Lander– The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will be conducting trout population estimates along the Popo Agie River beginning at the WYPO bridge and continuing for a few miles downstream.
This section of the Popo Agie River is part of the Wind River Reservation border and is co-managed by the Game and Fish and Shoshone and Arapaho tribes. The USFWS provides technical assistance to the tribes in the management of the fish in the River.
The purpose of this estimate is to monitor the trout fishery in a section of the river that is popular with anglers. The last estimate was conducted in 2008. Trout species, number per mile, and size will all be recorded. A raft will be used to float the river while biologists electrofish to gather the trout. The same stretch of river will be floated and electrofished on three separate days to complete a 3-pass estimate. All sampled fish will receive a small fin clip unique to the day it is sampled. Biologists can then estimate the total number of fish in the reach by looking at the ratio of recaptured fish versus fish that were only captured once.
Sampling days are tentatively planned for Oct. 19-20 and 22, but sampling days may be changed because of weather or river conditions (i.e., flow and turbidity). The electrofishing may temporarily affect a trout’s desire to strike an angler’s fly or lure; however, angling should be back to normal a couple of hours after the electrofishing raft has passed through.
For more information, contact Paul Gerrity at 307-332-2688.