private stocking

[incognito]

Hello,
Say there was a stream near me that I wanted to stock. It would be done so within private bounderies and with the permission and cooperation of the land owners.

#1 how illegal is this?
#2 where to get fish?

The stream really has made a come back through my lifetime, how viable of a fishery could this be?

It is not approved trout water at present, is there any way to petition the state to make it so?

Thanks for your help,
-Incognito

 

[Bamboozle]

Incognito:

Why not ask the experts these questions?

http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/dir_regions.htm

I'm sure the Region Manager for your area could answer all of your questions accurately and possibly point you to some co-op hatcheries if what you ask is possible & legal.

Good luck!

 

[Chaz]

How do you know there isn't trout there already. Stocking brings crowds and landowners in this day and age don't like anglers tramping around and making a mess of their land, so more and more land is being posted. The area fisheries manager is the person to ask about stocking and stream that isn't stocked, and there are requirements that should be met. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that unless there is a mile of stream the manager won't approve it.

 

[sundrunk]

Hatchery trout offer poor sport, they're not inclined to rise...I should say stocking some of our streams serve's purpose. Many fisherman are drawn to a quick and plentiful catch. Less the burden on our wild trout population's, these stocked location's are of critical importance...

 

[incognito]

Chaz,
The stream in question is not listed as having natural reproduction as per the GIS pages on the Fish and Boat website. I don't know how reliable this is. I fished it as a kid and since then like I said it has cleaned up quite a bit. There is a plethora of macroinverts in it and in the past few years I have been seeing some bass. I think that it is clean enought to hold trout but am very doubtful if any natives are in it. Still with the tug of every fall fish I hope that one day I will pull out a trout.

I just thought of putting in for or five in a hole for my own personal amusement.

 

[JackM]

Based upon what you are describing, the creek may get too warm during the summer to sustain a trout population year-round. This summer, consider taking water temperatures periodically. Vary the time of day so you can see temps in the morning, afternoon and evening. It might be good to note overnight lows and daily highs for atmospheric temps as well. This will give you an idea whether and during what period of the year the temperatures are OK for trout.

As for having the stream declared an Approved Trout Water and stocked by the PFBC, you would need to have a substantial stretch of water where the landowners are willing to welcome anglers during the seasons and the PFBC must be in need of additional recreational opportunities in the area. Most likely, they feel they already have enough creeks to stock, so they probably won't feel the need to adopt another, but you can always inquire.

Finally, regarding a private stocking, catchable trout can be expensive to purchase and there would be a minimum, I am sure before they will bother making a delivery. Many of the sportsman's magazine will carry classified ads from commercial hatcheries. Although I do not think you are required to contact PFBC if you are stocking rainbows, browns or brook trout, it might not be a bad idea to speak to them so they can possibly comment on the source of your fish. They may know of problems with particular operations, etc.

Maybe someone else knows for sure, but it may be legal to transfer trout from another waterway. You would need to stay within the daily creel limits, if you are allowed at all, but it may be a way to see if the fish will survive. My brother in law has a spring on his land and he dug a large ditch to pool up the spring water. He captured and transfered trout and then fed them with pellets daily. They survived all summer and over the winter. they may still be surviving to this day, I don't know.