Effect of Angling Effort on Catch Rate of Wild Salmonids in Streams Stocked with Catchable-Size Trout

Angler catches of wild salmonids (cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki, rainbow trout O. mykiss, kokanee O. nerka, and bull trout Salvelinus confuentus) changed in direct response to changes in angler effort during two or more years on three of four Oregon streams stocked with rainbow trout. Percentages of wild fish in the catch were highest in the smallest streams (overall range, 3–19%). Increased catchability of wild salmonids may be due to synchronous behavior in the presence of stocked fish, but this was not tested in this study. There are, however, direct links between stocking of legal-size rainbow trout in streams, changes in angler effort, and harvest of wild populations.