Native Brook in LL?

[AmblingAardvark]

First off, my apologies if this question gets asked a lot. I seem to remember something like it in the not to distant past, however the search function didn't reward me with the result I seek. I was fishing the LL FF only section this am and had a small brookie, maybe 4-5 inches blast my pheasant tail nymph out of the water. I pulled him in, got him in my net and he swam through the holes in the net. He was a very feisty fellow. I wanted a picture, but didn't want to risk injuring him in the time it would take to grab my phone, so I let him go without a picture. As soon as I placed him in the water, he was gone in a flash. Is it possible that it was a native? Or maybe just more likely that it was a wild brookie?

 

[Luke]

You will get more educated answers than mine, but everything you describe sounds like a native brook trout to me.

What would be the difference between a "native" and a "wild brookie"? I would typically use these two term synonymously. I guess the only difference of which I could think would be the genetic strains of the parents.

 

[JackM]

If this starts a debate about whether his trout was wild or native, even though it was apparently a brook trout, then I will officially declare the thread to have "jumped the trout."

 

[troutbert]

The Little Lehigh has a population of brown trout.

But I'm pretty sure that there is no population of brook trout.

So it was probably a hatchery fish.

 

[pcray1231]

Trout in the classroom release?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Contrary to popular opinion, there ARE wild brookies in the LL.

There are also tribs that have them as well.

In it's headwaters, it is a wild brookie stream, but that's a loooong way from the regs water.

There is a PFBC stream survey that documented the presence of wild book trout in the section by the fly shop, but that was way back in 2003. Link.

Last wild brookie I caught there was just below the Rt 78 overpass 2 years ago.

 

[SBecker]

I caught a very small brookie (6 inches) about 2 years ago just like HA. Mine came from below the police academy.

 

[troutwilleatflies]

I have no doubt there are wild brookies in the LL,there are also rainbows reproducing in there too.I was there a couple years ago when they were doing a survey in the Heritage section and they documented some wild rainbows.

 

[Chaz]

There are wild brookies in the LL, they get them every survey, and I've caught some myself, 95% of the population of trout in the LL is wild browns. There are also wild rainbows in the LL, giving an angler a chance for a triple play all on the same stream.

The LL isa brookie stream that has been taken over by browns because of over 100 years of stocking. I've caught some very nice wild brookies over the years, in the 12/13 inch range. They big guys come out after dark especially during sulphur spinnerfalls.

 

[greenghost]

I believe wild (or native) brookies migrate in and out of main stem streams quite a bit. Last spring I caught a 5" native in lower Laurel Hill Creek in SW PA... a stream that typically warms into the mid 70s during the summer. The place I caught it was adjacent to a cool feeder, that is very small.

 

[JackM]

Greenghost is correct. And I believe this with my whole heart.

 

[brookieaddict]

I just wonder if the PFBC doesn't have a sick sense of humor here's why. I fished in a stream that has been poluted and fishless for more than 40 years. After reclaimation of the the substrate and sourounding soil the PFBC stocked it 5 years ago with bows and browns, so why did we catch two brookies one about 3 inches and the other a tad longer?? the same thing happened to a a freestone in Bradford Co several years ago. I'm not complaining just wondering.

 

[Chaz]

brookieaddict wrote:
I just wonder if the PFBC doesn't have a sick sense of humor here's why. I fished in a stream that has been poluted and fishless for more than 40 years. After reclaimation of the the substrate and sourounding soil the PFBC stocked it 5 years ago with bows and browns, so why did we catch two brookies one about 3 inches and the other a tad longer?? the same thing happened to a a freestone in Bradford Co several years ago. I'm not complaining just wondering.

The policy of PFBC is never to restore a lost fishery, even when there is a remnant population of native trout in a watershed. As soon as a water is reclaimed not matter the reason and no matter if there are trout in it, the policy is to stock the sh!t out of it until the natives have been tossed on the bank by the local yocals.
I asked them numerous times about this very bad policy, there response is, not resource first, but it's what the public, i.e., truck chases want.
It is a policy that needs to change. I can cite many instances of this, one in particular, Babb Creek, had nearly a Class A population of trout, until the PFBC allowed the clubs to stock it, not you can't find a wild fish. Resource First is a joke.