Box Elder Creek Sampling Finished

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and community volunteers recently sampled Box Elder Creek Reservoir (Bolster Dam) on the outskirts of Plentywood as part of their continued commitment to the fisheries in the Plentywood area. The sampling identified many interesting findings, and a few concerns as well.

Region 6 fisheries biologists Tyler Haddix and Dave Fuller met with Plentywood community volunteers on the evening of April 14. Together, they set gill and trap nets, and also used electrofishing techniques to sample fish.

The electrofishing effort was hampered by murky water from spring runoff, which reduced visibility and likely led to fewer fish being netted. However, the effort did provide good information on the numbers of common carp spawning in the upper portions of the reservoir near the inlet of Box Elder Creek. The crew observed around 18 large adult carp that were preparing to spawn.

"The numbers of adult carp that were observed were not alarming, which leads us to believe that they are not the culprit that has created poor recreational fishing opportunities over the past couple of years," Haddix said.

On the morning of April 15, the crew pulled the gill and trap nets in some very blustery conditions. There were slightly mixed results from the netting effort. Last year, FWP had stocked walleye, northern pike, and rainbow trout in Box Elder Creek Reservoir.

"Four gill nets and four trap nets did not capture any walleye or rainbow trout," Haddix said, "And there were only a handful of northern pike that were likely part of last year's stocking efforts."

However, the number of yellow perch that were captured in the gill and trap nets was a surprise. While the numbers of perch were still low, they were the highest that FWP has observed in the last several years of sampling.

"With the lower predator (walleye and northern pike) numbers currently in the reservoir, it is possible that the perch will be even more successful in their spawning efforts this year," Haddix said.

In addition to traditional game fish, thousands of black bullheads were captured in the gill and trap nets. While the majority of these fish were small, there were ample large-to-trophy sized black bullheads.

"Community members looking to take kids fishing this summer may want to spend a little time fishing the bottom with a worm to see if their young anglers can catch a mess of these tasty little catfish," said Haddix.

As a result of the spring 2015 sampling effort, FWP will again stock rainbow trout and walleye into the reservoir in 2015. Stocked rainbow trout numbers will increase from last year's 5,100 to nearly 10,000, depending on availability. FWP will also continue to stock walleye in 2015, but will make a decision on either increasing the number of walleye stocked, or the length at which they are stocked.

In addition to stocking more fish, FWP will be monitoring water quality parameters and zooplankton densities within Box Elder Creek Reservoir during 2015 to get a better sense of what may be negatively affecting game fish numbers.

2015 FISHING SEASON OPENS MAY 16

Montana's 2015 general fishing season opens Saturday, May 16.

Montana's general fishing season opens on the third Saturday of May, while fishing on the state's lakes and reservoirs is generally open year round. Montana's general fishing season closes Nov. 30.

To prepare for the 2015 fishing season, pick up the state fishing regulations at FWP offices, license providers, or FWP's 2015 Fishing Regulations webpage at fwp.mt.gov.

FUTURE FISHERIES PROGRAM GRANT DEADLINE – JUNE 1

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds landowners, watershed groups, and others that this summer's deadline to apply for Future Fisheries Improvement Program grants is June 1.

FWP's fish habitat improvement program provides funding to any entity with a good habitat project that would benefit Montana's wild fish. 

To learn more about the Future Fisheries Improvement Program, and to download the grant application form, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov, then click Future Fisheries Program; or call FWP at 406-444-2432.

Completed Future Fisheries Improvement Program applications must be received by June 1 and should be sent electronically to [email protected]. Paper applications can be sent to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Fisheries Habitat Bureau; P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.