Article Skagit Bull Trout Primer Ch 3: The Repeats (By Smalma)

[Josh]

Skagit Bull Trout Primer Ch 3: The Repeats
By: @Smalma


Photo by @Josh

Over the long pre-spawn holding period and the rigors of the actual spawning process, the adult bull trout may lose 1/3 or more of their pre-migration weight so it is hardly surprising that post spawn these fish evacuate the spawning grounds quickly. Fortunately for the Skagit fish, the ending of the spawning typically coincides with the onset of the chum salmon spawning and the hungry bulls are quick to take advantage of the food source those chums provide. During most of November and much of December one rarely finds active spawning salmon in the Skagit or Sauk without at least a few bull trout nearby...

Chapter 3 in @Smalma's awesome series about Bull Trout in the Skagit river basin has been published! This is an updated and expanded version of a short article he wrote for some other website a decade ago. It's full of the history and science and status of one of our coolest native fish species.

Thank you to Smalma and to everyone who uploaded photos to illustrate the article series.