PFBC Stocked Trout Waters, Class A Wild Trout Stream

[turkey]

Probably not news for this bunch but the PG ran a piece about PFBC stocking over Class A streams,

https://www.post-gazette.com/life/outdoors/2021/04/12/trout-fishing-pennsylvania-fish-boat-commission-wild-stocked/stories/202104090160

 

[lycoflyfisher]

If you read between the lines a little bit it sounds like PFBC is taking a close look at how the stocked class A sections are managed by conducting angler use surveys and potentially electrofishing surveys. It will be interesting to see the results of this effort.

 

[bigjohn58]

They have it catch and release all trout species after Labor Day to when stocking begins (usually beginning last day of February) on the lower portion of Fishing Creek in Clinton County. I bet that regulation has been on the creek at least 3 years maybe 5. They have been doing some different regs on these Class A streams that get stocked. I wish they would have it catch and release all species of trout except rainbows in these Class A streams that get stocked. I don't think you can just say brown trout because I've seen it so many times where anglers can't tell the difference between brook trout and brown trout. They see red spots and think its a brookie in a lot of cases.

 

[MKern]

Hey here, they stock Kish (probably in the best stretch) and them hold a huge fishing tournament every year in the class a section.

 

[Mike]

Lucoflyfisher is correct above. All 13 stocked Class A Brown Trout sections had angler counts and angler surveys conducted on opening day to be followed with trout population estimates via electrofishing this summer. One of the most interesting things for at least one WCO general opening day rounds in the past on stocked Class A’s and for biologists when more formal counts were done is how few wild trout were harvested from these stream sections on opening day and sometimes how few stocked trout were harvested or even caught. As I mentioned in the past, numerous opening day creel surveys statewide on general stocked trout stream sections have shown that only 30% of anglers catch a stocked trout on opening day, so if an anti-stocking over wild Brown Trout angler thinks about it and uses some statistical logic, clearly few wild Brown Trout are caught on opening day from these streams, which are all wild BT streams, not wild ST streams..