325,000 trout skydiving into Colorado lakes
Associated Press
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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ASPEN It's raining trout in Colorado.
The state Division of Wildlife is stocking hundreds of lakes with 325,000 fingerling trout dropped from modified Cessna 185 aircraft.
The planes, traveling about 85 mph, get within 125 feet of the lake surface before releasing the fish so they don't dry out before they hit the water.
The fish are dropped from a hopper mounted on the plane's belly.
The pilot releases them by pushing a button.
The operation began Monday and will continue through mid-September.
High mountain lakes have to be stocked to maintain their fish populations because many trout die during winters, DOW aquatic biologist Sherman Hebein said. DOW stocks lakes in different regions in alternating years.
The Colorado River, greenback and Rio Grande cutthroat trout come
from a DOW hatchery in Rifle.
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