A full grown blackwater river rainbow trout (image courtesy of the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.)

By Liam Verster

30,000 Yearlings

Swan Lake stocked with rainbow trout

Apr 7, 2022 | 1:25 PM

Anglers will be able to spot small rainbow trout in Swan Lake this year.

On Wednesday (April 6), the lake north of Vernon was stocked with 30,000 blackwater river rainbow trout yearlings, which each weighed about 15 grams and were about four inches in length.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.’s Summerland Trout Hatchery was contracted through the province to stock the lake with the strain and species of fish requested by a regional biologist working for the government.

Assistant Hatchery Manager Brad Dearden told Vernon Matters the fish they provided this year are referred to as ‘diploid.’

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“So there’s both males and females and they are basically what you would pretty much refer to as a normal genotype fish that you would find in the wild,” said Dearden.

The hatchery also raises and releases non-reproducing females, referred to as ‘triploid,’ when required. These fish don’t need to spend energy on reproducing and can therefore grow faster than a fish with spawning capabilities.

Dearden said the fish will take about a year to 16 months to grow into full, catchable size trout of about 250 grams.

“If people do catch them, some people will definitely retain them and there’s no size regulation in that lake as far as catching a small fish or a big fish,” said Dearden, adding that most people would toss back the yearlings if caught, and it would be unlikely to catch them as they are not feeding on what is typically used as bait when they are that size.

Dearden told Vernon Matters the number of fish stocked this way are based on factors like angler efforts, catch rates, and the lake’s productivity.

“So a productive lake in optimal conditions is healthy in aquatic habitat with vegetation, good oxygen levels, it doesn’t get too warm and has an abundance of food,” explained Dearden.

Swan Lake (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Anglers won’t have to worry about catching just the small, freshly stocked fish, as the hatchery also stocked Swan Lake with 30,000 yearlings last March and 3,000 catchable size trout last April, all of which should be fully grown by this summer.

Rainbow trout can live three to four years in Swan Lake, growing to be around three pounds in size.