Fisheries Management Plan 

Colorado River-Lees Ferry 

201s-2425
 

Scott Rogers
 

Fisheries Program Manager
 

Region II Fish P gram
 

al 

Approved þ t k Ot Chris Cantrell Date: 

of 
Location 

The 15.5-mile stretch of Colorado River through Glen Canyon (within Glen Canyon National 

Recreation Area) between the Glen Canyon Dam and the beginning of Marble Canyon (within 

Grand Canyon National Park) is commonly referred to as Lees Ferry (Figure 1). 

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Figure 1. Location Map for Colorado River-Lees Ferry 

Lees Ferry Fish Management PIan 

September 2015 Page 2 
Management Prescription 

Rainbow Trout:
 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will maintain and enhance a Blue Ribbon Rainbow
 

Trout frshery at Lees Feruy that does not adversely affect the native aquatic community in Grand
 

Canyon National Park with four main objectives.
 

Objective 1: Maintain a healthy population of Rainbow Trout at Lees Feny to support 

recreational fishing. 

Objective 2: Provide a quality trout frshing experience with catch frequency commensurate with 

the Blue Ribbon status ofthe fishery. 

Objective 3: Grow quality sized trout that are available to the angler, consistent with the Blue 

Ribbon status of the fishery. 

Objective 4: Avoid catastrophic failure of the trout population, and establish protocols for 

emergency recovery from population loss. 

Management strategies to meet objectives are identified in Table L 

Table L Lees Ferry Objectives and Adaptive Management Strategies: 

Parameters Obiective Guideline Strateeies if Obiectives are not met 

OBIECTIVE - Maintain ø heølthy populøtion of Røínbow Trout at Lees Ferry to 

supp o rt re cre atío nal fr s hins. 

Recruitment	 Rainbow Trout < 6 inches compose o Stocking 

20% - 50% of the Lees Feny o Trout Management Flows 

population as determined by fall ¡ HFEs 

electrofishing 

Abundance	 Rainbow Trout electrofi shing o Stocking 

CPUE exceeds I fish per minute o HFEs 

(all sizes of trout) o Change in regulations 

OBJECTIVE -	 Provide ø quølíty trout fishíng experìence with catch frequency 

comtnensarøte with the Blue Ríbbon status of the fìshem. 

Angler Catch Angler catch rate > 1 Rainbow o Stocking 

Rate Trout per hour ¡ HFEs 

o Change in regulations 

OBJECTIVE - Grow quølity sized trout that are øvøìløble to the angler, consìstent with 

the Blue Ribbon støtus of the fisherv. 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015	 Page 3 
Parameters Obiective Guideline Strateqies if Obiectives are not met 

Angler Catch 10 Rainbow Trout à 14 inches o Food base enhancement 

Quality caught by the angler in a l0-hour o Trout Management Flows 

day, at least one > 20 inches o Change in regulations 

Maintain trout condition factor > 1 

during the summer months.
 

OBJECTIVE - Avoid cøtastrophíc føilure of the trout population, ancl establish
 

protocols .for emergency recovery.from populøtion loss.
 

Water Quality	 Dissolved Oxygen > 5 mg/l as o Flow manipulation 

measured at outflow from GCD o Temperature Control Device 

o Use of river outlet tubes 

Catastrophic If failure of multiple age classes is o Stocking 

Failure of documented by electrofishing and o Translocation of wild trout from 

Population <0.25 trout per hour is documented the Colorado River downstream 

in creel surveys, mitigation will be of Lees Ferry 

necessary. 

Other Trout Species:
 

Other trout species are not desirable in this reach and will not be purposefully managed there.
 

Brown Trout are known predators of native fish and will be removed during regular fisheries
 

monitoring. Anglers will be encouraged to remove Brown Trout when they are caught.
 

Non-Native Warm water Species: 

Species such as Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Black 

Crappie, Sunfishes, Common Carp, Black and Yellow Bullhead and Walleye are not desirable in 

this reach and will be removed when encountered during monitoring. If necessary, specific 

targeted removal of these species may be warranted. 

