PA Trout Harvest Season

jifigz wrote:
lycoflyfisher wrote:

The survivability of stocked rainbows also is supposed to be pretty low.
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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.
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Perhaps all stocked trout survival rates are better in limestone and limestone influenced streams.... lots of food, more stable water temps, etc. While I haven't spent as much time on stocked trout waters in recent years, I have caught and seen a good number of browns in many of the larger Freestone watersheds that have been winter holdovers to maybe only one rainbow holdover and it was in very poor physical condition. I have seen rainbows last pretty deep into the summer and even into fall in favorable conditions, but by the next spring they are either gone or have moved elsewhere.
 
Fair assessment. I would put East Licking Creek as a straight freestone stream. Those rainbows always look great. I fish that stream in the winter a bunch but I haven't yet this year.

You've inspired me to find some straight freestone streams and look for bows that have held over. I'll check at her latest possible time I can before the stream closes for the next stocking.
 
Keep in mind the new shutdown date of Feb 15 unless your targeting a special regs section. The special regs sections on Lycoming, Loyalsock and Muncy are not typically the stretches I have found holdover fish so I will be out here soon. I will let you know what I find, but with the drought I am even less hopeful to run into a rainbow on those streams.
 
Lyco: Am I correct in assuming those special regs sections you mentioned did not receive fall stockings.

Sorry for my ignorance, but I don't usually follow fall stockings. Just curious.
 
JeffP wrote:
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.
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I guess the definition of what the Fish Commission considers a ROI is important. It probably involves a "Another truck load of family fishing fun" freshly delivered to the easiest access point. Success is measured in full stringers posted on Facebook with the occasion golden rainbow but only for the first 2 weeks of the season while the fish are in bridge hole.

Sorry for the saltiness but the current stocking program leave a bit to be desired depending on what you're after for an angling experience. To add I suspect pushing the stocking efforts for the norther tier into feburary/early march how much access will be limited by snow pack. My camp is on an approved trout water and is a stocking point for the fish commission. It used to be stocked fairly well and has over the years seen less and less fish. Last season it hardly saw any fish. If they attempt stock in February/March there is a very good chance the lane will have 12+ inches of snow. Which means it is likely that stretch will not get stocked leaving 1 maybe 2 points that will receive fish.
 
Fly swatter,

One of those sections typically does get a fall stocking (Lycoming), other than fishing it on a rare occasion during the typical March closure I haven't fished that section much early in the year. All 3 sections are fairly difficult to flyfish during seasonal high flows in the spring in my experience. There is just better habitat elsewhere that I have found to be more conducive to finding holdovers and in some cases wild trout as well. Last summer was definitely not a good summer to holdover stocked trout in much of NCPA so that likely factors in as well. Two summers ago there were stocked trout all over those streams and others all summer and well into the fall, but I did not spend much time targeting holdovers in early 2019 or really any of last summer.
 
There are people out there that think that after they pay $22.90 for a fishing licenses and $9.90 for a trout stamp. The state better let me have at least $60 worth of trout. They think of fishing like going to the store and buy trout by the pound, but then again in my eyes, they are not sportsmen or fishermen.

I would suggest that they should be fishing at Limestone Springs Fishing Preserve.
 
Things all depend on your perspective....

Stocking fish in fewer spots always quicker harvest by anglers. This is bad for those that pursue stocked trout throughout the season.

But it's good for those that fish for wild trout, by quickly removing those pesky things from the stream allows the wild fish to get back to their normal locales and routines.

Just sayin'...
 
afishinado wrote:
Things all depend on your perspective....

Stocking fish in fewer spots always quicker harvest by anglers. This is bad for those that pursue stocked trout throughout the season.

But it's good for those that fish for wild trout, by quickly removing those pesky things from the stream allows the wild fish to get back to their normal locales and routines.

Just sayin'...
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That's true. On some of the stocked wild trout streams, if you figure out where the stocking points are, then fish the OTHER stretches, you will find better wild trout fishing.

It's absurd that in 2021 we're still at this point.

If we can put a man on the moon, we should be able to quit stocking over wild trout. Or at the very least over native brook trout.

 
Troutbert - just my 2 cents but it is apparent that trout angling/harvest success takes precedence over native brookies.
 
So, If I hit the special regs stretch of the Octoraro creek, it's ok to FF now? Thanks.
 
Ok, figured this had to be discussed before. Just didn't see it
 
Lycoflyfisher,
It’s just the reverse. RT were significantly better at “residing” and ST and BT moved the most. RT residency was close to 90% while ST and BT were in the 50% neighborhood. There was no significant difference between ST and BT residency.
 
Nomad archer,
Winter stocking was attempted yrs ago in northcentral freestoners because anglers made much the same suggestion as you . Results were terrible. Most fish died before opening day. Makes me wonder what will happen to the fish stocked in the past week in similar waters.
 
Mike wrote:
Nomad archer,
Winter stocking was attempted yrs ago in northcentral freestoners because anglers made much the same suggestion as you . Results were terrible. Most fish died before opening day. Makes me wonder what will happen to the fish stocked in the past week in similar waters.
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If you know, what caused the heavy mortality in the winter: anchor ice, predators, lack of food, or something else?
 
Wild brown trout can survive the harsh conditions of winter in freestone streams.

But hatchery brown trout can't.

Even though they are the same species. And they look pretty similar. It's interesting. I've never heard a good explanation of this.
 
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