|
Bull
Trout
Salvelinus
confluentus
HISTORY:
The Bull Trout is a native to
Alberta and it's history is quite complicated. Eigenmann first
described the Bull Trout in Alberta in 1895. The Bull Trout and
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) were considered to be the
same fish (from about 1882 - 1927). Then in 1978 Cavender provided
evidence that the two species are distinct. In 1991 Hass and McPhail
provided evidence to support these findings.
DESCRIPTION:
| The Bull Trout
is a long, slender fish. It's head and jaws are big
in proportion to it's body. It is olive-green to blue-grey
in color on the back, and turning almost silver on the
sides with a white belly. Yellow, orange, or red
spots are found on the sides and back. |
 |
|
| The pelvic and anal
fins will have white leading edges, not followed by black. The
belly and lower sides are sometimes orange to red in males during
the spawn. The key to correctly identifying the Bull Trout is the
absence of black spots on the dorsal fin.
Always
remember the slogan: NO BLACK PUT IT BACK |
BIOLOGY:
|
Click For
A Video Clip Of Bull Trout Mating |
Bull Trout are
found in lakes, streams, and rivers from sea level to high
elevations in the mountains. Their primary food
source is bottom fauna, insects, and other fish. Bull
Trout reach sexual maturity at around 5 to 6 years of age,
and in some conditions not until 8 years of age. It has
also been noticed that Bull Trout do not spawn every year,
usually skipping a year. Bull Trout spawn in small streams
with a constant flow of water, to provide the eggs with
supply of oxygen. Spawning occurs in the fall usually
around September or October when water temperature drops
to around 9 Celsius. |
|
| The females will dig
redds and deposit about 5,000 eggs, which she will then cover with
gravel. The eggs will hatch sometime in April, and the offspring
will then spend the next 3 years in the spawning tributary before
moving on to the main stem rivers or lakes. |
| Bull
Trout are susceptible to hybridization by Brook Trout
where they are present. And with the recent escape of
Arctic Char from a Trout farm on the Elbow River there
poses a new risk to the recovering Bull Trout populations
in the Bow River system. |
Click For
A Video Clip Of Bull Trout Stacked After The Fall Spawn. |
|
Angling
Techniques:
Bull Trout live in an
environment that is very infertile and food can sometimes be scarce,
therefore they have developed a voracious appetite and will rarely pass up
an easy meal. The best presentations for Bull Trout are ones that resemble
baitfish. Spin fishing can be very productive with jigs, minnow imitating
crank baits, spoons, and spinners. For fly-fishing the most effective
flies are big streamers. Bull Trout are one of the most cooperative fish
to catch and are also one of the toughest fish that swims. They are very
well suited to catch and release fishing due to their strength and the
cold-water environment they live in has a high concentration of dissolved
oxygen.
Hot
Spots:
| Bull Trout have made a
remarkable recovery and are now abundant in many of our foothill
and mountain streams. Some of the better-known hotspots would
include: |
|
| - Castle River |
| - Lower Kananaskis Lake |
| - Elbow River |
| - Panther River |
| - Blackstone River |
| - Cardinal River |
| - Brazeau River |
| - Upper Saskatchewan River |
| - Cline River |
| - Upper Red Deer River |
|
|
|
