Jeffrey W. Quinn and Thomas J. Kwak, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701

Habitat rehabilitation was completed following catastrophic flooding in the White River below Beaver Lake Dam, Arkansas, using techniques developed in small streams. We evaluated trout response to rehabilitation at reach and microhabitat scales. We estimated trout populations and determined microhabitat use in modified and reference reaches. The ratios of total trout abundance (density and biomass) in the modified reach, relative to that of the reference reach, increased after rehabilitation - evidence that the modified reach supported more fish after rehabilitation. Analyses for individual trout species were variable, possibly due to density-dependent processes. Cover increased significantly in the modified reach after rehabilitation, with the majority of additions found at the low-flow, land-water interface. This strategy increased bank stabilization and provided additional cover for trout during high flow, when trout were observed associated with velocity refugia. In summary, we measured increased supportive capacity for trout after rehabilitation that appeared to be associated with the addition of cover, but the pattern varied among trout species.