A Little Something About Fish

I went fishing in southeast Minnesota, near Rochester with my dad yesterday. We had not been in that area for about five years. It's an area that has enormous potential for trout fishing, but due to some poor farming practices and development is still suffering from habitat degradation.

The biggest issue that Trout Run has is cows are allowed to trample the banks, destablizing the soil and causing erosion which ends up in the deeper, slower holes, eliminating habitat, and also reducing the gradient. When the stream slows down the riffles, rapids which provide spawing areas for fish are also burried by the silt. Riffles also oxygenate the water, keep it cool, and provide rocky homes for a variety of aquatic insects.


The stream was absolutely clear. I could see the fish in the slower areas gliding over the bottom catching whatever insects were swept away in the current. All fish are non-native brown trout. We caught several nice fish, averaging 12 inches. Which is better than it was years ago. The stream now has a slot limit protecting fish: all fish between 12 and 16 inched must be returned to the stream. Five fish limit with only one being larger than 16 inches. The idea for the slot is to protect the spawining population. Wild trout are better for many reasons. The first being that they are shy and will flee from predators and they are harder to catch. The second is that they are self-sustaining, and stocking is not needed--which is expensive.

Trout Run is being repaired, slowly. Habitat improvements such as artificial hiding "cribs" or undercut banks are being added to stablize the banks and provide places for fish to live. Hewlit ramps which are artificial rapids oxegenate the water and stir up the silt washing it out of critical areas of stream. It is working.

So why should anyone care? Because healthy streams mean healthy, self-sustaining fish populations. Also, if banks are stabilized valuable top soil stay on the farm fields which lead to higher yields for farmers, more money. Also, banks are stabilized artificially and then native prairie grasses are added which provide habitat for gamebirds and other wildlife. It's about ecological balance. Grasses also filter out any fertilizers and pesticides, or keep it on the fields where it belongs. It's also about economic balance. Good trout fishing is big business. Those who trout fish spend money on gear, beer, B&B's, food, guides--all of which is good for rural communities. This is not about being a whacked out tree hugger its about good envronmental stewardship and business practices.

(Pleas note my pirated images of an improved stretch of Trout Run and a nice brown trout)