Fish Condition Factor or what is a Quality Trout.
We all look at fish somewhat differently attempting to describe what
they look like. Words like chunky, fat and skinny plus a host of others
have been used.to describe the fish. The Dept. of Sustainable
Resources Fish and Wildlife uses in Alberta a process called the
K factor. The Process described by
Charles Barnham PSM & Alan Baxter for the State of Victoria,
Australia allows a side by side comparison of fish that you catch
against a known standard.
How can we apply it here. Well, some>most of us measure fish
to determine bragging rights but length alone does not tell the whole
story. You need to determine the weight. A reasonably accurate scale,
a mesh bag to hold the in fish in while being weighed is all that
is required. Plug the numbers into the K factor formula below and you've
solved the problem. In Alberta, I've handled fish that were 20>28"
and their weights varied from 2>15 pounds. A 24" Brown Trout from
Cow Creek may well weigh 12 pounds whereas a similar fish from the
Clearwater River may barely exceed 4 pounds. The K factor is the only
relatively easy way to determine fish condition.
The K Factor:
The K Factor Project at Struble Lake.
During a meeting in the spring of 2007, I volunteered a bunch of folks
to determine the K factor at a single lake in Central Alberta. The lake
chosen was Struble as a K Factor had not been done on this lake since
1968. Ten anglers during a fishing blitz killed, under a fisheries
permit issued by F&W, 106 trout that were packed in ice and quick
frozen for later weighing and examination. During the fall/winter of
2007, the results became available and demonstrated clearly K factor.
K Factor for StrubleLake. In contrast, here are the K factors for both Ironside Pond and Beaver Lake.
The K factor is low barely making the "Fair" designation. This is no
surprise as the lake is stocked with approximately 19,000 fish per
year. With the both Ironside Pond and Beaver Lake, the stocking rates
are quite low whereas Sturble Lake is quite high.
| Date |
Struble |
Ironside |
Beaver |
| 2005 |
19,000 |
500 |
3,500 |
| 2006 |
19,900 |
250 |
3,500 |
| 2007 |
19,000 |
250 |
3,500 |