Download drone shot of a trout stream
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Fly fishing spring-fed streams and protecting native brook trout and wood turtles in southeast Minnesota will be featured on Prairie Sportsman. “Fishing a Spring-fed Stream” will air on Pioneer PBS Sunday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Southeast Minnesota is known as the Driftless Area because it escaped advances of the last glaciers that spread across the Upper Midwest more than 10,000 years ago. The region’s dramatic bluffs and deep valleys are carved from porous limestone that doesn’t hold bodies of water. So while the area has no lakes, there are more than 70 spring-fed streams. The cool, clean water provides the perfect habitat for brook and brown trout sought by fly fishing anglers like Vaughn Snook, DNR area fisheries assistant supervisor in Lanesboro. Vaughn demonstrates the art of fly casting, tying on flies that match the insects that trout are feeding on, and catching trout on a tiny hook.
In the next segment, we learn that brook trout are southeast Minnesota’s only native trout species that thrived during pre-settlement times. When timber companies started logging the hillsides and farmers tilled the land, silt ran into cool, deep streams. Water temperatures warmed, and the altered habitat favored German brown trout over the native brook trout. After the Dust Bowl, conservation practices reduced run-off and brook trout numbers improved. Brook trout were stocked in dozens of streams but they came from out-of-state hatcheries. Genetic testing revealed that trout in 34 streams descended from the original species, so the DNR is taking eggs from heritage fish to raise in a hatchery and release in area streams.
In the final segment, we see how the Minnesota Zoo and DNR are partnering to save wood turtles in southeast Minnesota. They are gathering eggs from turtle nesting sites, raising them at the Zoo, then releasing year-old turtles the following spring when they have a better chance of survival. Wood turtle populations are threatened by habitat loss from development and agriculture, predators, flooding of nesting areas and road mortality.
About Prairie Sportsman
Prairie Sportsman an Emmy-awarded series that celebrates our love of the outdoors to hunt, fish and recreate, while promoting environmental stewardship. Prairie Sportsman’s team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; and Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer. The 2022 season is made possible by funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, SafeBasements of Minnesota, Live Wide Open, Western Minnesota Prairie Waters and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is anaward-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit www.pioneer.org.
Credit: Source link
