I used on-site interviews and angler counts to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest
rates, and total catch and total harvest. On the Smith River, angling pressure per km was
most intense in the special management area, with most use occurring on weekend days.
Anglers harvested approximately 90% of the rainbow trout they caught, and 63% of the
rainbow trout stocked during the study period. Anglers harvested only 5% of the brown
trout they caught. Philpott Reservoir was overwhelmingly a nonconsumptive black bass
fishery (anglers harvested only 9% of the black bass they caught). I also estimated net
economic value of both fisheries using the travel cost method (TCM) and contingent
valuation method (CVM). In addition to estimating net economic value for the fisheries
under current fishing conditions, I also explored changes in economic value under different
fishing scenarios and alternative flow regimes. On the Smith River, doubling an angler's
chance of catching a large trout (> 16 in.) had the highest net economic value of any
scenario in all three river sections. The wild trout scenario had the highest net economic
value in the special management area. On Philpott Reservoir, doubling an angler's chance
of catching a black bass had the highest net economic value. Total economic value
(including angler expenditures) of both fisheries was $656,140, only $13,000 less than the
value of power produced at Philpott Dam during Fiscal Year 1995.
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