Native Fish Species: 

Actions regarding these species will be consistent in the fulfillment of the Department 

commitments to recovery and conservation plans and programs and with the Department's best 

management practices. 

Background 

Since 1964, with the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam, this tailwater has hosted a 

recreational Rainbow Trout fishery that has grown in importance and reputation locally, 

regionally, nationally, and internationally. Anglers from around the world travel to Lees Ferry to 

fish for high quality Rainbow Trout in this large, clear, swift-flowing river. This Blue Ribbon 

recreational sport fishery has also become a financial and economic mainstay for the small 

community of Marble Canyon, the City of Page to the north, and Coconino County. A 2013 

statewide angler survey estimated the contribution of the Lees Ferry fishery to the State's 

economy in excess of $16.8 million, helping to support 251 jobs in Arizona (Fedler 2014). 

Anglers support local businesses such as hotels, restaurants and other service providers, in 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 4 
addition to utilizing frshing and outdoor recreation equipment suppliers and guides. 

Because of the reliable flows of cold water ranging from 44 to 60 degrees F, the Lees Ferry reach 

of the Colorado River has a proven capacity to support a remarkable trout fìshery in the desert. 

The fishery itself has changed since it was first created following the completion of the Glen 

Canyon Dam in 1964. During its infancy, the fishery produced large Rainbow Trout ranging 

from l0 to 20 pounds. Since then, the fishery has gone through upswings and declines, but 

throughout its history has provided some of the most sought-after destination Rainbow Trout 

fishing opportunities in the Southwest. 

Land, water, and wildlife resources in the Colorado River Corridor in Glen Canyon, including 

the Lees Ferry sport f,rshery, are managed by multiple authorities. The Arizona Game and Fish 

Department (Department) is the primary management agency for fish and wildlife in the state of 

Arizona. The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation manages water and dam operations, in concert with 

Western Area Power Administration, for hydroelectric generation. The National Park Service 

manages the lands and compatible uses in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand 

Canyon National Park. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Department, manages 

threatened and endangered species, including the endangered Humpback Chub. The U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (USFWS) along with the Department have a joint responsibility to advise 

U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) on the effects of water projects on endangered species. The 

Adaptive Management Working Group is a Federal Advisory Committee formed as a result of 

the 1996 Environmental Impact Statement. It advises the Secretary of the Department of Interior 

on matters related to the operations of Glen Canyon. The Department maintains a position on this 

advisory group along with USBR, Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and USFWS, 

Department of Interior and others. 

The Departments intends that this Lees Ferry Fishery Management Plan becomes a living 

document that is used to guide future Colorado River planning processes and decisions related to 

management of the Lees Fery trout fishery. It is important that this plan will also be used to 

provide input on the biological issues needed to maintain a Blue Ribbon Rainbow Trout hshery 

relating to operations of Glen Canyon Dam. Though the Department has management authorities 

over aquatic wildlife in the Lees Ferry area, other key components to successful management of 

aquatic wildlife are not under the Departments authorities. Therefore it is critical the Department 

work closely with its Federal Partners as well as local businesses, anglers and stakeholders. This 

document will be amended with new science and information as they become available. The 

Department's fisheries management plan is intended to complement and augment the National 

Park Service's (NPS) 2014 Cooperative Fisheries Management Plan for the Colorado River 

below Glen Canyon Dam. The Department cooperated with NPS during the crafting of that plan, 

but it focuses primarily on fishes in Grand Canyon. The Cooperative Fisheries Management Plan 

(CFMP) is lacking in detail with regards to how to achieve the management goals that it 

describes for the Lees Ferry trout fishery. 

ProductivityÄilater Quality 

The availability of oxygen in the water released from Glenn Canyon Dam is directly influenced 

by the oxygen profile of Lake Powell. That profile is affected by complex processes, including 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 5 
cold runoff input events rich in organic materials that occur far upstream of the dam, which can 

create mid-depth drops in oxygen levels. Poorly oxygenated water, if discharged through the 

dam, can severely stress fish in the tailwater, resulting in reduced growth and even mass 

mortality. 

