bigjohn58
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How do you know it was stocked at 8 to 10 inches?
pete41
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almost all creeks have some spring input-the more dominant fish can survive.Besides browns ain't that tasty-release em to fight and hopefully love again-tried eating some browns back in double nickel days-rather buy farm raised bows-lol
Nice fish.
Nice fish.
T
TJones
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Beautiful fish! Looks like a hungry bird might have poked him... He's a survivor!
bigjohn58
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Doesn't mean it didn't move up in on its own. Did the stream used to get stocked? Nice fish either way.
Z
Zak
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Good fish but it could have come from anywhere in reality this time of year. Doesn't mean catch and release isn't still a great thing 
djs12354
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Nice fish!
Z
Zak
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I don't know the creek. Don't care. I just know that you never know who's putting trout in places. Just go read the Dunbar Creek post about the guy that found the golden rainbow impossibly far up a trib. Trout get all over the place by all sorts of means this time of year. Then again, maybe you right and that fish is 3 years in the creek. I'd be happy if it was. Just can't assume it in May is all I'm saying. No disrespect meant.
salmonoid
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Everyone's a keyboard quarterback on the interwebz. For the record, I don't know the creek. And that's a stocker. Look at the digital camo spot pattern.
Dave_W
Moderator
Staff member
That is indeed a nice fish and does appear to have survived a heron strike. It's a survivor regardless.
I caught a very nice brown almost identical to this one last month in a local ATW that gets too warm to hold trout over. I assumed it was a rare holdover that had migrated way upstream last summer and then dropped back down during the colder months. I released it.
Clubs often stock fresh trout that look like this as well - much different from PFBC fish. If there are private stockings in that watershed, that might explain such a fine fish as well.
I agree that stocked trout can show up almost anywhere this time of year. We've all seen 'em in odd places like mountain brookie streams or bass rivers etc. They can really get around. I enjoy eating trout and keep a few stockies from my local creeks every spring as the likelyhood that they'll hold over the warm summer months still remains very low.
Anyway, it's a fine fish regardless of the history.
I caught a very nice brown almost identical to this one last month in a local ATW that gets too warm to hold trout over. I assumed it was a rare holdover that had migrated way upstream last summer and then dropped back down during the colder months. I released it.
Clubs often stock fresh trout that look like this as well - much different from PFBC fish. If there are private stockings in that watershed, that might explain such a fine fish as well.
I agree that stocked trout can show up almost anywhere this time of year. We've all seen 'em in odd places like mountain brookie streams or bass rivers etc. They can really get around. I enjoy eating trout and keep a few stockies from my local creeks every spring as the likelyhood that they'll hold over the warm summer months still remains very low.
Anyway, it's a fine fish regardless of the history.
M
Mike
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Just some general comments not specific to the fish in the photo...
And let's not forget that trout "get around" because anglers move them and release them into local or favorite waters. This is much more common than one might think and certainly more common than I once thought until I was exposed to known cases.
Separately, I have seen some PFBC hatchery fish fresh off the truck at the Tulpehocken Keystone Select stocking that looked that good this year, given the new diet for brood fish designed to produce better color.
One comment about the fish in the photo is that there are a number of possible streams where this fish could have been captured, but Stony Ck and perhaps Kepner Ck are two of them if we are talking about two that are directly stocked, get warm, and are close to Philly. Mill Ck would nearly fit as well, but it stays relatively cool.
And let's not forget that trout "get around" because anglers move them and release them into local or favorite waters. This is much more common than one might think and certainly more common than I once thought until I was exposed to known cases.
Separately, I have seen some PFBC hatchery fish fresh off the truck at the Tulpehocken Keystone Select stocking that looked that good this year, given the new diet for brood fish designed to produce better color.
One comment about the fish in the photo is that there are a number of possible streams where this fish could have been captured, but Stony Ck and perhaps Kepner Ck are two of them if we are talking about two that are directly stocked, get warm, and are close to Philly. Mill Ck would nearly fit as well, but it stays relatively cool.
