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North Platte River Fish Survey - March 1999 Page 15 <br />PP&L - Glenrock Access to Bixby Access - Raft. —This sample section began at the Pacific <br />Power and Light (PP &L) - Glenrock Access Area and ended at the Bixby Access Area for a <br />length of 7.8 km. Primary habitat in this reach was characterized as approximately 70 percent <br />main channel, 20 percent islands, and 5 percent backwaters. Secondary habitat was characterized <br />as about 80 percent run, 15 percent riffle, and 5 percent pool. Substrate consisted of <br />predominately sand, about 75 percent; 10 percent silt; and a mixture of small boulders, large and <br />small cobbles, and coarse gravel. A total of 354 fish of 10 species was captured. There were <br />several individuals with various anomalies: a 687 -mm total length (TL) channel catfish (Ictalurus <br />punctatus) with lumps on its pectoral and caudal fins; a 470 -mm TL channel catfish with leaches <br />on its caudal and anal fins; a 3 89 -mm longnose sucker with a missing eye (never formed); another <br />160 -mm longnose sucker with an eroded caudal fin; and a 420 -mm rainbow trout with eroded <br />dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins. Common carp dominated the catch (57 percent), followed by <br />longnose sucker (18 percent), shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) (9 percent), <br />quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus) (4 percent), and sand shiners (3 percent). Six rainbow trout <br />ranging from 330 to 420 mm TL, three channel catfish ranging from 470 to 687 mm TL, and a <br />495 -mm walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) were captured in this section. Figure 6 shows the map <br />of this site, and Figure 7 shows the habitat. <br />Bixby Access - Backpack. —This site was characterized as 100 percent main channel with a <br />90 percent silt substrate. A total of 61 fish from 6 species was captured. Species composition <br />at this site differed significantly from the backpack samples at E.K. Wilkens and Cole Creek. Red <br />shiners dominated this community (66 percent), followed by juvenile and adult white suckers <br />(13 percent fathead minnows (11 percent), and sand shiners (4 percent). A single stonecat <br />(Noturus flavus) was captured (1 percent). A common shiner (Luxilus cornutus) was also <br />collected. It was preserved as a voucher specimen because of the rarity of this species in our <br />samples. Figure 6 shows the study site location and Figure 8 shows the habitat at this site. <br />Douglas to Glendo Inlet. —Three raft samples and a backpack sample were conducted in this <br />reach. The South Douglas Access Areas provided excellent entry points to the river for sampling. <br />Anderson Dairy Access to Fitzgerald Access - Raft. —This 9.7 -km section is characterized as <br />95 percent main channel with 5 percent islands /secondary channels. Secondary habitat consists <br />of roughly 80 percent run and 20 percent riffle. Water clarity was extremely turbid, though we <br />were able to dipnet stunned fish effectively. The substrate is characterized as about 13 percent <br />silt, 10 percent sand, and 50 percent small cobbles with a scattering of small boulders, large <br />cobbles, and coarse gravel. A total of 144 fish of 7 species was captured in 4,253 seconds of <br />electrofishing. The catch was dominated by large common carp (56 percent), adult white sucker <br />(19 percent), sand shiners (11 percent), and adult shorthead redhorse (8 percent). We also <br />captured two brown trout (1.4 percent) and a rainbow trout (0.7 percent). Figure 9 shows the <br />map of this site and Figures 10 and 11 show the catch and habitat in this reach. <br />Results <br />