Lehigh River - Fingerlings?

[Fishidiot]

We recently had a good discussion of fingerling management programs that can be seen here.

I noticed on the PFBC site that the Lehigh River appears to be off the fingerling list for 2015 (to be sure, it could be an error or I misread it). Typically, the PFBC drops fingerling programs when the fish fail to thrive or are superseded by wild trout. I've heard a lot of good things about the Lehigh recently and am wondering what you folks who know this river well think about the situation.

Have fingerlings been dropped? If so, why? What is your opinion?

 

[afishinado]

Fishidiot wrote:
We recently had a good discussion of fingerling management programs that can be seen here.

I noticed on the PFBC site that the Lehigh River appears to be off the fingerling list for 2015 (to be sure, it could be an error or I misread it). Typically, the PFBC drops fingerling programs when the fish fail to thrive or are superseded by wild trout. I've heard a lot of good things about the Lehigh recently and am wondering what you folks who know this river well think about the situation.

Have fingerlings been dropped? If so, why? What is your opinion?

Fingerling stocking has been dropped in the Lehigh, although the Pohopoco, below the dam is still stocked with some fingerlings.

With the possible exception of the Yough, bigger river fingerling stocking has not produced the desired results. I don't believe fingerling stocking had very much positive impact on the trout fishing in the Lehigh.

The Lehigh is fishing better than it ever has for trout, and by a wide margin, with more wild trout and more holdover stocked fish than ever.

I agree with many that post on here, if the flow regime were improved, the Lehigh would be one of the top trout rivers in the state. As well, the scenery in and around the River is second to none...beautiful! It's the inconsistent flow that makes it difficult for the fish as well as difficult to fish.

The scenery is a lock, and if you hit the flow right and work a little bit you will likely be rewarded with some nice trout and a great day out on the water.

 

[LehighRegular]

Yes, the fingerling program in the Lehigh has been dropped. The reasons for the PFBC dropping the program is that the PFBC could not document adequate survival of the fingerlings in the river to make it economically feasible to continue the stocking efforts. Basically, when the PFBC shocked the river they didn't find enough fingerlings. I believe the PFBC requires a 20% survival rate to continue the program (not 100% sure on that).

This is one area the LCFA disagrees with the PFBC in its management of the river. The LCFA documented that stocked fingerlings added about 10% to an anglers catch. The fingerlings grew at rates faster than in hatcheries, they looked and acted like wild trout.

Trying to shock the Lehigh is a very difficult task. For starters its big water and getting adequate coverage can't be easy. Secondly, the Lehigh's conductivity is very low reducing the area of the electrical field. A double whammy!

Last, I'm not sure how the PFBC came up the 20% figure to judge its fingerling programs other than for economic reasons alone. I'm not sure what the survival rate is for wild trout reproduction, but I bet is much less than 20% and will vary greatly from year to year.

So, my thought is if anglers are reporting catching fingerlings, the addition of the fingerlings are adding to the enjoyment of anglers and adding to the resource, WHY discontinue the program? Seems like money well spent at less than a $1/fingerling to raise and stock.

Afish mentioned the Po being stocked with fingerlings. Yes, and many of those fish leave the Po and enter the Lehigh. They also survive very well in the Lehigh. I "sampled" many of those fish last fall in the Bowmanstown area.

 

[RyanR]

I think wild survival rates are typically around the 5% range. I do recall they pointed out the difficulty in accurately surveying the Lehigh due to it's size and other characteristics. And I remember they mentioned about the impressive growth rates they saw from both the angler survey and their own electro fishing results. Fingerling survival rates, from things I've read, usually tend to be close to wild survival rates. Remember back when the LRSA had their fingerling program, stocking brown trout each fall? However, they used "advanced" fingerlings, trout that were bigger than a typical fingerling, and I think the survival rates were much better with just a few more inches in average size for those fish that were stocked. I wish the LRSA would've continued with that program but I think much of the membership liked stocking the bigger fish, even though they stocked less of them compared to the amount of advanced fingerlings they could conceivably stock in a year. Those fish went into the river in about 5-7" in November I think and if I recall most were 9" or better by the season opener. I just always thought stocking 5-7" trout like that every fall for at least 5yrs would bring fantastic results with catchable-sized fish that looked and acted a lot more like wild fish than the typical 11" fresh stockie.

At any rate, sometimes it's both frustrating and nice that so many anglers underestimate how good the fishery currently is. It's good now my friends, the changes that groups like the LCFA, LRSA & friends are advocating for are to take it from the good fishery it is now to potentially a world-class, destination type river akin to rivers like the Upper Delaware or Upper Connecticut.