Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation

Mountain Fork News

First successful trout reproduction documented in the lower Mountain Fork River (5/11/06) -
Information provided by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

For the first time ever documented in Oklahoma, fisheries biologists have documented natural reproduction of rainbow trout. The discovery was made in the lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery below Broken Bow Lake.

“Clearly, this new information sets the lower Mountain Fork River apart as one of the premier tail water fisheries in the nation,” said Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Anglers reported observing trout spawning activity in December and January. A few months later, scattered reports began coming in of very small rainbow trout being caught by anglers.

“All of the trout that we stock are much bigger than a few inches, so we did a small survey with a bag seine,” said Paul Balkenbush, southeast region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department.

In four different locations, biologists caught a total of 17 young rainbow trout.

“Due to the nature of the river – lots of boulders and swift current – there was a very limited number of places we could use our seine effectively. The fact that we were able to catch young trout in every location was very encouraging and leads us to believe that they are abundant and widespread. We are not certain of their age but they were born here,” Balkenbush said. “They may only be two or three-inches long right now, but we can say without a doubt that these are wild fish.”

The Wildlife Department first stocked the Lower Mountain Fork River with trout more than 17 years ago. Since that time the 12-mile designated trout stream has seen many habitat improvements. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, the U.S. Congress passed the Water Resources Development Act in 1996 to ensure that cool water from Broken Bow Lake is released throughout the year to sustain the trout fishery.

“These young trout are, in part, a reflection of all the hard work done through a number of cooperative habitat initiatives. We could have never completed these efforts without generous donations, both in financial support and sweat equity, from several dedicated trout clubs in Oklahoma and Texas,” Balkenbush said.

Rainbow trout have very specific habitat requirements in order to spawn successfully and biologists have completed several projects to make the river more suitable for trout.

For example, the Spillway Creek area of the river was once mostly a swift and straight area, not the most suitable for trout or trout anglers. Today, the area is one of the most dynamic areas of the river. Wildlife Department personnel and their cooperators used large boulders and logs to improve the river channel creating a series of riffles, runs and pools - all prime trout habitat. The habitat efforts also trapped clean gravel in shallow areas of the river providing the type of habitat needed by spawning rainbow trout.

“This natural reproduction is certainly exciting, however we don’t know if this is a one-time phenomenon or if reproduction will occur each year,” Balkenbush said. “Hopefully, these trout will survive and grow for a couple of years and provide anglers an opportunity to catch wild fish but at this point we don’t know if that will happen or not.”

Wildlife Department fisheries biologists will monitor possible future trout reproduction and track the survival of these young trout.

For the first time in Oklahoma, fisheries biologists have documented natural reproduction of rainbow trout. In four different locations in the Lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery, biologists caught a total of 17 young rainbow trout.

Lower Mountain Fork River sees most significant rainbow trout stocking in recent years (2/15/2007) - Information provided by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Recently the lower Mountain Fork River in southeast Oklahoma underwent the most significant rainbow trout stocking it's seen in years, with over 8,000 rainbow trout stocked at several locations.

"Oklahoma's trout fishing has received a lot of attention lately," said Mike Scott, fisheries technician with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation who directed the stocking. "But that's because we have good trout fishing opportunities, and with this recent stocking, the fishing is now even better."

The noteworthy load of fish was raised at the Norfolk National Fish Hatchery near Mountain Home, Ark., and was provided to Oklahoma by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The fish released are already ideal for catching.

"There were literally thousands of fish stocked, and most of them were around 11 inches in length," said Scott. "Considering this sizeable stocking and all the recent stream projects on the lower Mountain Fork River, this is a special time for trout anglers in our state."

Department fisheries technicians from the Durant and Holdenville state fish hatcheries transported the rainbows from the hatchery in Arkansas to stocking sites along the lower Mountain Fork River.

Stocking sites included the Lost Creek and Evening Hole areas, Beavers Bend State Park area and below the Re-regulation and Old Park dams.

Additional Trout for Zone II (by Jesse King)

Recognizing the reduction in trout populations in Zone II due to continuous generating in the spring and early summer of 2007, the LMFRF responded by initiating and financing the purchase of 1500 lbs. of additional trout.  These trout were stocked in the fall of 2007 improving fishing opportunities for fall and winter anglers.  The LMFRF voted to finance $1,000 for these trout and that money was then matched 3:1 by Sport Fish Restoration funds.