak. May and Huston (1975) suspect that the large rainbow and the 

 kokanee originate from Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, because they rarely 

 are found in the river during nonspawning periods. 



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