Fish kills in the Lees Ferry reach due to low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were documented in 

2005. In 2014,DO levels dangerously approached the lethal limit for a large scale trout die off. 

The combined effect of low dissolved oxygen, high water temperatures, and low food production 

did result in a substantial die off in 2014 and continues to pose a direct and immediate hazard to 

Rainbow Trout and other fish species in Lees Ferry. The Department will again, work closely 

with USBR and Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center to ensure DO levels in Lake 

Powell and in the Colorado River are closely monitored. The Department will also work with 

partners to ensure alerts are provided when DO levels are expected to approach dangerous levels 

below Glen Canyon Dam. 

Water temperatures are a primary driver for the well-being and health of native and non-native 

fish communities in Glen, Marble and Grand Canyons, yet currently there is no capability to 

affect release temperatures from Glen Canyon Dam. The recently completed USBR Water 

Supply and Demand Study for the Colorado River Basin suggests that Lake Powell elevations 

will likely decrease in the future as a result of increased water demands, drought, and climate 

change. Lower Lake Powell elevations will lead to releases of warmer water from Glen Canyon 

Dam, which could lead to invasions of highly picivorous cool and warm water fishes and other 

invasive species (e.g., crayfish) into the Glen, Marble and Grand Canyons. There is clear 

evidence from the Upper Colorado River basin that such an invasion would have a devastating 

impact on Humpback Chub and other native fìshes in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon 

Dam (Tyus and Saunders 2000). Warm water temperatures will also impact Rainbow Trout 

energetics and survival. Warm water temperatures along with a suppressed food base have been 

implicated in two fish kills at Lees Ferry over the past decade. 

The Department will continue to engage with USBR in an effort to move forward with 

implementing a Temperature Control Device that has the capacity to release both cold and warm 

water from the dam as recommended by the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program 

Science Advisors (Gunderson et al. 2003) and reaffirmed in a 2008 expert panel review 

(GCMRC 2008). In the interim, the Department supports the use of the river outlet tubes, which 

are located 96 feet below the penstocks in scenarios where low DO levels pose health risks to 

downriver fish resources. Opening river outlet tubes could provide cooler water and help prevent 

invasion of warm water nonnatives, and provide further protection to the Rainbow Trout at Lees 

Ferry and to Humpback Chub populations in the Grand Canyon. 

It is well established that Rainbow Trout significantly reduce feeding activity when water clarity 

is low. Runge et al (201 1) identified the strategy of a "turbidity curtain" (providing inputs of fine 

sediment below the Paria River) as the highest priority mitigation option for controlling Rainbow 

Trout in Marble Canyon. Introducing turbidity into the Colorado River below the Paria River 

would minimize the need for mechanical removal near the Little Colorado River. In order to 

focus Rainbow Trout in the Lees Ferry area, the Department will work with partners on the 

Adaptive Management Working Group (AMWG) and others on investigating ways to possibility 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 201,5 Page 6 
reduce water clarity below the Paria River by artificially suspending sediment in that drainage 

and increasing turbidity in the main stem. 

Forage/Prey 

The current aquatic food base in the tailwater is insufficient to sustain a quality trout fishery 

(Kennedy et al, 2014). Recent studies by Kennedy and collaborators have shown that the 

productivity of this food base is low. Further, the food base in Grand Canyon is dominated by 

only two groups of invertebrates: midges and blackflies, both of which are small-bodied, 

relatively low-quality prey. Larger, more nutritious aquatic insects such as mayflies, stoneflies, 

and caddisflies, are virtually absent throughout Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons. These 

conditions of low invertebrate productivity and the absence of high quality invertebrate prey 

have resulted in a fishery throughout Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons that is food-limited; 

negatively affecting the abundance of native fishes such as Humpback Chub (Gila cypha), as 

well as the growth of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The abundance and size 

composition of the available food items for trout, when viewed in the context of anatomical 

realities of how trout collect their food, limits their ability to grow to preferred sizes (Mike 

Dodrill, USGS 2015, annual reporting meeting). The availability of energy-rich food items in the 

right size assortments influences the ability of trout to grow both in length and in girth 

(condition). The Lees Ferry aquatic food base is relatively immobile and subject to effects of 

dewatering due to flow changes and scouring due to velocity changes. 

