BULL TROUT IDENTIFICATION
Bull trout are a threatened
species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Montana law requires all bull trout must be released
immediately
unless authorized-Flathead Lake is immediate release.
When handling fish-wet your hands-be
very careful-do not
put your fingers in the gills of the fish. If your hook does not
easily come out-clip the line and leave the hook inside the
fish. It will eventually dissolve the hook.
Check the dorsal fin-"No black"-put it back.
"No black" means no black spots.
Pale yellow spots on the back.
Red, pinkish, or orange spots on the side.
White leading edges on fins.
Tail only slightly forked. Smaller bull trout
may deceive you by a slight fork in the tail.
LOOK, LOOK, LOOK-any color in the spots on the sides of
the fish should tell you it is a bull trout-look at
the spots on the top of the back-if they are uniform
looking-it is a bull trout-throw it back if you
are not sure of the ID of the fish.
Fish illustration by Joseph Tomelleri
If you are fishing an area where
you
are catching several bull trout you should
move to another location-don't stay in
that area and continue to catch bull trout.
It is illegal to target or harvest a bull trout in Flathead Lake.
Once common throughout the inland Northwest, bull trout now
live in reduced numbers in five western states and two Canadian provinces. They have been reduced by damage to their stream habitats, competition
from introduced exotic species like brook trout and lake trout, and poaching.
Bull trout are now listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. They are extinct in California. Montana is the bull trout's stronghold in
the
U.S., but even here, they are considered a "species of special concern," and
they face a chance of extinction in most streams where they still live.
Montanans have made saving the bull trout a high priority and a measure of
our ability to be a good steward of our sensitive natural resources. You
can become involved in this effort by contacting Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks
at the Helena, Kalispell, or Missoula offices, or the Confederated Salish and
Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department in Polson.
One of the best ways you can help is by knowing how to identify bull trout. Bull trout can
be
separated from brook, lake, and brown, trout by a few characteristics that are listed.
You can help save the bull trout by identifying and carefully releasing each
bull trout you catch.
TAKE THE CHALLENGE-online bull trout identification test and
education program-Montana FWP bull trout test-click
here.
Lake Trout
Numerous light spots (none are orange or red)
on dorsal fin and tail.Tail deeply forked.
White leading edges often present on fins.
