Willow Creek by Augusta, Restocking

[mtoutdoorsman]

An article came out about restocking the drained Willow creek res
http://www.montanaoutdoor.com/2020/02/fish-wildlife-and-parks-to-begin-stocking-trout-in-willow-creek-reservoir/

To no surprise they are going to stock rainbow trout. Now I know that the lake was previously a great trout lake and will probably return to one. But a part of me was hoping that they would do a different fish. I feel as if starting with a blank slate after the lake was drained, they could have developed a perfect fishery for a different fish. Even different species of trout would have been cool. Thoughts?

P.S Please don't make this into a political battle of FWP. Just a discussion of starting the lake from a clean slate.

[PerchPounderMT]

What a coincidence.....
https://helenair.com/news/local/tiger-muskies-coming-to-willow-creek-reservoir/article_07604f7f-592b-5d48-a7d1-41ee77770cc5.html

[lundin-loading]

The article is from 2014...after the drain all the muskies are gone and it will once again be rainbows and suckers

[PerchPounderMT]

The article is from 2014...after the drain all the muskies are gone and it will once again be rainbows and suckers

yhe,thats my point

[lundin-loading]

yhe,thats my point

My response was regarding mteyeguy's reply worded as though he thinks the article is current

[PerchPounderMT]

My response was regarding mteyeguy's reply worded as though he thinks the article is current

gotcha

[mtcommonwalleyeguy]

Woops, didn't even check the date. My bad for the wasted space. I'll remove it as it's irrelevant.

[Nockdown]

Walleye. 

[PerchPounderMT]

not going to happen

[mtoutdoorsman]

I thought the tiger muskie was really a unique way of handling sucker populations. Plus was a cool new species of fish to possible catch. As with walleye, to me it is the almost the same thing as the rainbow trout as nearly every nearby body of water has them.

[Nockdown]

I thought the tiger muskie was really a unique way of handling sucker populations. Plus was a cool new species of fish to possible catch. As with walleye, to me it is the almost the same thing as the rainbow trout as nearly every nearby body of water has them.

Where? Not close and/or worth a damn. But trout? Those fancy carp are everywhere. Waldos not so much. Let the water whippers have their trash fish in the rivers.
Smallmouth would be a nice change too. Everyone was jacked about the Muskie thing now it’s going back to a POS trout pond. Tasty fish matter. We need some diversity.

[Born Late]

I thought the tiger muskie was really a unique way of handling sucker populations. Plus was a cool new species of fish to possible catch.

Yep, a sucker-munching sterile hybrid that won’t reproduce after a bucket biologist decides to take a few for a joy ride.  If only the bucket biologists were sterile.

[mtoutdoorsman]

Personally, I think Smallmouth would be great. Plus i feel as if that lake structure could support them too. Have a natural reproductive game fish!

[PablitoPescador]

Personally, I think Smallmouth would be great. Plus i feel as if that lake structure could support them too. Have a natural reproductive game fish!

There’s a ton of crawdads in that lake. I think smallies would do really well in there