Yaak club, residents seek lake fix
Kilbrennan Lake north of Troy was once a popular trout-fishing spot, but bullhead and perch have taken over. A grassroots effort to restore the native species is under way.
By STEVE KADEL Western News Reporter
Hundreds of Libby and Troy residents have signed a petition urging the state to kill non-native fish in Kilbrennan Lake and re-stock it with trout.
Bullhead and perch were introduced sometime in the past to the lake nine miles north of Troy. Over the years they have wiped out the once plentiful population of trout, according to Kurt Breithaupt, president of the Yaak Rod and Gun Club.
"Some bucket biologist dumped in the bullheads and perch and they took over," he said. "The club is concerned and so is the general public.
"It's such an accessible lake with a nice Forest Service road that goes by it. It's good for kids and adults."
Breithaupt wants the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to cleanse the lake by using a procedure that deprives fish of oxygen. He said it would have no adverse effect on the lake itself, other than killing the unwanted fish.
He emphasized that the procedure doesn't involve any hazardous chemicals.
The problem isn't new. Troy Rod and Gun Club representatives talked about it with Mike Hensler of Fish, Wildlife and Parks' Libby office a year ago, Breithaupt said.
"He said we had to get some support," Breithaupt said.
That led to the petition drive, which began in December 2004 under the direction of club vice president Martin Riedlinger. His wife, JoAn, said 380 signatures had been obtained as of Wednesday.
They plan to give the petition to a representative from Fish, Wildlife and Parks during a special meeting at the gun club in Yaak on Friday, March 11. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is open to anyone interested in the issue.
Breithaupt said gun club members hope to show the state that other community members are interested, too, and it's not just a club project.
Darren Coldwell, who owns Booze-N-Bait in Troy, said many people like the proposal.
"There's widespread support," he said.
Breithaupt believes doing nothing means the loss of a valuable recreational resource.
"It's such a waste of a small accessible lake," he said. "It's basically just a mud-hole now."