My dilemma

[Skunked]

Today I was fishing a river where there is no stocking of hatchery trout but there are occasional strays. Towards the end of the day I hooked four hatchery fish in a row, the first one I let go because I think hatchery trout usually taste awful unless they are from deep lakes, but the next three I kept to help remove them from the gene pool (and yep, tasted awful)

I'm wondering what I should do in the future with the same situation, would it really be so bad to let those fish go since I really don't enjoy eating them? And how bad are hatchery trout for the genetics of wild trout? Is it similar to the negative effects on steelhead?

[AndyK]

First, how do you know the trout were not smolt strays?

Almost 50 years ago, when I started fishing the Deschutes & Metolius Rivers, they were planted with hatchery fish. Now they are "managed" for native trout and the original traces of hatchery trout are gone. Maybe they crossbred with the native fish, but I don't know if anyone has any proof of that happening.

I release all trout and steelhead, no matter their origins. There are so many strays (that are necessary for genetic diversity) that I don't think it matters. If steelhead and salmon didn’t stray, we wouldn’t have any in Oregon, Washington, Alaska or Canada today. That’s because 20,000 years ago, during the height of the great ice age, there were no rivers from about the middle of the Oregon coast and north.

As far as releasing hatchery steelhead, they were hardy enough to survive the down river run as smolt, a year (or more) in the salt and a return run back up river. I have no prejudice against them.

[12244]

Trout arent released on any river that I know of, only lakes. Trout season isnt open yet. Clipped Steelhead smolt will hit anything when new to the open waters. Its a common mistake. Do you have any pics? I could be mistaken.

[Slow and Low]

I have been catching a lot of smolt lately as well. The difference is the ones I am catchng have all their fins. We'll see them in a couple years.

Release the smolts, clipped or not.

[Wild Chrome]

Originally Posted by AndyK

Almost 50 years ago, when I started fishing the Deschutes & Metolius Rivers, they were planted with hatchery fish. Now they are "managed" for native trout and the original traces of hatchery trout are gone. Maybe they crossbred with the native fish, but I don't know if anyone has any proof of that happening.

I believe ODFW published a study on the Metolius in the 90's that proved that interbreeding between hatchery and wild fish had reduced offspring's disease resistance 25% compared to isolated native trout. I believe this was a big reason why they stopped stocking the Metolius and I remember reading several years after the stocking had been d/c'ed that spawning redd counts were up 400%. I don't have the info, but might be worth a quick search.

[Skunked]

Originally Posted by KevinsDriftboat

Trout arent released on any river that I know of, only lakes. Trout season isnt open yet. Clipped Steelhead smolt will hit anything when new to the open waters. Its a common mistake. Do you have any pics? I could be mistaken.

I was fishing the year round catch and release stretch (with the exception of hatchery fish) on the MFW. Some of it's tributaries are stocked but the maintstem MFW is not in this stretch. And no they were definitely not smolt, I don't think there are 14" smolt out there (and I'm pretty sure fish can't migrate through this stretch anyway).

[Slow and Low]

if you were fishing the Middle Fork Willamette you are correct. No passage through Dexter or Lookout. But, lookout is stocked, is it not. Kill them.

[12244]

Yes, those are escapees from above, they must be eaten, by someone.

[santiamflyguy]

Lookout is not stocked. Fish with clips in Lookout (or the section above) are strays down from Salt Creek, Salmon Creek, or intrepid souls that have made it through Hills Creek Dam.

[Skunked]

Originally Posted by santiamflyguy

Lookout is not stocked. Fish with clips in Lookout (or the section above) are strays down from Salt Creek, Salmon Creek, or intrepid souls that have made it through Hills Creek Dam.

By the way while were on the topic of the MFW, I heard somewhere that the odfw traps spring chinook at dexter and then trucks the wild fish above hills creek to spawn. Anyone know if this is true?

[BlakeH32]

I'd just leave them. practice safe C&R