# Redband Trout



## kingwilly (Dec 18, 2002)

I just read an article in the latest TU mag. It did a profile on the Redband Trout. In the article in mentioned that this fish thrives in rivers that have intermittent flows, high temps and drought. It also tolerates stream temps above 80 degrees. It feeds and gains weight in these conditions and it expands its population rapidly after a drought.

What a perfect fish for the Clinton.

I am sure there must be a ton of reasons why this won't work, but we brought in a number of different fish types over the years, why not one that fits this river?

KW


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## Fish Eye (Mar 30, 2007)

We'd have a lot more flexibility if people wouldn't gripe every time the DNR suggests a license fee increase. Last time, you had the NRA publishing mass mailings to politicians against fee increases. You want transplants? Easy, MI has the facilities but it costs money to raise the stock. By all means, I'll happily pay $50 for an all species license to have a better variety of sport fish.


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Fish Eye said:


> We'd have a lot more flexibility if people wouldn't gripe every time the DNR suggests a license fee increase. Last time, you had the NRA publishing mass mailings to politicians against fee increases. You want transplants? Easy, MI has the facilities but it costs money to raise the stock. By all means, I'll happily pay $50 for an all species license to have a better variety of sport fish.


I'd pay 100 or even 200 if we got more for our money.


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## back2spool (May 7, 2005)

I saw the article and was thinking the same thing...


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## NICKY GUNZZ (Jul 30, 2006)

i wished fishing licenses were $350 so the toothless ******** werent at every trout river snagging salmon.


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## kingwilly (Dec 18, 2002)

It would be cool if we could try a trout that could survive in these conditions. Is it just cost that is stopping this or has this not been brought up before. I can't imagine that it would be a lot more than the browns that are put in every year and perish a few months later. I say build a fishery that can live in the conditions and reproduce.

KW


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## DE82 (Nov 28, 2007)

NICKY GUNZZ said:


> i wished fishing licenses were $350 so the toothless ******** werent at every trout river snagging salmon.


What makes you believe those who snag wouldn't do if a fishing licenses cost that much? Seams to me they're still breaking the law and would do so no matter how much it cost to fish.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

NICKY GUNZZ said:


> i wished fishing licenses were $350 so the toothless ******** werent at every trout river snagging salmon.


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## maak (Aug 15, 2006)

NICKY GUNZZ said:


> i wished fishing licenses were $350 so the toothless ******** werent at every trout river snagging salmon.


With or without a licence, snagging is illegal. The DNR could easily fill their coffers with fines, but enforcement is'nt a big priority for them. As with any government agency, their top priority is self-preservation, and being popular. They certainly don't want to be the bad guys in such a tight economy, and they would'nt want to discourage tourism. As for new species, it was really cool when they put kokanee salmon in the Clinton. I wish they did that again. Puting scamania steel in one of the southern-most rivers(St. Joe) does'nt make any sense to me.


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## axisgear (Jan 24, 2007)

We already have this fabled trout,It's called Michigan winter steelhead! It's a hybrid redband/rainbow that's been acclaimized to our environment through many years of hybridization.

If they aren't running the Clinton,I'm sorry for your luck.


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## kingwilly (Dec 18, 2002)

axisgear, it sounds like you are up to speed on this. Please help to inform us on some more details of this hybrid. I had no idea that the Redband Trout was already in the Clinton. A simple "laymans" explanation of what is going on would be really interesting to, at least, myself.

KW


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## LadyFisher (Jan 22, 2003)

NICKY GUNZZ said:


> i wished fishing licenses were $350 so the toothless ******** werent at every trout river snagging salmon.


What makes you think they have a license now


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## kype138 (Jul 13, 2006)

Snagging is illegal, as is gigging fish in holes with a pitchfork.
License fees won't prevent the fish hogs from taking what they want, when they want it. The only action that prevents illegal activity is enforcement of laws that are already on the books - if that's not done, raising license fees won't help.

By the way, this thread was intended for the discussion of redband trout. Does anyone still want to talk about them?


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

maak said:


> Puting scamania steel in one of the southern-most rivers(St. Joe) does'nt make any sense to me.


MI doesn't, Indiana does though.... at least I am 99% sure of that. 

Skamanaia are also planted as an open water fishery, the river fishery is just a byproduct of it. The fish stay in the Southern end of Lake MI all summer and the big lake guys have a fish to target if the kings have migrated north.


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## back2spool (May 7, 2005)

What started out as an interesting thread is perilously close to becoming another complain-fest about snaggers.

I find the notion of planting redbands (non-hybrids) in the Clinton intiguiging, and I was looking forward to hearing from someone who might know more or have some input.


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## kingwilly (Dec 18, 2002)

Me too, I thought axisgear was going to give us some info on this trout. He said that it is already here in a hybrid version. Hopefully he will chime back in and give us the details about this fish.

KW


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## maak (Aug 15, 2006)

I'm not sure what kind of rainbow it is, but Georgia plants them in the Chatahootchie River down there, which is alot warmer than any of the rivers in Michigan.


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

From what I have read there are several strains of Red Bands most which have terrotitory outwest.

There was type of redband that I caught from a springfed creek in missouri called the McCloud River red band.
Heres a little read about Great basin redbands I found today

Great Basin redband trout can survive in warm waters that would kill most other rainbow/ redband trout. Living in the Great Basin with hot summers and cold winters the redband trout have adapted to live in these extreme temperature conditions. Preliminary studies show that if given a choice of stream temperatures, Great Basin redband trout will grow better, spawn and be more healthy at cold temperatures


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

maak said:


> I'm not sure what kind of rainbow it is, but Georgia plants them in the Chatahootchie River down there, which is alot warmer than any of the rivers in Michigan.


This river is a tailwater stream which is fed from the bottom of Lake Lanier.Water temps are consistantly in the high 40`s,I would not say that is colder than most Mi rivers.

Oops after further study there is also the upper Chatahootchie above lake Lanier that recieves trout both rainbow and browns which is an average of 62* water maybe this is what Maak is referring to?


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## maak (Aug 15, 2006)

Lake Lanier is'nt much of a lake, it's just a wide spot in the river with large shallow plateaus. I lived down there for 6 years, and went kayaking alot. For 8 or 9 months a year, the river is warm enough to go swimming. It's a wide shallow river, with alot of spots where I'd have to portage, or scrape bottom for several yards. It's very hard for me to imagine it ever getting down to the 40's. Maybe back in the day, but the last time I saw Lake Lanier, the docks and marinas were 100 yards from the water.


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