What is the most important factor to enhance over winter survival of young trout and salmon? The obvious and most common answer is "good quality habitat". Clearly, fish need a safe place to live and that is provided by good quality habitat. In recent years, fish biologists are beginning to better understand, describe and protect important ovenvintering habitat for each of the species. And (surprise!) guess what? Most undisturbed, natural stream drainages usually do pretty well at providing those habitat conditions.

So, if good quality habitat is not lacking, what is the most important factor to ensure overwinter survival of young trout and salmon?
Food. More specifically, the amount of food that a young fish can consume during the preceding summer. How can this be so important? Because the young trout and salmon do little feeding during winter, but they live off their fat reserves that they accumulated during earlier, good feeding periods. The fat reserves provide fuel to run the body engine through the lean winter period. Therefore, summer feeding is crucial for these young fish to "fill their tanks": so they will have "enough fuel" to last through the winter. Those with bigger tanks can go farther and last longer.

What is happening to these fish while they are in the overwintering habitat? Activities are reduced because the water temperature is low. Territoriality is broken down and schooling is more common. Metabolism is slower, but the fish still need energy to maintain their basic needs for living such as swimming and breathing. The food supply is also diminished and there is little feeding activity. If the fuel tank runs dry (i.e., if the fat reserve is used up) before spring feeding resumes, the frsh becomes more vulnerable and survival may be a problem.

So; what factor is important for over winter survival of young trout and salmon? Provided that good, high-quality habitat is available, they need a full load of fuel; i.e., fat reserves, so they can hunker down and take advantage of that habitat. How do they load that tank? They need to feed as heavily as possible when the food is available. The fish that live in the best summer habitat will be able to get the most food with the least effort and grow fat to fill their tank. Summer feeding and, in particular, summer fat deposition is one of the most important factors that will insure survival through winter.

• Photos of the Annual Kenai River Clean Up

• Calendar of Events
  
  

OTHER ARTICLES

• "Fish Talk" by Bill Hauser
  • "Whitemeat vs Darkmeat"
  • "On the Road Again"
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• "Tying Tips" by Pudge Kleinkauf
  • "Using Half-Hitch Tools"
  • "Hackle Fiber Tails"
  • "Hackle Collars"
  • "Dubbing"
  • "Eyeballs"
    
    
• "Mat-Su Madness" by Mike Malone
  
  
• "Casting Tip" by Tony Weaver
  
  
• "Alagnak Trip Report" by Andrew Brunette