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S.W. Colorado lake infused with new trout life

By Shannon Livick, Cortez Journal

Published March 24, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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Nearly 20,000 rainbow trout were dumped into Summit Lake this month, restocking a resource where, just six months ago, all the fish were poisoned.

"We are just excited to get some fish back in the lake," said Jim White, aquatic biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

The 7- to 8-inch fish were stocked under the ice at the lake in Mancos State Park on Colorado 184 about 30 miles west of Durango.

The fish came from the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery about 20 miles east of Delta. White said the fish were getting too big for the hatchery and needed to be released as soon as possible.

Ice and snow had to be removed from the road so the truck carrying the fish could release them into the water. Large chunks of ice also were removed from the frozen lake.

White said fishing should be good this spring.

"They need a month or two to get good-sized," he said.

In August, about 40 Division of Wildlife employees sprayed 113 gallons of the poison rotenone and dumped 3,900 pounds of a powdered version into the reservoir, killing all the fish and getting rid of the non-native white sucker that had taken over, making the water murky and difficult for other species to survive.

An additional 25,000 catchable rainbow trout will be stocked in coming months, bringing the total to about 45,000, White said. In addition, black crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegill will be stocked this spring. The only fish that will be worth catching are the rainbows because the others will be too small.

"This will be a good summer for rainbow trout," White said.

The fish should now have plenty of nutrients to survive. White suckers stir up the clay bottom of the lake, making it difficult for light to get through so plants can grow and create the foundation for an aquatic food chain.

Summit Lake was also poisoned in 1993 because another non-native fish had taken over.