Mann Lake Gets New Stock of 5400 Banana Trouts

5400 banana trouts were part of a recent fish restocking activity in Mann Lake in Idaho.

An appealing variety of rainbow trout has been stocked in Lewiston's Mann Lake by Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG). The commercial fishing industry produces banana trout, also referred to as a palomino trout or yellow trout, which is prized for its vivid coloring.

Stocking Mann Lake with 5400 Banana Trouts

Early in April, IDFG stocked the lake with about 5,400 fish. Speaking with a representative, KTVB7 learned that the fish don't harm the lake's ecosystem and that the department issued a press release because the lake was stocked with trout for the first time.

Why Restock a Lake?

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported that its employees are using a trout with an unusual appearance to offer a special fishing opportunity at Mann Lake located near Lewiston.

The banana trout can be eaten. According to IDFG, rainbow trout in more conventional colors will also be stocked throughout the summer.

Ponds Kiwanis, Robinson, Hordemann, Long Gulch, and Tunnel, lakes Waha, Tolo, and Winchester, and the Spring Valley Reservoir are among the other bodies of water in Idaho that are designated for restocking.

Fish and Game believes that the recent drought-related low winter water levels have harmed fingerling fish's ability to survive the winter.

An added benefit is that the yellow trout will offer a unique fishery. The study will help officials manage the ponds better, according to regional fishery manager Jim Fredericks. Fredericks believes that catching something so unusual will appeal to many anglers as well.

According to Fredericks, biologists intend to survey the lakes in the coming summer and fall to gauge survival. Fingerling trout can be used to manage ponds with good winter survival, but catchable-sized fish will need to be stocked in the spring in ponds with little to no carryover.

Banana Trouts

Banana trout are a variation of rainbow trout that lack the melanin pigment. This gives them a light-yellow color, according to IDFG. This species are ike albinos. However, they are not true albinos because they do not have red eyes.

A Thousand Springs region commercial hatchery, which had thousands of extra fish, offered them to Fish and Game, Greater Yellowstone Resource Guide reports.

Fishing in Idaho

More than 3,000 natural lakes, 26,000 miles of streams and rivers, and a quarter million acres of ponds and reservoirs can be found in Idaho. The fishing season generally lasts all year long in Idaho waters. However, many rivers, streams, and lakes have unique regulations and seasons. IDFG says that Mann Lake has a healthy stock of black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bullhead, channel catfish, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, brown bullhead, and white crappie.

Except as otherwise modified by Special Rules, all waters are open all year. According to the Idaho Fishing Planner, fishing is prohibited within the marked downstream and upstream boundary of any fish weir or trap.