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REDDING--Lassen County's famed Eagle Lake is earning very high marks for its trout fishery, according to results of a year 2000 angler survey recently published by the Department of Fish and Game.
The DFG's Region 1 office in Redding said a scientifically designed questionnaire completed by 389 anglers from May to December last year reveals that more than 80 percent of them were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the number and size of fish they caught and with their overall angling experience.
A remnant of the Great Basin's Lahontan Sea, the 22,000-acre alkaline lake lies within a closed basin at an elevation of 5,000 feet northwest of Susanville. Its unique Eagle Lake rainbow trout subspecies was snatched from the brink of extinction by the DFG 50 years ago.
Today, Fish and Game collects eggs each spring from the lake's rainbow spawners, plants about 200,000 one-pound trout into Eagle Lake annually and uses tens of thousands more at other trout waters around the state. The DFG said it launched last year's angler survey to help set future fishery management strategies.
Designed by Chico State University, the survey involved a set of 12 questions to which anglers responded in writing. The questionnaire was distributed in concert with creel checks conducted throughout all months of the open season except July.
Fish and Game said both the 1999 and the 2000 fishing seasons at Eagle Lake were among the best on record. High lake levels boosted survival and growth of fish, giving anglers some of their better fishing experiences.
In contrast, this year's May 26 opener produced somewhat slow fishing success. The DFG said the extremely dry winter east of the Cascade Range left the lake nearly three feet below last year's opening day level and pushed the water temperature higher.
The year 2000 survey's results showed that 89 percent of the anglers contacted had fished at Eagle Lake prior to the 2000 season. Those surveyed spent an average of 8.5 days fishing the lake.
Minus the questions that were not answered and illegible answers, other findings include these results:
*For the entire season, 72 percent of the anglers fished from a boat by trolling; 22 percent from a boat still fishing; and, only one percent from shore. Some 49 percent of anglers fished with lures, 41 percent with bait and three percent with flies.
*About 81 percent of the anglers said they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the number of fish they caught. Eight percent said they were very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied.
*On the subject of fish size, 86 percent said they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the size of the trout; five percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied.
*Seventy-seven percent of the anglers said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the daily bag limit of two fish; eight percent reported they were very or somewhat dissatisfied. Sixty-eight percent felt very or somewhat satisfied with the four-trout possession limit, while 11 percent were on the dissatisfied side.
*Asked if they would be willing to pay a modest fee to be used by the DFG only at Eagle Lake and only for biological or enforcement purposes, between 59 and 70 percent replied "yes," and between 27 and 30 percent said "no."
*On the question of their overall angling experience at Eagle Lake, 89 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied. Three percent said they were dissatisfied.
The DFG's Region 1 office in Redding said a scientifically designed questionnaire completed by 389 anglers from May to December last year reveals that more than 80 percent of them were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the number and size of fish they caught and with their overall angling experience.
A remnant of the Great Basin's Lahontan Sea, the 22,000-acre alkaline lake lies within a closed basin at an elevation of 5,000 feet northwest of Susanville. Its unique Eagle Lake rainbow trout subspecies was snatched from the brink of extinction by the DFG 50 years ago.
Today, Fish and Game collects eggs each spring from the lake's rainbow spawners, plants about 200,000 one-pound trout into Eagle Lake annually and uses tens of thousands more at other trout waters around the state. The DFG said it launched last year's angler survey to help set future fishery management strategies.
Designed by Chico State University, the survey involved a set of 12 questions to which anglers responded in writing. The questionnaire was distributed in concert with creel checks conducted throughout all months of the open season except July.
Fish and Game said both the 1999 and the 2000 fishing seasons at Eagle Lake were among the best on record. High lake levels boosted survival and growth of fish, giving anglers some of their better fishing experiences.
In contrast, this year's May 26 opener produced somewhat slow fishing success. The DFG said the extremely dry winter east of the Cascade Range left the lake nearly three feet below last year's opening day level and pushed the water temperature higher.
The year 2000 survey's results showed that 89 percent of the anglers contacted had fished at Eagle Lake prior to the 2000 season. Those surveyed spent an average of 8.5 days fishing the lake.
Minus the questions that were not answered and illegible answers, other findings include these results:
*For the entire season, 72 percent of the anglers fished from a boat by trolling; 22 percent from a boat still fishing; and, only one percent from shore. Some 49 percent of anglers fished with lures, 41 percent with bait and three percent with flies.
*About 81 percent of the anglers said they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the number of fish they caught. Eight percent said they were very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied.
*On the subject of fish size, 86 percent said they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the size of the trout; five percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied.
*Seventy-seven percent of the anglers said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the daily bag limit of two fish; eight percent reported they were very or somewhat dissatisfied. Sixty-eight percent felt very or somewhat satisfied with the four-trout possession limit, while 11 percent were on the dissatisfied side.
*Asked if they would be willing to pay a modest fee to be used by the DFG only at Eagle Lake and only for biological or enforcement purposes, between 59 and 70 percent replied "yes," and between 27 and 30 percent said "no."
*On the question of their overall angling experience at Eagle Lake, 89 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied. Three percent said they were dissatisfied.