Changes in the wetted perimeter of the river channel due to daily, monthly or seasonal changes 

in water delivery may influence the availability and abundance of mayflies, stoneflies and 

caddisflies (also known as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Tricoptera or EPT). The EPT Index is a 

simple measure of stream quality based upon the abundance of three orders of benthic aquatic 

insects, premised on the understanding that the highest quality streams support the highest 

diversity of species in these three orders (Lenat and Penrose, 1996). This relationship holds 

particularly well when evaluating the aquatic food base for primarily insectivorous fishes like 

trout and Humpback Chub. High abundance and diversity of these aquatic insects are reflective 

of a productive and resilient aquatic ecosystem. The EPT index for the Lees Ferry reach is 

currently zero, which we believe limits growth and survival of trout to quality sizes. The absence 

of quality food items impacts the growth and survival of other fishes downstream of Lees Feny, 

such as Humpback Chub, thaf are largely dependent upon aquatic insects as forage. 

Pafterns of release from Glen Canyon Dam may have detrimental consequences on trout growth 

and the abundance of quality trout in the population (USGS and BOR 2014). The processes that 

affect trout are complex and include the influence of water temperature and quality on the 

physiological capacity of trout to grow; the abundance and diversity of food items needed to 

provide the sustenance necessary for their growth; and the numbers of trout present in the 

tailwater potentially leading to increased levels of competition for a limited food supply. The 

Department will support experimental testing of "bug flows" as a means to enhance recruitment 

and survival of a healthy and robust EPT population. 

Experimental "bug flows" involve stable flows every weekend (during periods of lower power 

demand) from May through August. The discharge on weekends would be the minimum 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 7 
discharge for that month to ensure that the insect eggs laid during weekends would not be 

subjected to drying due to lower water levels at any point prior to larval development. No change 

in monthly volumes, ramping rates, or the daily range in discharge during weekdays would be 

required as part of this experiment. To ofßet the smaller water releases that would occur during 

weekends within a given month, larger releases would need to occur during the weekdays within 

a given month. 

A rich assemblage of EPT and other aquatic food base species are present in the waters above the 

dam and river tributaries below the dam and were present before the dam was constructed 

(USGS and BOR 2014). Consistent with NPS policy that the recovery and restoration of 

extirpated species is a desired goal, the Department will also work with the NPS towards the 

translocation of historic EPT species from other parts of the Colorado River drainage into the 

Lees Ferry reach coincidentally with the experimental flows discussed above to restore a rich 

diverse food base. A series of experimental translocations to repatriate these species should be 

initiated, followed by monitoring and evaluation of success and sustainability. 

To maintain a Blue Ribbon hshery into the future, Lees Ferry must be managed such that the 

food base includes a diversity of aquatic insects with greater than l\Yo of the abundance 

comprised of mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies. 

Invasive Species 

Whirling disease, New Zealand Mudsnails, Quagga Muscles, and Dydimo have all been detected 

at Lees Ferry over the past decade. The Department will work with partners to maintain and 

enhance surveillance for other aquatic invasive species, including non-native fish that may harm 

the fishery. The existing monitoring programs have the ability to detect invasive species, but 

need to be expanded and coordinated to improve early detection and report frndings rapidly and 

consistently. The Department also plans to coordinate efforts with Glen Canyon National 

Recreation Area to better inform the angling and boating public of aquatic invasive species and 

to allow the decontamination of boats and equipment on site at Lees Ferry. 

Habitat 

In-stream habitat availability and suitability is largely regulated by dam operations. Riparian 

vegetation also influences habitat suitability and food base for many species. Rainbow Trout 

recruitment, survival, growth, density, and spawning are driven by flows regulated by Glen 

Canyon Dam. Below are strategies for best management of fìsh habitat within the Lees Ferry 

sport fishery reach of Glen Canyon. The Department will work with partners towards 

implementation of one or all of these strategies given limited resources and labor. 

