News

 

Lower Mountain Fork River sees most significant rainbow trout stocking in recent years (2/15/2007)

Recently the lower Mountain Fork River in southeast Oklahoma underwent the most significant rainbow trout stocking it's seen in years, with over 8,000 rainbow trout stocked at several locations.

"Oklahoma's trout fishing has received a lot of attention lately," said Mike Scott, fisheries technician with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation who directed the stocking. "But that's because we have good trout fishing opportunities, and with this recent stocking, the fishing is now even better."

The noteworthy load of fish was raised at the Norfolk National Fish Hatchery near Mountain Home, Ark., and was provided to Oklahoma by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The fish released are already ideal for catching.

"There were literally thousands of fish stocked, and most of them were around 11 inches in length," said Scott. "Considering this sizeable stocking and all the recent stream projects on the lower Mountain Fork River, this is a special time for trout anglers in our state."

Department fisheries technicians from the Durant and Holdenville state fish hatcheries transported the rainbows from the hatchery in Arkansas to stocking sites along the lower Mountain Fork River.

Stocking sites included the Lost Creek and Evening Hole areas, Beavers Bend State Park area and below the Re-regulation and Old Park dams.

For more information and regulations on trout fishing at the lower Mountain Fork River, consult the "2007 Oklahoma Fishing Guide" or log on to wildlifedepartment.com. Anglers also can keep up with fishing conditions at the lower Mountain Fork River and other state waters by receiving the Department's weekly Fishing Report and Wildlife News. To subscribe, log on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com/wl_news.htm.

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Lost Creek fishing area sees first trout stocking (1/25/07)

            The new Lost Creek fishing area of the Lower Mountain Fork River was recently stocked with trout for the first time, and officials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation say now is a good time to be fishing the stream.

            Lost Creek is a 1,200 ft. long stream constructed last summer as part of an extensive trout habitat project on the Lower Mountain Fork River. It branches off from the river and flows through a wooded area before emptying into the newly renovated Evening Hole trout fishing area.

            Paul Balkenbush, southeast region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department, said Lost Creek is ready for fishing.

            “Compared to other streams in Oklahoma, Lost Creek is an untouched resource,” Balkenbush said. “Now that it has received its first stocking of trout, we encourage anglers to get out there and fish it.”

            Balkenbush said recent winter weather across the state should have minimal effects on fishing at Lost Creek since the area received mostly rain rather than ice.

            This week’s state fishing report echoes Balkenbush. According to the report, trout fishing on the Lower Mountain Fork River is currently “very good.” Flies that trout are reportedly biting include pheasant tails, red fox squirrel, San Juan worms, egg patterns and wooly buggers. Biologists have also reported fisherman having great success using bead head hare’s ear flies.

            There are 16 sites along the Lower Mountain Fork River, including two on Lost Creek and one at the Evening Hole, where trout are stocked regularly. For a complete stocking schedule, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

            At Lost Creek, as well as the Evening Hole, brown and rainbow trout both have a one-fish-per-day limit, and fish must be 20 inches or longer. Also, anglers in the areas may only use artificial flies and lures and barbless hooks. For complete fishing regulations and license information, consult the “2007 Oklahoma Fishing Guide” or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

 

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Trout fishing opportunities expanded in southeast Oklahoma (11/09/2006)

Not only has the trout fishing been improved in southeast Oklahoma, there is also a brand new area to try your luck. Fisheries personnel with the Wildlife Department told the Wildlife Conservation Commission at their November meeting about ¾ of a mile of trout stream which has been added or improved at the Lower Mountain Fork River.

            With bulldozers, backhoes and a good deal of imagination, streams biologists created a brand new ¼-mile trout stream, dubbed Lost Creek. Water was diverted into an ancient stream channel through dense woods and boulders creating a unique area for anglers to try to fool wary trout.

            A separate ½-mile stretch of the Lower Mountain Fork River, known as the Evening Hole, once had a poor reputation among trout anglers. The warm, slow-moving, muddy water in the area was not favored by the rainbow and brown trout stocked by the Wildlife Department.

However, streams biologists saw the potential in the area and felt if they could narrow the channel and provide more habitat, the trout, followed by trout anglers, would quickly begin using the area. Biologists used 600 dump truck loads of gravel to narrow the river channel, causing the water to remain cooler and move through the Evening Hole faster. With the addition of large rocks, logs and islands, fisheries personnel transformed once sub-par trout habitat into a first class fishing area.

