Ok, first, it is on par with the Yough, perhaps harder to fish, but they're there. That river is loaded with big fish where the habitat is right. It's fingerling stocked, its plenty cool enough for fish to live year round. While the famous trout water is basically from the dam to Warren (still a number of miles), fish do survive year round down to Tidioute, and even to Tionesta and below. In the lower areas, they do concentrate near cold water influences. Yes, they release from the bottom gate. Probably the easiest way to catch the big river trout is to fish the marginal area (Tidioute, Tionesta, etc.) and fish up the lower reaches of cold water tributaries in high summer.
Farmer, I've spent some time exploring the headwaters of the west branch, well above Chapman and closer to Dunham Siding. I'm a little confused, though. You're right in that its highly acidic and the main stem isn't very good at all. But nearly all of its tribs are good. I found one small tributary that was completely dead, I think all that acid comes from that one alone? That seems strange, like point pollution rather than the typical acid rain thats common upair. I need to take a walk along that trib and see if I can find it.
As for the main stem, yes, it wouldn't be as fertile as Oil, hence the caveat "temperature wise". The South Branch doesn't help either. Fish seem to hold just fine in Tionesta, though, until the water temps force them out, which usually happens, well, right about now, and its a very productive smallmouth fishery, so things can't be that bad in the main stem. I think without Chapman you'd get another solid month of good trout fishing over many miles. It's a similar size as nearby Oil, with arguably colder tribs, and better forest cover. From a temperature, not fertility, standpoint, it could be just as good if it weren't for Chapman. I'm not claiming it'd be a wild trout stream or anything like that though (though it was at one point in the past, before Chapman and before acid rain).
