How Many would be Trout Fisherman today????

[Zak]

How many of you feel that you would still be a trout fisherman if there was never a stocking program in PA? We hear a lot of 'they should stop stocking trout' banter here and I'm just wondering how may folks like me learned to love trout fishing based purely off stocked trout and the opening day experience? My guess is a large portion of us. Personally, I highly doubt I would be a trout fisherman today if it weren't for the efforts of the PAFBC and the excitement that I used to feel about the opening day. As I've grown I don't fish on the opening day any longer and 90% of my catch these days are wild fish, but without stockies I would not have the passion I have today for trout fishing.



Disclaimer: This is not a lobby either way for stocking. I dont care ;-) Just curious about other guys history and how they originally got into trout fishing.

 

[Swattie87]

My path to Trout probably wasn't very normal. I was primarily a WW creek angler, until I realized that during the Summer when the WW creeks were high and blown out, typically small Trout streams fish their best. I wanted to fish, so I fished for Trout, and liked it.

In my case, it didn't have anything to do with stocked fish.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I lived for stock trout fishing when I was little.

 

[McSneek]

I doubt I would be a fisherman today if not for stocked trout. As a kid that was just about all my dad and I fished for in Westmoreland and Somerset Counties and even later in life when I moved east it was stocked trout fishing. Christmas was probably about the only thing better than opening day in my mind. By Memorial Day we moved on to a little bit of warm water fishing over the summer or no fishing at all until the next opener.

Went to Erie almost 20 years ago for steelhead. Was captivated watching a guy fly fish for some reason and went home from that trip committed to taking it up. Haven't looked back since and haven't fished on opening day in years. I still fished for stocked trout in the Tully, Quitty and Muddy Creek among other local streams.

 

[afishinado]

Hook_Jaw wrote:

I lived for stock trout fishing when I was little.

^ me too...

 

[NewSal]

I dont think anyone really argues that there shouldn't be stocking at all, just that there shouldn't be stocking over good wild populations.

Stocking has its place

 

[Zak]

Noted NewSal and I agree. That wasn't my point however (respectfully stated). Just curious how many think they would still be trout fisherman.

 

[FarmerDave]

Hook_Jaw wrote:

I lived for stock trout fishing when I was little.

I did too until I actually got to fish opening day a couple time, then I pretty much hated it.

I pretty much quit fishing for trout until I was an adult, except for the occasional trips to native streams. Honed my fly fishing on bluegills and bass on a farm pond.

On opening day of trout I could usually be found fishing for crappie and perch, or maybe even catfish, or maybe at a relatives pond.

Starting in my late 30s and 40s, I did go out and enjoy opening day a few times, but mostly we would drive around laughing at the spectacle until we reached a place that wasn't crowded.

I realize I am the exception to the rule. I grew up in NWPA, and the general mentality there is still that if it is isn't stocked, it isn't worth fishing. There actually is a small amount of truth to that ... in NWPA. The streams are typically not very fertile.Not a lot of trout, but they were there of one cared to explore.

Also, one of my favorite native stream was ruined right before my eyes by stocking. This was long before published lists like Class A. I found wild trout by prospecting. All I knew was this stream was a recovering stream that had natives. That day I fished there during lunch break, and caught one of my biggest native brookies ever. After work I fished it again in the same stretch and caught a bunch of 8-9" stocked brook trout. They looked like pathetic clones of each other.

The next day at work (I worked for the State Park at the time) I learned PF&BC secretly stocked 50 brook trout in the afternoon to see if they would survive (relatively low PH). In hind sight, I've always said that I should have kept every one I caught, but at best it would have only delayed the inevitable. Afterall, it was in a State park. But most thought it only had minnows.

Following years, they started stocking the shart out of it for the tourists.

For the next few years, I still fished it regularly for the stocked trout. The natives were very rare after that except in the tribs and in a few less accessible parts of the stream. I haven't fished it in the last 30 year now.

So count me as one of those that would still be a trout angler without stocking. Hell, maybe even more so. Afterall, there are no trout in NWPA unless it is stocked, right?

P.S. I agree with what NewSal said. I don't think trout stocking should completely go away, but to be honest, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it and would probably fish more often.

 

[bigjohn58]

afishinado wrote:

Hook_Jaw wrote:

I lived for stock trout fishing when I was little.

^ me too...

The opening day ranked right up there with Christmas for me.

