Now for the Bad new's.

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ProVle - 10-1-2009 at 03:52 PM

From fishin.com

Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Resources News Release

Trout stockings moved up as result of conditions at Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery



Frankfort, Ky. – Conditions at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery located below Wolf Creek Dam at Lake Cumberland deteriorated following the recent rains. Trout stockings for October and November must be moved up as a result.
“Lake Cumberland jumped up nearly 5 feet in the last two weeks,” said John Williams, southeastern fishery district biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We’ve had a really unusual year so far; the amount of rain has really been a problem.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps the water level on Lake Cumberland as close as possible to an elevation of 680 feet above sea level to relieve pressure on Wolf Creek Dam during ongoing repairs to the structure. This means the Corps must quickly release water coming into the lake from rainfall.
During normal conditions, the hatchery uses cold water from deep in Lake Cumberland to produce rainbow and brown trout for release in waters across Kentucky. The last heavy rainfall caused the Corps to release a large amount of water from Lake Cumberland to maintain the desired water level in the lake.
The combination of lower lake water levels and the excessive rainfall resulted in warm water with low oxygen levels flowing into the hatchery. This made the overall water conditions in the hatchery unsuitable for trout.
“The water conditions are so bad that it’s about put us out of business,” said James Gray, manager of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, “There is little dissolved oxygen in the water and it’s too warm for trout. If you have warm water, but the trout can still breathe, they can deal with it for a short time. If the water is warm and there is no dissolved oxygen, then that is a death sentence.”
The hatchery experienced much higher mortality of eggs and fry in the last few days because of the adverse conditions. “The fish outside in the raceways are so stressed that we have to take extra precautions while feeding them and loading them on the truck,” Gray said. “Any added stress could be enough to cause a huge increase in mortality.”
Trout scheduled for release in October and November will be stocked in the next 10 to 12 days, depending on the condition of fish in the hatchery. As a result, no stockings will occur in November.
Anglers should check Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov for stocking information. The website will be updated daily.

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The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. For more information on the department, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.

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WaterWings - 10-1-2009 at 04:00 PM

In the last several days there has been a lot more activity on the fish hatchery web cam. There's 3 times the normal crowd out there. That must be like shootin em in a barrel.

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Rainbow - 10-1-2009 at 09:19 PM

The reason for the extra crowd, Tuesday was the 2nd Annual Catch A Smile Senior Fishing Derby and Wednesday was the 2nd Annual Reaching For Rainbows Handicapped Kids Fishing Derby. There were close to 150 people for each event. About 1,500 rainbows close to a pound each were stocked and a lot of folks are trying to catch what the derby participants didn't. Lots of happy fisherman the last few days.

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