Maryland's Trout Program Woes

[LongWader]

Maryland had five hatcheries and unfortunately with failing infrastructure and poor water supplies it is now down to one for trout and that Hatchery is Albert Powell in Western Maryland. Apparently the spring water supply for that hatchery has been severely compromised with silt and it no longer yielding the water needed to raise the paltry 250,000 trout that Maryland provides for the entire state. Many of you are aware that NY and PA put that many fish into a single river. Maryland also passed new purchasing guidelines a few years ago that make it virtually impossible for them to buy trout from other hatcheries. The hatchery had major problems this winter and the MD DNR stocked fingerlings early in the hopes that the remaining trout would reach the require 1/2 lb. average size and that is not a good quality fish compared to the surrounding states, especially when you consider that they have not even achieved that average size in years. I just watched them stock two streams and the average rainbow was 4-6 inches and even those fingerling sized trout where on the skinny side. Apparently it is going to be even worse in 2018 because they are going to have to severely reduce the number of raised trout due to the compromised water supply.

The only good news is the numerous poachers will probably not be all that interested in fingerling sized trout.

If you are hoping to invest in a trout license this year I would strongly suggest you do it some state that offers decent sized trout.

After many years of watching the Maryland trout program falter and go downhill that is what I am going to do. Even if things improve in the future Maryland will need to upgrade their stocking trucks because they are too small and antiquated to carry many of the larger better quality fish. The better quality fish simply can't survive the long trip from Western Maryland in the existing trucks.

With the lack of enforcement and failing infrastructure I see no future for the Maryland Trout Program except for a few rivers near the hatchery in Western Maryland. That is a real shame because many of the rivers in Eastern and Central Maryland have improved and now have the capacity to keep and hold stocked trout, and sustain wild trout. Unfortunately the wild trout that are left in these streams and rivers receive little to no protection.

The Gunpowder is the last of these Eastern Maryland rivers to have decent numbers of wild trout, but the average size and numbers have gone down significantly over the past 10 years due to poaching and canoeist and kayakers sawing up the wood brush piles and snags that held the larger fish. The Gunpowder is badly in need of some protection which does not exist these days.

I wish there was some good news, but Maryland has not been willing to invest in the resources and infrastructure need to reverse this trend. The MD DNR simply does not have the people or resources to turn things around.

After 40 plus years of supporting them and trying to help, I am giving up.

 

[troutbert]

LongWader wrote:

Apparently the spring water supply for that hatchery has been severely compromised with silt and it no longer yielding the water needed to raise the paltry 250,000 trout that Maryland provides for the entire state. Many of you are aware that NY and PA put that many fish into a single river.

Which PA river would that be?

 

[sarce]

They can start by ending 4700 rainbows/yr stocking on Fishing Creek in Frederick County, which already has a class A (if it were PFBC classification) wild brook trout population.

MDNR seems to do a good job of documenting wild trout waters - but then are unable to protect them from the ever-expanding impacts of suburban development. See Baltimore County...

 

[LongWader]

Maryland is stuck and simply will not change in their continued downhill slide.

They continue to overstock wild fish because they don't want to change the regs and they fail to protect CR wild trout fisheries like the Gunpowder because they don't have the people. There are also some put and take streams that have improved and have some wild trout, but they don't want to change the regs to delayed harvest to protect the wild trout because historically they were put and take fisheries and they don't want any push back.

Maryland no longer stocks brown trout and better quality trout from other sources because the meat fisherman complain that they are too hard to catch. They only raise Kamloops and Palomino trout that are easy to raise and easy to catch. That is their management philosophy and when you add the fact that their hatcheries/ stocking program is failing and you have little to no enforcement you have a perfect storm of failure.

I have spoken to numerous poachers who take the wild trout from CR areas and the stocked trout in closed season and they simply state that no one has stopped them in 30 years so who am I to tell them what to do.

They have a point. I have had my freshwater fishing license checked exactly once in 40 years for the felt sole ban and I fish all the major trout waters in Maryland. If you call the Poacher Hot Line they either tell you no one is available or the agents are away on the group task force and not available.

I have also had a MD DNR Manager share with me that they don't want the better quality of fish for stocking because they don't survive in the antiquated stocking trucks.

