Trophy-Sized Rainbow Trout to be Stocked into Lake Siskiyou
Although it’s never been a fishing destination, Lake Siskiyou has always been a place you can fish. More known for it’s family-friendly camping experience, the lake with a beautiful Mount Shasta backdrop is one of Northern California best destinations for outdoor enthusiasts.
But soon, it may become a fishing destination as well.
The Mt. Shasta Rotary has completed construction of a pen that will act as a rearing facility for trophy-sized rainbow trout, which will eventually be released into the lake. The Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked the pen with trout on Friday, with hopes they will grow to large sizes before being released into the lake. The trout could range from 3 to 5 pounds when ready for release next spring.
The three pens were planned, financed and constructed by the Mt. Shasta Rotary, with help from over 20 volunteers. The plan is to commemorate the release with a youth fishing tournament in the spring.
RELATED: Gorgeous Views Hiking the Lake Siskiyou Loop
The rotary’s goal is to create the finest trout pen facility of any lake in America in hopes to inspire “inspire increased outdoor participation with parents and their children.â€
Here’s how the trout-rearing pens work:
Each fall, when water temperatures cool, the DFW will stock the pens with rainbow trout. Over winter, solar-charged, battery-powered feeders will automatically feed the fish, which can grow an inch per month. In spring, most likely early May, the large fish are released and quickly become naturalized to their habitat and then take on the characteristics of wild fish. The trout are “triploids,†that is, they cannot breed, and in turn, grow faster and fight harder.
A 39-page document for the California Environmental Quality Act was vetted and filed by the DFW and then approved by the State of California.
Mt. Shasta Rotary sees the final result as:
‒ The finest trout pen facility of any lake in America.
‒ New opportunities for youth, families.
‒ A template for how to provide big fish for any cold-water lake in the nation.
‒ A program that is sustainable into the future.
