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<br />CDOW fishery management objectives include maintaining and enhancing the wild <br />brown and rainbow trout populations from Eleven Mile Reservoir Dam downstream to <br />Cheesman Reservoir, and supplemental catchable....size rainbow trout stocking in lower <br />Eleven Mile Canyon and Happy Meadows campground reaches. Management <br />regulations include artificial fly and lure only-2 trout 16 inches or longer bag and <br />possession limit from Eleven Mile Canyon Dam downstream to Springer Gulch bridge in <br />Eleven Mile Canyon, and standard daily bag and possession limits from Springer Gulch <br />bridge downstream to Cheesman Reservoir~ The Wildcat Canyon segment-from Beaver <br />Creek downstream to Cheesman Reservoir-is a Wild Trout water, meaning no <br />supplemental stocking occurs in this reach. <br /> <br />4. Cheesman Reservoir to Confluence with North Fork <br /> <br />At present, the highest trout biomass levels in the South Platte River occur in Cheesman <br />Canyon~ The fish populations benefit from the cooler summer and wanner winter bottom <br />releases from Cheesman Reservoir immediately upstream~ This "tailwaterU allows for <br />more stable, beneficial conditions that can occur downstream in the tailwaters of a <br />reservoir, such as Cheesman Reservoir. The streamflow regime can, at times, be <br />modified to reduce peak high streamflows and augment low streamflows to provide a <br />more stable streamflow regime. In addition, tailwaters have substantially less sediment <br />and turbidity along with elevated levels of nutrients~ These conditions favor the overall <br />productivity of the tailwater section of the river and lead to higher trout production. <br />Trout biomass increased in Cheesman Canyon in the late 19708 when special fishing <br />regulations were implemented in this section of the river. Another important factor was <br />the presence of high-quality habitat for fish in this section. Lastly, the warmer water <br />released from the bottom of Cheesman Reservoir in the wintertime allows for improved <br />fish growth, keeps the river ice-free, and allows the food source to grow during the <br />winter. (See Chadwick 1997 for further information on tailwater trout habitat,) <br /> <br />In 1976 a catch and release regulation was established by the CDOW for the Cheesman <br />Canyon section of the South Platte River~ Both rainbow and brown trout biomass <br />increased dramatically during the late 19708 so that by 1979 trout biomass in Cheesman <br />Canyon was the highest in the state~ Cheesman Canyon is a Gold Medal fishery. <br /> <br />5. North Fork <br /> <br />The North Fork fishery is comprised primarily of brown trout~ with rainbow trout <br />constituting a small portion of the biomass. Longnose and white suckers are also found <br />in the system from Grant to the confluence with the mainstem. Special fishing <br />regulations are not in place on the North Fork because the fishery is not productive <br />enough to warrant special regulations. Biomass estimates for the North Fork are <br />approximately seven times lower than biomass estimates on the mainstem below <br />Cheesman Reservoir. Brown trout are self-sustaining in this stream. The CDOW stocked <br />catchable (approximately 10 inches) rainbow trout from Grant down to the confluence <br />with the mainstem until1997~ Due to the whirling disease policy, the CDOW now stocks <br /> <br />N :\Supply\ Waage\wildscen\attachb.doc <br /> <br />B-19 <br />