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The Breaching Of Pine Creek Reservoir

By Steve Stoner

June 25, 2010

On the afternoon of June 8, 2010 the flow through barrier at the old dam on Pine Creek Reservoir was breached. This reservoir was constructed in 1912 as an irrigation enhancement to a natural beaver pond. The construction of rock and earth was very good on this dam and on the dam below it known as Lower Pine Creek Reservoir and held firm until both were condemned and subsequently dynamited by the U.S Forest service in 1991. Prior to this use of explosives by the Forest Service the lakes behind these dams which were approximately four acres and two acres respectively were renowned brook trout and cutthroat trout fisheries. The two reservoirs along with the three upper and lower beaver ponds were also blown out with dynamite and the beaver killed at this time. All of these waters were exceptional fisheries up until that time, especially the upper beaver pond located just upstream of the main Pine Creek Reservoir which at that time held absolutely fantastic Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

The use of explosives to breach these waters was not part of the recent Colorado River cutthroat trout reintroduction program. That came along later. These breached dams, both beaver and manmade were all part of an ongoing Forest Service project that was designed to condemn and remove all man made earthen and natural beaver dams from the Boulder Mountain. That project was quite successful in that most man made dams and definitely all of the beaver dams on the Boulder Mountain were breached. The destruction of these dams rendered many of the fisheries associated with them dead and useless or at the very least diminished.

Getting back to the Pine Creek Reservoir fiasco….What is a flow through barrier? A flow through barrier is simply logs laid across an opening in the outflow of the breached dam. Behind these logs are stacked rocks which keep the logs in place. Moss and floating weeds in the lake are held back by this barrier which creates a floating blanket of vegetation. This floating mass of weeds creates shade and shelter for trout and enhances the barrier that effectively keeps the trout from migrating downstream out of the lake during the annual cutthroat spawn which is coincidently occurring at it‘s peak on June 8th. This barrier does not dam the water and raise the level of the lake much as the water flows freely through the stacked rocks.

This barrier was constructed by hand when the lake was treated and restocked with Colorado River cutthroat trout by Utah Division Of Wildlife Resources [UDWR] more than a decade ago. The newly stocked cutthroat trout proved to be slow growers compared to the previous occupants which for many decades had always been brook trout and the old standby Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Yellowstone cutthroat are no longer stocked on the Boulder Mountain. Instead the indigenous Colorado River and Bonneville cutthroats are the preferred stockers.

The natural food source in all of these waters connected with the two Pine Creek Reservoirs had always sustained the brookies and Yellowstone cutthroat very well and fish caught at any of these very popular ponds throughout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were always described by anglers as footballs.

The current residents of the main Pine Creek Reservoir, which is the only water there besides the outlet stream that is stocked with the indigenous Colorado River cutthroat trout are also doing extremely well and have attained a maximum size for the first fished stocked [nearly ten years ago] of more than five pounds and like the fish before them, they are also shaped like footballs. But as notoriously slow growers they just took much longer to reach those proportions. The beautiful cutthroat in the image below illustrates that slow growth rate. This trout has been in the lake for four seasons since being stocked as a fingerling.

In the past three years Pine Creek Reservoir has regained it’s popularity and previous reputation as a trophy fishery. The cutthroat trout at this small lake are unsurpassed for their large size and outstanding beauty. Anglers who visited this lake at the right time were astonished at the great schools of brightly colored cutthroat that were so visible and readily accessible along the shoreline. The credit for this wonderful phenomenon goes to the UDWR fisheries biologists who worked so hard on this project. It is this initial effort that has made this lake so popular once again. The trout in the image below is just one of many that was found dead on the rocks below the dam. This fish is so fat that you would not be able to grip it with one hand if it was alive.

These fantastic cutthroat were so thick that their body shape resembled the famous brookies found in many of the lakes and ponds on Boulder Mountain. The cutthroat in the image below, also found dead was very thick all the way back to the tail. Most of the numerous fish found below the breached barrier were of this quality.

