8174 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Table 4. Summary of habitat suitability scores for the proposed enlargement of Elkhead Reservoir for northem pike, channel catfish (reproducing and stocked), smallmouth bass and largemouth bass based on model application found in Appendix D; and habitat suitability scores for black crappie, common carp, white sucker, yellow perch, and stocked rainbow trout based on McConnell et al. (1984). Fish Species Five-digit reservoir description Habitat suitability Warmwater fish species Black crappie L Largemouth bass L Smallmouth bass L Channel catfish stocked 13 123 LM Channel catfish (reproducing) L Common carp L Coolwater fish species White sucker LM Yellow perch 13 123 LM Northern pike L Coldwater fish species Rainbow trout stocked 2 3 12 3 LM The characteristics of the existing reservoir and/or the enlarged version and the past and/or forecasted performance of the various sport fish species available for management in Elkhead reservoir lends insight into screening options and the requirements for retention of various fish life stages. Reproduction by catfish and northern pike appears unlikely. Reproduction by bass can be prolific (unpublished data), but recruitment appears low. Given these circumstances and the circumstantial evidence that largemouth bass survive poorly in riverine environments and that young-of-year smallmouth bass escaping the reservoir prior to 1992 did not appear to proliferate in the Yampa River, the argument could be made that the reservoir could be fitted with a screen mesh sufficient to retain Age-0 and older sport fishes. A larger mesh screen would require a smaller structure, presumably of less initial cost and less maintenance and operation costs. Also, the provision in the Procedures whereby fish removed from riverine environments and transferred to screened, off-stem impoundments (Appendix A) could apply to an Elkhead Reservoir screened with a larger mesh since it is likely that only life stages of sport fishes older that Age-0 would be transplanted to screened impoundments. During periods of active fish removal from rivers (Yampa in particular), Elkhead could serve as a receiving water for adult sport fishes, thus restoring some of the 12