brook trout in western PA?

[Ggrove]

Hi all, and merry Christmas!

My buddy and I were put on a lake in western PA today when we got into a few solid brook trout. This really shocked me because I really didn't think there were any brookies within an hour of Pittsburgh. After I got home I dove deep into the stocking history of the area to find that the state has never stocked brook trout in this lake, or any surrounding creeks. They also have never popped up on any of the biologist reports on the lake. This leads me to think to only ways they could be here is there either has always been a small population in this lake, or they were privately stocked. Should I reach out to a state biologist to inform them of this?

 

[jifigz]

That is 100% a stocked trout. What is the lake's name? You can find a list of sportsman's club stockings online..

It's cool you're excited about that fish, but you didn't discover an undocumented wild population in a lake in SW PA.

 

[dryflyguy]

You said that you were "Put on a lake"
Which makes me wonder if perhaps you were being being guided on private water?

 

[wildtrout2]

That is 100% a stocked trout.

^ Fact

 

[Ggrove]

You said that you were "Put on a lake"
Which makes me wonder if perhaps you were being being guided on private water?

Typo, meant to say out.. public lake with no sportsmans clubs around

 

[Ggrove]

That is 100% a stocked trout. What is the lake's name? You can find a list of sportsman's club stockings online..

It's cool you're excited about that fish, but you didn't discover an undocumented wild population in a lake in SW PA.

Deer lake, as far as I know there’s no clubs that stock although I may be wrong. I appreciate the help

 

[dryflyguy]

Deer Valley lake by Mt Davis?

 

[HopBack]

Are you talking about deer lakes park in Allegheny county? I did a quick google search and it says the lake is stocked with trout and also holds a fishing derby for veterans.

 

[Ggrove]

Are you talking about deer lakes park in Allegheny county? I did a quick google search and it says the lake is stocked with trout and also holds a fishing derby for veterans.

Yeah I am, I knew it was stocked but brook trout arnt listed.. thats what surprised me

 

[rustbeltwilds]

100 pct stocked. Trust me they are put into alot of placss mostly by bucket biologists

 

[dudemanspecial]

Nice catch regardless of its origin.

 

[Dave_W]

That's a nice, big, stocked brookie.

In my experience the species listed as stocked on the PFBC site may not always be exact as other species get in the truck by mistake or the hatchery folks swap species at the last minute due to hatchery variation etc.

Stocked trout, including brookies, wind up in all kinds of places in PA and, while I still find such incidents fascinating, it's really not surprising. Many lakes and ponds as well as the bigger "warm water" rivers have spring seeps and cold water influence that allow these fish to thrive or hold over.

Many lakes in PA are stocked in the fall for ice fishing.

 

[Solitariolupo]

Sometimes clubs will stock that you don’t know about. So if fish comm didn’t then a club did.

 

[afishinado]

Google "Deer Lakes Park" >

"Renowned as a fisher’s paradise, the lakes in Deer Lakes Park are human-made and spring-fed. State fisheries regularly stock them with panfish like bluegill, crappie, perch, sunfish, and trout, while some catfish and bass can be found here too. The picnic areas of the park all have the names of fish, adding to its appeal as a popular fishing spot."

Deer Lakes Park

Deer Lakes Park is home to the Wagman Observatory for stargazing and astronomy enthusiasts, three fishing lakes, a spray park, a disc golf course, playgrounds, a multipurpose field, shelters available for rent, and trails for walking, hiking, and jogging.

www.alleghenycounty.us

 

[CRB]

So, what flies and depth worked for you?

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Yes nice fish anywhere