River Otter sighting and a few trout

[Water_boy]

3652836527
I did some fly fishing today in one of the local Montgomery County streams for a change, good day and I caught about 8 browns and a rainbow. While I was reviving the brown in the photo below, I was crouched by the edge of the stream holding him when something at the back of the pool caught my attention, so I look up and see a good size otter cruising up the pool. It swam right in front of me with it's head out of the water, probably within 10' of my but when I reached for my camera it was gone. I've seen Beaver and muskrats and all kinds of things but this was a first, pretty cool.

So about an hour later, I was walking down stream to my truck and I heard a strange sound coming from the river, sort of sounded like that gopher in caddy shack. So I poke my head through the bushes and sure enough there were three of them right there on the bank, they were as surprised to see me as I was to see them but they hung out long enough to get one photo on my phone:photo4:. Sort of blurry, good thing it wasn't Nessy or something really important but you get the idea.

[martineta]

I love to see otters but they are trout killing machines.

[jkapl001]

I love to see otters but they are trout killing machines.

200% agree Beaver Creek up near Harrisonburg had a couple, I heard it really put a huge hurting on the stream for a couple miles.

[Don Hershfeld]

Likewise, my experience of otters on the Youghiogheny in Garrett County has been nothing if not destructive. I suppose the impacts of their presence would depend to a large extent on 1) how much cover is available with which the fish can potentially give a chasing otter the slip, and 2) whether or not the fish population is at any time habitat-limited, or otherwise constrained to concentrate fish in a relatively small area.

Before I added various forms of cover to my pond in extensive amounts, very nearly every adult trout would be eaten every single winter. The otters appear as if by clockwork... as soon as the first high water event on the nearby river made foraging there less successful, they'd become my problem. When the snow would melt back I'd find big piles of fine scales, long fine rib bones, and vertebrae... and not a hint a crayfish shell or antennae (otters make habitual use of fixed latrine sites). "Trout killing machines" doesn't do them justice, as no machine I've ever seen seems to so relish its function or have such fun while doing it.

Unfortunately for the population of trout in the C&R segment, formation of anchor ice over large portions of the entire reach regularly force most of the trout into the very few remaining suitable habitats available to them, and there they are doomed. At precisely the times they are least able to do so, trout can run, but uniquely among fish predators, there is effectively no place to hide from a persistent otter. And as any experienced fisher knows the would-be captor need only be patient and shortly the prey will run out of steam and can be safely secured. And so it is with cold-blooded fish... they are very soon pooped out, metabolically speaking. I've watched the process several times, both up close and using binoculars. Takes an otter about five minutes to consume a trout, and about three to capture the next one... and so on, until their quota is met. They are models of efficiency, I'll give them that!

Plus, otters require three pounds of flesh a day, on average (maybe more in winter, not sure). If you run some rather conservative numbers its no mystery at all what has happened to one of the state's formerly great trout fisheries. In an ironic twist, the river now fishes better than it ever has before, but only in a very, very few spots, and only in terms of truly large trout (it is not the generous producer of large numbers of modest, surface-feeding, widely distributed trout that was so popular in the past). How's that? During the winter slowdown for all cold blooded creatures, only the largest, fastest, strongest trout are apparently still able to elude these warm blooded predators. and when spring finally comes and the otter's favorite forage (crayfish) finally re-emerge from their overwintering burrows, these few fish (lacking much in the way of intra-specific competition) have all the space and food they could want, and can occupy only the best places, resulting in fast growth.

Four times as many fingerlings get stocked these days, plus supplemental stockings (formerly unheard of) of ordinary catchables and surplus pale, overstuffed, stump-finned, obese 'clunkers' from research lab donations now get put in too, but although no harvest is permitted (otters are illiterate) and most of the reach is not conducive to poaching, they all just seem to disappear. At least from the 'sport creel' perspective FAR, FAR fewer fish of ordinary size result. The former regulars and addicts have all voted with their boots, having moved on to other places where they can still catch fish either for themselves or for their clients. Its not just the trout that are missing. The former population of large river chubs has been significantly diminished. One used to see massive schools of these bottom feeders in the pools, glinting as they siphoned invertebrates off the sides of the rocks. No one I know would harvest them for any reason. I'd like to hear how the DNR biologist would explain that change!

MDDNR has egg all over their face on this one, but either doesn't know it, or is in denial. Btw, in Missouri (which pioneered otter reintroduction efforts) their conservation department gets over 500 complaints annually from anglers, fishing groups, private clubs, etc over guess what? Otter depredation. But they are so cute and fuzzy! There are enough factors working against maintaining good healthy fisheries for human benefit these days. You don't expect the DNR to be piling on and causing further imbalance, but there it is. Hmmm... maybe just maybe there was a REASON otters were historically reduced or eliminated from most of the country. During the Depression many people had to make do (which doubtless included securing more food the old-fashioned way in rural America), and probably didn't appreciate the significant competition otters represent. But now that we are all so 'enlightened' (or perhaps its for their PR value?) we put otters even in places ill suited for the introduction, and then stock more fish that ultimately become otter fodder. Meanwhile all the day-active fish predators (heron, osprey, sportfishing guides trying to make a living, etc) that people just out to enjoy nature were once readily able to sight, are in much reduced numbers here. Otters are largely nocturnal, so just what is the benefit of having them again?!? Oh, that's right... its just the right thing to do. Their existence value would be just the same if they were only put in more carefully considered watersheds! You can't have your cake and eat it too!!! So whether your 'cake' is trout, or hellbenders, or happy anglers, you've got to make a choice. In this one case you (DNR) made a very foolish one indeed, leaving people like me to pay the price.

A moment's thought will reveal that there is nothing at all for me to gain by revealing the true state of this fishery. I used to have regular fishing guests, and could promise any and all new ones that they'd have a great time out here. Not anymore, or at least the ones that still come only base here because of tradition or the nice atmosphere, but drive to fish elsewhere. No sense in creating false expectations that cannot be fulfilled. I am not holding my breath waiting for DNR to reverse course either. They never admit to making mistakes, especially when they are whoppers.

Don Hershfeld, former aquatic ecologist turned innkeeper/teaching guide
www.streams-and-dreams.net

[Salmo trutta]

Pretty cool sighting. I've never seen them there and I live near by. Closest place I've seen otters was on Morgan Run. another highly regarded catch and release trout stream for the piedmont section of Maryland. I think I helped stock the stream in your photos if it's the fly fishing only one. We stocked only browns when I was there back in March. Nothing large like last year where there were several fish over 20 inches. This time there wasn't anything over 16 inches for some reason. But quantity is nice. On that stream there is a plethora of large woody debris so maybe the fish can escape. It's a tailwater but still gets pretty warm this time of year and flows often drop dangerously low that many of the trout do not survive through the summer. However, one of those 24 inch browns from last year was shocked up during a DNR survey back in October so at least one made it through the summer. Plus a big Northern Pike was found in the stream too. I'm sure he's eaten his fair share of 12 inch stockies too.

[martineta]

I trap the otters as soon as I see them in my pond each winter. I hate em. I wish they brought a $100 bill like they did in 1980.

[Water_boy]

I think I helped stock the stream in your photos if it's the fly fishing only one. We stocked only browns when I was there back in March. Nothing large like last year where there were several fish over 20 inches.

I think we're talking about the same stream, that day I caught 9 browns up to about 13" and one rainbow. Next year please try to throw in some of the larger ones!


a big Northern Pike was found in the stream too.

That would be a great to see one wack a trout on a 4 weight!!.