JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently stocked 1,000 Snake River cutthroat trout back into Mystery Lake in the Teton Wilderness as part of a restoration project that began in 2016.
The stocking of the fish is the final step in restoring the lake to its native Snake River cutthroat trout. The restoration project began with the removal of all non-native fish, primarily rainbow trout. The lake is in the upper Cub Creek drainage, a tributary to the South Fork of the Buffalo Fork. Non-native trout are the greatest threat to the persistence of native cutthroat trout. Rainbow trout, a close relative, compete with, but also readily hybridize with cutthroat trout.
The five-inch fish were packed into the remote lake on horseback, which is approximately five miles north of Brooks Lake near Togwotee Pass.
According to Game and Fish, stocking fish by way of horseback in Wyoming likely began in the 1930s, since the majority of alpine lakes did not originally have fish. Fish were often transported in milk cans on the backs of horses in large pack strings.
“Notably, Finis Mitchell is credited with stocking over 300 alpine lakes in the Wind River Range with fish reared at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Daniel Fish Hatchery,” says Game and Fish.
Today, the department is responsible for stocking over 5 million fish annually. they typically transport them by truck to most locations, but also use boats, helicopters, ATVs and occasionally horses.
Anglers can visit the Game and Fish Department’s fish stocking page to look up when certain Wyoming waters have been stocked or where a particular species has been stocked. This tool has stocking records for all of Wyoming dating back to 1985. A search can be done by year, county, species or water name.
This is the second consecutive year Snake River cutthroat trout have been stocked into Mystery Lake and the survival of fish stocked last year was documented by fish managers, meaning those fish should now be of catchable size.
“Anglers are encouraged to get out for a backcountry experience and to try their luck at Mystery Lake,” said Game and Fish.
