Laramie - A team of Wyoming Game and Fish Department staff and volunteers from the Travelle Chapter of the Izaak Walton League and Platte Rivers Veterans Fly Fishing  stocked 13,500 brook trout in nearly 100 beaver ponds in the Pole Mountain unit of the Medicine Bow National Forest. More than 30 people participated in the June stocking effort. The fish were transported to off-trail beaver ponds in buckets, and will provide angling opportunities around popular hiking and camping locations.

“The activity of beavers in the Pole Mountain unit provides good habitat for brook trout, however the sediment deposition and fragmentation associated with beaver activity prevents most fish from successfully spawning,” said Chance Kirkeeng, Game and Fish fisheries biologist in Laramie. “Annual fish stocking allows us to maintain fish populations in this popular recreation area.”

The fish stocked on June 13 and 14 came from the Game and Fish Dan Speas Fish Hatchery, located in Casper. They were stocked as 3-5 inch fingerlings. The beaver ponds are rich in potential prey for brook trout, including emerging midges and terrestrial insects. High water levels this year also enhanced habitat for brook trout. With good food and habitat, Game and Fish anticipates the fish stocked this year will grow quickly.
 

- WGFD -