Review of Fishing Regulations Begins
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The Colorado Division of Wildlife is starting its 5-year review of statewide fishing regulations and is asking anglers throughout the state to provide comments and suggestions on regulations and possible changes. The DOW requests that angler comments be received by the end of April.
Regulation planning will be discussed throughout Colorado at "Angler Roundtable" meetings that will begin in late March. Management and research for various waters will also be discussed at the meetings. Dates and locations of those meetings are still being scheduled and will be announced later.
Comments on regulations can be submitted to the following people:
Southwest Region:
John Alves- (719)587-6907 or john.alves@state.co.us
Northwest Region:
Sherman Hebein- (970)255-6186 or sherman.hebein@state.co.us
Southeast Region:
Doug Krieger- (719)227-5202 or doug.krieger@state.co.us
Northeast Region:
Ken Kehmeier- (970)291-4350 or ken.kehmeier@state.co.us
Statewide issues:
Dave Chadwick- (303)291-7174 or dave.chadwick@state.co.us
The DOW is also asking for comments from fishing organizations, sportsmen's groups; water resource managers including ditch companies, conservancy districts, and state and federal government agencies; land management agencies, local governments and private landowners; and businesses and communities that have an economic stake in fishing activity.
Read the full press release or see the Fishing Regulations Review page for more information.
New License Year Starts April 1
Beginning March 15, 2010 you can purchase your annual 2010 license valid 4/1/10 - 3/31/11 for fishing, senior fishing, combination fishing and hunting and habitat stamps at any license agent, DOW office, online or by phone at 1-800-244-5613.
The Story Behind Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery
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For some reason, looking at thousands of trout swimming around at one’s feet in shallow water is a nearly irresistible attraction, that’s why thousands of people visit Colorado’s many fish hatcheries and rearing units. There’s one such unit in southern Colorado with an interesting history.
In a 1939 edition of the magazine Outdoor Life, a writer described Colorado’s largest fish hatchery of the time. At Salida, one Horace Frantz operates the biggest commercial rainbow trout farm in the world. He ships fish to restaurants as far away as New York City and Philadelphia.
Known variously as the Frantzhurst Rainbow Trout Company, Frantzhurst trout hatchery, and Mt. Shavano Trout Farm, this operation also supplied trout to hundreds of private lakes. He even offered lodging and fishing, at what else, Frantz Lake, to the general public.
The Division of Wildlife took over Mt. Shavano in 1956.
Needless to say, this fish unit is named for the 14,000+ ft. peak nearby. Mt. Shavano is indeed a fish hatchery, but unlike some other trout units in Colorado, it doesn’t have brood fish. In other words, it doesn’t produce its own eggs. All of the eggs that are hatched here come from other states or from other state hatcheries.
Eggs used to be hatched in trays, but fish culturists have found that using tall cylindrical incubators works much better. From there it’s just a matter of letting them grow. As the fish get bigger so do the bodies of water they live in. Fish go from indoor plastic trays and raceways to outdoor cement raceways and ponds. The trout are fed twice a day, often by hand, but timed solar feeders and demand feeders are used as well. When they grow to lengths of 8 in. to 10 in., they’re loaded on trucks and stocked out.
Like most state fish hatcheries, you can visit Mt. Shavano year round. The Mt. Shavano fish hatchery is located on the N. end of Salida just of HWY 291 on at 7725 Co. Rd. 154. Call (719) 539-6877 for more information. More information, including setting up tours of other hatcheries, can also be found on the Fish Hatchery Map page.