PA Trout Harvest Season

[afishinado]

From the PFBC site >

For the 2021 trout season, the PFBC will operate under a consolidated statewide schedule for all counties. Under this revised plan, a single Statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will occur on Saturday, March 27, and a single Statewide Opening Day of trout season will take place on Saturday, April 3. As a result of this consolidation, separate regional mentored youth and opening days will not occur. Anglers are also reminded that because the mentored youth days were cancelled in 2020, all Voluntary Youth Fishing Licenses purchased last season remain valid and will be honored during the 2021 season.

Link to source: https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/fish-and-boat-commission-details.aspx?newsid=360

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I like the title of your post!

 

[Fly-Swatter]

+1

 

[silverfox]

I agree. Should formally refer to the stocked trout rally as "trout harvest season". Good title.

First day of trout season for me was January 1st 2021.

 

[wbranch]

"Due to this change, all streams that are designated as Stocked Trout Waters will be closed to angling when stocking begins on February 15. To provide for additional angling opportunities during this time, trout which are stocked in lakes, reservoirs, and ponds during the pre-season will be open to catch-and-release angling but may not be harvested until Statewide Mentored Youth Day and Statewide Opening Day."

Does this also include Delayed Harvest "Stocked Trout Waters"?

 

[lycoflyfisher]

wbranch wrote:
"Due to this change, all streams that are designated as Stocked Trout Waters will be closed to angling when stocking begins on February 15. To provide for additional angling opportunities during this time, trout which are stocked in lakes, reservoirs, and ponds during the pre-season will be open to catch-and-release angling but may not be harvested until Statewide Mentored Youth Day and Statewide Opening Day."

Does this also include Delayed Harvest "Stocked Trout Waters"?

No, most if not all special reg areas are open year round.

 

[DaveKile]

Looks like they will be bringing back some volunteers to help with the new stocking schedules.

"To achieve the highest quality stocking operations, the PFBC will be reintroducing limited volunteer opportunities in 2021. However, to protect the safety of PFBC staff and the public, volunteer opportunities will not be available to the general public. Instead, volunteers will be recruited from an existing pool of individuals who have traditionally assisted with float stocking and bucket carrying organized through local conservation organizations, schools, and other groups. All volunteers selected will be required to wear personal protective gear, including masks and gloves, and practice social distancing while participating in stocking operations."

 

[theoriginalnickyp]

Does this mean no closed season for catch and release?

 

[Bamboozle]

One more time...

It's not necessarily what you do, it's where you do it.

In other words, just don't try catching & releasing in "Stocked Trout Waters" from February 15 until April 3rd.

Any place else you are fine.

 

[PennKev]

wbranch wrote:
"Due to this change, all streams that are designated as Stocked Trout Waters will be closed to angling when stocking begins on February 15. To provide for additional angling opportunities during this time, trout which are stocked in lakes, reservoirs, and ponds during the pre-season will be open to catch-and-release angling but may not be harvested until Statewide Mentored Youth Day and Statewide Opening Day."

Does this also include Delayed Harvest "Stocked Trout Waters"?

"Stocked Trout Water" is the official jargon for stocked, general regs waters. Delayed harvest is something else entirely, although they are stocked. There has never been a closed season on DH regs areas and this is no indication that there will be this year.

 

[nomad_archer]

Booooo.... Ok I strongly dislike the "closed season for stocking stuff" Why not close all waters to harvest in October/November time frame and then stock throughout the winter months. Then have the annual trout harvest season start when it does. No need to close fishing to hurry up and stock some streams in a 2 week window.

I say this after fishing some stocked water that hasn't seen a fish since last spring that was hammered with fisherman and then high water temps last summer. Guess what I had a blast caught 10 fish in yesterdays snow storm. Interestingly enough there was 2 other fly fisherman out and we were all catching fish.

 

[afishinado]

2021 Trout Stocking Schedule >

https://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/TroutStockingDetails_GIS.aspx

 

[jifigz]

We are making some progress. Maybe it is just a shortage of brook trout, but each stream in Mifflin County that had reproducing brook trout is no longer stocked with brookies. It's all just rainbows. I know, it isn't perfect, but we have all shared stocking brookies over wild brookies is a problem too. At least no potential mixing of stockie brookie and wild brookie genes..

 

[lycoflyfisher]

jfigz, this move was listed both on the PFBC strategic plan as well as a highlighted issue in the recently updated trout management plan. I think this move was done in conjunction with interbreeding concerns as well as gill lice concerns.

The survivability of stocked rainbows also is supposed to be pretty low. One interesting issue that may arise is that I believe the PFBC was still stocking brook trout in several streams because of residency issues. If I recall reading some of the residency studies, rainbow trout were the greatest movers amongst all stocked trout. I know of several watersheds that are supposed to be stocked as close to opening day as possible due to water temps, pH or some other water quality factor causing trout to quickly leave a particular stream. Overall I think this is a good move.

 

[coyoterahn]

I still wonder why there is a need to provide dates of stocking. Especially since volunteers from the general public are not able to participate. Am I missing something?

 

[salmonoid]

lycoflyfisher wrote:
jfigz, this move was listed both on the PFBC strategic plan as well as a highlighted issue in the recently updated trout management plan. I think this move was done in conjunction with interbreeding concerns as well as gill lice concerns.

The survivability of stocked rainbows also is supposed to be pretty low. One interesting issue that may arise is that I believe the PFBC was still stocking brook trout in several streams because of residency issues. If I recall reading some of the residency studies, rainbow trout were the greatest movers amongst all stocked trout. I know of several watersheds that are supposed to be stocked as close to opening day as possible due to water temps, pH or some other water quality factor causing trout to quickly leave a particular stream. Overall I think this is a good move.

But isn't a shame that parasites and the "resource" moving are the reasons for cessation of stocking brookies over native brookies? At least one of the streams is one that holds up quite well on it's own, in spite of stocked browns and 'bows and brookies in the past. It doesn't need what will probably amount to a minimal allocation of 300 fish pre-season - think of all the fuel and driver hours wasted to go up a dirt forest road for that..

 

[JeffP]

Nomad Archer, that idea certainly has some appeal. But The Fish Commission wants a return on their stocking and I 'm sure there would be more trout movement and some mortality. P.S. I PM'd you.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

salmonoid wrote:



But isn't a shame that parasites and the "resource" moving are the reasons for cessation of stocking brookies over native brookies? At least one of the streams is one that holds up quite well on it's own, in spite of stocked browns and 'bows and brookies in the past. It doesn't need what will probably amount to a minimal allocation of 300 fish pre-season - think of all the fuel and driver hours wasted to go up a dirt forest road for that..

Salmonoid, I think brook trout were stocked in favor of other species when residency was a concern. The residency issue may come back again with the stocking of rainbows, or perhaps the issue never went away in some cases. I have always wondered how the fish react to coming from warmer limestone influenced water to freestone streams that may be 15-20 degrees cooler than the hatchery at time of stocking.

I get your overall point though.

 

[mute]

Pre and inseason info available now as well....I thought the PFBC stance was like last year, to not publish such information during a pandemic so theres not mobs of people showing up?

 

[jifigz]

lycoflyfisher wrote:

The survivability of stocked rainbows also is supposed to be pretty low.

I have never noticed this to be true, but I don't know how many have died, either. But plenty of rainbows survive. Kish is chock full of leftover rainbows. Honey Creek and Tea get plenty of rainbows that swim up from Kish and live for a long time. They also hold over extremely well in East Licking Creek.