Accuracy of trout species stocked by PFBC

[jifigz]

I want to know how often the PFBC bends the species of trout being stocked that are stated on their stocking schedule. I remember once at Poe Valley I happened to be there for an in season stocking. I was just enjoying my time at the park and it was coincidentally stocking day. I watch the shenanigans unfold as folks are ready to start casting as soon as the buckets hit the water. The schedule stated that rainbows were to be stocked but they stocked browns. I remember one old timers saying, almost verbatim, "oh shoot, brown trout! We can't catch those. Their too smart." This is rather hilarious.

I'm asking this because a few weeks ago I happened to be fishing my favorite trout stream and I talked to one guy who said that they just stocked yesterday. He said that they stocked Brook trout. I know for a fact that this stream never receives (or is listed to receive) brookies. I honestly thought the guy was full of BS and didn't know his trout all that well. So, fast forward to today when I met a forum member here that I've never met before. We met up on the said stream and he told me that earlier in the day he caught a brookie. I told him that that's wild and in all of my time fishing this stream I've never seen a brookie caught from it's waters. Then, wouldn't you know it, about 30 minutes later a brookie nailed my streamer. It was a smallish fish and honestly didn't look stocked. But, point is, maybe that guy did know what he was talking about. How often does the commission stock another species instead of the one listed. I understand that at times you may come up short on one or the other and need to meet a deadline.

 

[Dave_W]

jifigz wrote:
I understand that at times you may come up short on one or the other and need to meet a deadline.

I think this is the primary answer.

I can't say with precision how often this happens, but I'd guess from my own experience that it is a 2 or 3 percent issue on the ATWs I frequent. Keep in mind, most stockings are mixed RT/BT and that percentage can vary.

On streams where only one species is stocked, I find that the agency is pretty consistent as the fish are segregated in the raceways by species. One local, heavily stocked ATW I frequent gets only STs. From time to time I'll get a BT or RT here, often after all the STs seem to have been caught. I assume they they were tossed in to make quota, got mixed in the bucket transfer, or were just extra surplus. I don't regard this as important and doubt many traditional anglers care if they get a different species in a single species stream or lake.

Many of the local ATWs I frequent are on South Mountain where streams tend to be cold but naturally acidic and this may favor stocking of ST. There are also some "social" issues that impact species choice as well. Most of the streams down in the valley near me get only RT/BT and from time to time I'll get a stocked ST there.

 

[jifigz]

Dave,

This stream is certainly not ideal for brookies and it has a long length of certified Class A water for browns and in this 6 miles or so it only receives RT. The brookie thing just seems so weird for this stream. I'm not complaining and I certainly don't care. Honestly, at this point, I hope the stream stays cool enough to support them since brookies can't tolerate water temps like the wild browns can.

 

[Fish4PA]

Yes, sometimes species are substituted and you may not see the exact stocking by species that was listed. When Fisheries Mgt requests trout for stocking, they request specific species and numbers. Some of the those requests come with No Substitutions - which usually relates to water quality issues such as pH or perhaps not stocking the same species if there are wild trout in that stream. Other requests will say Substitutions Allowed.
Allowing substitutions if there is no biological reason for a specific species gives hatchery managers more flexibility to stock the proper number and sizes of trout. If Brown Trout have a better year at the hatchery than Rainbows or vice versa by even a couple of percentage points, it can easily mean that hatcheries have 100,000 more Browns than planned and less Rainbows (for example). In this case, hatchery managers may substitute some browns for rainbows to meet the stocking goal. A substitution may also take place if one species is a little bigger and the other raceway of the requested species needs a couple of more weeks of growth to reach the goal size.
So you can see, substitutions do take place, but the majority of the stockings follow what is on the website. Hope this answers the OP's question.

 

[Dave_W]

Fish4PA,
Welcome to our online community.

We appreciate your contribution to our discussions, many of which involve angling management and trout fishing culture and controversy.
DW

 

[outsider]

All that being said, I will add this: I float stock the Tully. Last year there was about 24 small brook trout mixed in with the browns and rainbows. It did not happen on purpose. **** happens. It was no big deal. And if brookies are accidently stocked in a stream that has a population of "native brookies"? Understand the state of PA was denuded of all the trees with the exception of a few trees. This and coal mining took an extreme toll on our native species. I have PA Angler magazines from the 1930's and the 1940's. You probably would not believe how many brook trout were stocked then. So if a few get stocked by accident in a stream that has "native brookies"? Are they really native species?

 

[Chaz]

Clubs may be stocking brook trout when the FBC does not. As far as browns being stocked instead of rainbows, it may have been because of production at the hatchery or weather events. But they do not always hold to what the stocking schedules says.

 

[JeffK]

Thanks Fish4PA for the good answer.

Plus, I hear more nonsense about stocking through the grapevine than I can imagine. I help stocking a handful of times and always hear complete nonsense about spots I just stocked. Normally it is "the state" skipped someone's favorite spot because they didn't catch any and a brother-in-law or friend of a friend "who knows people at the hatchery" told them the state didn't stock - which is silly to hear when I personally dropped a few buckets in a few hours earlier. Talk with people who schedule stockings and you will hear more stories about complaints that you knew possible.

 

[raftman]

Hey,

It was great catching fish with you that day Jifigz. I still am on the fence about both brookies we caught. Sure looked wildish to me.

-MG