I finally got out on Wednesday for the first time this year to do some brookie fishing in the Laurel Highlands in SWPA. I was deep into the headwaters of a Class A brookie stream when I came across a deeper hole and caught this guy - a beautiful brown with great colors, but I have no clue how it got this far up the stream. I believe the stream does connect with a stocked stream several miles down from where I caught him. Landed 20+ brookies throughout the stream and no other browns. Very curious.
Surprising Catch
- Thread starter sam
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bigjohn358
Well-known member
Looks like a wild brown to me as well...
albatross
Well-known member
I know PFBC classifies some streams as Class A Brook Trout (ST), some as Class A Brown Trout (BT), and some as Class A mixed Brook and Brown. You can look up the criteria for each classification online, but if the browns are there only in low density as reflected in your 20:1 catch rate it likely would not be listed as mixed.
Tabasco-Joe
Active member
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I have little doubt that's a wild brown.
HopBack is right on with his comment. Catching a brown trout out of any trout stream shouldn't be surprising. They are highly adaptable fish capable of tolerating a lot of varying conditions. Return to that stream when it is higher and muddy and you will most likely catch many more of them.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I agree, but sometimes it takes a while for their presence to be known. I fished a particular native brookie stream for two years and only ever caught natives, then one year later I actually caught a wild tiger trout, my only one to date. That told me there HAD to be wild browns somewhere in that stream for that to happen, as rare as it was. That was back in 2009.
I went another two years before I actually caught my first wild brown on that stream, and have only caught two others since then. They are definately in places you wouldn't expect them.
sandflyx
Well-known member
they stocked a local class A here for 10 years+ with browns on the lower part, now mostly wild browns through the system and hardly and brookies. they shocked the stream 3 years ago and decided to stop stocking. 12" browns have been caught in the upper reaches. I think this is their idea to all the brook streams.
rustbeltwilds
Well-known member
Browns are truly awesome..they can thrive about anywhere and the places they turn up will truly surprise you
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
It really is unfortunately
salmonoid
Well-known member
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There is the clue to how the fish got there; doesn't matter if it is wild or stocked ;-)
I have a stream that I fish that I discovered in 2012. It produced one my largest brookies to date , at 13.5" and in all the years I fished it, it was 100% brookies. About three years ago, someone sent me a link to a YT video, where I recognized the stream and where I also saw undisputed video evidence of browns. This stream does not flow into a stocked stream (at least one not stocked, except dozens and dozens of miles away, well upstream nearer to the larger stream headwaters, and where the water quality is only beginning to be degraded by agriculture). Made my own confirmation of browns in the stream a few years ago but am glad I got to experience it when it was 100% ST.
I hope I don't know the stream you caught your wild brown in, because I know a few class A streams that I would say are 100% wild brookies. And browns are here to stay but I really like fishing some of those last remnants of streams, where brookies make up all the population.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Obviously, there are others, but I know of only one stream that I fish that's 100% natives. I pray it stays that way.
The state Fish and Boat Commission use to try to prevent stocked trout from destroying the wild brook trout population in Big Spring Creek.
They used a slatted section of boards for the middle flow through of a stream-wide, low-height dam that let water flow but was supposed to prevent upstream migrations by browns and rainbows.
Wild browns were stocked in many streams officially. Many more unofficially. Kind of like the rainbows that got into Yellowstone and threatened the native cutthroat.
People do that. They stock fish on a whim. Out of general ignorance, not intentionally to destroy existing fish species and variety populations. So many 100 years old (or more) limestone quarries and other quarries have been stocked with bass and bluegills and who knows what else.
They used a slatted section of boards for the middle flow through of a stream-wide, low-height dam that let water flow but was supposed to prevent upstream migrations by browns and rainbows.
Wild browns were stocked in many streams officially. Many more unofficially. Kind of like the rainbows that got into Yellowstone and threatened the native cutthroat.
People do that. They stock fish on a whim. Out of general ignorance, not intentionally to destroy existing fish species and variety populations. So many 100 years old (or more) limestone quarries and other quarries have been stocked with bass and bluegills and who knows what else.
