State Wildlife Officials have rescued about 6,000 Eagle Lake Trout that were stranded in a creek. The unique and storied Eagle Lake Rainbows, known for their hardiness and long lives, were stuck in Pine Creek, a tributary to Lassen County’s Eagle Lake. The creek is totally dependant on snowmelt for its flows, and it’s not unusual for the trout to get stranded, but it dried up quickly this year. This was the largest rescue in over a decade and the earliest in over 40 years, involving more than 25 biologists, hatchery staff and volunteers who collected fish weighing up to 5 pounds and released them in Eagle Lake.
-Steve Gibson