North Branch Muddy Creek question, York Co

[Mike]

How far downstream on the North Branch have you consistently caught wild Browns on at least a seasonal basis? The answer may help us efficiently locate a starting point for a survey tomorrow aimed at determining how much of the North Branch, if any, and it's tribs, may qualify for the wild trout stream designation.

 

[raftman]

PM Sent.

 

[Mike]

Thank you Raftman. While we started farther down than you recommended, it payed off. We were close enough to the mouth and handled enough(8 in this case) wild browns of various year classes such that we can recommend the entire North Branch Muddy Creek basin for wild trout designation in the future. The fish were a bit thin from warm summer temps. Also of note was that the BT and other fish species in that stream have entered their winter behavior pattern unlike some other SE Pa streams that we have recently surveyed. Water temp was much colder (4 deg C) in the N Br Muddy Ck basin.

When we find a suitable number and size distribution of wild trout within a half mile of the mouth of a stream, the entire stream plus all of its tribs qualify for a wild trout designation consideration without the need to do individual surveys of each trib. That is important for anglers to keep in mind when they are considering or debating revealing the locations of wild trout streams to AFM's. They are potentially assisting with protection of the primary streams that they have reported as containing wild trout populations as well as all of the tribs upstream from the location where the PFBC crew finds wild trout of suitable sizes and abundance.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

great news! thanks mike!

 

[raftman]

Awesome! Thanks Mike!