            The Commission voted to establish special trout fishing regulations on the Evening Hole and Lost Creek areas. Upon gubernatorial approval, anglers must use only artificial lures with barbless hooks and may harvest only one rainbow trout and one brown trout 20-inches or longer per day. When the proposed regulations were opened to public input recently, the Department received overwhelming support of the new regulations which are geared toward providing a high quality trout fishery.                                                                               

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Biologists complete “one of the most ambitious streams restoration project ever undertaken in Oklahoma” (11/09/2006)

It’s not everyday that biologists can create a brand new trout stream, but fisheries personnel with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation recently did just that.

“When we showed people where we were thinking about building this new creek, I think people thought we were a little crazy,” said James Vincent, southeast region fisheries biologist for the Wildlife Department. “The area looked like it would make much better squirrel habitat than trout habitat.”

In Beaver’s Bend State Park along the Lower Mountain Fork River, fisheries personnel transformed an ancient stream channel into a brand new ¼-mile trout stream, dubbed Lost Creek. While the area was still dry, fisheries personnel used bulldozers and backhoes to clear the channel to create a series of riffles, runs and pools that would become first-class trout habitat when water was directed into the new stream.

“We used a huge, 20-ton water control structure to divert a small amount of water into Lost Creek. The channel winds through woods and eventually dumps back into the Lower Mountain Fork River,” Vincent said. “Not only is this going to become a great trout fishing area, it is also just a beautiful place to take a walk.”

Streams biologists did not stop there. Just down stream from the start of Lost Creek, fisheries personnel turned their focus on a ½-mile stretch of the Lower Mountain Fork River, known as the Evening Hole.

“The fishing wasn’t as good as it could have been in this particular area of the river,” Vincent said. “The Evening Hole had three problems - the water was too warm; it moved too slowly; and there was a good amount of silt in the area. None of these conditions are good for trout or for trout anglers.”

Vincent and his colleagues came up with a plan to make the area more desirable for trout.

“After we received all the necessary work permits, we dumped about 600 loads of gravel along the banks of the river to narrow the channel. This caused the water to move faster through the area which will keep the water temperature from rising too quickly and help to move the dirt and muck on downstream,” Vincent said. “We also recycled every big rock and log we could find and placed them in and around the Evening Hole and created a good number of places for trout to hide and to find food.”

            The Wildlife Conservation Commission recently voted to establish special trout fishing regulations on the Evening Hole and Lost Creek areas. Upon gubernatorial approval, anglers will be required to use only artificial flies and lures with barbless hooks and may harvest only one rainbow trout and one brown trout 20-inches or longer per day. When the proposed regulations were opened to public input recently, the Department received overwhelming support of the new regulations.

            “This is certainly one of the most ambitious streams restoration project that has ever been undertaken in the state. We can’t wait for people to come down and see it for themselves,” Vincent said. “This is a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together. We certainly couldn’t have done this without the strong partnership and support from a wide range of public and private organizations like the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation, the 89er Chapter of the Trout Unlimited, the Oklahoma Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Oklahoma State Parks and Resorts and the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few.”

            For more information about trout fishing in Oklahoma or these two restoration projects log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

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Evening Hole          Evening Hole
Before                      After

Caption: Biologists used 600 dump truck loads of gravel to narrow the river channel, causing the water to remain cooler and move through the Evening Hole faster. With the addition of large rocks, logs and islands, fisheries personnel transformed once sub-par trout habitat into a first class fishing area.

  

Lost Creek Before    Lost Creek After

Caption: Wildlife Department fisheries biologists used bulldozers and a good deal of imagination to transform an ancient stream channel into a new trout stream called Lost Creek.

 

First successful trout reproduction documented in the lower Mountain Fork River (5/11/06)

             For the first time ever documented in Oklahoma, fisheries biologists have documented natural reproduction of rainbow trout. The discovery was made in the lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery below Broken Bow Lake.

            “Clearly, this new information sets the lower Mountain Fork River apart as one of the premier tail water fisheries in the nation,” said Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

            Anglers reported observing trout spawning activity in December and January. A few months later, scattered reports began coming in of very small rainbow trout being caught by anglers.

            “All of the trout that we stock are much bigger than a few inches, so we did a small survey with a bag seine,” said Paul Balkenbush, southeast region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department.

            In four different locations, biologists caught a total of 17 young rainbow trout.

