Evaluation of a Southeastern, Two-story Rainbow Trout Fishery
A stocked rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fishery in newly impounded Tellico Reservoir, Tennessee, was evaluated through creel surveys. In 1980, the first year of impoundment, trout made up 41.1% by weight of all fish harvested declining to a mean of 9.8% over the next 4 years. Estimated annual effort for trout averaged 53,000 hours. Rainbow trout catch rate averaged 0.067 fish per hour, and the harvest return of stocked rainbow trout averaged around 69% by weight over the 5-year period. Average catch per hour was lower than observed from other southeastern, 2-story trout fisheries....