Riparian Ve setation Restoration 

The Department will continue to emphasize that restoration of riparian vegetation in the Lees 

Ferry reach should be a high priority of the NPS. In addition, the feasibility of using dead 

tamarisk as fìsh habitat to improve aquatic productivity in the Lees Ferry reach should be 

investigated. Riparian vegetation plays an important role in supporting terrestrial insect 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 201.5 Page B 
abundance (important food source), and providing overhanging shade and cover for fish 

Overall Dam Operations 

In general, the Department supports a continuation of the current Modifred Low Fluctuating 

Flow regime. The Modified Low Fluctuating Flow (MLFF) regime provides relatively low daily 

fluctuations that are adjusted monthly based on water availability, electrical energy demands and 

water delivery requirements to Lake Mead. This flow regime reduces stranding of young 

Rainbow Trout, allows anglers more consistent, predicable access to upriver sections and may 

provide a more stable environment for invertebrates. However, some modifrcation of the MLFF 

regime is needed to determine whether a more steady flow regime will promote the 

establishment of a more diverse and stable aquatic food base. 

Minimum Flows 

Water release levels lower than 8,000 cfs in combination with daily fluctuations result in reduced 

nearshore habitats which are important for survival of young of year fish and aquatic 

invertebrates. Low flows also create navigation problems and safety concerns for boaters and 

fishermen. The Department will continue coordination for ongoing studies to establish a more 

science based minimum flow. 

Fall and Spring Hieh Flow Experiments 

High Flow Experiments (HFEs) are controlled water releases from Glen Canyon Dam that are 

designed to mimic natural pre-dam seasonal flooding. The primary objective of these releases is 

to rebuild sand bars that provide habitat for native plants and animals, supply camping beaches, 

and provide a source of fine sediments that protect archaeological sites from weathering and 

erosion. The 2008 spring high flow enhanced recruitment and survival of young Rainbow Trout, 

and enhanced the aquatic food base (Korman et al.20ll; Kennedy and Ralston 2011). As a 

result, because of concerns about Rainbow Trout impacts on the endangered Humpback Chub, 

recent HFEs have been restricted to the fall to help limit Rainbow Trout recruitment and 

survival. 

Spring HFEs are needed however, to further evaluate the food base and trout response that was 

observed in 2008. Spring HFEs may be a management option for use when there has been a 

signif,rcant decline in the trout population andlor drop in food production. HFEs held in spring 

should also provide other resource benefrts such as helping to control nonnative mudsnails and 

build camping beaches in Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon immediately before the peak 

rafting season. Spring HFEs will also provide a source of fine sediment just prior to the windy 

season in the Grand Canyon and will help protect archeological sites from weathering and 

erosion. Finally, spring floods, which historically occurred on a regular basis in the Grand 

Canyon, will help re-establish natural ecological processes in the Colorado River below Glen 

Canyon Dam 

The Department will work to identifu and set triggers for spring high flows that are based on 

trout recruitment, adult trout population and aquatic food production, in addition to down river 

sediment conservation needs. A spring HFE, could be used in lieu of or in conjunction with trout 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 9 
stocking when the trout fishery has experienced a significant decline. 

Experimental Trout Management Flows 

Rainbow Trout at Lees Ferry have shown the capability to reproduce prolifrcally under favorable 

conditions. Historically, when there is an over-abundance of young-of'-year Rainbow Trout, the 

quality and condition of Rainbow Trout decline. This is likely due to the low quality and low 

abundance of food sources in Lees Ferry. Trout Management Flows are flow treatments that are 

hypothesized to reduce the abundance ofyoung-of-year trout by stranding trout shortly after they 

emerge from their redds (J. Korman, Ecometric Research, Inc., personal communications, 2015). 

The best long-term and ecologically appropriate solution to managing trout densities is to 

increase invertebrate diversity and manage Glenn Canyon Dam flows to avoid excessive trout 

spawning and recruitment. The Department will continue to caution water managers on collateral 

damage that Trout Management Flows (TMFs) could have on other resources especially the 

aquatic food base and young native fish that could become stranded. TMFs may be especially 

useful when spring HFEs are implemented or in years when high equalization flows are required. 

