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Bull Trout
Salvelinus
confluentus |
RON PITTARD GRAPHIC
TEXT BY DENNIS BITTON
Bull trout have to be one of the most misrepresented
fish anywhere. They have been misidentified, mistreated,
and mismanaged to the brink of extinction. Today the
bull trout is listed as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act, and all bull trout must be
immediately returned unharmed to the water. In some
places, it's even illegal to intentionally target them
while sportfishing--even if you plan on releasing what
you catch.
Because bull trout are now so rare through much of their
native habitat, and because they live in the deepest,
darkest pools, preying on other fish almost exclusively,
fly anglers rarely come face-to-face with a bull trout.
When they do, it's usually in the form of a ferocious
attack on a Wooly Bugger, or a minnow imiation like a
Muddler Minnow.
Like a lake trout and brook trout, bull trout are not
true trout at all, but a member of the char family much
like a Dolly Varden. In fact, they look so much like a
Dolly Varden that only a trained scientist can
accurately tell the difference between the two. They
have a broad head, grayish to olive green body and white
or cream-colored belly and are speckled with yellow and
red, orange, or pink spots. The leading edges of the
ventral fins are white (like a brook trout). Spawning
males exhibit the most dramatic colorations with
brilliants spots, and orange or crimson flanks.
Large bull trout can be a unexpected surprise, even on
some very small streams. Each one should be released
carefully, as bull trout are endangered through most of
their historical range.
Although bull trout look like Dolly Varden, the two
species do not inhabit the same waters. The original
range of the bull trout includes much of the Pacific
Northwest--upstream of natural barriers preventing
intermingling with the ocean-oriented Dolly Varden--and
the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Today they're found
in the northern Idaho panhandle; British Columbia and
Alberta; and northern portions of Montana, Oregon and
Washington.
Because bull trout are a slow-growing, carniverous
species, they are extremly vulnerable to overfishing.
They can reach sizes of up to 30 pounds, but very few
live long enough to reach their full potential--many do
not live long enough to even spawn once. In cold,
sterile environments, they do not reach spawning size
until they are 4-10 years old, and in these environs,
the number of large, spawning adults in a given
watershed may be extremely low. When they gather
together to spawn, the entire adult popualtion may be
wiped out in an afternoon of fishing.
In addition, bull trout are often mistaken for brook or
lake trout by anglers, and this case of mistaken
identity has been part of the problem in saving the
species. Many anglers dispatched young bull trout,
thinking they were the much more common brook trout. To
positively tell the difference, look for the dark
vermiculations (worm-like patterns) that exist on the
backs of all brook trout. Bull trout don't have these.
To distinguish a lake trout from a bull trout, observe
the tail and the spots. A lake trout's tail is obviously
forked, and its spots are white--not colored. If there
is any doubt, release the fish carefully.
For more information on bull trout and how to help the
conservation effort, visit the Montana, Fish Wildlife
and Parks Bull Trout Identification and Education web
site at:
http://fwp.state.mt.us/bulltroutid/default.htm
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