Spring Creek wild bows

T

TYoung

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May 7, 2009
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I fished Spring Creek on Friday in Bellefonte and caught two small Rainbows. They looked wild and their adipose fins weren't clipped. How often do people on this board catch similar looking bows in Spring Creek, and do you think they are wild?
 
Ive caught many like that, I assume they are wild. I dont think they stock fingerlings but could be wrong. That being said there are definitely stocker bows in spring too.
 
ryansheehan wrote:
Ive caught many like that, I assume they are wild. I dont think they stock fingerlings but could be wrong. That being said there are definitely stocker bows in spring too.

I'll second this.
 
IMO: I have seen this in other streams. I think these little guys are the progeny of stocked fish that manage to spawn. In the cases where I have seen this, the little guys rarely seem to grow longer than 9 or 10 inches before they vanish.
 
I don't disagree but the fry of stocked fish are still wild, right?
 
Yes they would be considered wild.

I've caught a handful of clearly wild rainbows farther upstream. Biggest was about 12", and that was actually at fisherman's paradise. I know with certainty they are reproducing in a few tribs.
 
Spring Creek does have wild bows. Though the heart of their population is well upstream of there (Houserville area). And some of the tributaries up there as well. Of course, fish move.

There are also plenty of hatchery escapees in Spring from fisherman's paradise and Benner hatcheries. They can escape at any age and many are quite young. When young they have parr marks and appear wild. They survive quite well and can become multi year holdovers as well. The heart of this population is, unsurprisingly, near the hatcheries. But again, fish move.

And, of course, they stock rainbows as a tourist attraction in Bellefonte. Typically bigger fish. But they can and do have some limited reproductive success. Meaning if left alone that population probably isn't successful enough to produce a self sustaining population over multiple generations. But that doesn't preclude having a few progeny now and then.

Any of these 3 sources could explain occasional small bows down there.
 
The fingerlings stocked in Bald Eagle are also a potential source. However, I do believe there are truly wild rainbows in Spring. These can be some gorgeous fish too, one I caught having a bright purple stripe. I have also caught obviously stocked fish a surprising distance upstream from Bald Eagle (or is it downstream from Talleyrand Park?).
 
The last time I fished spring I caught more bows than browns. (behind treatment plant)
 
I was fishing behind the treatment plant.
 
This is my home stream. Yes, you have both wild, stocker escapees from the hatchery, and migrating fingerlings from Bald Eagle. We've discussed this before here. If you want to know more, just search old threads on this topic. Some stretches as others have said, hold more than others, and for a variety of reasons. Others may disagree, but I think it is a good problem to have. I like being surprised once in awhile over the typical cookie-cutter Spring brown.
 
Fish are stocked at the Bellefonte Exhibition Area. In addition Bald Eagle Creek is stocked with fingerlings and adults. These fish end up in lower Spring all the way to the dam in Bellefonte.The rainbows near Houserville are coming from private stockings at the stretch near the treatment plant.
 
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