Clarity on closed approved trout waters

[Dave_W]

I'd like to believe that our years of conversation (and griping) about this issue here on PAFF has had an impact on PFBC. . . and contributed to the new rules clarification regarding stocking boundaries.

Clarifying stocking boundaries and the "where can I fish?" issue was long overdue. Kudos to PFBC.

 

[Mike]

I'd like to believe that our years of conversation (and griping) about this issue here on PAFF has had an impact on PFBC. . . and contributed to the new rules clarification regarding stocking boundaries.

Clarifying stocking boundaries and the "where can I fish?" issue was long overdue. Kudos to PFBC.

Dave, it was so they could do this:

• New- Extended season regulations only apply to waters managed as Stocked Trout Waters (STW). All waters downstream of STW are no longer managed under extended season regulations.
  • The complete list of STW can be found in the 2023 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary and Boating Handbook.
• Waters not managed as STW are CLOSED to harvest and fishing must be done on a catch and immediate release basis only. (Note: This includes stream sections that are designated as both Stocked Trout Waters and Class A Wild Trout Streams)

I was assured that this had been discussed in the Coldwater Unit for years, but finally came to fruition.

This added more protection from harvest for legal size wild trout outside of fall stocked sections and within stocked Class A’s. It was also so there could be more water open to C&R trout fishing during the normally closed preseason stocking period. I don’t know if this second benefit was an objective or just an added benefit, but it worked to everyone’s advantage.

As an aside, I had long ago started this stocking limit clarification process in a number of SE Pa streams in earnest, particularly long ones with much shorter stocked portions, so anglers could more readily find the actual stocked sections. I assume some of my colleagues were doing so as well. Some had been listed around the state in the past, occasionally so sucker fishermen could still fish for suckers during the preseason stocking period just outside of the actual stocked sections at the local WCO’s discretion and I think I even recall a stream where this was designated in the Summary Booklet as being legal (Bald Eagle below Sayers???). At the time that I gradually started listing many more in SE Pa, however, we were being told to minimize this because there wasn’t enough room in the Summary Booklet of Regulations. Of course, for many of those years the Summary Booklet was much smaller. Times change.

 

[Bamboozle]

...Some had been listed around the state in the past, sometimes so sucker fishermen could still fish for suckers during the preseason stocking period...

This was always a big problem for me when I used to fish for suckers in Darby Creek and the lower Brodhead.

A complete listing of geographic boundaries for STW's was LONG overdue and greatly appreciated, at least by me!!

 

[silverfox]

Dave, it was so they could do this:

• New- Extended season regulations only apply to waters managed as Stocked Trout Waters (STW). All waters downstream of STW are no longer managed under extended season regulations.
  • The complete list of STW can be found in the 2023 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary and Boating Handbook.
• Waters not managed as STW are CLOSED to harvest and fishing must be done on a catch and immediate release basis only. (Note: This includes stream sections that are designated as both Stocked Trout Waters and Class A Wild Trout Streams)

My understanding is that this had been discussed in the Coldwater Unit for years, but finally came to fruition.

This added more protection from harvest for legal size wild trout. It was also so there could be more water open to C&R trout fishing during the normally closed preseason stocking period. I don’t know if this second benefit was an objective or just an added benefit, but it worked to everyone’s advantage.

As an aside, I had long ago started this stocking limit clarification process in a number of SE Pa streams in earnest, particularly long ones with much shorter stocked portions, so anglers could more readily find the actual stocked sections. Some had been listed around the state in the past, occasionally so sucker fishermen could still fish for suckers during the preseason stocking period just outside of the actual stocked sections. At the time that I started listing many more in SE Pa, however, we were being told to minimize this because there wasn’t enough room in the Summary Booklet of Regulations. Of course, for many of those years the Summary Booklet was much smaller. Times change.

I agree, and I believe this was planned in the trout management plan for years before it was implemented as well. I know I gripe about PFBC a lot, but this really was a big step for protecting "wild trout." I wish this same level of regulatory change attention were afforded our state fish, but...

The clearly defined limits of STW has multiple benefits as you pointed out. Fishing for other species like walleye and suckers in waters that used to be defined as part of the STW but really weren't stocked, pointing stocked trout chasers to the actual locations where the fish were stocked to quiet down some of the "they didn't stock any fish!" comments, and to quiet us folks who complain about the widespread stocking.

All that said, stocked fish move. Two years ago, I fished about a 1/2 mile downstream of the lower boundary on a local STW. It was always listed in the regional trout stocking list with boundaries, so I was always able to fish it 365 days a year. I threw spinners just because of the size of the water (it's pretty big) and the bank access/difficulty wading/lack of casting room on the banks. I don't recall the numbers anymore, but I know I landed somewhere around 20 stocked rainbows and yellow rainbows in a very small stretch of the river. They had stocked them the week before, and by then there must have been hundreds of stocked trout a 1/2 mile outside the boundary of the STW. I wonder if the stocked trout move more/quicker on larger rivers?

Another anecdotal experience I've had with fishing downstream of STW is with musky. I originally thought it might trigger activity from the musky and even tied up some 10-12 inch yellow bulkhead musky flies thinking the musky might key in on the yellow trout. I tried this 3 years in a row and what I seemed to find instead is that it just shut the musky down. It seemed like I had less follows and zero catches directly after trout stocking. My theory is that they're gorging themselves on the stocked trout and don't have much interest in anything else, and are probably less likely to eat.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Every year fishing the swatty in the early season for fall fish i catch manada creek stocked fish all the way down to the hershey middletown border. They also run up another smaller no name local swatty trib. I always laugh when I hear PFBC mention boundaries. Class A boundaries, stocked trout water boundaries. I am glad they made the changes they did, hopefully more to come.

 

[wgmiller]

Of course, for many of those years the Summary Booklet was much smaller. Times change.

Indeed they do. It’s the only constant in life. That being said, is the PFBC even printing Summary Booklets anymore?

 

[Bamboozle]

Indeed they do. It’s the only constant in life. That being said, is the PFBC even printing Summary Booklets anymore?

Yep, I have a copy of every Summary since I got my first license a gazillion years ago.

I just picked up a copy of the 2023 Summary last week...