Auto float stocking

[afishinado]

Just about all the trout have been stocked in the SE streams for the opener Saturday. Some were stocked weeks ago. Given the high flows and even flooding throughout the region, I don't believe you will have to worry about whether the stream was float stocked to distribute the fish. :lol:

Also the higher water temps will probably put the fish in a more mobile mode. Bad news for the bridge hole guys sitting in their lawn chairs, although many fish will remain in those areas, but good news for those who like to walk away for the stocking points and explore the water.

I will venture a guess that the FBC will get a lot of complaints about the lack of fish, but as I said, it's a good year to explore the stocked streams and find your own little honey hole, especially in areas downstream of where they were stocked.

Good luck to all.

 

[shipnfish2006]

The Schuylkill, Delaware, and lower Susquehanna should be loaded with trout.

 

[Fishidiot]

I agree.
While we haven't been hit as hard as the SE corner of the state, here in the SC things have been tough for stocking. Yesterday evening after work I walked Benny along a popular local ATW that had been recently stocked. The water was a decent level but still too high to see fish - but large amounts of flood debris was washed up to 50 yards back in the woods. I didn't see any dead fish in the woods but I'd imagine they're scattered.

 

[Mike]

During this year's trout residency electrofishing surveys in SE Pa on most streams most fish were still within 200yds of the stocking locations. The brookies were most likely to move, followed by the brownies, with the rainbows staying close to the stocking points. Brookies are averse to fast flowing water with few back-eddies or current breaks. In streams with rainbows as part of the stockings, about 65-95% of the fish were found within that 200 yard stretch.

 

[Fishidiot]

Mike,
That's good to hear. 200 yards isn't bad. I'm a bit surprised that 'bows showed the least movement. I've always thought that 'bows were the ones inclined to move the most.

 

[Maurice]

While I agree that high water will "move 'em around a little" I don't subscribe to the "they all get washed dowstream" idea. Here is my experience.

We float stock everywhere here on our waters putting few at the bridges. So long as the water level is adequate they pretty much stay where you put them, keeping a good distribution. If the water becomes low and clear they run for cover typically finding each other in the bigger holes and staying podded up until they get hungry enough to cause them to move to find food or die.

One year we stocked 5,000 brook trout in our watershed form our Co-op and I only caught a handful, Everyone I talked to said they didn't get any. It was strange. They had to go somewhere. No high water was experienced during or after the stockings.

Unless you fish at the bridges you are likely to not "get yer limit" in any hole here....you gotta go fish for them. There is alot of current break and cover in our watershed so they pretty much stay where we put them, especially browns, Brookies not at all and rainbows, well, till they git yanked out.

 

[afishinado]

I too am surprised to learn that rainbows move the least.

IMO, the worst conditions for stocked trout movement is low flows and cold water. We have (or will have with this weather) neither this opener. Good fishing to all.

 

[pcray1231]

200 yards is ridiculously small. You'll almost never find me within 200 yards of an access point.

 

[PennKev]

I don't know know. I think if we could track every last trout that is stocked we'd be suprised by both how long some stay in one spot and how far others roam.

From my experiences, I once caught a stocked brown in the same lie both before major flooding from hurricane Frances and after. On the other hand, I caught a stocked bow 4 times in 4 different places in a 1/2 mile of stream without much in the way of changes to stream flow between catches. Both had distinctive characteristics which made them easy to ID.

Kev

 

[afishinado]

Here's an interesting article for the FBC site on trout movement:

http://www.fishandboat.com/images/fisheries/info_sheets/trout_movement.pdf

 

[salmonoid]

I walked the stream I will fish tomorrow (Big Beaver Creek) this morning and the fish are where they put them. We've had two storms that have blown things out since they were stocked and my observations today indicate very little movement.

 

[mute]

Water conditions look like the fish are gonna get hammered on streamer and spinner patterns