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Michigan Department of Natural Resources St. Joseph County (T6S, R12W, Sec. 31 and T7S, R12W, Sec.6, 7) Cass County (T6S, R13W, Sec. 25, 26 and T7S, R13W, Sec. 1) Surveyed August 10 & 11, 1993 James L. Dexter, Jr. Environment Curtis Creek is a second order stream located in western St. Joseph County.
This top-quality designated trout stream flows south to Mill Creek, which
feeds the St. Joseph River watershed of Lake Michigan. The town of Three
Rivers is located about 4 miles to the southwest of Curtis Creek. Most of Curtis Creek flows through nearly level to gently rolling, well-drained,
loamy and sandy soils on outwash plains and moraines (Oshtemo-Spinks Association).
The area surrounding the stream is primarily wooded, wetland, or abandoned
farm field. Estimated to be 3.3 miles long, Curtis Creek's west branch starts in
low wetland areas dominated by springs. The east branch is an old designated
drain (Profile Lake Drain) in the upper portion near M-60, but has hardly
any water flowing through it. Curtis Creek falls about 50 feet from its
headwater spring area to the confluence with Mill Creek. Stream gradient
is about 15.2 feet per mile. It averages 14.5 feet in width, with an average
depth of 1 foot. Stream discharge has never been measured, but is estimated
at 10-15 cubic feet per second. Available trout habitat is excellent, perhaps some of the best in southwest
Michigan. The lower 1/3 of the creek flows through a huge grass wetland
area with extremely stable banks because of dense root growth. Many of
the banks are undercut by 2 or more feet and supply excellent cover for
trout. The creek in this area meanders extensively, and each bend's associated
pool is usually 3-4 feet deep. The upper areas of the creek do not meander
as much and have a little more sand and silt. On average, gravel accounts
for 10% of the bottom substrate, sand 52%, and silt 38%. However, good
spawning gravel predominates in some areas. Upstream areas also contain
more woody debris. Watercress is common throughout the system. Bottom substrate composition may have changed somewhat in the last 30
years. Compared to notes from a survey in 1970, gravel was apparently
more abundant then than it is now. Local anglers also report that more
sand is getting into the stream. The two main road crossings on the stream,
New England Road and Corey Lake Road (sometimes referred to as Preston
Road), definitely appear to be contributing sand via road runoff. Water quality characteristics were measured on August 8, 1993. Afternoon
dissolved oxygen levels were 7.4 ppm, pH was 8.1, and alkalinity was 191
ppm. These values indicate the water is hard and well buffered. Continuous
recording thermometers deployed in 1996 showed that the creek has an excellent
groundwater supply. The July minimum temperature was 50.0F, and the maximum
was 62.4F. The maximum daily fluctuation was 5.5F. Almost 1/2 of Curtis Creek lies in the Three Rivers State Game Area.
This presently is about the only area available to anglers, as property
owners upstream of the game area do not allow angler access. Development
in the watershed is limited to a few homes and farms. Most likely Curtis Creek has been managed by the state as a trout stream
since the turn of the century. Some historical records also call this
water Wolf Creek. The first field survey of the stream was conducted in
1926. Brook trout, mottled sculpin, and central mudminnows were present.
Although no records exist, brook trout must have been stocked by the state
as this area is not in the brook trout's native geographic range. Stocking records for Curtis Creek date back to 1932 when 500 rainbow
trout were added. Brook trout were then stocked in 1933 and 1934, and
again from 1942-1962. Records indicate that brown trout were stocked only
once, in 1952. File letters from the 1940s indicate that brook trout angling
was good at that time (even though stocking had been sporadic) and called
for continued planting of brook trout. During the 1940s, the quality of the creek for supporting trout was questioned.
But because of the war effort, looking at the characteristics of the creek
was not a high priority. It is interesting to note that state biologists
took the word of a local angler who collected stream temperatures, and
then continued stocking of brook trout. About this time the stream was
designated as a trout stream from its source down to an impoundment (estimated
size 15 acres) located at T7S, R12W, Sec 7 (SE 1/4 of NW 1/4). This impoundment
had an 8-foot head and warmed the downstream waters considerably. It is
not known when this dam was constructed, but it was for electrical generation. In 1947 the dam washed out. The owners rebuilt the dam in 1948. Previously,
in 1929, the state of Michigan had purchased large sections of land in
the area to create the Three Rivers State Game Area. This land purchase
included the dam in Section 7, but not the impoundment. In 1963, the First
Trinity Missionary Baptist Church of Flint bought 83 acres of property
which included the impoundment. Sometime between 1964 and 1968 the dam
failed again. The church was denied permission to rebuild the dam because
it was located on state property and there was concern over loss of fisheries
values if the dam was rebuilt. In 1972, 1977, and 1993 the church sought once again to rebuild the breached
dam. Finally, in 1993, Wildlife Division had the property resurveyed to
convince the church that the dam was actually located on state land. At
that time Wildlife Division removed the remnants of the dam. Fisheries surveys were conducted in 1970 and 1973. Wild brown trout dominated
the fishery, apparently established by stocking 20 years earlier. No brook
were collected. Other species found during those surveys included creek
chub, common shiner, mottled sculpin, blacknose dace, rainbow darter,
and central mudminnow. After the 1970 survey the stream classification
was changed to top-quality coldwater. The entire stream was now classified
as a designated trout stream. Angling at this time was considered excellent
for brown trout. The most recent fishery survey was conducted on August 10 and 11, 1993.
