Apache Trout

KMZs and other files showing the distribution of Apache Trout are available from the download system.

The Wallow Fire, which started on May 29, 2011 burned over 500,000 acres, including some areas that contained Apache Trout. Worst affected is the Fish Creek drainage and the West Fork of the Black River. Check on current status before planning a trip.

Apache Trout are officially listed as a threatened species across their entire range (although the State of AZ has asked to delist them). Many streams on both state-regulated and Indian reservations (that are regulated by the tribes, are closed to angling). Check before going out.

Apache Trout, a subvariant of the Gila Trout, today inhabit a tiny range tucked away in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona, roughly 135 miles east-northeast of Phoenix. We provide here several data sources about where to find them.

There are three KMZs in the download system which you may find useful, illustrated in the image below.

First is the same dataset used in the interactive map. It shows streams listed in the 2009 Apache Trout Recovery Plan as magenta lines. Note, we've made little or no attempt to designate the specific stream segments that hold Apache trout, which will generally live in a short segment of the marked stream. You will want to download and study the Recovery Plan text for hints. The text will tell you the mileage of the populated segment, and will often refer to a barrier (e.g. a dam) or natural feature which you may be able to locate.

View Apache Trout in a larger map

apache_range

Source: Google Earth images with basin overlays by TU Conservation Success Index. Magenta stream segments encoded by WildTroutStreams.com. Magneta streams are based on the 2009 Apache Trout Recovery Plan published by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Turquoise Streams show stream segments designated as Cold Water Habitat by the Arizon Department of Environmental Quality and published by the US EPA WATERS database.

Second is a KMZ showing AZ stream segments classified as supporting cold water habitat (turquoise). Note that streams within the indian reservations are not classified, and therefore don't appear. The good news is that if a stream is both magenta and turqoise it probably holds Apache Trout and is probably legal to fish. However, you should always check state regulations yourself. We may have misread the website, and in any event fishing regulations can change.

Third is the TU Conservation Success Index. It color-codes basin habitat quality: blue, green, yellow, orange, red (from best to worst). Brown basins are places which used to be part of the range, but where the species is now extirpated.

Last Updated (Sunday, 28 August 2011 20:46)