Trout Aristocrat for Sportsmen

TROUT... Aristocrat

DIAMOND Creek! East Clear Creek! West Clear Creek! The Bright Angel! These are fitting names for trout streams in Arizona, for trout fishing is synonymous with flowing crystal-clear water.

There are other names, too. Black River! White River! Colorado River! Hurricane Creek! Thunder River! Almost virgin waters for they are in deep, cool remote canyons. These descriptive names of some of Arizona's trout streams indicate their character. They are wild, turbulent waters roaring over rocks, swirling in pools, slipping down long glides. This is the kind of water that produces excellent trout fishing.

When these streams in Arizona were first named by pioneer fishermen they contained a species of native trout, copper colored with black spots and like flashing lightning on the angler's line.

This species was peculiar to Arizona's waters, but the continual increase in population took its toll of the native fish. But among those fishermen who took the Arizona native from the streams were some conservation-minded sportsmen. They realized that to support the heavy fishing these waters would have to be restocked. So early in the state's history a Game and Fish Department was created. In 1929 a commission form of government was begun and this body of men was charged with the proper administration of Arizona's wildlife, one of the state's greatest natural resources.

There is good lake trout fishing, too, in Arizona, attracting thousands to the White Mountain district. Big Lake (above) and Crescent Lake are yielding some of the best trout ever caught in the state weighing from one to over ten pounds. (Photo by Chuck Abbott.)

for Sportsmen

They began construction of hatcheries and bought trout eggs from commercial producers and hatched their own trout. Millions of fry and fingerling were planted in the depleted trout streams and good fishing was created. For many years this method of stocking proved satisfactory but the continual influx of new residents to Arizona brought more fishermen. These lovers of the greatest of the arts of angling, the taking of trout, were again demanding more than Arizona's streams could produce in catchable fish.

In 1941 the Arizona Game and Fish Commission expanded its program of stocking the state's mountain streams with creel size trout. It had been known for sometime by able fishculturists that the percentage of survival of planted fry and fingerling was very small, The solution was to plant a grown trout in the spring of the year after flood waters had passed and then to replace that grown trout caught during the first weeks of the trout season with another fish of equal length, weight and gaminess. More plantings during the last month of the season would assure good trout fishing, even in the last week for the late summer vacationists.

The work of producing a grown trout for Arizona's streams begins in late winter. Eyed trout eggs are received by the state's hatcheries during the months of December, January, and February of every year. Eyed trout roe comes from commercial producers

and from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Each year three or four million eyed trout roe are received by the state's hatcheries. Those that come from the commercial producers are purchased at the prevailing market price ranging from $1 to $1.50 per thousand. Those received from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service are furnished by this government agency free of charge, the only stipulation being that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission supply plantings of trout fry or advanced fry to persons making application to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for trout to be placed in their ponds or streams. These people making application for the stocking of private waters must in turn agree to adhere to the Arizona Game Code regarding the taking of trout.

To further take care of its obligation to the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries in return for free trout eggs, the Division of Fisheries of the state game department supplies a fishculturist during the spawn taking period, usually in the early spring.

Both the commercial producers and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtain trout eggs from the spawning fish. The roe is "stripped from the female and "milted" immediately by sperm taken from the male fish.

Trout eggs are extremely delicate. The roe can only be fertilized during a very short time immediately after it is taken from the female fish. Then it must "water harden". This is done by mixing a bit of cold water with the eggs and allowing them to set for a short time.

After the fertilized trout egg has "water hardened" it is placed on trays and lowered in cold, fresh spring water. In Arizona the water flowing through the hatchery troughs is about 52 degrees. Even though the trout eggs must be placed in cold water it must accumulate a certain number of heat units during the incubation period before it hatches.

Water that is 52 degrees is 20 degrees above freezing. In a twenty-four hour period trout roe in water of this temperature accumulate twenty heat units.

During the first 36 hours after the trout egg has "water hardened" it can be handled safely. After that short period the egg becomes extremely delicate again. The tiny life is so sensitive that a jolt or blow on the side of the hatching troughs will kill thousands of them.

In about seventeen days the eye of the fish will develop until it is plainly visible. Then trout roe receive the name, "eyed egg." At this stage they are durable enough for shipment. Before the eyed eggs are taken from the hatchery troughs in which they have been resting for the seventeen days of the "eyeing up" stage, they are "shocked" to kill all weak and partially fertilized eggs. This "shocking" is accomplished by severe jolts on the side of the troughs. The surviving eggs are the hardiest of the lot and these are ready for shipment.

Roe are placed in trays between layers of moss and stacked in crates. Cracked ice is packed over them and the dripping water from the melting ice creates sufficient moisture and keeps them cool during the time involved in shipping to distant points.

Eyed trout roe are received in the dead of winter by the hatcheries in Arizona. The packed trays are taken from the crates immediately and lowered in troughs of fresh, running mountain spring water.

During the balance of the incubation period, the time between the eyed stage and the emerging of the tiny trout, the eggs have to be watched and cared for constantly. Fertile eggs have the smooth opalescent color of cooked tapioca. Many hundreds die during the incubation period and fungus develops almost immediately on the dead eggs. Fishculturists are careful to remove the dirty white spawn at once before the fast spreading fungus can attach itself to live pearl-like eggs.

When trout spawn have accumulated sufficient heat units the amount required varies among different species the tiny trout emerges from the shell, about one-half inch long.

For the first ten days of this game fish's life he obtains his food from a yolk sac which is still a part of his body. Even at this tender age the trout shows the characteristics that make him the desirable game fish that he is. These minute trout attempt to hide under the edges of the hatching trays or scurrry for cover when troughs are opened for inspection.

