Return of the redband rainbow: FWP hatchery restarting native rainbow trout stock
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s Murray Springs hatchery team, from left, hatchery manager Jason Nachtmann, Haleigh Sever and Brandon Hoffman. (Montana FWP courtesy photo)
Montana’s only native rainbow trout is making a comeback in the northwest corner of the state.
Rainbow trout are common throughout much of our state due to widespread stocking. However, most of the places rainbow trout exist today are outside of its native range in Montana. The lone exception is the Kootenai drainage where native Columbia River interior redband trout, a subspecies commonly known as redband trout, are found.
Redbands today exist primarily in disconnected streams across the Kootenai where native genetic strains remain intact. These fish are confined to the upper reaches of watersheds where drainage culverts, small waterfalls or other barriers have isolated them.
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