Big Spring Rainbows being killed

[tomitrout]

I think right now in the here and now, BigSpring now needs to left to her own devices before furthur 'managing' her. I think the habitat work that's been done is great, the fish are responding positively as evidenced by the surveys that have been done. If you actually read the reports instead of armchair quarterbacking from afar, you'll find that the balance of brookies to bows is roughly a 70/30% blend. And it's not all 'stunted' tiny little natives like you find in the mountains, there are some nice sized wild brookies in there as pointed out by Troutbert.

Let these fish go thru a few spawning cycles, let the stream find a new balance point, and then see how she looks. Doing anything right now regarding selective harvest or barriers or what have you is premature. Right now there is a great brook trout fishery in BigSpring, it just also happens that you can also catch some wonderful wild rainbows.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Well said tomi. I was there on Friday and both the brookies and bows are doing just fine. The new project looks great and the fish are starting to use the structure.

Let if go for about three years and see where the population dynamics fall.

 

[LetortAngler]

Another well said for tomi

 

[firandfeather]

Well put tomi. Just what I said to someone from BSWA. No comment back.

 

[jdaddy]

FarmerDave wrote:

No idea, because I have never fished Big Spring because I never had an urge to travel that far to fish for an introduced species.

But I would most definitely travel the distance to fish for large Brook trout in a limestone spring creek. PA would then have something TRULY unique and a true destination.

Another solid case for leaving the rainbows in Big Spring.

 

[geebee]

FarmerDave wrote:

No idea, because I have never fished Big Spring because I never had an urge to travel that far to fish for an introduced species.

okay... so we should harvest and wipe out the steelhead and lake run browns on the Elk, Walnut, mile's, and orchard creeks and Salmon river etc. because they are all invasive and thus have no intrinsic value to anglers, right ?

or do you think that some fly anglers would quite like to travel and fish for some introduced species that are still pretty rare in the East as whole ?

nah, lets just wipe out that fishery and replace it with the 1-2lb landlocks like Lake Champlain has.... :roll:

 

[SBecker]

jdaddy wrote:

FarmerDave wrote:

No idea, because I have never fished Big Spring because I never had an urge to travel that far to fish for an introduced species.

But I would most definitely travel the distance to fish for large Brook trout in a limestone spring creek. PA would then have something TRULY unique and a true destination.

Another solid case for leaving the rainbows in Big Spring.

LMAO! +2

 

[joebamboo]

Just leave the damned stream and trout (regardless of species) alone! If you don't like the bow's fish somewhere else!

 

[FarmerDave]

tomitrout wrote:
I think right now in the here and now, BigSpring now needs to left to her own devices before furthur 'managing' her. I think the habitat work that's been done is great, the fish are responding positively as evidenced by the surveys that have been done. If you actually read the reports instead of armchair quarterbacking from afar, you'll find that the balance of brookies to bows is roughly a 70/30% blend. And it's not all 'stunted' tiny little natives like you find in the mountains, there are some nice sized wild brookies in there as pointed out by Troutbert.

Let these fish go thru a few spawning cycles, let the stream find a new balance point, and then see how she looks. Doing anything right now regarding selective harvest or barriers or what have you is premature. Right now there is a great brook trout fishery in BigSpring, it just also happens that you can also catch some wonderful wild rainbows.

To me, this argument makes the most sense. ^^^

Leave it alone for awhile.

 

[FarmerDave]

SBecker wrote:

jdaddy wrote:

FarmerDave wrote:

No idea, because I have never fished Big Spring because I never had an urge to travel that far to fish for an introduced species.

But I would most definitely travel the distance to fish for large Brook trout in a limestone spring creek. PA would then have something TRULY unique and a true destination.

Another solid case for leaving the rainbows in Big Spring.

LMAO! +2

:lol: +3

 

[FarmerDave]

geebee wrote:

FarmerDave wrote:

No idea, because I have never fished Big Spring because I never had an urge to travel that far to fish for an introduced species.

okay... so we should harvest and wipe out the steelhead and lake run browns on the Elk, Walnut, mile's, and orchard creeks and Salmon river etc. because they are all invasive and thus have no intrinsic value to anglers, right ?

or do you think that some fly anglers would quite like to travel and fish for some introduced species that are still pretty rare in the East as whole ?

nah, lets just wipe out that fishery and replace it with the 1-2lb landlocks like Lake Champlain has.... :roll:

Talk about your basic staw man arguments. You can repair your self imposed wedgie now.

The steelhead fishery is a draw as are the brown trout in the lake erie tribs. Draw in tourism and tourist dollars. You show me where I suggested dismantling those.

Please answer this, and leave all the rhetoric and the basic F-you end of argument comments like you used above out of this one.

Which do you think would be a better draw (tourist dollars) at Big Spring.

1. An artificial fishery of large stream bred rainbow trout. One of only a few in the state. One of several when you consider the other introduced species.

2. The one and only large limestone spring creek NATIVE brook trout fishery in the state.

In my opinion, it is number 2 and I am not just thinking of myself.

Keep in mind I am playing devils advocate to some extent as well. It would be nice, but could it maintain itself on it's own? I don't know, but I have some doubts.

IMO it should be left alone for awhile if not indefinitely. See Tomi's post. But I can certainly understand the other side of the argument especially since Big Spring has been dicked with so much.

No offense intended to most of the stream work done already, but why not see what happens now?

 

[geebee]

FarmerDave wrote:

IMO it should be left alone for awhile if not indefinitely. See Tomi's post. But I can certainly understand the other side of the argument especially since Big Spring has been dicked with so much.

No offense intended to most of the stream work done already, but why not see what happens now?

no I agree, that was kind of my point - you don't know if big brookies and big rainbows will result.

btw, i was tongue in cheek about the steelhead as i saw you'd signed up for the November Jam..... ;-)

 

[FarmerDave]

What are you arguing for? You don't even live in PA.

Wait a second...

Never mind.;-)

 

[Chaz]

The idea of using a barrier is only worthwhile if there is a high enough barrier that rainbows can't go over it, like the dam at the lower end of the creek, and if there were a heavy fine for anyone moving fish into the "Managed" water. The barrier has to be high and straight up to block the bows, it can't be what was called a barrier before.
So shock the upper water and move all the bows down below the dam, everyone will be happy. Make the stream C & R for brookies and 1 trophy bow a day above the dam.

 

[Stenonema]

Chaz, read tomitrouts post again. He's Spot on....