But as can be expected, with popularity comes impact. Angler impact is just part of fishing. All anglers impact a fishery to some degree just by their use of it. Whether or not that impact is fairly benign or downright detrimental is up to us. Most anglers prefer to catch these cutthroat fairly by rod and reel either by use of a spin cast outfit or a fly rod. Catching these beautiful trout legitimately brings the angler great satisfaction and a fine trophy regardless of whether they plan to keep it or just photograph and release it unharmed. However, there are some who prefer to catch their trout by other unsavory means as evidenced by some of the debris commonly found along the shoreline there. Numerous shell casings from handguns in a variety of calibers are usually present along with an assortment of elaborate snagging rigs such as large treble hooks with attached weights and even clusters of large circle hooks. Were the shooters ever successful in their attempts at their alternative angling technique? Perhaps, at least some of the time considering how close these trout schooled along the shoreline and how shallow the water is there. What about the loathsome snaggers? Were they ever successful? No doubt they are indeed most of the time.

And so with all of the popularity of the newly rebuilt trophy trout fishery at Pine Creek Reservoir and in spite of all of the pressure from anglers, both the legitimate and the loathsome the fishery continued to thrive. It was a popular, thriving, and busy trophy trout fishery right up until the afternoon of June 8, 2010.

On Friday June 4, 2010 a Forest Service trail crew was seen at this lake. These men were working on a project to implement the old road to the dam from the west side. They were placing boulders and logs along this route to discourage and possibly block illegal ATV use there. This was long overdue as illegal ATV use at this lake is out of control and has proved to negatively impact the fishery there. On Tuesday June 8, 2010 this same trail crew was again seen implementing the legitimate hiking trail on the north side of the lake. There they were raking debris from the trail and trimming small overhanging branches to clear and define the trail as they normally do. They did not use a chainsaw to cut an opening in the fallen logs laying across the trail as they did not have a chainsaw with them on that day. They have since been back with the chainsaw and cleared the fallen logs from the trail. All of this is the normal procedure that Forest Service trail crews follow. What is not normal is to breach the flow through barrier at the dam. Did this trail crew breach the barrier? The official response from local Forest Service officer Kurt Robbins was to adamantly deny that any of his men had ever been in the area on any of those days! Of course this response is just absurd! Clearly they were there as witnessed by hikers and anglers. Campers who were at Pine Creek Reservoir recalled watching several men wearing hard hats working on the dam there on the afternoon of June 8th.

Did the Forest Service ever breach any dams, manmade or natural on the Boulder Mountain? They say and have always maintained no. The official response by any officer of the U.S. Forest Service to allegations that the Forest Service was ever responsible directly or indirectly for the breaching of manmade dams or the destruction of beaver dams on the Boulder Mountain is “No.” Yet the evidence speaks clearly enough. All of the Beaver dams, lodges and the beaver are in fact gone due to explosives, not natural occurrence but explosives! It is only obvious that this devious task was carried out by a government trapper over a period of many years acting in an official capacity on behalf of the Forest Service. The image below shows the beaver pond on the stream above Pine Creek Reservoir as it looks today. Just imagine if you can, coming to this pond when it was full and alive. You would have found it to hold very nice brookies and exceptional Yellowstone cutthroat. Were it not for the dynamite placed there by the Forest Service in the 1990's you would be able to fish there today for equally fine Colorado River Cutthroat.

Why is the recent breaching of this simple flow through barrier such a big deal anyway you may ask. It was just a bunch of logs and rocks. What is all the fuss about? The answer is when this barrier was removed water from the lake immediately rushed through the opening which was made approximately ten feet wide and thirty inches deep. All of the moss and weeds that formed the shade and shelter for the mature Colorado River cutthroat that preferred to suspend there flowed out with the rush of water. Most if not all of the largest of these fine cutthroat were known to lurk under those weeds. These fish naturally flowed out of the new opening in the barrier, willingly no doubt as this was right at the peak of their spawn and they will definitely go upstream or downstream from a still water to spawn. Unfortunately, this resulted in these fish dying on the rocks below the old spillway.

At least one hundred of the largest trout in this small lake died there on June 8th and more continued to escape the lake even though the barrier was hastily repaired on June 9th. Bears were seen eating these fine specimens for several days thereafter. What a feast they must have enjoyed! This may sound like a trivial amount of fish to someone who has not fished there before. But for a small lake of approximately three surface acres with an average depth of three feet and a maximum depth of ten feet nearest the old dam, this is very serious. Bears are often seen at this and many other popular fishing spots on the Boulder Mountain. The bear in the image below was seen along the shoreline frequently. He is an experienced fisher and no doubt has an acquired taste for cutthroat trout. He probably wasted little time in cleaning up the mess from the breached barrier!