TMFs should only be implemented in a carefully designed experimental framework that includes 

quantified criteria for success (for managing trout recruitment and improving the Humpback 

Chub population). The impacts of TMFs to other resources, especially the aquatic food base, 

should be fully assessed. Mitigation measures such as emergency stocking of trout need to be in 

place prior to the implementation of TMFs in case of catastrophic loss to the fishery. TMFs 

should only be used when the Rainbow Trout population is stable and includes a healthy 

abundance of all size classes of Rainbow Trout. 

Experimental TMFs that are implemented without regard to the status of the trout and the 

Humpback Chub fisheries are unsupportable and unnecessarily jeopardize the trout fishery. The 

experimental evaluation of TMFs needs to recognize the trout fishery as a highly valued asset. 

Finally, the Department will work to ensure it has a seat at the table along with Federal agencies 

on any discussion and decisions related to implementation of TMFs. 

Equalization Flows 

The impact of sustained periods of high flows that are designed to equalize water storage in Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead can result in undesirably high trout recruitment in the Lees Ferry reach. 

For example, the high equalization flows in 20ll are correlated with the recruitment of a large 

age class of Rainbow Trout. Large age classes such as these may not be sustainable under normal 

release volumes given the current forage base and available habitat. The Department will work 

with partners to revisit the current equalization guidelines to provide greater flexibility in 

meeting annual delivery requirements from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. For example, greater 

flexibility in making water deliveries outside of the water year would increase the flexibility to 

manage Glen Canyon Dam releases consistent with the desired future conditions for sand 

conservation and the Lees Ferry Rainbow Trout fishery. 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 1-0 
Access 

Access to Lees Feruy is limited by canyon walls throughout much of the fishery. Pedestrian 

fishing is primarily feasible at the "Walk in Area" that extends from approximately one mile 

upstream from the Lees Ferry boat launch to the confluence of the Colorado and Paria Rivers. 

The uppermost 15.5 miles of the fishery is accessed primarily by boats that are launched from 

Lees Ferry. 

Species 

Lees Ferry continues to provide the best opportunity for the Department to provide a high 

quality, Blue Ribbon Rainbow Trout fishery for anglers. Very few places exist in Arizona or the 

Southwest that provide the type of quality trout fishing anglers enjoy at Lees Ferry. However, as 

discussed above, this fishery is highly dependent upon water from upstream and how/when it is 

released from Glen Canyon Dam. 

The Lees Feruy sport fishery will be managed as a Blue Ribbon Rainbow Trout fishery. 

Department goals and objectives are based on the best available scientif,rc information gathered 

through the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP), the Desired Future 

Conditions that were adopted by the AMWG and the Secretary of the Interior, the CFMP, and 

the mandate of the Grand Canyon Protection Act to operate Glen Canyon Dam to improve the 

values for which Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was established. A prescription of how 

the Department will manage fish species in the Lees Ferry reach is outlined on pages 3-4. 

Additional guidelines and strategies are included below. 

Reeulations 

Historically, harvest regulations were the only tools available for managing the Lees Ferry trout 

population. The Department, with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission's approval, can 

adjust harvest regulations to respond to abundance or quality parameters of the population of 

trout at Lees Ferry. Consideration will be given to encouraging the public to harvest trout 

especially when the Rainbow Trout population isn't meeting the objectives of the fishery. The 

Department will implement public education and outreach campaigns as necessary to encourage 

anglers to embrace new harvest regulations and trout population management goals. 

Marble Canyon Trout Fishery 

Rainbow Trout numbers in Marble Canyon fiust downstream of Lees Ferry) can at times 

approach or even exceed those in the Lees Ferry reach. The CFMP provides for using angling to 

remove nonnative cold water fish in Marble Canyon as a means of reducing competition between 

Rainbow Trout and native warm water fish. The Marble Canyon trout population also provides 

an opportunity to use a presently underutilized recreational hshing resource to grow local 

businesses and employment. The Department in conjunction with the National Park Service will 

facilitate ways to use tribal members, local guides, and recreational anglers to harvest Rainbow 

Trout in Marble Canyon as a means of helping reduce downstream emigration of Rainbow Trout, 

and enhancing recreational use and employment and business opportunities in the local 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 20L5 Page L1 
community. 

