Babine Lake Creel Survey at Fulton and Pinkut Creeks in 1990

Total angler effort and rainbow trout catch at Fulton and Pinkut Creeks in Babine Lake was estimated from May 1 to June 9, 1990 to document the catch of mature or spawner size fish. At Fulton, anglers fished for 313 days (average length = 2.39 h) and caught 269 rainbow trout none of which were considered mature. At Pinkut, anglers fished for 735 days (average length = 2.73 h) and caught 261 rainbow trout, 123 of which were in the mature size range (many fish were cleaned prior to survey). This catch was considered insignificant (2.7%) compared to the estimated total Babine Lake sport harvest of fish this size (3,000 - 6,000 fish) during 1985 and 1986. Based on the information collected during this survey, site specific restrictions such as complete closures at Fulton and Pinkut will not significantly reduce the catch of spawner sized rainbow trout in Babine Lake as a whole.