I however probably would still be a trout fisherman because of growing up on one of the famous limestone streams. I probably wouldn't be as into it though had I never had the opportunity for the stocked fish. I would be an occasional angler going a handful times a year. I'd probably more of a smallie fisherman on the Susquehanna Rivers or still catching carp from lower Bald Eagle like I did as a kid.

 

[foxfire]

Nothing I like better than fishing for stocked trout was than watching the trout being stocked!!!

 

[Zak]

Right at my feet lol!!!

 

[poopdeck]

I would not be an angler if not for trout, stocked or otherwise. I view trout fishing as an introductory to fishing on the same level as sunnie fishing. Trout got me started on fishing and I still trout fish but my fishing interests have expanded to many other species with trout being just one. I'm willing to bet that most PA anglers cut their eye teeth on trout. Some may have remained trout only anglers and some may have moved on to other fishing opportunities but it all started with trout. So kudos to the stocking program

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Lived for stockies as a kid too. We frigging camped overnight in Philly on the Wissahickon! Growing up in Philly and immediate suburbs, we still traveled to Lycoming and Potter, and I still travel quite a bit to fish, but I STILL appreciate the chance to fish somewhere besides Valley that is 10 to 30 minutes from my house. My son appreciates it too, which is sort of Zak's point too, I think.

 

[afishinado]

No doubt many of us started fishing for stocked trout with worms, minnies and salmon eggs (were you an Uncle Josh or Mike's man?!!..lol).

Trout stocking has it's place, especially for the opportunity it presents for kids to get started fishing in streams more close to home with more willing fish to catch.

I think the concensus on here is to continue trout stocking in the marginal streams and eliminate stocking in the streams that hold wild trout.

The devil in in the details, though.

I would hate to see warmwater programs get cut since the lion's share of the PFBC expenditures are related to trout stocking, which shortchanges the warmwater anglers that also pay for fishing licenses.

The last fishing license fee raise was in 2004. Just about everyone agrees that it's time to raise the cost of a fishing license. No business can remain in business without some sort of increase to keep pace with increased costs.

Hopefully the Harrisburg politicians do a better job moving things forward than the Washington politicians.

 

[SteveG]

Afish, do you have data that backs up the claim that the trout stocking program costs more than the warmwater program? The warmwater program stocked 10x the amount of fish, albeit mostly fry and fingerlings. But, some of the warmwater species are harder to culture than trout.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Opening Day was better than Christmas or Birthdays for me. Without it, I'd probably be chasing WW fish with a spinning rod.

 

[SteveG]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I hated the opening day circus as a child. My love for fishing, specifically for wild fish, was kindled, or maybe more akin to dumping gasoline on a fire, when my Grandfather took me to a trib that had wild fish in it. One misstep triggered these dark blurs that just bolted off, and he then explained that they were wild. That was the beginning of the end for me, as I realized all of my previous "prized catches" were subpar to their wild counterparts.

 

[gozu]

Grew up fishing saltwater with my dad, we never fished freshwater together oddly enough.

Found trout by way of smallmouth fishing when I was living in York going to school. Probably would have gotten into to them at some point anyway.

 

[jifigz]

I'm definitely in the minority. Sure, I fished for stocked trout as a kid, but not often and not really on public opening day because I am the only one in my immediate family that fishes and always have been. The church I was taken to as a kid held a stocked kids tournament/derby that first got me into fishing. However, what really hooked me on fishing was being taken into the Juniata for smallmouths by my cousin's husband as a kid. We fished stonecats and hellgies and I did what he said. I had a blast catching those fish. I gave up on trout thinking it was ridiculously stupid given the crowds and crap I'd have to deal with. I took my bass fishing seriously though. Texas rigs, carolina rigs, drop-shotting, crankbaits and Pop-R's. Then I moved to Florida where great largemouth water was everywhere.

It honestly wasn't until I realized the abundant populations of wild trout back here in central PA that made me even want to get back into trout fishing seriously. I went to some stocked streams for a change occasionally but I wouldn't be a serious trout fisherman without the recognition of the great wild trout opportunities. If they didn't exist I still wouldn't be a serious trout fisherman.

 

[Zak]

I wrote Lisa Boscola with a very quick and brief support for the license increase. everyone should do the same. 1 sentence. takes 30 seconds if you follow the link on Arways 'last cast' memo in another post here.