Maryland provides little to no protection for the wild fish, has a failing stocking program, and is unwilling to change the regs to better manage the rivers and resources so what the point of even trying.

 

[wgmiller]

troutbert wrote:

Which PA river would that be?

Elk and Walnut Creek!!! :-D

 

[sarce]

I will say this, last year I witnessed a massive bust of a group of Hispanic guys poaching yellow perch from a Chesapeake Bay trib. They did not speak English or have drivers licenses. This was happening in the parking lot as I was leaving the water, so I heard all of it. Not disagreeing about the trout regs enforcement, but they may have their hands full with the vast fishery created by the Bay...

 

[LongWader]

They do enforce on the Chesapeake and that is where the agents spend all their time. I fished the Chesapeake for 30 plus years and they checked my boat several times a year.

Salt water yes, Freshwater rarely.


Maryland had a decent trout programs at one time and some enforcement, but it started a downhill slide when they took the fishing and hunting license revenue away from the DNR and put it in the general fund and only gave a small portion of it back to the DNR.

It has been a downhill slide ever since and we basically have little to no freshwater or hunting law enforcement at this point.

It is open season-no limit-year round.

 

[LongWader]

I live on the PA line so mostly fish PA and NY these days. I occasionally go down to TN.

I used to fish for stocked trout in the Spring and wild trout in the Winter in MD, but no longer.

 

[Dave_W]

Wader,
Thanks for the update. I wasn't aware of the problems MD has had (and is having) with their hatchery program.

I've long admired MD and consider it a greatly underrated fishing state. In fact, western MD is, in my opinion, world class for trout fishing....or at least the equal of Potter or Tioga County.

In marginal counties closer to me, such as Frederick and Carroll, the number of anglers has dropped....but I always attributed that to lesser stocking rates. Perhaps this is a bit of a chicken vs the egg situation....but considering what you've described with their hatcheries, it's likely a safe bet that the heavy stocking that characterized streams like Hunting Creek a generation ago (and the enormous fishing pressure it got then) are days that aren't going to return.
Might there be a silver lining to these changes?

Incidentally, you mentioned the state's lack of willingess to get trout from other states. Do you have any further insight on this? Why won't they do this? I thought that MD got big bows from West Virginia for the North Branch and some other waterways.

 

[ryansheehan]

I don't mean to sound insensitive but I would still purchase a Maryland license and trout stamp if all their stocking stopped tomorrow. In fact, I think this might be a good thing for my interests in fishing Maryland. I have some ideas for MD on how to save money. First, STOP putting Kamloops in the Gunpowder, what a waste. There are already too many fish. The idea that the trout are small in their because of kayakers is crazy, some poaching would be good if it were in a slot limit. Second, stop putting trout in the north branch below Barnum. Change the regs to catch and release throughout and cut the stocking program completely. There are already alot of good wild fish in there. I don't want to rant too long but there are plenty of ways for Maryland to do better without stocking a single fish.

 

[ryansheehan]

Dave_W wrote:
Wader,
Thanks for the update. I wasn't aware of the problems MD has had (and is having) with their hatchery program.

I've long admired MD and consider it a greatly underrated fishing state. In fact, western MD is, in my opinion, world class for trout fishing....or at least the equal of Potter or Tioga County.

In marginal counties closer to me, such as Frederick and Carroll, the number of anglers has dropped....but I always attributed that to lesser stocking rates. Perhaps this is a bit of a chicken vs the egg situation....but considering what you've described with their hatcheries, it's likely a safe bet that the heavy stocking that characterized streams like Hunting Creek a generation ago (and the enormous fishing pressure it got then) are days that aren't going to return.
Might there be a silver lining to these changes?

Incidentally, you mentioned the state's lack of willingess to get trout from other states. Do you have any further insight on this? Why won't they do this? I thought that MD got big bows from West Virginia for the North Branch and some other waterways.

Dave,
WV stocks the north branch too since it is the border water.

 

[3oh4]

Hmmm... maybe they can put the trout pens back in the upper C and R of the Branch and the Browns can come back???

I do think Maryland's biggest issue is water. Their best fisheries outside of Beaver Creek and a few really small tribs are all tailwaters. I personally get a license just to fish the Savage and it sees no stockings.

