Abstract
"In no part of the world is the water more limpid or pure, for whatever may be the depth of the river the bottom is seen as if there were nothing to intercept the view." These words were written by Father deSmet describing the upper Clark Fork River he observed on a trip through the upper basin in 1841. Obviously, the days of such purity are sadly gone for the Clark Fork. But by the same token, gone hopefully forever are the days when the Clark Fork was "Western Montana's sewer to the ocean." This was the headline of an article in the Daily Missoulian, July 10, 1960, in which the reporter described vividly the disgusting mess, which flowed through the area carrying a heavy load of toxic metals, trash of all descriptions, and sewage from nearly every town and industry in the valley. In those days fish kills were documented from the headwaters down the river as far as Superior, and clean-water aquatic insect life was at a nadir. Tremendous improvements in the fishery have occurred since 1960, but there is still a long way to go to restore the full potential of the sport fishery and the amenities it provides.
The sport fishery of the Clark Fork upstream from Milltown Dam consists predominantly of brown trout (Salmo trutta) with small numbers of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), cutthroat trout (Salmo alarki lewisi), bull trout (Salvelinus aonfluentus), and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Downstream from Milltown Dam rainbow trout dominate the species composition with smaller numbers of the other species. In our present-day management of these species we strive to provide fishermen a good opportunity to catch a trout 14 inches or larger and we work to improve the environment for self-sustaining wild trout populations.
Start Date
19-4-1985 12:00 AM
End Date
19-4-1985 12:00 AM
Document Type
Panel Session/Paper
Trout Populations in the Clark fork River, Warm Springs to superior, Montana
"In no part of the world is the water more limpid or pure, for whatever may be the depth of the river the bottom is seen as if there were nothing to intercept the view." These words were written by Father deSmet describing the upper Clark Fork River he observed on a trip through the upper basin in 1841. Obviously, the days of such purity are sadly gone for the Clark Fork. But by the same token, gone hopefully forever are the days when the Clark Fork was "Western Montana's sewer to the ocean." This was the headline of an article in the Daily Missoulian, July 10, 1960, in which the reporter described vividly the disgusting mess, which flowed through the area carrying a heavy load of toxic metals, trash of all descriptions, and sewage from nearly every town and industry in the valley. In those days fish kills were documented from the headwaters down the river as far as Superior, and clean-water aquatic insect life was at a nadir. Tremendous improvements in the fishery have occurred since 1960, but there is still a long way to go to restore the full potential of the sport fishery and the amenities it provides.
The sport fishery of the Clark Fork upstream from Milltown Dam consists predominantly of brown trout (Salmo trutta) with small numbers of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), cutthroat trout (Salmo alarki lewisi), bull trout (Salvelinus aonfluentus), and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Downstream from Milltown Dam rainbow trout dominate the species composition with smaller numbers of the other species. In our present-day management of these species we strive to provide fishermen a good opportunity to catch a trout 14 inches or larger and we work to improve the environment for self-sustaining wild trout populations.