We conducted mark-and-recapture estimates for trout, and collected all
other species present during the first run, using a 250-V DC streamshocking
unit with two probes. The overall fish community found (Table 1) was similar
to that in the 1970s. Brown trout were the dominant game fish in the system. Brown trout were
collected from 2-21 inches in length. Six age classes (0 to V+) of trout
were present. Mean growth of brown trout was above the statewide average
(Table 2). Age frequency analysis (Table 3) indicated very strong recruitment
of age I fish, and fair survival of trout through age V. There appears
to be considerable mortality after age I. This is most likely due to angler
harvest. Population estimates indicated that Curtis Creek held a very healthy
population of brown trout (Table 4). The upstream sample site at New England
Road held an estimated 102 pounds per acre, of which over 48% were of
legal size. The downstream site, within the Three Rivers State Game Area
(below Corey Lake Road) held over 69 pounds per acre, of which 41% were
of legal size. All these values are very favorable compared to most other
southern Michigan wild trout streams. Combining the data from the two sample sites indicates that recruitment
of young-of-year brown trout was low for the 1993 year class, at least
compared to the 1992 year class (Figure 1). This could be due to sampling
inefficiency, as collection of age 0 trout is never very good. Other species collected during this survey that were abundant as trout
included mottled sculpin, white sucker, and blacknose dace. Eight new
species (not reported in previous surveys) were collected, but none were
abundant (Table 1). Curtis Creek is an excellent wild trout stream. It is perhaps one of
the best in southern Michigan. In St. Joseph County there are only about
four known streams capable of holding trout, so it is a rare resource. Curtis Creek will continue to be managed as a top-quality designated
trout stream. Stocking should not occur in this stream as long as the
stream retains it's present characteristics and it's wild trout population.
We will conduct another survey of the stream within the next 10 years. Curtis Creek should continue to provide an excellent brown trout fishery
well into the next century. Our management goal will be to maintain or
improve this fishery through three options. These include removal of the
sand bedload in the stream, work on the crossings at New England and Corey
Lake (Preston) roads to stop erosion, and pursuing purchases of any land
that may become available north of the Three Rivers State Game Area. Anglers
have been denied access to the upper half of Curtis Creek for decades,
and obtaining this land for angler access would significantly increase
the amount of stream available for fishing. Potential obstacles to attainment of our goal include lack of funding
to do road work with the county, lack of funding for a sediment basin,
and lack of funding to purchase any available land that comes on the market. Report completed: January 20, 1997. Table 1.--Number, weight, and length (inches) of fish collected
from Curtis Creek with 250-V DC streamshocker and two probes, August 10,
1993.
Table 2.--Average total weighted length (inches) at age, and growth
relative to the state average, for fish sampled from Curtis Creek with
250-V DC Streamshocker and two probes, August 10, 1993. Number of fish
aged is given in parentheses.
Table 3.--Estimated age frequency (percent) of fish caught from
Curtis Creek with 250-V DC Streamshocker and two probes, August 10, 1993.
Table 4.--Mark and recapture population estimates of wild brown
trout in Curtis Creek, August 10 and 11, 1993. Estimates were made using
the modified Bailey formula.
St. Joseph County (T6S, R12W, Sec. 31 and T7S, R12W, Sec.6, 7) Cass County (T6S, R13W, Sec. 25, 26 and T7S, R13W, Sec. 1) Surveyed August 10 & 11, 1993 MANAGEMENT PLAN James L. Dexter, Jr. While Curtis Creek enjoys a fine reputation as a good trout fishery,
and it is totally supported by wild fish, I believe there is a significant
opportunity to improve the existing population and fishery through sediment
control. Presently, there are two main crossings New England Road and
Corey Lake Road (Preston Road). In 1995 the bridge at New England Road
was replaced with a wooden bridge structure. The Corey Lake Road crossing
has multiple culverts, with a significantly high sand/gravel top. Both
crossings occur at the bottom of steep hills and are erosion prone. The first option to pursue is working with the St. Joseph County Road
Commission to prevent road runoff from entering the creek directly. There
are different techniques that may be used to do this, including roadside
ditching and blacktopping. The Division will try to meet with the Road
Commission in 1997 to assess these possibilities. If success occurs with the first option, then the Division will pursue
installation of a sediment trap on the downstream side of Corey Lake Road.
Anglers tell us that this use to be a very deep hole as recently as the
late 1980s. The Division of Wildlife owns this property and it should
be easy to install a successful basin. Currently, the downstream areas of Corey Lake Road contain little gravel
and a large quantity of sand. Walking in the creek is tough at times due
to the soft sand buildup. Interestingly, most pools have stayed clear
of sand. Successful completion of the options should "starve" these sand-rich
areas, allowing the current to remove surplus sand and deepen runs and
riffles. Plan completed: December 1996.
Last Update: 08/05/02
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