Trout for the Fisherman

A rod and reel enthusiast smiles with anticipation as he ties a fly and prepares to pit his wiles against the finest in Oak Creek. Arizona anglers will hit for the mountain streams late in May as trout fishing season opens. There are miles of trout streams in Arizona, ranging from Bright Angel Creek in Grand Canyon to the streams of the White Mountains.

Trout for the fisherman PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR

Arizona trout fisherman who passes through Oak Creek Canyon and doesn't stop to look at the Oak Creek Rearing Ponds at the head of the canyon misses something. That "something" is 200,000 potential thrills of a lifetime, all swimming around in twentyeight pools of fast-running, mountain spring water, namely, trout. Rainbows, from one inch to thirty inches in length, wait their turn to be planted in some pool along the marvelously beautiful Oak Creek-the vacationer's paradise and the fisherman's last stop this side of Alph, the sacred river of Kubla Khan! Dan A. Purtymun, the fish culturist in charge, will gladly take any visitor around, and show him the result of several years of labor. Eighteen cement raceways, forty-two feet long and five feet seven inches wide, lie in a series of steps in the bottom of the head of Oak Creek Canyon. Each raceway holds fifteen hundred to five thousand trout, depending upon the size of the fish. Coming from the state hatcheries at Pinetop when they are less than one inch long, they remain at the rearing ponds until they are ready for planting in the stream below. At one time many varieties of trout were raised at the ponds: Dolly Varden, Eastern Brook, German Brown, and Loch Leven; but now only the Rainbow is reared. He is the hardiest fish, naturally stronger and fastergrowing than the others. At six months he's a lusty flashing six inches of color. In a year he will pack as much excitement in his ten-inch body as a stick of dynamite. It is then that Mr. Purtymun, with the aid of some of the sportsmen from Flagstaff, transports these prime trout in cans to the big holes along Oak Creek. And there they wait their moment for the brilliant tied fly of a lucky Arizona fisherman. Mr. Purtymun's care of his charge is as exacting as that of a young mother rearing her first born by book. For the last several years he has fed the fry a combination mash of: meals-bean, oat, salmon egg and wheat; meats-beef melts and light, liver, and, believe it or not, a dog food, the readyprepared, canned kind! This balanced ration has done away with the enormous loss of fish which a strict meat diet causes, and has resulted in a planting of 135,000 fish out of 160,000 fry; while before, a planting of 25% of the original hatch was considered exceptional. Another thing that took a heavy toll in young trout was the spillway for each pool. The flow of water through a narrow two-foot opening caused a terrific drag against the screen across it, which caught and held many fish, starving them to death eventually. Now the screen is placed two or three feet in front of the spillway, and is five feet long. Thus, the pull of the water is not concentrated in one spot as it was before, and the fry are able to work their way from the center of the screen to the ends, where they can escape.

Good fishing in Oak Creek has brought additional fishermen to the stream each year. That called for the planting of more fish, and to supply the increased demand, Dan Purtymun has built ten natural pools which serve as rearing ponds. Constructed of dirt, rock and sand, they are round, with the water entering parallel to the side of the pool, and the drain in the center. Because of its round construction, the manner in which the water enters, and the location of its exit, the pools clean themselvesthe water swirling and carrying the debris to the center, where it is carried down and out the exit.

Early in his long period of employment at the ponds, Mr. Purtymun saw the enormous amount of potential power and energy in the rushing turbulence of Oak Creek. He built a water wheel which runs the mash-grinder and a generator which supplies the house and work sheds with electricity. If further plans work out, a larger generator will be provided, and lights will be placed over each pool. Thousands of bugs, gnats, millers and other flying insects will be attracted to the lights over the ponds, where the fish will feed on them their natural food, and it is estimated, cut their artificial feeding bill in half.

So-any fisherman who drops a fly into one of Oak Creek's countless pools and is rewarded with a rise of a ten to twentytwo inch flashing rainbow will probably agree with the writer that for his $1.75 fishing license he's getting his money's worthplus.

And now, downstream, at Sedona, lies Page's Springs. This oasis of tall old trees and mirror-like pools on different levels, is both hatchery and rearing ponds. It was bought in 1938, for the sum of $7,250.00 by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and like Oak Creek's rearing ponds is run by an experienced fish culturist whose one job it is to provide trout of fishing length for Arizona anglers. And, here there is an even greater capacity than the rearing ponds at the head of the canyon.

Each year hundreds of thousands of trout eggs are purchased and placed in trays at Page's Springs. The temperature of the water is ideal for hatching, and soon the water is black with hair-like trout fry. A surprisingly short time later they are placed in the cement raceways and fed the balanced ration of meat and ground meal. When they reach the proper size they are transported in iced, aerated water tanks to streams and lakes throughout the surrounding country.

Last year, for the first time, five thousand small-mouth bass were being reared here to be placed in suitable streams and lakes. These fighters will bring a new and often unexpected thrill to vacationing fishermen. Trout season begins May 26, and continues until September 20. A visitor from other states will find many miles of interesting streams to fish in Arizona •