I live in West Virginia don't ever bash Maryland's management until you witness this ****-show. Maryland at least protects Brooke trout - WV doesn't at all, they try to protect their wild fisheries and are smart enough to use delayed harvests on streams that warm during the summer. WV just allows them to die via hot-tub-syndrome.

If they stopped stocking the North Branch there would be a lot of slow days, there are a lot of wild fish but I don't think it could be self sustaining without aid. Obviously I'd love to see them fingerling stock it only but that will never happen.

My biggest issue with MD is they keep allowing for people to post stream access. My favorite Brookie stream is basically 90% posted now and that just happened in about three years. Not to mention the section of the Savage that is posted and also the sections of Bear Creek - I was assaulted via snow balls one day by an angry gentleman.

 

[3wt7X]

Marylands stocking program never impressed me... Consider the following great wild trout fishing streams that get stocked with the kamloops you mentioned. Some have already been mentioned.

1. Big Hunting
2. Fishing Creek
3. Upper Savage
4. Gunpowder
5. Beaver Creek in the upper area (I love seeing the 20 inch wild brown that inevitably gets carried out on a stringer on opening day every year... not. This year the water is way too low up there to hold the big fish though.)
6. Bear Creek

They all blow my mind because they are all great wild trout fisheries.

They should cut all those if they are short on fish... I do enjoy the lakes they stock out west... I've caught some on midges on top during late may... Also, the north branch should only get fingerlings.

 

[ryansheehan]

3oh4 wrote:

If they stopped stocking the North Branch there would be a lot of slow days, there are a lot of wild fish but I don't think it could be self sustaining without aid. Obviously I'd love to see them fingerling stock it only but that will never happen.

I catch alot of wild bows there now and they keep getting bigger. Just 5 years ago I was mostly catching stockers, at this rate of improvement along with changed regs a no stocking plan could work. Obviously 3oh4 and 3wt know the river very well so maybe I'm wrong, but I wouldn't mind finding out.

 

[DaveKile]

3wt7X wrote:
Marylands stocking program never impressed me... Consider the following great wild trout fishing streams that get stocked with the kamloops you mentioned. Some have already been mentioned.

1. Big Hunting
2. Fishing Creek
3. Upper Savage
4. Gunpowder
5. Beaver Creek in the upper area (I love seeing the 20 inch wild brown that inevitably gets carried out on a stringer on opening day every year... not. This year the water is way too low up there to hold the big fish though.)
6. Bear Creek

They all blow my mind because they are all great wild trout fisheries.

They should cut all those if they are short on fish... I do enjoy the lakes they stock out west... I've caught some on midges on top during late may... Also, the north branch should only get fingerlings.

I agree. I have never figured out what they are doing. I live here and only fish in the state every few years.

 

[3oh4]

I got into a pod of wild bows last year that was a blast! It has made a huge jump the last few years, I agree 200%.I love that place, just wish they would try to add to the brown trout population and would make it catch and release clear to where the Savage dumps in.

I would also like to expose which state stocks above the private property boundary in the upper c and r... that is absolute BS they put fish in those holes and restrict access to us normal fisherman.

 

[ryansheehan]

Dave_W wrote:

I agree. I have never figured out what they are doing. I live here and only fish in the state every few years.

I live in VA and mostly fish MD and some PA, western MD is paradise to me. Funny how that works sometimes.

 

[Letort]

Maryland government sucks, in almost every way possible.

 

[joebamboo]

Maryland's bread and butter comes from the saltwater fishing.

 

[blauner335]

3oh4 wrote:
I got into a pod of wild bows last year that was a blast! It has made a huge jump the last few years, I agree 200%.I love that place, just wish they would try to add to the brown trout population and would make it catch and release clear to where the Savage dumps in.

I would also like to expose which state stocks above the private property boundary in the upper c and r... that is absolute BS they put fish in those holes and restrict access to us normal fisherman.

+1 on making the North Branch C&R to the Savage. Since I moved from northern PA down to western MD, I have tried to fish all the waters in the area and the North Branch/Savage quickly fell into my favorite. The section of the North Branch from the dam outlet to the Savage is just beautiful.