Trout Anglers Competing With Cormorants At Two Rivers Sra

LINCOLN, Neb. – Anglers at the Two Rivers State Recreation Area (SRA) trout lake are facing some stiff competition. Double-crested cormorants recently discovered the lake. As a result, the fish-eating birds have lowered the anglers’ catch rates.

A daily trout tag is required to attempt to take and to possess trout on the area March 1 through June 30. Steve Wilhelm, fish production manager at Grove Trout Rearing Station near Royal, said typical catch rates this time of year are 3.5 trout per tag. Since the cormorants arrived on April 13, the catch rates have slowed to .18 trout per tag.

Park staff has been attempting to encourage the cormorants to move off the area, but the birds may remain until the weather gets warmer. “We will not stock any more trout until the birds have at least left the area,” Wilhelm said. Trout will continue to grow at Grove Trout Rearing Station until stocked.