Stockine 

Sequential annual losses of young-oÊyear recruits to the population would have severe 

consequences on future catch rates, angler satisfaction, and local economies. To respond to this 

possibility, the CFMP includes the provision to stock sterile Rainbow Trout in the event of a 

significant decline in trout abundance and angler catch rates over a period of several years. 

However, with declining water levels in Lake Powell, there is also an enhanced possibility of a 

catastrophic failure of the fishery resulting from any combination of low dissolved oxygen 

levels, high water temperatures or low food availability. In these events, stocking should be 

utilized to restore the trout fishery as soon as the factors that caused the catastrophic failure have 

been identifred and ameliorated. Restocking may also occur using the progeny of wild trout 

currently found in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam or other sources. V/ild trout 

currently found in Lees Fery are well adapted to survive and provide a quality fishery consistent 

with the Blue Ribbon standard. A suffìcient number of wild fìsh may be collected for use as 

brood stock if it appears that a collapse of the fishery is imminent. If this is not feasible, a high 

quality strain of Rainbow Trout may be stocked with proper fish health certifications. 

Additionally when stocking is deemed appropriate, the Department may translocate wild 

Rainbow Trout from downstream of the Paria River when needed to supplement the trout 

population within the Lees Ferry reach. Translocation could help achieve multiple goals by 

enhancing Lees Ferry sportfish opportunities and reducing down river migration of trout. 

Monitorine 

Long-term resource monitoring is the key to effective adaptive management (Walters and 

Holling 1990). The Department has been conducting long term monitoring of the Lees Ferry 

fishery using creel (angler) surveys since 1964 and standardized electrofishing surveys of the 

frsh population since 1991. Electrofishing surveys cunently occur in spring, summer and fall and 

provide valuable information on relative abundance, population structure, recruitment, and 

condition of the entire fish community in Lees Ferry (Rogowski 2014). The longterm creel and 

electrofishing surveys have provided valuable information on many of the goals and metrics 

discussed above. Information gained during these surveys is currently used to address many of 

the concerns of the angling community, particularly as it relates to angler catch, angler 

satisfaction, harvest rates, and the economic impacts of the frshery. 

Long-term monitoring through electrofishing and creel will be conducted as described in 

Rogowski (2014) unless changes are neoessary in response to outside review or management 

needs. 

A healthy trout population requires good habitat, a robust food base, and water quality that is 

conducive to supporting the desired biota. GCMRC has an established water quality monitoring 

and food base monitoring program that is pertinent to assessing the limitations that exist for 

achieving the described goals and objectives (Carlisle et al 2012). It is important for those 

programs to continue to conduct field monitoring and report conditions as they pertain to the 

Lees Ferry {ishery. 

Lees Ferry Fish Management PIan 

September 2015 Page 12 
In addition, the Department will work to ensure flows, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and 

nutrient levels continue to be monitored below Glen Canyon Dam. Conditions in Lake Powell 

that potentially lead to low DO releases of water should be monitored and reported in a timely 

fashion. Channel geomorphology (mapping) and riparian habitat in the Lees Ferry reach should 

be monitored on a periodic basis. 

The Department will work to ensure that Lees Ferry monitoring programs and proposed 

management actions will be a major focus of the Protocol Evaluation Panel (PEP) review of the 

GCDAMP fishery program in late 2015 or early 2016. The Panel will be requested to provide 

recommendations on: 

1. Approaches to identify the root cause(s) of the unstable trout populations in Lees Feruy; 

2. The highest priority actions to stabilize and enhance the quality of the aquatic food base 

and the Lees Ferry trout fishery; 

3. The appropriate metrics to trigger TMFs, stocking, and other management actions; 

4. The most appropriate methods and level of effort to effectively monitor progress towards 

achieving the goals outlined in this report; 

5. Important data gaps that need to be filled and uncertainties that need to be resolved; and 

6. The need to develop a Stock Assessment Model to: 

a. measure progress towards reaching the goals contained in this report,

b. determine the suitability of the metrics identified in the report, and 

c. evaluate the effectiveness of increasing harvest as a tool for managing the trout 

fishery. 