            “Due to the nature of the river – lots of boulders and swift current – there was a very limited number of places we could use our seine effectively. The fact that we were able to catch young trout in every location was very encouraging and leads us to believe that they are abundant and widespread.  We are not certain of their age but they were born here,” Balkenbush said. “They may only be two or three-inches long right now, but we can say without a doubt that these are wild fish.”

            The Wildlife Department first stocked the Lower Mountain Fork River with trout more than 17 years ago. Since that time the 12-mile designated trout stream has seen many habitat improvements. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, the U.S. Congress passed the Water Resources Development Act in 1996 to ensure that cool water from Broken Bow Lake is released throughout the year to sustain the trout fishery.

            “These young trout are, in part, a reflection of all the hard work done through a number of cooperative habitat initiatives. We could have never completed these efforts without generous donations, both in financial support and sweat equity, from several dedicated trout clubs in Oklahoma and Texas,” Balkenbush said.

            Rainbow trout have very specific habitat requirements in order to spawn successfully and biologists have completed several projects to make the river more suitable for trout.

            For example, the Spillway Creek area of the river was once mostly a swift and straight area, not the most suitable for trout or trout anglers. Today, the area is one of the most dynamic areas of the river. Wildlife Department personnel and their cooperators used large boulders and logs to improve the river channel creating a series of riffles, runs and pools - all prime trout habitat. The habitat efforts also trapped clean gravel in shallow areas of the river providing the type of habitat needed by spawning rainbow trout.

            “This natural reproduction is certainly exciting, however we don’t know if this is a one-time phenomenon or if reproduction will occur each year,” Balkenbush said. “Hopefully, these trout will survive and grow for a couple of years and provide anglers an opportunity to catch wild fish but at this point we don’t know if that will happen or not.”

            Wildlife Department fisheries biologists will monitor possible future trout reproduction and track the survival of these young trout.

            In the meantime, fisheries biologists will continue improving habitat in the area through projects like the Evening Hole Restoration Project – the most ambitious stream restoration project undertaken by the Department. Following two years of research and development, biologists have now begun the huge task of renovating the area known as the Evening Hole located on the Lower Mountain Fork River.  The project also includes the creation of a “new” trout stream almost a half-mile long that will connect to the main river channel and provide new angling opportunities.  To learn more about the project log on to hottopics

            To learn more about trout fishing log on to wildlifedepartment.com or turn to page 22 of the “2006 Oklahoma Fishing Guide.”

 

Photo Caption: For the first time in Oklahoma, fisheries biologists have documented natural reproduction of rainbow trout.  In four different locations in the Lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery, biologists caught a total of 17 young rainbow trout.

 

Weather may alter trout stocking schedule (4/27/06)

The recent storm fronts, although welcome, may not be enough to provide cool water for trout in Oklahoma this summer, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. A combination of warm temperatures and lack of rainfall in recent months may force the Wildlife Department to alter its trout stocking schedule on the lower Illinois and the lower Mountain Fork rivers.

 “Low water levels accompanied by unseasonably warm weather is creating a situation where trout kills can become likely if steps aren’t taken to minimize the risks,” Gary Peterson, northeast region fisheries biologist. “Our goal is to continue providing quality fishing opportunities for anglers on these areas while minimizing the potential for a fish kill.”

Tenkiller Lake, located immediately above the lower Illinois River, is approximately 10 feet below normal. Water used for electric hydropower generation is released from the lake which provides cool enough water to support the downstream trout fishery. Low lake levels have slowed generation and therefore decreased water releases.  The lack of regular flows and the increase in daily air temperatures have increased water temperatures to levels that may become lethal for trout.

Last August, hot, dry weather forced Wildlife Department officials to suspend trout stocking on the lower Mountain Fork River. Rains in early April raised Broken Bow Lake nearly 10 feet allowing a greater reservoir of cool water to be released into the lower Mountain Fork River in the early summer months. However, the reservoir is already at a lower elevation than this time last year. Wildlife Department officials are monitoring the water levels and temperatures at both locations very closely to determine if trout stocking schedule alterations will become necessary. As temperatures increase, trout may have to be stocked upstream (closer to the dam) where cooler water temperatures exist, or if conditions warrant, not stocked at all. Wildlife Department officials are working with other agencies to investigate solutions for current and future water needs.

            Anglers who want to monitor the status of trout stocking should check the trout stocking schedule on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com/trtstok.htm.