At its June meeting in Gunnison, the Colorado Wildlife Commission approved changes to the Wild Trout and Gold Medal waters policy for the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW).  The changes were recommended by Colorado Trout Unlimited and CDOW staff, based on a collective effort to update the policy and encourage the designation of more Wild Trout waters across the state.

While most of Colorado's coldwater streams are managed for wild trout, only a handful - 2 lakes and portions of 16 rivers and streams - were designated as "Wild Trout Waters".  There were two major reasons for the lack of designations; first, the previous wild trout policy had a minimum biomass requirement (at least 40 pounds per acre), and secondly, the policy called for designations by the Commission and limited the ability of CDOW managers to adapt to changing conditions.  This was a particular concern for some CDOW biologists in the wake of whirling disease, which eliminated natural recruitment among rainbow trout in many Colorado streams.  The Wild Trout policy offered little flexibility for the use of stocking in addressing such catastrophic changes.

As revised, the new policy allows the CDOW to designate Wild Trout waters, based on the way in which they are managed.  Waters that are maintained with natural reproduction can be designated as "Wild Trout" without an act of the Commission and regardless of total biomass - information which CDOW does not even have for many streams.  We expect the result to be a major increase in the number of designated "wild trout" waters and - hopefully - a greater public understanding and appreciation for the importance of Colorado's self-sustaining trout fisheries.