The Department will work toward ensuring a synthesis of available fish, food base, flow and 

water quality data for the period of 2003-2014 precedes the PEP review. This period includes 

warming water temperature, spring and fall HFEs, winter TMFs, low DO, equalization flows and 

several steady flow tests. To facilitate a productive PEP review, we recommend that a technical 

workshop be held prior to the PEP review to review and summarize the available data for the 

panel. 

Catch 

Catch rates of > 1 Rainbow Trout per hour with a condition factor > I during the summer months 

is the base objective for this reach. To address the Blue Ribbon quality aspect of this fishery, 

however, catch rates of l0 Rainbow Trout > 14 inches in a lO-hour day, at least one > 20 inches 

will be the management objective for all anglers. The Department will also set a target use rate 

of> 20,000 angler days per year as measured by creel counts and contacts. 

Satisfaction 

The level of angler satisfaction is critically important to the Department. Most frequently, 

anglers are satisfied by catching the sizes, numbers, and species of fish they expect to catch 

during a fishing trip. Angler expectations of the Blue Ribbon fishery at Lees Ferry include 

Lees Ferry Fish Management Plan 

September 2015 Page 1,3 
reasonable catch rates, strong healthy trout and the chance to catch a trophy sized fish (trout > 20 

inches). 

During Creel surveys and interactions with anglers, Department staff will ask a standardized 

question regarding an angler's satisfaction with the fishery. Satisfaction of 70o/o is the goal of 

the frshery. Results will be documented and reported on annually. 

Thank You 

The Department would like to thank the sportsmen and women who were integral to the 

development of this document. It is through their passion and diligence that we are able to best 

manage these important resources. We would like to offer a special thanks to John Hamill 

(Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership) and John Jordan (Trout Unlimited) for their 

recommendations. 

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D. (2009). Report of the 2009 Protocol Evaluation Panel for Fish Monitoring Programs of 

the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. 

Carlisle, D., Gutreuter, S., Holdren, G. C., Roberts,B., & Robinson, C. (2012). Final Report of 

the Aquatic Food Base Study and Protocol Evaluation Panel. 

Fedler, AJ . 2014. 20 I 3 Economic Impact of Fishing in Arizona. Technical Report for the 

Arizona Game and Fish Department, pp. 14. 

Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, 2008, USGS workshop on scientific aspects of 

a long-term experimental plan for Glen Canyon Dam, April 10-11, 2007,Flagstaff, 

Arizona'. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1153,79 p. 

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D. (2003). Evaluating A Glen Canyon Dam Temperature Control Device To Enhance 

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Geological Survey Circular: 20ll-1366: Reston, Y A; 93-125. 

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Korman, J.,M. Kaplinski, and T. S.Melis. 2011. Effects of fluctuating flows and a controlled 

flood on incubation success and early survival rates and growth of age-O Rainbow Trout 

in a large regulated river. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 140:487-505. 

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Society, v. 13, no. 2, p.305-307.
 

McKinney, T. and W. R. Persons. 1998. Lee's Ferry Rainbow Trout fishery--an ecological 

synthesis. Final Report to Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. Arizona 

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Recreational Anglers, 2015. Lees Ferry Recreational Trout Fishery Management 

Recommendations. 

Rogowski D.L., L.K. Winters, P.N. Wolters, and K.M. Manuell.2014. Status of the Lees Ferry 

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Runge, M.C., Bean, Ellen, Smith, D.R., and Kokos, Sonja, 2011, Non-native fish control below 

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Survey Open-File Report 20ll-1012,74 p. 

Tyus, H. M., and J. F. Saunders, III. 2000. Nonnative fish control and endangered frsh recovery: 

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and Work Plan-Fiscal Years 2015-2017, pp. 537 . 

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