Was working along Antietam Creek, Berks Co. on Tuesday and found that the recently stocked trout were rising to a hatch of little black stoneflies from at least 10 AM until 2 PM...from the Village of Stony Creek down to at least Rt. 562. This may bode well for some dry fly angling on some rocky Berks Co. streams on opening day.
Antietam Creek, Berks Co., 4/2/2009
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
Hey Mike,
I live right by Antietam Creek. I have caught more trout in that creek than anywhere in my life. What kind of work were you doing at the creek. I am just curious. It's ashame the creek is so littered up. Surprisingly I have caught numerous wild browns in that creek even though it really warms in the summer. I just wish the creek was treated better by the locals.
Troy
I live right by Antietam Creek. I have caught more trout in that creek than anywhere in my life. What kind of work were you doing at the creek. I am just curious. It's ashame the creek is so littered up. Surprisingly I have caught numerous wild browns in that creek even though it really warms in the summer. I just wish the creek was treated better by the locals.
Troy
Jay, I knew that you were a " Berks Co. boy," but I was not aware of Troy being in that category as well. Troy, I grew up fishing Antietam Creek, Antietam Lake, Manatawny Creek, and Bieber Creek for trout. It was only about a miles' walk or bike ride to the Antietams. Before Antietam Creek was ever stocked directly, I used to fish it for escapees from Antietam Lake...from the dam down to Friedensburg Rd.. Of course that dates me, but as you might imagine, I had the whole place to myself and I was catching trout.
Despite the litter, primarily from stormwater runoff and people who throw stuff over the embankments behind their homes, I still enjoy fishing the creek and do so fairly often. I placed the section from Harvey Ave. to the lake on the ATW list in the mid-1980's in an effort to provide a learning ground and local fishery for kids within walking distance of home. As for the work on Tuesday, it was an electrofishing survey at two locations (randomly selected)...Harvey Ave and the walled section at the school....that was part of the statewide evaluation of pre-opening day stocked trout residency, or "trout movement" as some like to say. No problem with Antietam, just as my fishing would have suggested; the stocked fish were there in good numbers well after the time that they would have moved out if they were going to do so. Surprisingly, we only found on wild fish. I usually catch more wild browns hook-and-line in the few stocked miles below Rt 562 anyway.
Despite the litter, primarily from stormwater runoff and people who throw stuff over the embankments behind their homes, I still enjoy fishing the creek and do so fairly often. I placed the section from Harvey Ave. to the lake on the ATW list in the mid-1980's in an effort to provide a learning ground and local fishery for kids within walking distance of home. As for the work on Tuesday, it was an electrofishing survey at two locations (randomly selected)...Harvey Ave and the walled section at the school....that was part of the statewide evaluation of pre-opening day stocked trout residency, or "trout movement" as some like to say. No problem with Antietam, just as my fishing would have suggested; the stocked fish were there in good numbers well after the time that they would have moved out if they were going to do so. Surprisingly, we only found on wild fish. I usually catch more wild browns hook-and-line in the few stocked miles below Rt 562 anyway.
jayL
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The stretch from the dam to friedensburg road was always good for 10 to 15 fish on an october afternoon. I used to live about 6 houses up from five points for an internship, and fished it daily. I'll have to head back there to see how it's changed.
Mike,
Thanks for adding that to the the list in the 80's. I used to live in Mountain Park (parents still do) and as a kid I was always down at the creek fishing. Antietam Creek started me out with my obsession for trout fishing. I know that creek inside and out and I still love that creek to this day. I now live on Carsonia Avenue and still fish it all the time. My favorite stretch now is by the wall at the school. Maybe some day I will run into you there. It's good to hear that the creek is doing well!
One last question if you don't mind. Has Antietam ever been shocked above the lake? There used to be a wild population of trout in there (15 years ago), but I tried it a year or two ago and didn't catch or see anything. You can PM if you want. Thanks!
Troy
Thanks for adding that to the the list in the 80's. I used to live in Mountain Park (parents still do) and as a kid I was always down at the creek fishing. Antietam Creek started me out with my obsession for trout fishing. I know that creek inside and out and I still love that creek to this day. I now live on Carsonia Avenue and still fish it all the time. My favorite stretch now is by the wall at the school. Maybe some day I will run into you there. It's good to hear that the creek is doing well!
