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Fish of Crater Lake National Park

Rangers display their catch, Crater Lake National Park

With the exception of Dolly Varden trout in Sun Creek, all of the fish found within Crater Lake National Park are planted exotics. A number of rainbow trout were introduced into the lake as early as 1888. Other species introduced into the lake are the Coho, or silver salmon; the landlocked sockeye salmon (kokanee); the German brown trout; the brook trout; cutthroat trout; and steelhead trout. Only the rainbow and kokanee have been able to adapt and survive in the lake’s environment.

Four species of trout are found in the park’s streams, although only brook trout and rainbow have been planted officially. Large numbers of rainbow have been stocked, but the survivors are few and scattered. Rainbow have been found in Munson, Annie, Bybee, Sun, and Castle Creeks. Brook trout plantings have been far more successful and this trout is the most abundant and firmly established fish in the park’s streams….learn more…

Printable PDF of Fish at Crater Lake:  Fish Species_Full_List_with_Details

Bull Trout of Crater Lake, a closer look

Fish of Crater Lake, a Description Page

Planting fish in Crater Lake, September 1932

  Nature Notes From Crater Lake

• A Fish Story – Earl U. Homuth, Vol. 2 No. 1 – July 1929

• Fishing In Crater Lake, August 1937 – Arthur Hasler and John Doerr, August 1937
• Crater Lake Fishing, 1952 – C. Warren Fairbanks, Vol. 18 – 1952
• Food Habits Of Crater Lake Fish – J. S. Brode, Vol. 8 No. 2 – August 1935
• The 1947 Catch In Crater Lake – O. L. Wallis, Vol. 13 – October 1947
• Fish And Stream Survey – O. L. Wallis, Vol. 13 – October 1947
• How Fish Came To Crater Lake – R. S. Robinson, Vol. 16 – 1950
• Identification Of Lake Fish – P. H. Shepard, Vol. 15 – September 1949
• Fishing At Crater Lake National Park – Joseph C. Hunt, Vol. 21 – 1955
• A Fish Tale You Can Believe – Dave Fuller, Vol. 25 – 1994
• Fish in Crater Lake: Their Size and Number – Scott Girdner, Vol. 32-33 – 2001-2002
• Comparative Stomach Analysis Of Crater Lake Fish – Dick S. Baird, Vol. 22 – 1956
• Food For Fish – Earl U. Homuth, Vol. 1 No. 2 – August 1928
• A Creel Census For Crater Lake – Arthur D. Hasler, Vol. 11 No. 2 – August 1938
• Rainbows In Pools On Wizard Island – O. L. Wallis, Vol. 13 – October 1947

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