fishing_opener_shot_3The Eastern Sierra Trout season starts in under 20 days and uncertainty still hangs over Fish and Game’s trout plants, as employees scramble to evaluate many thousands of bodies of water in the state for potential impacts by trout on bird habitats.

The Center for Biological Diversity sued Fish and Game, in part alleging that rainbow trout eat the same insects needed by many species of birds and other creatures. So Fish and Game has to justify planting trout with no significant impacts.

Jordan Traverso of Fish and Game Communications said that the list of California waters on the Department’s website shows what waters are cleared environmentally to be planted with trout. Right now, DFG has listed 14 waters in Inyo and 29 in Mono, including Crowley Lake. Fish and Game could not tell us how many of our waters would not be clear for trout plants.

Ms. Traverso did say that evaluations in Inyo-Mono are ongoing. She said Fish and Game has focused on the high-traffic places first. She confirmed that this job requires a lot of manpower all over the State. She called it a major priority, and Traverso maintained that Fish and Game will plant the same amount of fish this season as last year.

In addition to hang-ups for Fish and Game planting, private hatcheries initially could not get permits to plant fish. You can check out DFG’s list of open waters on our website.

Fish and Game’s list of waters cleared for trout plants:

Inyo Bishop Creek Middle Fork

Inyo Bishop Creek South Fork

Inyo Bishop Creek, Intake II

Inyo Cottonwood Creek

Inyo Diaz Lake

Inyo Georges Creek

Inyo Goodale Creek

Inyo Independence Creek

Inyo Lone Pine Creek

Inyo Pleasant Valley Reservoir

Inyo Sheperds Creek

Inyo Symmes Creek

Inyo Taboose Creek

Inyo Tuttle Creek

Mono Bridgeport Reservoir

Mono Buckeye Creek

Mono Convict Creek

Mono Crowley Lake

Mono Deadman Creek

Mono Ellery Lake

Mono Glass Creek

Mono Grant Lake

Mono Junction Reservoir

Mono Lee Vining Creek

Mono Lee Vining Creek South Fork

Mono Little Walker River

Mono Lost Cannon Creek

Mono Lundy Lake

Mono Mammoth Creek

Mono McGee Creek

Mono Mill Creek

Mono Owens River, Section 3

Mono Reversed Creek

Mono Robinson Creek

Mono Rock Creek, Section 1

Mono Rock Creek, Section 2

Mono Rush Creek

Mono Saddlebag Creek

Mono Sherwin Creek

Mono Swauger Creek

Mono Topaz Lake

Mono Virginia Creek

Mono West Walker River, Section 2

Mono West Walker River, Section 3

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