High water levels delay fish stocking in Nevada
By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal
All that water rushing from the mountains has state biologists putting fish-stocking plans for Northern Nevada rivers on hold.
Most years, the Nevada Department of Wildlife is planting trout in the rivers as early as March. Not this year.
March storms kept river levels high, and as a plentiful mountain snowpack begins to melt, they will rise higher, turning churning rapids muddy.
On Tuesday, the Truckee River at Farad was flowing at 1,150 cubic feet per second. Flows are expected to remain steady for the next couple days as temperatures cool, then begin to rise again as the days warm.
Runoff “should really start to climb” in early May, probably peaking late in the month, said Dave Wathen, a hydrologist with the federal water master’s office.
Seems severely restricted wild rivers have the best fishing, and no hatchery bills to boot.