Little Jacobs Creek Brook Trout Restoration

[daymere]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Information obtained during the 1990s has documented the ability of brook trout to coexist with rainbow trout in several Tennessee streams (e.g., Rocky Fork and Briar Creek, Section 2.3). Because of this and the paucity of brook trout streams in Sullivan County, Little Jacobs Creek was selected for a brook trout re-introduction project in 2000. With the assistance of the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, 180 southern Appalachian brook trout (all sizes) from East Fork Beaverdam Creek, Heaberlin Branch, and Fagall Branch were transplanted to Little Jacob Creek (between 768 m and 805 m elevation) in September 2000. This was TWRA's first attempt at brook trout restoration that did not involve removing or reducing a pre-existing rainbow trout population. Upper Little Jacob Creek will be monitored to determine the efficacy of this method of re-introducing brook trout, which could be useful where establishment of a brook trout population is desirable (e.g., to create a fishery), but allopatry is not considered necessary or the removal of other salmonids is impractical. To help brook trout become established in Little Jacob Creek, it was placed (along with Left Prong Hampton Creek) under the set of regulations that currently apply to Rocky Fork, Higgins Creek, and several others (only three of the seven-fish creel limit may be brook trout ³152 mm; artificial single-hook lures only). The new regulations became effective March 1, 2001. The lower portion of Little Jacob Creek continues to support an excellent wild rainbow trout population which future management should protect and maintain.[/size][/font]
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