Michigan Department of Conservation
Research and Development Report No. 79
Institute for Fisheries Research Report No. 1729, 1966
Angling Results During Extended Fall Trout Seasons, Burton’s Landing to Wakeley Bridge, Au Sable River, 1964 and 1965
Gaylord R. Alexander and David S. Shetter
Research investigations on the special-regulation waters of the North Branch of the Au Sable River, Pigeon River, Little South Branch of the Pere Marquette River, and main stream of the Au Sable River demonstrated that fall standing crops of trout were somewhat higher in sections fished under special regulations (unpublished Department reports). From the North Branch of the Au Sable River and Pigeon River, where information is available on the survival of trout from fall to spring, data also have been reported which demonstrated that the summer “stock-piling” of trout was only temporary. Natural mortality between trout seasons reduced the population to levels of abundance comparable to population levels found in streams fished under normal fishing rules: any lure, a 7.0-inch minimum size, and a 10-trout daily bag limit.
For the last 2 years (1964 and 1965), part of the main branch of the Au Sable River in Crawford County has had an extended fall trout season of 30 days to permit some harvest of trout that normally would die between seasons. Michigan’s regular season commences on the last Saturday in April and closes the second Sunday in September. The portion studied was an 8.7-mile section between Burton’s Landing and Wakeley Bridge. This stream area has been fished under special trout fishing rules since 1955. The special rules in force are: lure restricted to artificial fly; minimum legal length for trout, 10.0 inches; and a daily bag limit of 5 trout.