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A Shocking Story Gary W. Flanagan Last Updated: 10/22/02 It was especially cold at the meeting spot and I knew it would stay that way for a long time. The steep canyon walls along this section of the Little Truckee would prevent the warming rays of the sun from reaching us until late in the morning. We were scheduled to meet with Sharon Shiba. Sharon is an Associate Fishery Biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game and a Lead person for the "Heritage and Wild Trout Program." Tom Ross and I were fifteen minutes early, as were Granite Bay Flycaster members John Carroz, Jim Hunter, Mac Hunter, Joe Baina and Dick Gaspari. We had been recruited to help with an electro-shock fish study on three sections of the Little Truckee River between Boca and Stampede Reservoirs. The three-day study would also include GBF members Dave Baker, Corey Cherrstrom and Jack Ramos, along with some retired F&G people. The plan was to run long nets across the river above and below each study site at predetermined locations. These containment nets would prevent fish from leaving the study site after we started electro-shocking the water. The sections between the nets varied in distance but included about 100 yards of river within each test section. The nets had to be weighed down at the bottom with river rocks and also propped up above the water with sticks scavenged from the riverbank. Keeping the nets free of debris was a constant battle. Once the nets were in place we were able to begin shocking the water next to the down river containment net. Fish and Game employees donned their electro-shocking units. They looked very much like Ghost Busters with the units on their backs. From the bottom of the unit a long cable called a cathode trails into the water. This is referred to as a rat-tail for obvious reasons and is the negative end of the shocking unit. The operators don’t like it when you step on these tails. The operator holds a long wand, which is swept from side to side through the upstream water. This wand is the anode and is the positive end of the shocking unit. It looks like a metal detector wand. Each unit is given a pet name, which is painted on the frame. The biologists can identify the quirks and idiosyncrasies of each electro-shocking unit by looking at the name. I worked next to the unit named "CARTMAN." All of us were required to wear neoprene waders and long rubber gloves to keep from being shocked. None of us questioned the wisdom of this request with twenty-four volts and 1.4 amps of power coursing through the river in which we were standing. Being insulated seemed very logical and although curious, I decided not to put my bare finger in the water to see what would happen. Armed with long handled dip nets, our job was to scoop the stunned fish from the water and secure them in a "live cart" which is dragged through the water behind us by more volunteers. A "live cart" looks suspiciously like a large gray, plastic garbage can with lots of holes drilled in the sides. As soon as the triggers on the electro-shockers were activated, fish started darting from the bottom of the river. We captured the fish with our dip nets and deposited them into the live carts. We then moved forward a few feet with the biologists and the process was repeated. Shoulder to shoulder, spanning the river, we worked our way upstream netting fish, until we came to the upstream barrier net. This is sometimes exciting because the larger fish will move ahead of the commotion and hide between the containment netting and the river rock. When they bust out it can be exciting. Once finished, we dropped back to the downstream net and repeated the process two more times. We collected Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Dace, Tahoe Suckers and Paiute Sculpin. The Sculpin is the most prevalent species in the river. In the first section alone we collected over 1,400 Sculpin! As flyfisherman, we concluded that the Sculpin is probably a major food source for the trout. The Sculpin averaged from ¼ inch 4 inches in length and are dark, dark brown in color. A Muddler patterns might work as a Sculpin imitation. It wasn’t until the third day we started netting larger trout. In one run we netted over fifteen trout, some Rainbows but mostly Browns ranging from sixteen inches to a twenty-five-inch German Brown we nicknamed "Walter." He weighed in at 2.7 kilograms, which is over six pounds! (This was an officially recorded measurement by F&G, not a fly fisher’s guesstimate) Once the fish were weighed and measured they were revived and returned to the river. I have the boulder marked where we released "Walter", the six-pound Brown. Walter and I have a future date to play tug-o-war with my 5-wt fly rod. I was disappointed not to find trout in the 10-inch to 13-inch range but learned that the bag and possession limit is two fish up to 14 inches in length, which may account for the gap between the small and the large fish. All in all, we had a great time helping the CDF&G with their fish count and I highly recommend it to everyone. All the Fish and Game Employees were pleasant and most appreciative for the help. It you are interested, please check with John Carroz, Joe Bania or Barbara Baina at the next meeting. I know the Department plans on electro-shocking the main stem of the Truckee River and the West Fork of the Carson River in the near future. Electro-shock Photos

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