X ENTERING KTL 

 section R-38 



ROCK CREEK 



CREEL STUDY AREA 



MONTANA FISH £. GAME DEPT. 



Valuable management information is gained through 

 long range studies, such as the creel study on Rock Creek 

 near Missoula. I Photo bj B. J Rose 



of the lake to rid it of great numbers of long- 

 nose suckers. The lake will be stocked with 

 rainbow trout fingerlings during the summer 

 of 1960 and should greatly improve fishing 

 for several years. 



The Rock Creek creel census study is a 

 research project of vital importance. It will 

 provide valuable information on the use of 

 catchable-size fish for stream planting. The 

 study, begun in 1958, is designed to obtain 

 accurate estimates on the fishing pressure and 

 total fish caught from Rock Creek, a tributary 

 of the Clark Fork River. 



Checking stations have been set up at each 

 end of the study section so that all anglers 

 using the area must pass through on the single 

 access road to the creek. Stations are manned 

 according to a pre-arranged schedule. Esti- 

 mates of total fish taken and of fishing pressure 

 will be used to evaluate various planting rates 

 of catchable-size trout in Rock Creek study 

 section. The project, now in its third year, is 

 scheduled to i un Eoi a ten year period. Final 

 conclusions on stocking rates will not be made 

 until complel ion of the study. 



During the firsl i w of the studj I L958 

 an e timated 14,800 anglers h hed Eoi 55 300 

 Eii hei men houri and hai \ ested 50,300 game 

 fish during the lummer season. Of this total, 

 26 pei i 'ni v ere hatcherj Eish planted the 

 Tin. consl 1 1 lit.-, a return to the 

 ■ ■ill oi 35' I of the i mnt which were planted 

 there during L958, I >uring the L959 i ummar 

 on an estimated 14,900 anglen Eii hed 18 900 



fishermen hours and caught 45.800 game fish. 

 Twenty-three per cent of this second year's 

 catch was composed of hatchery fish. This 

 was a return to the creel amounting to 39' - 

 of the rainbow trout planted during 1959. 



Southwest Fisheries I)i>tri<-t 



During 1958 a series of gill-net sets were 

 made in Canyon Ferry Reservoir duplicating 

 sets made in 1955. The sampling shows a 

 rather rapid domination of the lake by rough 

 fish and a decline of trout despite heavy 

 stocking. Another series of nets will be set 

 in 1960 in order to follow fish population 

 trends and to evaluate an expanded trout 

 stocking program. 



Near Three Forks, the ponds in three gravel 

 pits were stocked with fish following removal 

 of rough fish with toxicants. The East Pond 

 was stocked with grayling fry. but the fish 

 did not live. The pond will be restocked 

 with grayling in 1960. Rainbow trout stocked 

 in the middle pond have shown excellent 

 growth, as have the cutthroat stocked in the 

 west. 



During the bienninm renewed effort was 

 put into grayling study and management on 

 the Red Rocks Lakes National Waterfowl Ref- 

 uge. The upper Beaverhead River drainage in 

 the Red Rocks Lakes area is the last strong- 

 hold of self-sustaining stream grayling in the 

 United States. Competition with other fish 

 appears to be adverse to grayling. 



Improvements weir made in 195<s on the 

 dikes and ditches of Park Lake near Helena 



in an effort to raise the water level for insur- 

 ance against winter fish kills, Rough fish 

 removed with toxicant. The lake was 

 stocked with rainbow trout fingerlings ir 



At the time of writing tins report, fishing is 



excellent. 



The Boulder River drainage above Big 

 Timbei was surveyed during the 1958 Held 

 ea mi Tributarj streams were catalogued, 



Eish were sampled with an electric shocker. 

 Creel checks were made, and chemical. phySJ 



ca) and bioloi ical conditions were recorded 



While limited access gave the impression ol 

 relatively heavj Eishing pie-.. me. it was ac 

 tuallj quite low . w ith a peak oi Eoui Eishei 

 men pei mile recoi ded Bi ov> n trout dominated 



