June 11, 2008

We’ve recently found out some interesting news on Kirman lake and the brookies and cutts that live there, some if it is good and some not so good, some of it is info that we have always believed and has just been  re-affirmed.

It seems that the brookies that are put in to Kirman, usually as fingerlings, only live about 5 years, then they basically die of old age. They are Fall spawners and consequently do not have any success spawning in Kirman due primarily to the low water flows in the spring channel in the Fall. What this boils down to is that if the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) do not plant brookies in Kirman, within about 5 or 6 years there will be no brookies in Kirman.

I know this sounds like bad news, and it kind of is, however, in 2007 the DFG planted 15,000 fingerling brookies in Kirman. In 2006 the DFG planted 15,000 fingerlings in Kirman. Both of these years they also planted approximately 3,000 cutthroat fingerlings as well. Unfortunately in 2005, 2004 and 2003 there were no brookies planted, just cutts. This leaves us with our present situation, meaning that there are no mature, or 3, 4 and 5 year old brookies in Kirman right now. Hence all the nice cutts being caught but very few brookies. On to some more good news, just today the DFG planted 15,000 fingerling brookies, as well as about 1,000 ¼ pound brookies, and I believe has plans to plant an additional 15,000 fingerling brookies later this season. This is great news!

This will basically mean that in 2 to 4 years if all goes as planned, Kirman will be loaded with all age (size) ranges of brookies, hopefully from fingerlings to 5 or 6 pounders. I’ve gotta hand it to the current DFG staff who are in charge of the wild trout waters in our area, they’re doing a great job getting some of these killer waters back to their historical grandeur, it’s very cool to see.

Keep your eyes and ears open for more news on this once great, and soon to be great again California fishery!!