One last question if you don't mind. Has Antietam ever been shocked above the lake? There used to be a wild population of trout in there (15 years ago), but I tried it a year or two ago and didn't catch or see anything. You can PM if you want. Thanks!
Troy
Troy,
Since we've taken a few hits on this board about fingerling trout stocking, or perceived lack thereof, I will answer your question here. The PFBC biologists in general, and I in this particular case, have tried fingerling trout stockings on many different waters. This has been largely unknown to the angling public. It is funny that you should mention wild trout in the creek above the lake about 15 years ago. Actually, if I am not mistaken, it was about that time period that I had rainbow and brown trout fingerlings stocked in that section about three years in a row. This is the creek section that parallels Antietam Rd. The branch (which is an unnamed tributary) on the Angora Rd. (I think) side has a wild brown trout population. At any rate, we have been back (electrofishing) to that fingerling stocked section about three different times and never found any evidence that they survived more than a year. I can usually provide an answer as to why something like this probably did not work, but this one has me stumped. Temperature, the likely suspect, does not appear to be the problem. I have checked it numerous times under low flow conditions in 90 degree weather at Seidel Rd and it has always been ok.
Glad to hear that there was at least one happy kid who took advantage of that fishery as it was intended. I have now done the same thing with Willow Creek. It is stocked directly through a large development with plenty of kids.
Since we've taken a few hits on this board about fingerling trout stocking, or perceived lack thereof, I will answer your question here. The PFBC biologists in general, and I in this particular case, have tried fingerling trout stockings on many different waters. This has been largely unknown to the angling public. It is funny that you should mention wild trout in the creek above the lake about 15 years ago. Actually, if I am not mistaken, it was about that time period that I had rainbow and brown trout fingerlings stocked in that section about three years in a row. This is the creek section that parallels Antietam Rd. The branch (which is an unnamed tributary) on the Angora Rd. (I think) side has a wild brown trout population. At any rate, we have been back (electrofishing) to that fingerling stocked section about three different times and never found any evidence that they survived more than a year. I can usually provide an answer as to why something like this probably did not work, but this one has me stumped. Temperature, the likely suspect, does not appear to be the problem. I have checked it numerous times under low flow conditions in 90 degree weather at Seidel Rd and it has always been ok.
Glad to hear that there was at least one happy kid who took advantage of that fishery as it was intended. I have now done the same thing with Willow Creek. It is stocked directly through a large development with plenty of kids.
tomgamber
Well-known member
35 years ago Willow creek was the best creek in the area. Little wooden bridge, tons of different kinds of fish. Trout, fall fish, chubs bluegills, giant carp under the bridge. The they built a pumping station upstream and replaced the bridge and it went to hell. By then I had gone away to college and never fished it again. I can;t believe ther is a houses there now. crazy...
jayL: As you probably know, the county (parks dept) now manages the Antietam Lake property and the surrounding 500+ acres. As I have driven by or ridden my bike past the UNT it has appeared to me that there are county park posters along part of it. You'll have to check to see if they really are county posters, however.
Willow Creek, although it has changed since Tom's day, is probably a good example of many streams in the southeast that have decent water quality and are now surrounded by suburbs. Stocking trout in these waterways - even if just a springtime put-and-take game - is IMO an excellent way to get kids into fishing. Kids in suburbs (and even the inner city) deserve to trout fish too, and any way to get some fish to them is something I support.
Mike,
That makes a lot of sense. I was only about 20 at the time when I used to catch Rainbows in there. I always thought they were wild, actually at that age I called them natives. That is ashame that they didn't survive. That area has a lot of nice holes. My friends and I used to think that we had a secret fishing spot that nobody ever knew about. We never saw anyone else fishing. For some reason, I stopped fishing it for a while. I then went back to see if they were still in there and I didn't get any. Well, at least I know it wasn't my fishing skill. Thanks for the information and all you have done for that area of the county. It has given me a lot of great times.
