Laying fish on ground after a nice long fight lined up next to net then getting out tape measure and getting fish to stop flopping against rocks and pine needles for a photo shoot might have killed that one, hope not.
Maryland has fish like that, so does WV, so does VA. Entire watersheds within these states are managed as catch and release for brook trout, open or mandated harvest of invasive trout, and no stocking.
Managing these larger downstream waterways that connect many smaller ones for brook trout allows them to become more genetically diverse, have access to more food/grow more, and to live up to 7 years/mid to upper teens in inches.
We could have that quality fish in PA
here is David Thorne from WV DNR on this recipe for success we refuse to adopt in PA.
“They need to be a large, contiguous and well connected native brook trout watershed,” said Thorne. “This is a watershed idea based on a lot of the research I and other people have conducted. Connectivity between the tributaries and main stems is how we see increased growth in fish. They have larger habitat, more food available, and can move to different habitats during different parts of their life cycle.”
Plan being crafted is the next step in the evolution of trout management after work to improve habitat and water quality for many years begins to pay dividends in West Virginia.
wvmetronews.com