Maurice
Administrator
Staff member
Regarding the fish, my opinion is, and aligns with Mikes, that two details indicate recent brood stocking. Absence of any orange or red on adipose and the difficult to see worn caudal fin. A fish in the water 1.5 - 2 years beyond an 8" stocking would have excellent caudal fin regrowth. Hard to see in the photo but I'd like to see the edges.
And perhaps a third may be the sore behind the gill plate. Maybe a heron mark, maybe a hatchery disease scar.
But I could be wrong...nice fish
And perhaps a third may be the sore behind the gill plate. Maybe a heron mark, maybe a hatchery disease scar.
But I could be wrong...nice fish
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Wow, didn't know my plug for releasing fish in SEPA ATW's would get so much play! I am really just trying to get Mike to lobby the PFBC for a special regs stretch somewhere in neglected Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, two places that sell a lot of licences and trout stamps....
For the record, I am aware that the fish could have come from anywhere, but I also know who stocks the creek and the last time browns were released here. The comment about the likely size was based on knowing the most probable, albeit not the only possible, origin of the stocked fish and the fact that this was the size range of the fish released at that time.
The Wissy was still 60 degrees yesterday and fishing well. Can we get a FFO now
And, yes, we are all keyboard quarterbacks, but I have logged over 50 trips since January 1 this year alone, so I am not alone in the reality that many of us do fish a lot and have for a long time, regardless of how long we have taken part in the forum or how many posts we make. The nay-saying just sounds like envy or jealousy sometimes, so I think that is what I react to... No disrespect taken if motivations are true, fellas. Namaste...
For the record, I am aware that the fish could have come from anywhere, but I also know who stocks the creek and the last time browns were released here. The comment about the likely size was based on knowing the most probable, albeit not the only possible, origin of the stocked fish and the fact that this was the size range of the fish released at that time.
The Wissy was still 60 degrees yesterday and fishing well. Can we get a FFO now
And, yes, we are all keyboard quarterbacks, but I have logged over 50 trips since January 1 this year alone, so I am not alone in the reality that many of us do fish a lot and have for a long time, regardless of how long we have taken part in the forum or how many posts we make. The nay-saying just sounds like envy or jealousy sometimes, so I think that is what I react to... No disrespect taken if motivations are true, fellas. Namaste...
T
troutbert
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People took an interest in your post. That's a good thing. And in a forum people discuss what is posted, and ask questions.
I think the origin of the fish is a good topic, and not a personal topic at all. It's just about trout.
And the discussion brought out an interesting bit of information from Mike, that the PFBC has changed the diet of their brood fish to boost their coloration.
It would be interesting to hear more about that, such as what diet changes were made. And if this is going to be applied to hatchery trout in general, or be limited to large trout raised for the Keystone program.
I think the origin of the fish is a good topic, and not a personal topic at all. It's just about trout.
And the discussion brought out an interesting bit of information from Mike, that the PFBC has changed the diet of their brood fish to boost their coloration.
It would be interesting to hear more about that, such as what diet changes were made. And if this is going to be applied to hatchery trout in general, or be limited to large trout raised for the Keystone program.
Dave_W
Moderator
Staff member
I agree. This is deserving of a separate thread (so I started one).
foxtrapper1972
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nymphwristed-Don't worry. I doubt any one is jealous of your bird pecked recent stockie .
phiendWMD
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As I was fishing last summer I passed under a bridge and someone began talking to me. After a minute we realized we knew each other though we shouldn't seen one another for many years. He mentioned something about a very large trout in a specific location that isn't stocked. I asked him how he knew it was there. I expected him to say he caught and released it. I was surprised when he told me he caught it somewhere else and released it in another location that isn't fished often if ever. I didn't ask him why he would bother doing that. I assume it was because as I mentioned it's not fished frequently and the chances it would survive are very high.
2 years ago I caught a largemouth in frogwater on a trout stream. I have no proof but I'm pretty sure that fish was also stocked clandestinely. I fish that trib often and the main river it feeds into a lot as well. I've never seen a largemouth anywhere near there other than that. Oh course that doesn't mean much, but I'd think I would have at least seen one before if there were more.
