Anglers Catch Money!

Sixteen lucky anglers who made the extra effort to send in tags from rainbow trout they caught will receive $50.00 each for their catch. The Department of Fish and Game has stocked these marked fish, from various hatcheries around the state, into sixteen different lakes and reservoirs for the past two years. Anglers who returned the special tags to the Department were entered into a drawing, one for every body of water where they were planted, and the winners were notified last month. Fish and Game stocks nearly 3 million "catchable" rainbow trout (8 - 12 inch fish) into waters across the state each year. These fish come from eleven Department hatcheries. Each hatchery is unique with varying water quality, rearing practices and fish disease potential. In order to evaluate our hatchery system, the return to the creel on these fish can tell us how effective certain hatchery programs actually are. When biologists receive these tag returns, it gives them an idea as to the catch rates for trout from the different hatcheries. Fish researcher Doug Megargle, Jerome, said, "Naturally, we want the sportsmen's license dollar to go as far as possible to raise hatchery fish cheaply but efficiently. This is one way Idaho angler's can actively participate in research and give us a cost-effective way to measure these hatchery programs." The longer a fish survives, the greater the chance of it being eventually caught. If more fish are caught and put on the stringer, there's a better return for the fishermen of Idaho. "If we see a big difference in the numbers of fish caught from our different hatcheries, we will take a closer look and hopefully find out why some fish do better than others," continued Megargle. Last year, 1,680 people turned in tags to Fish and Game. No more marked fish will be planted this year; however, there are enough of them still out there to hold another drawing for the $50 prizes next December. In addition, there are many tags marked with a $10 reward; these will be honored as long as they are turned into Fish and Game. The winners of the $50 check from each reservoir or lake are as follows: Blair Trail Reservoir Gloria Parker, Glenns Ferry Cove Arm Reservoir Paul Byers, Boise Deep Creek Reservoir Ray Yoder, Garland, UT Dierkes Lake Marty Allen, Twin Falls Dog Creek Reservoir Gary Burlington, Jerome Hawkins Reservoir Kevin Leishman, Ogden, UT Horsethief Reservoir Doyle Pulsipher, McCall Lava Lake Brian Hamel, Bellevue Little Camas Reservoir Joseph Cook, Meridian Magic Reservoir Clayton Winter, Twin Falls Mann Creek Reservoir Kevin Day, Boise Mountain Home Reservoir Charlene Aycock, Mountain Home Park Center Pond Raymond Betts, Boise Roseworth Reservoir Lora Butler, Twin Falls Sublette Reservoir Naomi Ames, Kimberly Featherville Dredge Pond Benjamin Twomey, Boise Fish research personnel would like to extend a "Thank you" to all the fishermen and fisherwomen who took the time to participate in this program and assist the Department in its efforts to make fishing better.