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[Rickjames_22]

Hey, i had a few questions about Cutthroat Trout on Hicks Lake. Now i understand that they stock the lake alot later than other local lakes with Cutthroat(like July, September, and October), i was curious as to why? It never used to be this late, for instance in 2003-06 it was stocked in March or April. so ya, why change it? is it just because other Lakes are higher up the priority list? Also, does anyone know when Hicks is slated to be stocked this year?

Another question i had was regarding stocked Cutthroat in general... i was curious how long they typically lived for? is it the same as native Cuttthroat(i have heard 6-10 years)? just curious regarding stocked Cutthroat in general, we hear so much about stocked rainbows i was wondering "what about the cutties?"

Thanks!

[Rodney]

I sent this question out to the advisors when it was posted and just got a response from Nick Basok at Chilliwack Dart and Tackle. Here it is:

The stocking regime for Hicks lake is determined by a number of facts. In our local lakes, the lake productivity is quite low compared to interior lakes so the larger the fish are when stocked the higher their survivability as they are bigger and stronger. Coastal cutthroat are spring spawners so to get these fish bigger in the hatchery is to release them as 1 ½ yr old fish rather than 1 yr old. Fish released in March to May are essentially yearlings (approx 3-5 inches) whereas fish released in July are 1 ¼ years old and fish released in Sept and Oct are 1 ½ years old. If you look at the size of the fish on release in July 2010 you will see that they are 26f/ kg (38.4grams) approx. 5-7inches, the fish released in Sept/Oct averaged 10.5f/ kg (95.2 grams) approx 8-10 inches. So by releasing later in the year the fish are larger on release and can enter the fishery much quicker , will have higher survivability, and produce a larger strionger fish for the next spring's fishery. As far as the age of coastal cutthroat in our area most adults will live to 4 or 5 years old if they are 2n or normal fish. 3n (triploid) cutthroat can grow up to 6 or 7 years under good lake conditions. I believe that some triploid cutthroat from Jones (Wahleach) lake have been aged at 7 years and 6lbs in weight. This is to say that there can be exceptions in both 2n or 3n cutthroat where fish can grow older and bigger but these would be exceptions. All cutthroat stocked in Hicks since 2006 have been 3n (triploid) sterile fish.

[Rickjames_22]

Awesome info, Thanks for the effort Rodney! learning more every day

[D.Sams]

What a detailed response.  Good on ya, Rodney, thanks for posting.