OUTDOORS : Tests Seek Reason for Loss of Lunkers
Trout season is near, and thousands of fishermen will flock to their favorite Eastern Sierra locations for the April 28 opener. Several streams and reservoirs are expected to produce catches as they have in the past, but not Crowley Lake.
Crowley used to yield brown trout so large, it was thought there might be 50-pounders in its depths. Biologists said conditions at Crowley were “the finest in the world” for big fish. And nothing rivaled the reservoir in terms of season-opener popularity.
But the past two openers have disappointed most fishermen on the lake. Sacramento perch were caught more regularly than trout.
There were several theories as to what might have happened. The illegal introduction of the perch and its adverse impact on trout populations was one. The effects of the drought is another. But most of the studies were limnological--on the water--and largely inconclusive.
This weekend, several conservation groups, in conjunction with the Department of Fish and Game, will, for the first time, use a weir to trap migrant species that travel in and out of Crowley.
“With this weir, we can get a handle on every dumb fish that comes out of that lake,” said Giles Manwaring, conservation chairman for the Isaak Walton League. “We’re going to try to find out what happened to the big fish of the past.”
Glen Black, a biologist with the DFG, said the purpose of the trap is to count fish leaving Crowley and going into some of the tributary streams, determine which strains they are and find out what juvenile fish that have naturally reproduced are returning.
The trap, he said, is just one of several phases to look at possible causes of the declining fishery.
“There are a number of strains of trout that are planted in Crowley (each fall), and the department has really never had an assessment, and this will help trap the fish that are moving out of Crowley into the tributaries to spawn,” Black said. “It will give the department an idea which is the best strain to plant if we want to get some natural reproduction--not just growth of planted fish, but where fish are spawning in the tributaries, and the young that are returning back into Crowley.”
Said Manwaring: “The public wants to have lunker fish. They want to catch something big instead of an eight-inch fish. So this is one way to get a handle on it. These (biologists) really want to find out what’s going on, what the population is in there, and then with the raw data figure out a strategy.”
Long-range fishermen aboard San Diego boats-based off the Baja peninsula are concentrating on yellowfin tuna and yellowtail and doing fairly well.
The Royal Polaris returned Saturday from a seven-day trip to the Alijos Rocks--about 520 miles south of Pt. Loma--with 105 yellowfin and 123 yellowtail, along with an assortment of incidental species.
Rick Russell of Chino has taken cartography--or map-making--for motorists into a new dimension. So far, using his own research and a Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD) program, he has cranked out Sidekick Off Road Maps for a dozen Southern California areas available to off-road vehicles.
The maps are in color, with legends for such features as old mines, drinking water, locked gates and landmarks. Local rules, details for tricky places, some local history and off-road tips are printed on the back.
The maps are laminated for durability. Cost: $3. Information: (714) 628-7227.
Briefly
The Department of Fish and Game has scheduled several Earth Day observances throughout the state, including one in Southern California--the Earth Day Carnival, at its Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include nature walks, fish design printing on shirts and a beach seine to net aquatic life for study and release. . . . A state DFG study found that despite more funds being spent on endangered species protection in California than in any other state, 71% of its endangered and threatened species continue to drop in population. Some biologists and private wildlife protection advocates said the report shows the six-year-old state Endangered Species Act has done little to protect species against human intrusions.
Quail Unlimited is involved in two conservation projects. Volunteers are sought for April 28 to build a wildlife guzzler in the San Gabriel Mountains near San Fernando. Details: (818) 446-3940. Also, QU has joined with the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep to stage a fund-raising event May 12 at the Pasadena Center in Pasadena. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Admission: $5 without lunch or dinner, $19 with lunch, $29 with dinner, $45 for everything.
Tom Waters and Jim Matthews, in conjunction with California Angler magazine, will hold a trout fishing seminar at Irvine Lake Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is $20. Information: (714) 261-9779.
