Lower Middle Wild Brown

[JeffP]

I had posted some pics last year of some native browns caught on lower Middle Creek. I had also taken pics of the numerous springs from a bit past Clay down to about Limerock Road. I also reported about the number of fish that survived a brutal summer to provide good fall fishing.

I only got out for about an hour this year around dinner and found plenty of rising trout. Other than that I did not fish at all including the really good sulphur hatches. It's been a rough spring at our house. Anyway, 3 of us including my brother caught around 15 this morning and missed a bunch. The 2 pictures are of wild browns caught in heavily fished waters. The 1 brown was caught under one of the bridges at the twin bridges and the other 3 steps from where it runs along Middle Creek Road. We missed a number of others that we were reasonably sure were wilds. This stretch is not the stretch stocked by Lititz Sportsman's Club. This stretch was stocked prior to opening day and the Tuesday after. Also, we have had some pretty hot weather but the bit of rain and cold snap certainly helped. While last year's wilds were small, these were not. It just amazes me that they are there considering the pounding the stream takes and location. I really would like to see a stream survey done here. I know Mike had PM me about the possibility.

 

[JeffP]

Here is the other one.

 

[JeffP]

It is not the death grip the one looks like!

 

[McSneek]

Jeff - how big is the second brown with the bugger in his mouth? That is an awesome looking fish. Can’t believe it came out of Middle Creek.

 

[Mike]

Often what anglers seek 100 mi away from home is, relatively speaking, right in their own back yards.

 

[JeffP]

McSneek- I had 2 pictures of that one and I posted the one that looks bigger.. My brother caught this one. He said 13 but it sure looks big in that picture. He caught it right under the bridge on Middle Creek Road where Wissler Road Bridge is too. Amazing considering the pounding that area gets in the early season. I caught the other one just downstream where MC Road is right next to the creek with the guardrail and the little spring dumping in.

 

[Mike]

If as is indicated, the section’s stocking was limited to a preseason stocking and one right after opening weekend, then so much the better for the wild trout for two reasons....1) stockings were most likely primarily RT, which are fairly quickly harvested causing pressure to rapidly tail off and 2) BT don’t hit well in the cold, early season stream temps, offering substantial protection from harvest while the RT are the fish being removed. If all goes well, many of the RT will have been harvested and fishing pressure will have tailed off before or just as the temps favor increased BT activity. Additionally, given the early inseason stocking in Middle Ck, anglers will flock to Middle Ck early on, increasing RT harvest rates, and then be rewarded by going elsewhere as other local streams receive their inseason stockings, drawing anglers away from Middle Ck.

I am not suggesting that this was the plan at Middle Ck; in fact, the PFBC site was down and not showing the stocking schedule/species stocked, so I am only going by likelihood that stockings were predominantly RT. When stockings, as described, really are “the plan” they have favored wild BT population growth in the past, eg York Co. In the past when there was an instruction to stock the Middle Ck section early during the inseason period, it was because much of the section gets warm early in spring, especially with the surface discharge from Middle Ck Lake.

 

[JeffP]

I think what you say is true. I do think water temps are a major issue around the dam. The other thing that helps is the Sportsman's clubs major stocking of the lower section not stocked by the state. Everyone heads down there as soon as they start stocking. I do believe this section has wild fish in it too. The sportsman's club has always stocked late May when you would never stock the upper section. IU have always fished for these fish through mid-June and they seem to be fine and rise willingly throughout the day. I heard the club stocked 500 just 2 weeks ago. They also stocked 500 between Christmas and New Years. I'm guessing Middle may be getting extra fish since the Riparian Park on Lititz has been closed all year.

 

[nomad_archer]

The lower section continues to shoulder heavy, heavy pressure today which is about the same as it's been since opening day.

 

[laszlo]

Nice fish, I love those sparsely speckled Browns