What makes stockies move?

[jifigz]

stocked trout should be float stocked. not sure is PA does that. if they do then kudos to them. otherwise stocked trout spread out during floods or high CFS from recent rains.

Some places are float stocked. I believe it is up to the amount of volunteers and help.

Your beliefs of why stocked fish spread out is counter to the PFBC study, so that's interesting. Not saying you're right or wrong.

 

[abixler1955]

Interesting.

What stream is that? You "heard" it was recently stocked. Stocked by who? PFBC? If so, is it on their website?

Wiconisco Creek and it is stocked by the PFBC.

 

[jifigz]

Sure enough. On the website it says stocked March 2. Almost a month ago. It would be very interesting to know if those stockies are actually gone, either dead or traveled some distance, or if they were still present and just not detected by caddisflyer. Hmmmmm

 

[Bamboozle]

My Dyeberry Creek. I remember that article.

Biggest disappointment in my life...

 

[rrt]

I hope this is not off-topic.

Anyhow, wild trout also move around. A recent study by Juniata College showed that trout move around a lot in the Little Juniata River, sometimes a number of miles. These are wild browns. I have never seen the full study, but I think that water temperatures and flows were two determining factors in the trout movement. At least one trout moved into another stream.

From this, I imagine stocked trout are influenced by temps and flows, but that is just a guess.

Interesting topic.

 

[jifigz]

I hope this is not off-topic.

Anyhow, wild trout also move around. A recent study by Juniata College showed that trout move around a lot in the Little Juniata River, sometimes a number of miles. These are wild browns. I have never seen the full study, but I think that water temperatures and flows were two determining factors in the trout movement. At least one trout moved into another stream.

From this, I imagine stocked trout are influenced by temps and flows, but that is just a guess.

Interesting topic.

Sure. Wild trout definitely move at times and in certain systems more than others. Smallmouth bass also can migrate miles throughout the seasons.

The thing that interests me about stocked trout movement is kind of how fake they are, so to speak. Raised in such artificial environments and then dumped all over the place. I find it interesting they are just "figuring it all out," food, unstable environments, etc.

 

[PennKev]

My experience has been that stocked fish movement varies greatly and a variety of factors determine how far from the stocking point you can expect to find them. The largest influence seems to be stream size.

Small streams tend to see very few fish stray from their stocking points, larger streams definitely have more fish away from the easy access. I can find stocked fish pretty far from the stocking locations on all the bigger stocked water that I fish. The biggest factor is holding water on these streams, if it looks good, it will have fish in it. Yeah there will be a load of fish at the bridge holes or wherever they were dumped, but enough wander off to make for enjoyable fishing with good numbers of fish to be caught elsewhere.

Most importantly, streams that receive a lot of fish, will have more fish move away from the stocking point even though majority stay near where they were stocked.

 

[coyoterahn]

Interesting.

What stream is that? You "heard" it was recently stocked. Stocked by who? PFBC? If so, is it on their website?

The name of the creek is the Wiconisco. The special rags section was stocked by PFBC on 3/2 according to their website. It’s a WW stream. I walked it last week and yesterday. Between those 2 days I probably saw 6-8 trout in addition to a couple of risers. It’s quite low and clear for this time of year. I spoke with 1 fly angler yesterday who picked up 1 fish and a spin fisherman who caught none but said he had a bunch of follows. It’s not unusual for guys fishing for bass to pick up trout where the Wiconisco dumps into the Susquehanna. I know of 1 bass angler who caught a nice brown trout about 3 weeks ago at the mouth of the creek. He was bass fishing. As the crows flies, that’s about 1 mile or 2 below the special regs area.
I will say, for as low and clear as that creek is, I’m surprised I haven’t seen more fish.

 

[jifigz]

The name of the creek is the Wiconisco. The special rags section was stocked by PFBC on 3/2 according to their website. It’s a WW stream. I walked it last week and yesterday. Between those 2 days I probably saw 6-8 trout in addition to a couple of risers. It’s quite low and clear for this time of year. I spoke with 1 fly angler yesterday who picked up 1 fish and a spin fisherman who caught none but said he had a bunch of follows. It’s not unusual for guys fishing for bass to pick up trout where the Wiconisco dumps into the Susquehanna. I know of 1 bass angler who caught a nice brown trout about 3 weeks ago at the mouth of the creek. He was bass fishing. As the crows flies, that’s about 1 mile or 2 below the special regs area.
I will say, for as low and clear as that creek is, I’m surprised I haven’t seen more fish.

Yeah, I looked it up and saw the stocking info and stuff after someone told me the creek name. If that is a popular opening day spot then it sounds like there will be a lot of anglers there not catching much. The stream receives another in-season stocking shortly after the opener, at least.

 

[TheBluegillMaster]

From what I can tell, stocked trout can move into smaller tribs during the summer when water warms up. How high of a jump can stocked trout make? Can they get over the small waterfalls and rapids in many brookie streams?

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

From what I can tell, stocked trout can move into smaller tribs during the summer when water warms up. How high of a jump can stocked trout make? Can they get over the small waterfalls and rapids in many brookie streams?

Can they? Them stock rainbows jump pretty darn high when they get a hook rippin them lips. Rainbow trout are thought to have maximum jumps of up to 10ft and swim 18-23 mph but on a day to day basis would not achieve those levels.

 

[TheBluegillMaster]

10 feet jumps are crazy… and in MD arleast, they swim upstream to get to colder water or they go into small tribs. Others just hunker into the deepest pools and eventually die because of the heat. Depending on the stream, the vast majority don’t make it.

 

[pcray1231]

Can they get over the small waterfalls and rapids in many brookie streams?

Depends how big of course, but generally, yeah. They will do so in greater numbers during higher water. We often look at waterfall height as the determining factor there, and of course it plays a part. But the criteria for can they or can't they is often less obvious. Depth and horizontal distance, below the falls, and in the falls itself, changes how high an obstruction they can pass. They need to get a bit of a run to make the jump. Intentional fish barriers are often double falls, where the first falls onto a shallow concrete race into a second falls. They make the first but then can't get a run at the second. Cascades do the same thing.

But outside of summer time, seeking cold water behavior. Or breeding. Generally fish go down I think. A lot easier that way.

On the borderline ones, there's also a difference in what % can make it. If talking whether stocked trout can make it in fishable abundance, you need to get a bunch over. If talking about something, like, say, whether brown trout can populate the area above a falls, you only need 2 to make it....

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Generally fish go down I think. A lot easier that way.

Generally speaking,there is more food available downstream.

 

[Troutmeister]

I fished the DHALO of the Little Skook yesterday and fish were pretty much where they were stocked 3wks. ago. There was a hole loaded up with fish where I caught a pile. The next hole upstream I caught nothing.

I fish the Jordan Creek a lot just because it's so close to my house. I found fish in abundance in the stocked locations right into June last yr. There was one pool where I lost a huge stocker twice early in the season. I was checking it out in July and surprisingly he was still there.

Did find movement in July when I was warmwater fishing for bass and panfish. Was surprised to find quite a few trout. This was in locations that aren't stocked but this was in July 3 months after the last stocking.

 

[caddisflyer]

Interesting.

What stream is that? You "heard" it was recently stocked. Stocked by who? PFBC? If so, is it on their website?

Wiconisco. Yeah it shows it was stocked on PAFB site. also was on the news being stocked. I think the fish all got swept away in high water. They stock a lot of big Brook Trout in there too. Its a Keystone Select.