Bounties on brown trout in the Colorado River are increasing/NPS file

The bounties on brown trout continue to grow as the National Park Service encourages anglers to help remove the invasive fish from the Colordo River between Glen Canyon Dam and the Paria River.

From now through the end of January anglers can earn added cash bonuses for participating in the Brown Trout Winter Bonanza. There will be a month-end bonus of $500 for the largest brown trout (determined by head length) and $500 for the most brown trout harvested from that particular stretch of the Colorado River. This is in addition to the $33 reward per brown trout, plus $50 for every three brown trout harvested during the month, and $300 for a brown trout caught with a PIT tag.

To participate in the Brown Trout Bonanza program, anglers must have a valid Arizona fishing license. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks are allowed. For more information about the Brown Trout Winter Bonanza rules and bonuses, as well as the Incentivized Harvest of Brown Trout rewards, visit the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area Brown Trout Incentivized Harvest page.

The purpose of the Brown Trout Winter Bonanza is to encourage anglers to catch brown trout when they are susceptible to being caught during the spawning season. Brown trout in November and December move to shallow gravel bars where they concentrate prior to spawning. At Lees Ferry, known spawning areas are found at -4-mile and -12-mile. There is no limit on the number of brown trout that can be harvested and turned in for the reward and bonuses during this two-month-long event.

The Brown Trout Winter Bonanza is sponsored by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in partnership with the Glen Canyon Conservancy.  Rewards and bonuses will be paid out by the Glen Canyon Conservancy, which is administering the program for the park. Rewards will be paid by the middle of the following month in which the fish are harvested.

The brown trout population in the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and the Paria River has steadily increased since 2014. As adults, brown trout primarily feed on other fish, threatening downstream native fish species. The goal of this program is to determine if the Incentivized Harvest by anglers can help manage and reduce the number of brown trout in this stretch of the Colorado River. This management option was highly favored during a public review of potential management tools when compared with other tools, such as intensive mechanical removal efforts or disturbance activities during the spawning period.