What's Up @ Rocky Ford?

[Buzzy]

There are white Pelicans all over the Madison River. I don't think anybody in Montana really gives a shit about them. Just one of Gods creatures enjoying a meal of fish.

I saw lots of white pelicans on the Missouri (dare I mention the location?) - big river, something like 5,000 trout per mile. Rocky Ford isn't big water and there's maybe 1 -1/4 miles of creek between the hatcheries (for those of you not familiar with this creek, the upper hatchery is at the source of the spring, the lower hatchery is at the end of any public fishing waters until you get down by SR 17). That's not a lot of water for 30 or 40 pelicans (or 30 or 40 anglers). One other difference? Your Montana rivers have natural spawning, lots of it, not so much on "the warm water ditch" (no offense Bill).

 

[Keith Hixson]

Pelicans can destroy a small fishery like Rocky Ford in a few weeks. The Columbia and Snake Rivers have always had Pelicans but they are big waters. I have been fishing the ford for about 30 years. The fishing has always been an up and down thing. I have had 20 plus days and I have been skunked a few times. I have seen Pelicans there off and on over the years. When they get hungry they will leave. It will take a few years to rebuild then when the fishing gets really good they will return.

 

[Porter]

You get the feeling that those pelicans have been frequenting this site?

 

[Perry Azevedo]

Just fished the lower sections of Rocky Ford this last Friday (from the Hwy bridge down to the lower access at the spillway. Didn’t see one trout, but a ton of carp. My buddy and I caught several before calling it a day. Wonder how they all got in there and what that’s going to mean for the future of the fishery. Seems like they’re going to easily take over the creek.

 

[Buzzy]

Just fished the lower sections of Rocky Ford this last Friday (from the Hwy bridge down to the lower access at the spillway. Didn’t see one trout, but a ton of carp. My buddy and I caught several before calling it a day. Wonder how they all got in there and what that’s going to mean for the future of the fishery. Seems like they’re going to easily take over the creek.

The dam you're talking about was constructed to serve two purposes (if memory serves correctly):
1. A sediment basin to reduce nitrates/phosphates into Moses Lake, and
2. A barrier to keep carp out of Rocky Ford.

I think the state treated RF (rotenone) at the completion of the dam.

The creek downstream of the highway has never (in my opinion) been the best trout water; summer temperatures down there are much higher than the spring fed source. Maybe low DO levels then as well.

What was in stream vegetation like?

 

[Perry Azevedo]

The dam you're talking about was constructed to serve two purposes (if memory serves correctly):
1. A sediment basin to reduce nitrates/phosphates into Moses Lake, and
2. A barrier to keep carp out of Rocky Ford.

I think the state treated RF (rotenone) at the completion of the dam.

The creek downstream of the highway has never (in my opinion) been the best trout water; summer temperatures down there are much higher than the spring fed source. Maybe low DO levels then as well.

What was in stream vegetation like?

Yeah, I believe you’re right about them treating the creek above the dam. I wonder how they got back in there? Or maybe they never were able to kill them all in the first place? I’ve definitely caught trout in some of those sections before.

In stream vegetation definitely looked like it had a good deal of algae growth, if that’s what you’re asking.

 

[Keith Hixson]

Yeah, I believe you’re right about them treating the creek above the dam. I wonder how they got back in there? Or maybe they never were able to kill them all in the first place? I’ve definitely caught trout in some of those sections before.

In stream vegetation definitely looked like it had a good deal of algae growth, if that’s what you’re asking.

You never kill all the carp, they are hard to totally kill off.