2015 News about the declining fish status at Fishery
3/12/2015_John Hamill Good Afternoon. Yesterday, John Jordan and I had a phone conversation with Terry Gunn (Owner, Lees Ferry Anglers) to discuss the status of the Lees Ferry trout fishery. Unfortunately, Terry reported that except for 6-8 locations very few or no rainbow trout have been observed in many sections of the river. In addition, fishing is slow in most sections of the river including the walk-in area. Terry also reported that only minor spawning has been observed. If these conditions persist we are concerned it will have a significant impact on recreational fishing and the guiding/lodging businesses that depend on a quality fishery.
We recommend the following immediate actions: (1) monitoring should be conducted early this spring by AGFD and/or GCMRC to assess whether Terry’s reports are accurate and if there has been any change in the aquatic food base, and (2) if the fish population has declined significantly, the Lees Ferry reach should be stocked with catchable triploid trout or with wild trout translocated from Marble Canyon to Lees Ferry.
We would also like to renew our request for GCMRC in coordination with the AGFD convene a workshop of tailwater fishery experts in the next several months to determine root cause of the fishery’s rapid deterioration and develop/review specific management and research actions for enhancing the quality and reliability of Lee ferry trout fishery.
We appreciate your consideration of these recommendations. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
John Jordan, AMWG Rep, Recreational Fishing Jerry Myers, TWG Rep, Recreational Fishing John Hamill, TWG Alternate, Recreational Fishing
