Daily Archives: October 9, 2016

Extra trout stockings in White Mountains lakes to provide great fall fishing

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white-mountain-fishingPINETOP — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has recently stocked thousands of catchable size rainbow trout into many of the White Mountain lakes. This gives anglers an extra incentive to get out to the lakes this fall.

Show Low Lake was stocked with 4,000 rainbow trout. Bear Canyon and Willow Springs Lake received 5,000 fish each. Another 7,000 trout went into Woods Canyon Lake. Fool Hollow Lake and River Reservoir each received 8,000 trout.

The AZGFD hatcheries had a surplus of fish that needed to be stocked into lakes to make room for next year’s trout. These fish were all stocked within the last 2 weeks, and the fishing should be great—especially with the cooler temperatures of fall.

This time of year, try fishing for rainbow trout using green, garlic scented PowerBait or worms. Tiger trout were also stocked for the first time in Arizona this year into Willow Springs and Woods Canyon lakes. Catch tiger trout using lures—they are more aggressive than rainbow trout. Bear Canyon Lake is a hike-in-only lake, but worth the short, steep hike. All others are easily accessible.

Happy 20th anniversary to Arizona’s endangered black-footed ferrets

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ferretPHOENIX — Arizona’s endangered black-footed ferret population celebrated the 20th anniversary of its reintroduction to Arizona with the release of more animals into a new privately-owned reintroduction area. Through a new Safe Harbor Agreement, the Double O Ranch outside of Seligman yesterday became the third reintroduction site in Arizona.

‘This release was made possible by a Safe Harbor Agreement, a newer conservation option that aims to enlist the help of non-federal landowners to conserve species. We hope our new partnership with the Double O Ranch will lead to the establishment of Arizona’s third population and contribute to national recovery goals,” said Jennifer Cordova, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s black-footed ferret program supervisor.

The species was thought to be extinct until a small colony of ferrets was discovered in Wyoming in 1981. Disease outbreaks reduced this population to about 18 individuals, which were captured to begin a captive breeding program to save the species. Before reintroduction, the last black-footed ferret in Arizona was found in 1931 in an area between Williams and Flagstaff.

The descendants of the original 18 ferrets have now been introduced into reintroduction sites across the west, including the Aubrey Valley outside of Seligman, Ariz. In 2008, Aubrey Valley was declared a successful reintroduction site by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the population had become self-sustaining and no longer required augmentation.

Today, biologists estimate there are a minimum of 800 to 1,000 individual ferrets living in the wild.

While they resemble domestic pet ferrets, black-footed ferrets are a different species and are the only ferret native to North America. They can grow to be up to 2 feet long and can weigh up to 2 ½ pounds. One ferret can give birth to three to five kits each year.

The Arizona black-footed ferret reintroduction program is a joint effort of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Phoenix Zoo, U.S.D.A. APHIS Wildlife Services, Hualapai Nation, Navajo Nation, Arizona State Land Department, Babbitt Ranches and the Cholla Cattle Company.