Wild Browns in Bobs Creek?

[Railking]

I got out this morning before Easter dinner on Bobs Creek. I fish it occasionally throughout the year and mostly pick up stocked bows. I know the upper end holds a good population of native brookies, but I've never caught too many browns there. Fins looked pretty nice on this guy and he looked pretty healthy and fat. I pulled him out of one of the heaviest fished holes on the creek which surprised me that he was in there. Think he's wild or just a good looking stockie?

 

[J55tyger88]

I looked on PFABC website and it looks like tgey stocked browns and brooks in there. It wouldnt surprise me to find a wild brown though for sure.

 

[Railking]

Yeah. It's weird, I've never caught a brookie there other than natives up above the monument where it's unstocked. I rarely catch browns either. The Pavia Sportsmans stocks a ton of rainbows.

 

[J55tyger88]

Yeah, it is weird. This year my father in law pulled a 16" or so brook out of there, but all I've ever caught were rainbows and an occasional brown. Hey, its a nice looking fish regardless of where she come from.

 

[geebee]

if thats a stockie, its a very nice one.

 

[wildtrout2]

I don't know, the red on the adipose fin makes me think wild. Nice trout either way.

 

[evw659]

looks wild to me, but its a real nice fish either way. I've only fished bobs 2 or 3 times in the last year, but i found a decent number of wild browns way above the monument.

 

[JackM]

My experience with Bobs is that brook and brown trout bred in the stream both exist together. I also noticed a few stocked trout from the ATW areas downstream make it up into the monument road upstream areas. I wouldn't venture a certain guess about the one pictured, but it could certainly be wild. As severally noted, it is a fine catch either way.

 

[PatrickC]

And of course don't forget, a stocked fish that survives in the stream for more than a year starts to take on the colors of a wild fish. I suspect, even if it were stocked, it's been in the creek a couple of years. Either way, a nice fish indeed.

 

[geebee]

On that subject - do stocked fish's fins eventually repair themselves over years or do they always remain smaller n more ragged ?

 

[attackone]

i have caught my fair share of wild browns in bobs creek

 

[Frank23]

This one may or may not be wild, pretty beat up pectoral fin there but the colors are nice. Maybe a holdover?

 

[Brown71]

Nice fish. There is definitely wild browns in this stream. Fished it regularly since I was little kid. Take a look in the fall, quite a bit of spawning goes on, and like said above, there is wild fish well above the monument. (also below).

Bob's is a nice stream. Love to fish this one in the dead of winter. Always trout there.

 

[mike_richardson]

first off, what did I not see this picture on my phone. LOL

I would say wild. I am amazed at the amount of wild fish on Bob's and The Frankstown branch for that matter. I used to just write them off as stockies, but now looking at them I am not so sure. I agree that hold overs do transform into a totally different looking fish.

I will say its either a hold over or wild, and doubt it was stocked this year. The bobs creek stocked browns I have caught never look that good.

What did he hit by the way.

 

[laszlo]

Is this the Bob's that runs along route 56?

 

[Railking]

It's the Bobs creek that runs near Blue Knob State Park all the way along RT 869 down through pavia.

 

[RCFetter]

That is a beautiful fish. Thanks for posting the pic.

 

[Chaz]

IT's stocked, probably from a club because they usually have nicer looking fish when they are stocked. If you look at the fins they are all beat up aside from coloring, which it can get in most rearing co-ops.
But it is a beautiful fish.

 

[attackone]

Chaz wrote:
IT's stocked, probably from a club because they usually have nicer looking fish when they are stocked. If you look at the fins they are all beat up aside from coloring, which it can get in most rearing co-ops.
But it is a beautiful fish.

If its from the co-op stocking its last year...none of the fish looked like that and none of them were that big

 

[BrooksAndHooks]

Just for anyone who stumbles on this, they stock browns and brookies in addition to the rainbows in bobs, so don't be too surprised if you catch one. This looks like one of the countless stocked browns I've caught. Further upstream and in several of the tribs you can catch wild browns and native brook. I find the truly wild browns you catch out of bobs look a lot different from "wild" fish others claim to catch in other areas. I've caught them as small as 3 inches, and as large as 13. Very distinct, brighter colors. The body of the fish is more olive than yellow as well on the wild fish, and the black spots and spotting overall is typically bigger and more spread out. Obviously there are fish that don't match this description, but 95% of the truly wild browns I've caught in there looked like this and way different from stocked browns. Also, there are some big hold over rainbows if you know where to look and want to take a hike.