Rattling Run Dauphin County

[JeffP]

I fished the East Branch and done well with brookies. As you go downstream you end up hitting a dam. Is anyone familiar with these dams and their impact on the fishery? It truly is some beautiful water.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I fished the East Branch and done well with brookies. As you go downstream you end up hitting a dam. Is anyone familiar with these dams and their impact on the fishery? It truly is some beautiful water.

Do you mean the one on the reservoir or One up the eastbranch?

 

[JeffP]

Do you mean the one on the reservoir or One up the eastbranch?

I meant I fished it in the past. I think it was the East Branch and eventually it flowed into a dam. It was sort of bizarre with no fishing signs. i believe I saw fishing downstream and its stocked.

 

[JeffP]

Here is a brookie I posted at the time. There was some disagreement on this fish. I was convinced it was wild because I caught a half dozen that were much smaller. We fished it right after a tremendous flood hit the watershed. The creek was still roaring and had created quite a bit of destruction along the stream. What a workout it was fishing that ravine! We did not check maps that closely and at what point I began to panic that maybe it hit the river in an isolated location. No phone reception. I do believe it was stocked with brookies at the time. I'm not sure if it still is. Well I think I just lost the photo.

 

[JeffP]

I had that picture in my photos. I tried to save it to my desktop and now it's gone. That is one I always wanted to keep.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I had that picture in my photos. I tried to save it to my desktop and now it's gone. That is one I always wanted to keep.

I don’t know how it affects the fishery there because i think I remember browns above that barrier. I don’t known if there are any other wild native brook trout pops in the wiconisco below that barrier. Its really bad AMD in headwaters but we have all been suprised by brookies in orange streams before. That lake is a resvoir/water supply so prob never coming out infortunately. They have dammed it up into a lake again not far downstream of that one as well.

 

[JeffP]

Found it! I also found one of a much smaller fish.

 

[JeffP]

Also found a smaller one caught that day. Maybe it was the west branch of Rattling

 

[troutbert]

Both Rattling Creek and West Branch Rattling Creek are on the PFBC stocking list.

 

[troutbert]

I looked in the paper booklet, not the online version. If their information is different, I don't know which is correct.

 

[JeffP]

I deleted my post. You were right. I thought we fished the East Branch. I think it was stocked then with brookies. It's not on the list now.

 

[jeffroey]

Wanted to share this pic. I landed this brookie last September in NEPA (no where near Rattling Run) but this particular fish had the same pale appearance the other pix in this thread are showing.

Knowing the location well, there's no way this was a stocked fish. This stream is one of my favs - I fish it a lot - and have never pulled another brookie this pale out of it. On this particular day, I must have landed 5-6 fish in the same size range out of the same hole this one came from but all were much more standard/expected in their color and pattern.

 

[Swattie87]

As mentioned, the dam is a water supply reservoir. It certainly warms the stream below the dam, and prevents the migration of fish when water temps dictate.

Both branches above the dam have wild Brookies, as do their tribs. I believe only the WB and main stem are now stocked.

I suspect there are likely Browns in both headwater drainages too, though I’ve never caught one. Judging from the monsters you can see near the stream mouths during the Summer time. It’s no fishing in the reservoir and I believe they are regularly fed by local folks.

 

[Bamboozle]

Also found a smaller one caught that day. Maybe it was the west branch of Rattling

If you were fishing along a road at any point, you were fishing the West Branch which in its last 1/3 mile flows downstream down a hill into the reservoir along a short stretch of road. Ratting Creek flows out of the reservior and also flows along a roadway.

The East Branch of Ratting Creek is a hike in affair if you want to fish downstream to the reservoir, or there is a way to access the non-posted section above the mouth to fish in an upstream direction.

I seem to recall catching some lightly colored, suspected wild brookies, but in the main stem of Ratting Creek which flows downstream from the reservoir. I've caught similar lightly colored suspected wild brookies in areas of Hickory Run where there is a lot of sandstone.

I can't recall the geology of the area around Ratting Creek, but the fish coloration may be related to what I've seen at Hickory Run.

However, I also seem to recall a small hatchery along the main stem of Ratting Creek and Hickory Run is stocked in sections...

FWIW - Ratting Creek does live up to its namesake so keep an eye out and bears roam around as well.

 

[coyoterahn]

(However, I also seem to recall a small hatchery along the main stem of Ratting Creek..)

Bam, you are correct. There is a hatchery on the main creek. Wild brookies scattered throughout the area above both the dam and the town water reservoir.

 

[pcray1231]

JeffP, the first pic, not a good enough pic to tell if wild or not. If it is, that's a hoss fish for sure! Stream has wild fish, but has been stocked before too. You're second smaller pic is clearly wild.

jeffroey - That's a wild fish. Weird color pattern though. Cool!

 

[Swattie87]

I think all of the fish in this thread are wild fish. The first one is a tank for sure, but very clean fins and a very clean, large, wild looking tail are enough for me to call it wild.

Despite it being stocked, I’ve never caught what I believed to be a stocker in it. Though I’ve only fished the branches above the reservoir, and not the main stem below.