According to Beau Gunter, the state's Fish Production Manager, “Idaho has a long history of using research to Improve our hatchery trout stocking program. The "magnum trout program" Is a great example of how we integrate research Into our stocking program to make fishing better, while making our operations more efficient."

Fish and Game biologists and hatchery managers faced an immediate challenge in their attempt to determine which sized trout is best to stock for anglers. Each of Idaho’s trout hatcheries is raising fish at full capacity, so the space required for growing larger trout would mean fewer fish available to be stocked. 

Commonsense would say fewer trout stocked would mean fewer caught by anglers, but fisheries managers had a hunch that might not be true. One way to find out was apply fisheries research techniques and cost/benefit analysis to see if stocking fewer ­­– but larger –trout would provide better fishing.