What Creek gave YOU the best Stocked Trout Experience?

[McSneek]

Tulpehocken when it used to be stocked with fingerlings. Excellent caddis hatch all spring and when those fingerlings grew up they were full of energy and tough to catch. Also used to work in Reading so it was very convenient for evening fishing after work.

Clark’s Creek before all the trees fell into the stream. Cold water. Rising fish all spring and summer. Good terrestrial fishing. Always felt somewhat remote and in the mountains even though it was so close to Harrisburg.

Quittapahilla. Just honed my skills there and the DHALO used to have nice stocked browns all summer long.

Muddy Creek. Was much better when they stocked browns. Don’t go as often. Can’t get as motivated to catch those ugly rainbows the state stocks now.

 

[3wt7X]

North Branch of the Potomac. Lots of holdover trout, some wild and fresh stockers. For the most part, all the trout behave like trout.

Yellow Breeches. So heavily pressured the fish seem to develop a quick education and are pretty dialed into to natural presentations. Beautiful stream if you can find some solitude and a nice population of wild browns.

Upper Savage. It should not be stocked with the wonderful population of natives. Having never fished Kettle, I would imagine it is pretty comparable based on the descriptions I’ve heard.

 

[tomgamber]

Kettle or Mill near Clarion.

 

[vealboy]

Rock Run,Lycoming Co,most beautiful stream I've ever fished.I seem to catch more wild browns than stockers.

 

[falcon]

Another good Pike County stocked river is the Lackawaxen. Mostly stocked trout although some wild biws move in from the Delaware. There are smallmouth and Stripers too.

 

[ROVERT]

The Sock for me. Little Pine is my runner up.

Pine, Clarks, YB, and Donegal as also-ran. Donegal makes the list because of the sheer number of hours I was able to spend there after school in high school.

 

[KELORGO]

Big Pine

 

[dudemanspecial]

The nostalgic part of me says Medix Run, its where I REALLY learned how to fish for trout.

First Fork is probably the one that I think gives me the best experiences at this point of my life.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

NCPA is abound with excellent big stream stocked trout opportunities. Add in a wild trout component and in many cases excellent smallmouth fisheries, there are abundant angling opportunities on many of these streams. What I would call my favorite hasn't been mentioned yet. It is hard to go wrong on Pine or Kettle though I wouldn't pass up any of the other larger freestoners that are nearby.

 

[Andrwhite610]

Easy for me. I live 5 minutes from the Tully. April into May early June I love to tangle with some of the keystone select browns before work. The trico hatch is cool too…. My favorite overall stream is stocked but that’s not why I’m there.

 

[Mike]

As with TimMurphy, Spring Ck, Centre Co when it was stocked, but during an earlier time period…1972-1974.

 

[jifigz]

I think some of you have misinterpreted the question. I think. I am not asking which stocked trout stream has given you the best fishing, because many of our truly amazing wild trout streams are stocked, but which stocked stream has provided you with the best fishing experience only for stockies. If I am wrong in my assumption, then please carry on.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

#1 Pine Creek
#2 Kettle Creek

Ones that were scenic and interesting and that I would fish more if I lived closer: Lehigh River, Youghiogheny River.

This.

Pine Creek has a lot to offer fly fisherman.

 

[wildtrout2]

... but which stocked stream has provided you with the best fishing experience only for stockies.

That's what I thought you were asking.

 

[TimMurphy]

I think some of you have misinterpreted the question. I think. I am not asking which stocked trout stream has given you the best fishing, because many of our truly amazing wild trout streams are stocked, but which stocked stream has provided you with the best fishing experience only for stockies. If I am wrong in my assumption, then please carry on.

Dear jifigz,

My post was made with the idea that stocked trout was the primary point. I taught myself to fly fish for trout on Spring Creek while at PSU. The creek was stocked to the gills until 1983 when they discovered Kepone downstream of Rte 26. I had cooked quite a few stockers in my dorm room using a Hamilton-Beach popcorn popper and butter from the dining hall during my years at Dear Old State.

The Lehigh I wrote about was then and still is primarily a stocked trout stream. It had great scenery, reliable hatches, and more importantly, close friends nearby.

Before I went to college, my trout fishing consisted entirely of fishing for stocked trout. The mighty Neshaminy at Playwicki Park was where I started, but I was like 10 years old, and flies were something you swatted. On Easter weekends that coincided with open trout season I fished Plum Crick, AKA Little Shamokin Crick near Sunbury while visiting family.

Being younger than me by many years, you might not realize that almost every "wild" trout stream in PA was also heavily stocked until Operation Future came around in the early 1990's. If you think it's bad now with stocking over wild fish, you'd have had a stroke back then! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[troutbert]

As with TimMurphy, Spring Ck, Centre Co when it was stocked, but during an earlier time period…1972-1974.

Were you catching many wild browns in Spring Creek in those days?

 

[jifigz]

Dear jifigz,

My post was made with the idea that stocked trout was the primary point. I taught myself to fly fish for trout on Spring Creek while at PSU. The creek was stocked to the gills until 1983 when they discovered Kepone downstream of Rte 26. I had cooked quite a few stockers in my dorm room using a Hamilton-Beach popcorn popper and butter from the dining hall during my years at Dear Old State.

The Lehigh I wrote about was then and still is primarily a stocked trout stream. It had great scenery, reliable hatches, and more importantly, close friends nearby.

Before I went to college, my trout fishing consisted entirely of fishing for stocked trout. The mighty Neshaminy at Playwicki Park was where I started, but I was like 10 years old, and flies were something you swatted. On Easter weekends that coincided with open trout season I fished Plum Crick, AKA Little Shamokin Crick near Sunbury while visiting family.

Being younger than me by many years, you might not realize that almost every "wild" trout stream in PA was also heavily stocked until Operation Future came around in the early 1990's. If you think it's bad now with stocking over wild fish, you'd have had a stroke back then! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

I wasn't talking about you, Tim. I'm aware that Spring used to be a huge stocked trout rodeo. I was throwing that out there last to clear up any confusion.

 

[tomgamber]

Oh, come on. E eryone knows stocked trout never reproduce. 😉

 

[tomb]

Kettle and First Fork in May and June .Yellow Breeches in August. Yough Year round

 

[TimMurphy]

I wasn't talking about you, Tim. I'm aware that Spring used to be a huge stocked trout rodeo. I was throwing that out there last to clear up any confusion.

Dear jifigz,

I didn't think you were talking about me, but you know I'm never short on words either! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