SE York Co, wild brown trout hot spot

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Mike

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Surveying three never before surveyed wild BT streams in the Muddy Ck sub-subbasin, which also includes two of the Fishing Cks, I was once again reminded of these wooded streams' beauty, which are often located in moderately steep-sided hollows with large boulders hanging from the slopes. In many cases the abundance of wild brown trout in the freestone streams in that drainage rivals that of northcentral freestoners of similar size (4.5-5.5 m wide at low flow), yet the streams in York generally fly under the radar, perhaps because unlike many in the NC region, York's streams are rarely on public land. While Class A streams are few and far between, B's and C's are not and when you find the stretches of good habitat, you can have an isolated A population on a B or C stream. The streams typically support more trout in their lower ends than in the headwaters (not true for S BR Muddy, Otter Ck, and probably not true for N BR Muddy), primarily because they typically start on or near the agricultural plateau (corn and soy beans) and flow through greenbelts of trees and/or shrubs before entering the hollows. Given their beginnings, they carry considerable storm water, gravel, and sand, and the channels are often eroded to a width that creates stretches of shallow to moderately shallow water in between shorter areas of much better to great habitat. Given the length of time that this has occurred, newly eroded banks are more limited than expected and the old bank erosion is often healed over to some degree. It is the frequency of the wider, shallower stretches that have developed from years of erosion that often prevents these streams from achieving Class A status. As is typical of these streams, one B stream this week had an abundance of trout up to 12 inches long and then none between 13-20 inches long. There was one 21 inch male, also captured. Another B stream's sample included fish up to 13 or 14 inches long and none larger. It is hard to find a wooded stream in this sub-subbasin that does not support wild brown trout reproduction. Additionally, most of the largest named streams such as the South Branch of Muddy Ck support reproduction for portions of their lengths and we believe that a survey would reveal that parts of the North Branch do as well. Some streams or stretches of streams in the basin are stocked in addition to supporting wild brown trout populations, and these may be a good starting point for your exploration of this area.
 
Mike,
Five years ago, I would have hated for someone to write a glowing report of the fine trout fishing opportunities in that part of the county. I've come to realize that as a selfish way to look at the resource. Those streams, especially due to their southern location and land use in the area, need all the friends they can get when it comes to watching out for their quality and temps. Two of my top five favorite streams to fish are in that area. It is indeed a fun region to fish with plenty of opportunities that a knock on the door and some friendly conversation will get you access to. Thanks for the info and your hard work in the area.
 
There you have it gents, 138 square miles and wild trout all over the place. Although after reading this I couldn't tell you where he is talking about and I know that area well. That piece of journalism made my brain hurt the way it was written.

Thanks Mike for the heads up. :roll:
 
More good news about wild trout. We can be grateful that the PFBC is able to document these populations for obvious reasons. Moreover, such documentation might be a starting point for some habitat improvement programs (where possible and permissible) to help mitigate some of those eroded areas.
 
Love these reports. Trout busting out all over!
 
Surveying three never before surveyed wild BT streams in the Muddy Ck sub-subbasin, which also includes two of the Fishing Cks,

I was once again reminded of these wooded streams' beauty, which are often located in moderately steep-sided hollows with large boulders hanging from the slopes. In many cases the abundance of wild brown trout in the freestone streams in that drainage rivals that of northcentral freestoners of similar size (4.5-5.5 m wide at low flow), yet the streams in York generally fly under the radar, perhaps because unlike many in the NC region, York's streams are rarely on public land.

While Class A streams are few and far between, B's and C's are not and when you find the stretches of good habitat, you can have an isolated A population on a B or C stream.

The streams typically support more trout in their lower ends than in the headwaters (not true for S BR Muddy, Otter Ck, and probably not true for N BR Muddy), primarily because they typically start on or near the agricultural plateau (corn and soy beans) and flow through greenbelts of trees and/or shrubs before entering the hollows. Given their beginnings, they carry considerable storm water, gravel, and sand, and the channels are often eroded to a width that creates stretches of shallow to moderately shallow water in between shorter areas of much better to great habitat.

Given the length of time that this has occurred, newly eroded banks are more limited than expected and the old bank erosion is often healed over to some degree. It is the frequency of the wider, shallower stretches that have developed from years of erosion that often prevents these streams from achieving Class A status.

As is typical of these streams, one B stream this week had an abundance of trout up to 12 inches long and then none between 13-20 inches long. There was one 21 inch male, also captured.
Another B stream's sample included fish up to 13 or 14 inches long and none larger.

It is hard to find a wooded stream in this sub-subbasin that does not support wild brown trout reproduction. Additionally, most of the largest named streams such as the South Branch of Muddy Ck support reproduction for portions of their lengths and we believe that a survey would reveal that parts of the North Branch do as well.

Some streams or stretches of streams in the basin are stocked in addition to supporting wild brown trout populations, and these may be a good starting point for your exploration of this area.

Posted on: 11/23 10:45

good post Mike. Made some paragraphs for an easier read
 
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