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<br />Fishery Resources <br /> <br />The North Platte River in Wyoming is primarily a cold-water stream, <br />providing many areas of good to excellent fishing for rainbow and brown <br />trout. A number of the mainstem reservoirs are also noted for good <br />fishing, including both cold-water species, such as trout, and warm- <br />water species, such as walleye and yellow perch. <br /> <br />The North Platte in Nebraska is classified as a Class 1 stream from <br />Lake McConaughy upstream to the State line. This reach of the river <br />serves as a corridor for rainbow trout migration from Lake McConaughy <br />to important spawning tributaries in the Bridgeport to Henry reach of <br />the river. These migrating rainbows average in the 3 to 4 pound class. <br />Most of the reach below Lake McConaughy is classified as a Class 2 <br />stream. Warm-water gamefish, such as channel catfish, largemouth <br />and smallmouth bass. sunfish, crappie, northern pike, and walleye, <br />can be found throughout the North Platte in Nebraska. Lake Minatare <br />is considered a walleye fishery of local and regional significance. <br />Lake McConaughy is a fishery of statewide importance in Nebraska <br />(NGPC, 1972). It provides both cold and warm-water habitat and <br />excellent sport fishing for a variety of species, including McConaughy <br />rainbow trout, white bass, striped bass, walleye, yellow perch, crappie, <br />smallmouth bass, and channel catfish. <br /> <br />Threatened and Endangered Speci es. --No federally 1 i sted threatened <br />or endangered fish species occur in the area of the North Platte River <br />under study. The State of Nebraska recognizes several species as <br />threatened; the State of Wyoming 1 ists six species as rare. These <br />species are shown in table 4. <br /> <br />South Platte River <br /> <br />Habitat Types <br /> <br />Most of the habitat types along the South Platte River are comparable to <br />those previ ously descri bed for the North Pl atte. Types wh ich di ffered <br />significantly from the North Platte cOOlmunities are ponderosa pine, <br />Douglas fir, and sand sage. <br /> <br />Wildlife Resources <br /> <br />Major Game and Recreation Species.--The description of game and <br />recreation species found along the North Pl atte River is appl icable <br />to the wildlife resources associated with the South Platte. The <br />Waterton Canyon bighorn sheep herd has subsequent 1 y been dec imated by <br />disease, and. now numbers only about 20 individuals (Schoonveld, 1981). <br /> <br />Concentration Areas.--As on the North Platte River, a number of areas <br />are found. along the South Pl atte which serve as concentration areas for <br />cer~ain wildlife species. In the r.eachfrom Greeley downstream, the <br />South Pl atte River and adja~ent offstream reservoirs and warm-water <br />sloughs serve as a major wint~ri~g area for waterfowl, supporting about <br /> <br />16 <br />