Troy
That makes a lot of sense. I was only about 20 at the time when I used to catch Rainbows in there. I always thought they were wild, actually at that age I called them natives. That is ashame that they didn't survive. That area has a lot of nice holes. My friends and I used to think that we had a secret fishing spot that nobody ever knew about. We never saw anyone else fishing. For some reason, I stopped fishing it for a while. I then went back to see if they were still in there and I didn't get any. Well, at least I know it wasn't my fishing skill. Thanks for the information and all you have done for that area of the county. It has given me a lot of great times.
Troy
jayL
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Mike,
Thanks. I'll scope it out.
I also agree that the stocking of suburban areas is a great way to get kids into fishing. It's how I got my start, and I'll be meeting up with a handful of friends my age who got started the same way. Some of them are "townies" and will probably only ever fish for trout in those local ATWs, storing the rods away every June, but at least they are involved in the sport! I even got a few of them to pick up the long rod.
Mike, for all of the guff that the stocking program takes from a few posters here, I want to point out that (as you know) many of them just have tunnel vision. I lament that in a perfect world, it wouldn't be necessary... but it certainly serves its purpose in reality. I'd like to thank you for all of your "meddling with nature" or whatever the phrase was.
Thanks. I'll scope it out.
I also agree that the stocking of suburban areas is a great way to get kids into fishing. It's how I got my start, and I'll be meeting up with a handful of friends my age who got started the same way. Some of them are "townies" and will probably only ever fish for trout in those local ATWs, storing the rods away every June, but at least they are involved in the sport! I even got a few of them to pick up the long rod.
Mike, for all of the guff that the stocking program takes from a few posters here, I want to point out that (as you know) many of them just have tunnel vision. I lament that in a perfect world, it wouldn't be necessary... but it certainly serves its purpose in reality. I'd like to thank you for all of your "meddling with nature" or whatever the phrase was.
jayL, Troy, and Fishidiot,
That you recognize the value of the stocked trout program in these suburban stream circumstances is welcomed. Perhaps they are not ideal waters for a seasoned angler, but often they are all that the kids and others have. For my part, I still enjoy fishing certain stretches of them. They can be challenging....you know, trying to land the cast just above the overhanging multiflora rose, avoid hanging up on the piece of rag waving in the current, etc. 🙂
That you recognize the value of the stocked trout program in these suburban stream circumstances is welcomed. Perhaps they are not ideal waters for a seasoned angler, but often they are all that the kids and others have. For my part, I still enjoy fishing certain stretches of them. They can be challenging....you know, trying to land the cast just above the overhanging multiflora rose, avoid hanging up on the piece of rag waving in the current, etc. 🙂
salvelinusfontinalis
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Ive never once said that the stocking program doesnt have its place. Not once.
As for having tunnel vision....i dont agree with that either. Then again, cramming stocked trout into places that dont get the attention that suburban streams do is rather useless. Then stoicking any waterway that we can is useless also.
I still believe manage a fishery for what it has the potential to be. That means Not stocking over class A and B populations. If a streams population is in constant flux between B and C we shouldnt stock it either. This type of management is far more comprehensive than the way we currently manage our fisheries. I dont consider that tunnel vision at all. Actually it expands the current program and looks ahead to the future.
Im not saying for a second that you were talking about me Jay. Just sayin is all.
I do agree that the stream mentioned is a good on to stock.
As for having tunnel vision....i dont agree with that either. Then again, cramming stocked trout into places that dont get the attention that suburban streams do is rather useless. Then stoicking any waterway that we can is useless also.
I still believe manage a fishery for what it has the potential to be. That means Not stocking over class A and B populations. If a streams population is in constant flux between B and C we shouldnt stock it either. This type of management is far more comprehensive than the way we currently manage our fisheries. I dont consider that tunnel vision at all. Actually it expands the current program and looks ahead to the future.
Im not saying for a second that you were talking about me Jay. Just sayin is all.
I do agree that the stream mentioned is a good on to stock.
tomgamber
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Wow, Sal, no one even named you and you stood right up and said, "that's me"...not saying it was you and them"I", "I", "I"...you crack me up. I see your points but it still gave me a chuckle.
salvelinusfontinalis
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Well tom im not stupid either. We have been on this board a very long time. After all the years debating the subject i think by now we all know where we stand. So chuckle away ;-)
tomgamber
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That was kind of my point. But there are several that share your views pretty closely who could have responded similarly. You just got there first.
salvelinusfontinalis
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I try :lol:
