Relations among Stream Temperature, Angling Success for Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout, and Fisherman Satisfaction

Abstract

Abstract On-site creel surveys were conducted in 1987 and 1988 while water temperature was continuously recorded on two sections–an upper, cooler section and a lower, warmer section–of the Madison River in Montana. Results from 1,741 angler contacts showed that as fishing temperatures increased catch rates for trout (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta combined) tended to decline in both sections. In the warmer, lower section, average catch rates declined to levels considered unsatisfactory by anglers in that section (≤ 50.4–0.6 trout/ h) at temperatures of 19°C or higher. In the cooler, upper section, fishing temperature seldom exceeded 19°C, and average catch rates generally remained above levels considered unsatisfactory (0.6–0.7 trout/h) by anglers in that section. At similar temperatures, catch rates were generally higher in the upper section. The percentage of anglers catching no trout increased significantly with increasing temperature in the lower section, to 50% or more...