After two nights of electroshocking and gathering data on fish, DWR biologists have good news. The fish stocked in Red Fleet Reservoir this year are doing well. Last October, Red Fleet was treated with rotenone to remove illegal walleye that posed a threat to endangered fish that live below the reservoir. As planned, rotenone killed all fish in the reservoir, giving biologists the opportunity to create a new fishery. The restocking process began in 2015 and continued through the spring. The electrofishing process this month was the first opportunity biologists had to gauge how the new fish population was doing. “It was very apparent that the 1,000 yellow perch we caught at Fish Lake, and transferred to Red Fleet, had produced thousands of offspring,” shares Aquatic Biologist Natalie Boren. “We were also impressed with how the wipers are doing. When we stocked them in April, they were 10 inches long. Now, just
three months later
, they’ve grown to 14 ½ inches.” All species introduced to Red Fleet Reservoir were accounted for during the electrofishing process earlier this month. For any questions on the fishery at Red Fleet Reservoir, call 781-9453.
