ODFW plans Crooked River trout survey
Biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will sample redband trout and mountain whitefish populations in the Crooked River below Bowman Dam from Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19.
Biologists will be electrofishing the river between the Big Bend and Cobble Rock campgrounds. During the sampling, fish will be stunned and netted so biologists can record the size, condition and abundance of both redband trout and mountain whitefish. The fish then will be released unharmed.
According to Tim Porter, ODFW fish biologist in Prineville, fishing is likely to be adversely affected in the portion of the river being sampled but the remainder of the river will be unaffected.
“We also suggest anglers avoid this stretch of the river during sampling due to safety concerns,” Porter said.
ODFW began sampling the Crooked River in 1989 in order to track the long-term health of the redband trout population.
The population assessment estimates the number of redband trout and mountain whitefish 8-inches long or longer per river mile.
In 2014, the number of redband trout per mile was 6,321 while the number of mountain whitefish per mile was 7,777. The average length of all trout collected last year was just over 11-inches. In 2015, many anglers have reported catching some trout that are 16 to 18-inches long, Porter said.
