September 19, 2019:
Welcome Back to the NTC
TheVoice of the Driftless.
By Jeffrey S. Broberb
The Catch and Keep Trout Season ended on the 15th. A sure sign that fall is on the way. Warm temperatures and high humidity seem to be extending the summer. The streams have mostly cleared after the heavy rains from a week ago but new storms developing this morning threaten to muddy the streams along the I-90 corridor and along the Iowa Border. Check out the 24-hour precipitation maps before you head out to your favorite streams. https://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=arx&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no
An online discussion this week posted interesting data on Pickwick Creek Stream Surveys. The question of whether trout populations improved after a 2009-2010 Habitat Improvement was raised by local anglers who claimed that after the project was completed, they only caught small trout. The data proves otherwise.
Table 1. Trends in Brown Trout population metrics, station 5.0 and 6.3, for Pickwick Creek, 2005-2016. Blue test is pre-HI data.
| Station | River Mile | Similar Reach | Date | No./mile (Total) | No./mile (Adult) | No./mile
(Recruits) |
No./mile (≥12 in.) | No./mile (≥14 in.) | No./mile (≥15 in.) | No./mile (≥16 in.) | Lbs./acre (all sizes) |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/20/2016 | 3,321 | 1,225 | 2,097 | 151 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 492.73 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 5/28/2015 | 2,006 | 1,122 | 884 | 151 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 452.14 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 5/20/2014 | 1,820 | 1,780 | 40 | 51 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 340.98 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 5/7/2013 | 2,700 | 1,198 | 1,502 | 57 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 384.22 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 3/29/2012 | 4,086 | 1,616 | 2,470 | 126 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 627.17 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/12/2011 | 1,568 | 1,160 | 408 | 64 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 329.60 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/12/2010 | 2,833 | 592 | 2,241 | 94 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 398.31 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/15/2009 | 1,004 | 265 | 739 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.67 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/16/2008 | 366 | 338 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.43 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/17/2007 | 1,314 | 712 | 602 | 46 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 84.9 |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/11/2006 | 600 | 303* | 297* | 46* | 0* | 0* | 0* | 83.68* |
| 5.00 | 5.00 | 2 | 4/18/2005 | 294 | 235* | 59* | 56* | 0* | 0* | 0* | 52.21* |
| Mean | 1,826 | 1,001 | 1,001 | 81 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 333.6 | |||
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/25/2016 | 1,842 | 749 | 1,093 | 124 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 247.57 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 5/28/2015 | 774 | 582 | 192 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 177.63 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 5/28/2014 | 1,256 | 1,168 | 89 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 217.90 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 5/7/2013 | 1,597 | 396 | 1,201 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 120.21 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 3/29/2012 | 1,449 | 1,118 | 331 | 111 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 334.84 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/12/2011 | 1,263 | 1,134 | 129 | 64 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 218.73 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/12/2010 | 2,142 | 659 | 1,483 | 200 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 248.25 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/15/2009 | 1,006 | 314 | 692 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 126.81 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/16/2008 | 1,474 | 1,385 | 89 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 247.18 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/17/2007 | 1,119 | 341 | 778 | 50 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 83.6 |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/11/2006 | 203 | 99* | 104* | 11* | 0* | 0* | 0* | 40.41* |
| 6.30 | 6.30 | 2 | 4/18/2005 | 343 | 252* | 91* | 0* | 0* | 0* | 0* | 63.54* |
| Mean | 1,206 | 785 | 608 | 73 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 202.3 |
The take home story is that well-done habitat improvement really works.There are still fluctuations in fish populations, and it is rare to have many large fish over 16”.Creating stream depth, overhead cover and gravel riffles boosts the trout population, enhances reproduction and numbers of trout over 12”, all to the benefit of Minnesota trout anglers.
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