Holter Reservoir is a prime fishing spot—and part of the reason for that is Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks’ wild fish egg take.
This annual program aims to maintain rainbow trout fish populations, one of the most sought-after game fish species in the Helena area.
During the spring, rainbow trout make their way to shore, trying to reproduce.
But the trout can't actually breed - they need flowing water to spawn. That’s where the egg-take comes in.
“Without an operation like this, we'd be hurting in rainbow fishing opportunities,” said FWP Helena Area Fisheries Management Biologist Nathan Jaksha.
Here’s how it works: FWP staff come out and gather fish during mating season in the spring. Then, working with the FWP hatchery staff, they help the fish in their mating process.
“Squeeze the eggs out of the females, the milt out of the males, combine them, fertilize the eggs, disinfect the eggs in iodine, then transport them back to the hatchery,” said Big Springs Trout Hatchery fish culturist Ben Hoesl. The fish used for reproduction are then thrown back into the lake.
From fish collection to bringing them to the hatchery, the process takes about two weeks, and the goal is to collect 1.5 million eggs this year.
After those fish hatch, it takes 6 months to a year before they are returned to the wild. Many of the trout living here came from this program.
“There isn't enough fish out there to maintain the population, and so you use the stocking program as a supplement to make sure that there’s enough fish for everybody,” FWP fisheries technician Ashton Clinger-Mohar.
This program doesn’t just help the fish population in Holter reservoir. Staff also bring grown-up hatchery fish to other reservoirs like Hauser and Clark Canyon.
So the next time you’re out fishing for rainbow trout, think about the work that fishery and hatchery staff do behind the scenes so you have a better chance to reel one in.
