Another day, another fishing hole in peril. Emergency salvage at Greeley's Poudre Ponds

GREELEY, Colo. - Due to impending repair work resulting in the draining of Poudre Ponds and subsequent potential for loss of fish, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is announcing an emergency public fish salvage effective immediately (Wednesday, Aug. 26). The ponds are stocked with catchable trout and has a mix of warm water species. Located near the intersection of W. O Street and N. 35th Avenue northwest of Greeley, the city will be draining the pond to complete emergency repairs to its intake pump. Current size, bag and possession limits for all species are suspended for Poudre Ponds only until this emergency public fish salvage is terminated. CPW has authorized the public salvage in order to optimize the use of the fishery resource as outlined: - The emergency fish salvage is permitted at Poudre Ponds only and only during daylight hours (sunrise to ½ hour after sunset). - All anglers must have a valid Colorado fishing license in accordance with state statutes. - No commercial angling is allowed. - Current size, bag and possession limits for all species are suspended for Poudre Ponds only until this emergency public fish salvage is terminated. - All legal fishing methods are allowed except for the use of dip nets, seines and snagging. - Notification of the emergency public fish salvage opening and closure will be made through press releases. - Access is controlled by the City of Greeley and the City will notify Colorado Parks and Wildlife if the ponds become too shallow to safely allow public access to continue. - The end date of the emergency public fish salvage will be announced by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in conjunction with the City of Greeley. “Once we get water back in the pond we are going to work to rebuild the fishery immediately,” said District Wildlife Manager Brandon Muller. “It is a very popular place; residents enjoy fishing at and we will work to get them a new and improved fishery once repair work is complete.”

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Harry Case has died

 

Former Loveland Fishing Club member Harry Case of Loveland passed away recently following surgery, Ron Schraft has learned. No further information was immediately available. He was a good club member during his time with us, and a darned good cat fisherman.

Boating hours being reduced at Horsetooth, Carter

 Here's the updated schedule for boat ramp hours at the two Larimer County reservoirs; water levels are dropping. The Pinewood boat ramp remains closed, so you can't launch a trailered boat there. 

Boating Access Hours

Every vessel entering Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake must be inspected for ANS. That requires specific hours of operation for boating. No boat launching is permitted outside of these hours; however, boats already on the reservoirs may continue operation.

Horsetooth Reservoir Boat Ramp Hours

Beginning August 17, 2020
South Bay ramp	August 17-October 15: 6 a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days a week  Beginning October 16: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., 7 days a week Closed Thanksgiving Day
Inlet Bay ramp	August 17-September 14: 6 a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days a week September 15: Closed for season
Satanka ramp	August 17-September 8: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., 7 days a week September 9: Closed for season

Carter Lake Boat Ramp Hours

Beginning August 17, 2020
North Pines ramp	6 a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days a week Closed Thanksgiving Day
North ramp	August 17-September 8: Thursday-Sunday only, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. (Monday-Wednesday closed)  Beginning September 9: Open Friday-Sunday only, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
South Shore ramp	August 17-September 8: 6 a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days a week  Beginning September 9: 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., 7 days a week Closed Thanksgiving Day

Large, healthy trout at Meeboer Lake

Trout are once again thriving and growing big in Meeboer Lake.

LARAMIE - Laramie Region fisheries biologists seem to have found the perfect recipe for big trout at Meeboer Lake.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regional-Offices/Laramie-Region/Laramie-Region-News/Large,-healthy-trout-at-Meeboer-Lake
 
An electrical aerator system installed in 2013 to address winterkill allowed many more fish to survive, but they were smaller than average and had poor body condition. However, recent reductions in the number of fish stocked each year have trout  once again thriving and growing big in Meeboer Lake.
 
Traditionally, 25,000 six-to-seven-inch rainbow trout were stocked in Meeboer each spring, and by September they grow into 16-inch fish. But Meeboer has long suffered winterkills, which reduce the trout population. Meeboer is a natural, shallow depression with an average depth of only 6 feet. This makes the aquatic community susceptible to winterkill. Winterkill occurs when fish suffocate from lack of dissolved oxygen, caused when sunlight cannot reach the aquatic plants growing in the water. When oxygen depletion becomes severe enough, fish die. 
 
“Following the installation of the aeration system, we had a good response from stocked rainbow trout and had two good years with growth,” said Laramie Region Fisheries Biologist Steve Gale. But by 2016, biologists began to see a decrease in trout body condition. “The aeration system was doing its job and helping more fish survive the winter, but then we ended up with too many fish surviving annually,” Gale said. Biologists sample Meeboer Lake each year using gill nets. From 2014-2017 the catch rate was .1 trout per hour. By 2018, it was 3.5 trout per hour, indicating a significant increase in the abundance of trout in the lake.
 
In response, no fish were stocked in 2018, and in 2019 the number of fish stocked was cut from 25,000 to 15,000 to continue to reduce the population and reduce pressure on the aquatic insects that trout feed on. At the same time, biologists diversified the types of fish stocked. “Of the 15,000 trout stocked each year, 5,000 are now Snake River cutthroat trout, with rainbow trout making up the remaining 10,000 fish,” Gale said. “This gives anglers a new species to catch at Meeboer.”
 
From 2018 to 2019 there was no indication this new approach was working. “But this year we finally saw positive results. In 2019, only 20% of the rainbows were bigger than 16 inches. Now, 80% are at that size or bigger,” Gale said. The cutthroat trout are also healthy, with the majority larger than 13 inches. The sampling catch rate was lower for 2020, but body condition increased significantly. “In 2018, the average trout scored an 80 on the body condition scale, and this year their average score was 97, which indicates they went from skinny fish in 2018 to plump fish in 2020,” Gale said.
 
Fisheries biologists will continue to run the aeration system and monitor the lake annually. “But the bottom line is that large trout have once again established a healthy population at Meeboer Lake,” Gale said.
 

- WGFD -