Stocked vs Wild Trout

[PennypackFlyer]

I would not call them stupid - conditioned yes. We too are conditioned - we will stand in ice cold creeks or rivers for hours just to try and catch something that will tug on our line. We always drive down a street the same as the traffic flows....we know what happens when we venture the wrong way. When our wife tells us to do something, we always have the last word in, "Yes Dear, I'll do it".

There is a billion things to learn in our world and if we can learn 1 % of it - I'd say we are doing great. Is there a billion things to learn in their world?

 

[Acristickid]

I’ve learned I don’t like tomatoes on my sandwich.

 

[larkmark]

Do you instinctively dislike the tomato or is it a learned behavior?
Trout whether stocked or wild probably have a good bit that is hard wired. Not surprising that they can figure out that nymphs and mayflies are good to eat. A 20 inch trout has to eat a lot so it is going to go for food or a fly. And also can get real picky in a short time if pressured.

 

[ryansheehan]

Not to hijack the thread but read in the comments that NY is stocking the EB of the Delaware??!! I looked it up and they also stock the WB of the Delaware?!!? I was always told those fisheries were wild.

 

[krayfish2]

First thing that really interested me is the approach NY is trying to raise "wild" stock or pure strain fish. I'll be interested to see how this goes for them. I honestly do believe that the typical hatchery fish genetics are so messed up that most are barely trout.

Is one smarter than the other? Guess that depends where you look. Go to big spring and find a 4 yr old wild brookie. It'll just sit there feeding while you poke it with your rod tip. Then, drive an hour and walk along Clark's in the fly zone. You will watch stockers flee in every direction if the even think they saw something move that's out of the ordinary.

 

[krayfish2]

Ryan,

Upper east gets a stocking and lower East gets some fish but it's a smattering based on the size of the water. If you've ever seen NY stock fish... truck stops on bridge 40' above the river...pulls hatch and dumps 3000 gallons of water and 200 fish (small fish) to their deaths. LoL. Otherwise, they dump 30 buckets in a hole and drive 5 miles, dump 30 buckets and drive 5 miles, etc. They basically pour a few in at a handful of access points where there's angler traffic and F the rest of it.

Stocking of the west? Not familiar with that story. Above Cannonsville it is stocked. You may get a washout of stockers from Ocagua in real high water situations. The main has several feeders that are stocked in the top 50 miles.

Now, I've heard but can't confirm that some of the lodges on the system have dumped a few buckets of breeder sized fish in their 'home' pools to add that little extra for their clientele. I've fished WB from top to bottom and can say that I've caught very few fish that I would have labeled as a stocker. On the EB drainage, I've caught several stockers over 25-30 years but it might be 1 out of 20/25 fish landed. On all branches, I've nymphed and assumed that I'd snagged a willow leaf or flower petal... nope baby browns.

 

[wbranch]

I caught a 19" brown trout four times in 12 days. He must of really liked that fly. He ate the same pattern #18 rusty spinner.

 

[raftman]

I’ve learned I don’t like tomatoes on my sandwich.

+1. Inevitably, it'l get messy. Just give me a slab of hard cheddar, some arugula, and Yellowbird serrano.

Also, what Swattie said. Dude's spot-on.

 

[tomgamber]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/137907040210/permalink/10157639200665211/

For those who have facebook and prefer wild trout, this would be an interesting thread to read. Not sure if "Steve" is known to anyone here but the brother could use a hand.

 

[afishinado]

ryansheehan wrote:
Not to hijack the thread but read in the comments that NY is stocking the EB of the Delaware??!! I looked it up and they also stock the WB of the Delaware?!!? I was always told those fisheries were wild.

Ryan,

I believe what you see listed for NYS stocking is refering to the West Branch above the Cannonsville Reservoir/Dam and the East Branch above the Pepacton Reservoir/Dam.

 

[krayfish2]

After doing a little more research, what I can find is that the upper east still receiving stocking and it looks like the stocking of the lower east ceased a few years back which is probably why the fishing is so bad.

I imagine that the policies will be modified after they complete the study / anglers surveys this year.

 

[moon1284]

The east gets some fish stocked I usually catch a few early in the season. I dont think it needs to be stocked but it really doesnt affect the fishery. I think it mostly gets stocked around campgrounds and bridges so there are fish that can be caught April 1.

All of the stocked fish I have caught in the wb were near oquaga creek (they washed down in high water). The wb is not stocked below cannonsville.

In general, i think pa plants more fish per stocking than ny. I think pa puts in a million more trout total than pa (at least by the agencies).

So if you want to make sure you will only catch wild fish in the system I'd say fish the wb between hale eddy and shehawken.

 

[wbranch]

Afishinado wrote;

Ryan, I believe what you see listed for NYS stocking is refering to the West Branch above the Cannonsville Reservoir/Dam and the East Branch above the Pepacton Reservoir/Dam.

For as long as I can remember NYS has been stocking the upper EB from Downsville all the way down to the Sunoco gas station. That is why sometimes you will catch a dozen 12" - 14" browns that look the same, weigh the same, and were all in the same pool. If you have a permit to fish at King's (where you used to be able to park and below Long Flats) that pool often has dozens of stocked fish in it.

I don't understand the logic of NYS stocking hatchery fish in a river that already supports a very good wild trout fishery. Over the years I have caught dozens of 18" - 21" browns and none of them appeared to have been hatchery fish. However for as many brown trout I have seen I will rarely want to say unequivocally that it is wild or stocked. Most every fish that I think were stocked browns in the upper EB are very good looking fish. No pen marks, no caudal fin injuries, nice pectorals, although some have had a pectoral removed for hatchery identification.

 

[wbranch]

Moon wrote;

In general, i think pa plants more fish per stocking than ny. I think pa puts in a million more trout total than pa (at least by the agencies).

Easily! If you are willing to include the 1,000,000 steelhead smolts they stock every year into the PA streams entering Lake Erie I think PA will be way ahead of NYS stocking.

I did a little research and NYS stocks about 900,000 pounds of trout every year while PA stocks 3.2 million trout every year.

If the conservative weight of the average PA is .50 pounds then PA is stocking 1,600,000 pounds of trout. Almost double the weight of NYS.