Koocanusa fishing improves for kamloops, bull trout

If fish could talk, it would be the kamloops rainbow that says "Eh."

The Kootenai River is the only river in the United States that enters and exits through Canada, and within that stretch of river, impounded behind Libby Dam, swims a strain of international trout called kamloops.

Lake Koocanusa reservoir is once again starting to provide excellent fishing opportunities for not just kamloops trout, but also bull trout and kokanee salmon.

The Kootenai River enters Montana and exits back into Canada from Idaho. Several years ago, biologists began transplanting "jacks," young spawning kamloops, from the Lardo River in Canada to the Murray Springs fish hatchery in Eureka.

Kamloops are actually the Gerard strain of rainbow, but somehow the Canadian name kamloops stuck when they began being transplanted to the United States. Once they crossed the border, the kamloops were then used for planting in Northwest Montana lakes, including Koocanusa (the name combines Kootenai River with Canada and USA), where the fish are again thriving and where they'll be the target for a fishing derby this weekend.

Something in the genetic makeup of kamloops allows them to grow larger than typical rainbow trout and this makes them a sought-after species for anglers. In recent years, though, kamloops became harder to catch on Lake Koocanusa because of fluctuating water levels. That's changing as anglers gain more experience.

"Two years ago, they were catching them on different things than they are now," said Randy Burch, owner of Lake Koocanusa Resort. "People are now just learning how to fish it."

In the time since kamloops were brought to Murray Springs their genetic makeup has changed.

The latest genetic surveys at Murray Springs show that the kamloops have since bred with the coastal strain of rainbow trout in Montana and are no longer the pure Canadian version, according to Brian Marotz, fisheries conservation manager for Region One of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

"People are still trying to figure out what happened there," Marotz said.

Biologists are keeping a close eye on what's happening with the kamloops in Lake Koocanusa. "That's got promise to be a great fishery, if we can keep them in the right range of numbers," Marotz said. "They could be a bane if there's too many. There's a fine line that's going to require trial and error."

He has urged people to move a "little slow" on developing the kamloops fishery because the fish could over-prey on the kokanee salmon "and we don't want that to collapse," Marotz said.

There are large numbers of seven- and eight-inch kokanee in Lake Koocanusa, and one way to keep their populations down - and their sizes up - is through predation by kamloops or bull trout or by having the kokanee pass through the dam. Allowing the fish to pass through the dam at certain times of year might be one way to keep the kokanee numbers down.

Kokanee are sight feeders and they avoid turbid water. In the spring, when turbid water flushes into the reservoir from the Kootenai River and surrounding streams, that pushes the kokanee closer toward the dam and they "start going through the dam like gangbusters," Marotz said. The other option to control kokanee salmon population on Lake Koocanusa is through angling pressure. With a limit of 35 fish per day and 70 in possession, the lake has the highest limit of kokanee in the region.

ONE PURE form of trout remains in Lake Koocanusa: the bull trout.

This species, which is on the threatened species list, is rebounding in Northwest Montana.

Anglers may now fish for the species in several streams and lakes in Northwest Montana. This year more than 2,000 people have registered to fish for - and catch - bull trout, and many of those people are heading to Lake Koocanusa, where an impressive number of large fish have been caught this winter.

Between June 1 and Feb. 28, anglers are allowed to fish for bull trout. Anglers must register at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for a bull trout "catch card" which entitles them to keep two bull trout per year.

Burch at Lake Koocanusa Resort saw an increase in winter anglers this year going after bull trout. January and February are the best two months to fish for bull trout because they are in shallower water and are more aggressive.

Burch said he was seeing an average size of eight to 12 pounds for the bull trout this winter.

Another pure strain of trout that's being raised at Murray Springs is the red-band trout. Montana's red-band trout is the only native rainbow trout in the state and is found only in a few waterways in the Kootenai River system. In addition to Murray Springs, these trout are being raised at ponds and streams near the Libby office of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

An old hatchery that had been decommissioned was rebuilt into a spring and ponds. Biologists use that as a natural habitat to grow wild red band and get them large enough so their spawn can be used in natural habitat, Marotz said.