In the first week or two weeks of the trout fry's life the yolk sac reduces and forms the belly of the fish. Then the trout begins look-ing for food. It is supplied to him by the hatchery employees in the form of very finely ground liver, hearts and melts.

The raising of trout from the egg to catch-able fish is certainly not without incident. Whenever hatchery men get together they exchange their experiences which seem to be without end.

Some of these men's "family troubles" are as follows: As soon as it becomes necessary to feed trout fry they are transferred to rearing ponds. Some of these circular ponds have cement bottoms and others have gravel or sand bottoms, and sometimes leaks occur in them. As soon as the current develops the trout in the pond begin to explore the flowing water. Nearly all the trout will leave before the pond is two thirds empty.

At Tonto Hatchery a certain number of rearing ponds are circular in construction with cement walls. A water pipe punctured at intervals extends the radius of these pools above the constant level. The water squirting from these holes causes the water within the pond to revolve in a circular motion before leaving through a screened drain in the center. Tiny trout less than three inches in length in these pools can be seen leaping against the jet of water, trying to get to the pool that they think is above the pipe. Employees at this hatchery found it necessary to stop up the opening in the pipe nearest the outside edge of the pool because the jumping trout invariably leaped the surrounding wall and fell on dry ground.

Circular cement rearing ponds at Tonto Hatchery are a part of the facilities for producing grown trout for streams along the Mogollon Rim.

Trout fry have to be handled from time to time. They are seined out of the rearing ponds and graded to size. This is done by working the fish through "sizers," boxes with slotted bottoms, which only allow trout with a certain girth to slip through. Trout have to be sized continually to separate the larger fish from the smaller ones. This is done because trout are of a cannibalistic nature and the large fish in any pond will live on the smaller ones. This feeding habit of trout accounts for the biggest loss hatchery men have to contend with.

Rearing ponds have to be cleaned. Also, growing trout in a pond have to be divided and placed in two ponds giving them more fin room and swimming space as they acquire length and weight.

Horton Creek, under the Mogollon Rim flows into Tonto, offering good fishing. It is stocked from Tonto Hatchery. (Photos by Niehuis.)

Trout moved from one pond to another become wild in their new home, even if the pool is of the exact dimensions and proportions of the one they left. They attempt to jump the walls and gates, trying to get back to their old home. In the words of a cowboy turned fishculturist. "They're just like cattle. You change their pasture and they get wild and jump the fence. Takes a hand a couple of days roundin' 'em up and puttin' 'em back 'fore they get used to the place."

After the fry becomes a fingerling, a fish of two or three inches, his diet is changed to include a certain amount of cereal. His food is cooked for him and ground to the right consistency for his needle teeth and digestive abilities.

The Division of Fisheries of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission has three hatcheries in operation at present. Pinetop Hatchery is located in the White Mountains. Tonto Hatchery is under the Mogollon Rim. Page Springs is located on Oak Creek, on the most heavily fished trout stream in Arizona. These places have different functions.

Eyed trout eggs are received by both Tonto and Pinetop Hatcheries. In addition to rearing its own trout, Pinetop, because of its location and capacity, provides trout fry for Page Springs. These rearing ponds on lower Oak Creek put more growth on trout in a shorter period of time than either of the other hatcheries because of its ideal water temperature. Tonto Hatchery, on the other hand, is able to hatch and rear all the trout spawn received there.

Under the expanded program of raising catchable fish and planting these trout in the spring of the year after the danger of heavy spring runoffs has passed, new and larger rearing ponds are being developed at each hatchery by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Last year 320,000 trout averaging eight inches in length were planted just before and throughout the fishing season. The total weight was estimated to have been over forty tons of fighting Rainbows, Brown and Brook Trout. This was the first time in the history of the state that such a large number of creel sized fish were planted. This did not include the million or more fry and fingerling that were put into the lakes and certain streams which contained sufficient food for the rearing of trout to catchable lengths by the opening of this year's trout season.

The Division of Fisheries has two 600 gallon portable tanks for the transportation of trout to accessible streams. It also has two 175 gallon portable tanks for use in stocking the head waters of remote mountain creeks. Each of these tanks is equipped with a circulating pump which aerates the water and keeps it cool on long hauls. Thousands of trout have been transported from the northern part of the state to extreme southern streams with only a loss of a handful of fish.

This equipment has enabled the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to stock certain southern streams and reservoirs with trout. Thus, good fishing of this type was provided in these sections.

Today the angler in Arizona can go to any stream and be assured of good fishing. Long before the season opens a stream survey will have been made by a representative of the Commission and certain recommendations made. Then, if it is suitable trout water a tank load of grown, catchable fish will be hauled to the stream from one of the hatcheries to provide good catches for the visiting sportsman.

Last year, because of the expanded policy of planting creel sized trout the sale of fishing licenses increased over twenty percent. More Arizona fishermen wet their lines than in any other previous year.

Increased capacity, and acquired knowledge in rearing trout will provide even better stream fishing in 1943. It is estimated that upwards of five hundred thousand trout of sizes ranging from seven to sixteen inches in length will be placed in Arizona's eight hundred miles of trout water.

The fast water angler in Arizona can find any type stream he wishes to fish. Many are accessible to car and bus transportation. Such is Oak Creek, the most heavily fished stream in the state. This stretch of water flowing down through a red sandstone and limestone canyon receives more grown trout from the state's hatcheries than any other body of water.

Bright Angel and Clear Creek in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, reached by trail from the South Rim, promises to give up some of the best trout this season.

Both of these streams are reached by trail from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These unusual trout streams located in the depths of the world's Seventh Wonder were stocked with trout furnished by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. The fry and fingerlings that went into these streams were transported in cans strapped on the back of pack mules. Thunder River on the North Rim is remoter (Continued on Page Forty-two)