On the Morning of June 9th when the breach was first discovered the lake was very low and it was obvious that if the breach was not immediately repaired the lake would continue to drain until most of the water and the rest of the cutthroat were gone. As it now stands, the trophy trout fishery at Pine Creek Reservoir on southern Utah’s Boulder Mountain is no more. Yes, the lake looks the same as it did earlier in the summer. But gone are the schools of brightly colored Colorado River cutthroat. There are some fish still in the lake to be sure. There are some fingerlings from a recent stocking by UDWR. There are even a few large trout still lurking under what is left of the moss cover along the dam. But as a fishery it is not even close to the same as it was earlier in the month. These fine trout have endured all manner of attempts at angling, both civilized and uncivilized and still managed to survive in adequate numbers to justify the label of “Trophy Trout Fishery.” However, one senseless act by a few thoughtless individuals has changed that completely!

Those individuals who are responsible for the destruction of that fine fishery were obviously following orders. They were merely following orders given to them by a superior. That is how the system works. Did they ever wonder what would happen when they removed the logs and rocks? Did they even think for a minute what might happen to the fish there? Did they even care one way or the other? Probably not. Oh well……..

There are many other Colorado River cutthroat trout fisheries on the Boulder Mountain. Pine Creek Reservoir was not the only place to fish for these beautiful trout. Several restored lakes here also deserve consideration as trophy Colorado River cutthroat fisheries. There is no doubt that pressure from concerned anglers who revered Pine Creek Reservoir will cause UDWR Fisheries Biologist Mike Ottenbacher to take notice of what has become of his former “pet project.” He may even take time from his very busy schedule to repair and restore the former trophy trout fishery there. After all, it was his effort as well as the effort of then acting UDWR Southern Region Fisheries Biologist and Aquatics Manager Dale Hepworth who made this lake what it is today….or at least what it was. However, even with additional stocking of new fingerling cutthroat and a continued effort to repair and monitor the barrier that keeps these fish in the lake it will be a long time before this lake recovers. It took nearly ten years for the first fingerlings stocked there to reach those trophy proportions.

The small stream that runs for several miles after exiting this lake was the main focus of the Colorado River cutthroat restoration project in the first place. This water is entirely consumed for irrigation farther downstream on the King Ranch just before it reaches the Fremont River. Fortunately the trout in this small stream are now thriving as a wild self sustaining population. Diminutive as they are, everything is as it should be. If you have a one weight or even a zero weight fly rod, this is the place for it. The biggest trout in that tiny stream would not make six inches, albeit an extremely colorful six inches!

But when these same trout are stocked into the right lake they can get pretty big. Pine Creek Reservoir has a very dense scud population. Most of the lakes on the Boulder Mountain have good populations of scuds, some have extremely good populations. This lake and all of the old beaver ponds associated with it are good examples of that phenomenon. Consequently the trout there have rarely struggled for enough to eat. Even when these waters were stocked with brook trout they rarely if ever really experienced stunting due to over crowding. Even though these waters were treated with rotenone numerous times, and even redundantly by UDWR fisheries biologists for “stunted brook trout” locals new better. The fish that were caught there were consistently robust! This group of lakes and beaver ponds have always received plenty of pressure from local anglers. The Pine Creek Reservoirs and the adjacent beaver ponds have been some of Wayne County’s favorite fishing spots for nearly a century.

So what happens to this lake now? Do countless anglers plan a trip there just to find out the hard way that it is next to worthless? This scenario of taking valuable vacation days and planning a much needed family outing to one of the famous Boulder Mountain hot spots only to find out after all of the time and effort getting there that the lake or pond that had become so notorious for big trout has been recently treated with rotenone, breached or blown up is ridiculous! Yet it has happened innumerable times.

