Creel survey underway across county

SANDERS COUNTY – An Angler Creel Survey is underway in the western edge of Sanders County on the Clark Fork River.

Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and Avista Utilities will be conducting a creel survey this year on the Noxon and Cabinet Gorge reservoirs.

FWP Fisheries Biologist, Jason Blakney noted both reservoirs were selected for the study due to their popularity with anglers.

The survey will also encompass areas on the Bull River and portions of the lower Clark Fork River drainage.

According Blakney, the last time a creel survey was conducted in this portion of the county was in 1994.

Blakney stated the main goal of the survey was to determine what species anglers are looking to catch when they head out for a day of fishing.

“We are just trying to look at what species anglers are targeting,” Blakney said.

Fishing pressure has increased on both reservoirs targeted by the survey over the course of the past 21 years as anglers from across the region have flocked to areas in northwestern Montana to experience the fishing the region offers.

A press release from FWP states the objectives for the survey are to understand and evaluate angling use, catch rates, harvest and angler preferences.

FWP notes angler involvement in this year’s creel survey is voluntary, however, anglers are encouraged to participate as this will allow fisheries biologists to better understand angler’s preferences improving the management of popular fisheries in the future.

“The creel survey gives anglers a chance to tell us what they are fishing for and what they are catching,” Blakney said.

Blakney noted one species the survey is designed to collect information on is the westslope cutthroat trout.

According to FWP, in 2015, 50 adult westslope cutthroat trout will be passed over Cabinet Gorge Dam for the first time in more than 60 years. The species spawns in small streams, including tributaries of the lower Clark Fork River, where juveniles spend several years before migrating downstream to spend their adult lives foraging in larger bodies of water.

The survey itself should only take about five minutes and will run from the beginning of April through the end of November.