My job as a guide and outfitter is to consistently know which waters on the Boulder Mountain are currently producing the best quality angling opportunities. All guides and outfitters exploit a natural or manmade resource. It is by definition the nature of this business. Our clients expect us to know the current status of every water that we take them to. That is what western fly fishing guides do from here to Montana. And so it is very important for me as a guide to do something to protect and even nurture the resources that I take advantage of. I do not freely divulge information to the casual caller about where to fish because of the potential negative impact. This refusal to give out directions to particular waters often times puts me in a tough spot with the caller and as a result negative feelings towards me by the caller are not uncommon. It is true that for each individual or group that I take to a particular water the potential for negative impact increases exponentially. This is especially true of lakes and ponds that are quite small like so many on this mountain. But this potential negative impact that one guide is capable of is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the negative impact that UDWR can have when they advertise the name and exact location of a recently restored lake or group of lakes on the Boulder Mountain on their now very popular website. Such is the case with the Fish Creek Reservoir area. After successive years of advertising by UDWR about this newly restored trophy trout fishery, this lake is now trashed beyond belief! You cannot walk ten feet along the shoreline there without seeing what amounts to a sack full of garbage laying among the boulders. As for the trout there? There are still schools of Bonneville cutthroat that habitually cruise the shoreline, but the average size of the fish has diminished considerably. The large tiger trout and splake that were so common two years ago are fewer and farther between now as well.

This was a fishery that was definitely overcrowded by brook trout and as a result severe stunting was only obvious. Something needed to be done and after several years of ongoing effort to remove the brook trout by UDWR fisheries biologists the lake was finally restored. Bonneville cutthroat were stocked along with splake and tiger trout. Although the Bonneville cutthroat were stocked as fingerlings, the splake and tiger trout were initially stocked as fingerlings and catchable size with a two fold purpose in mind. First to control the inevitable return of the brook trout as both of these hybrids are known to be piscivorous when matured. This larger size was meant to give these predatory fish a jump start over the brookies. Secondly the splake and tiger trout were stocked to give anglers some exciting diversity in their catch. Apparently this two fold plan has worked out splendidly. Anglers have recently caught some huge examples of these hybrids. The downside to this stocking of piscivorous hybrids such as splake and tiger trout is that they will also readily consume the newly stocked fingerling Bonneville cutthroat and even the newly stocked splake and tiger trout fingerlings that UDWR stocks on a regular basis. Even though that might seem like a pure pork scenario that is just custom made for a wildlife agency like UDWR that has been accused of pork barrel policy for years, it all seems to work out fine and the fishery at Fish Creek Reservoir has flourished and is still fairly stable at this time. However, advertising this place to potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions of people and even improving the road to this reservoir cannot be a good thing. Unless of course they are only concerned with where they can get rid of [stock] the latest batch of fingerling trout….so that they can get more matching state and federal funds to raise more fingerlings so that they can stock more and get more funds….

Writing an article like this one exposing the Forest Service for such an irresponsible and reckless act could also conceivably cause future additional adverse impact to this small lake known as Pine Creek Reservoir by virtue of the fact that this website also receives heavy traffic and so many people will undoubtedly read this article. Many of those readers may even wish to visit this beautiful lake in the future if it is ever restored. But better you should know what has happened here and what to expect if you are planning a trip to Boulder Mountain this season.

That being said, perhaps the UDWR fisheries biologists would realize the need for an immediate restocking of both fingerling and catchable size Colorado River cutthroat trout into Pine Creek Reservoir. It usually takes an immense amount of pressure from the public to get anything done in government. Why would UDWR or the U.S Forest Service be any different. All of the wonderful fisheries and other natural resources of the Boulder Mountain belong to the people. That means you. This your property, your mountain, your lakes and your fish. Do something about it.

Update!

Since this article appeared on this website the water user has come forward and admitted to the Forest Service that it was he who breached the dam and drained the water from Pine Creek Reservoir. Although this individual was only interested in obtaining more water for his fields and probably not even aware of the fact that all of the larger fish were hiding under the moss held back by the flow through barrier, the result was the same. This individual did not have the right as the water user to manipulate the level of the lake behind what remains of the dam at Pine Creek Reservoir since the original breaching of this dam by the Forest Service after it was condemned. The water user lost that right when the dam was condemned and dynamite was used to breach the dam consequently destroying the antiquated headgate.The original breaching of this dam by the Forest Service [approximately 1989] also severely impacted the trophy trout fishery that existed there up until that time.

Contacts:

Mike Ottenbacher, UDWR Southern Region Aquatic Manager 435-865-6109 mikeottenbacher@utah.gov

Dixie National Forest Supervisor’s Office 435-865-3700

Robert G. MacWhorter / Forest Supervisor

USDA Forest Service

1789 North Wedgewood Lane

Cedar City, UT 84721-7769

Call Steve Stoner at 1- 435-335-7306 Your call will always be returned

Click on this link for an easy to use Utah Road Map http://www.utah-map.org/utah-road-map.gif

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