Bald Eagle Creek restoration

[Mike]

This project kind of puzzles me from a utility standpoint.. In one of the PFBC online maps that have come and gone over the years, the Bald Eagle was listed as transitional smallmouth water at least from the Spring Creek junction up as far as Hannah, even though I realize it is all also stocked trout water. I'm not sure that the bang for the restoration buck is there with this project, if the intent is habitat improvement for trout.

Correct! Seasonal staff and I surveyed the stocked section(s) in 1979 as part of the statewide coldwater inventory that led to trout management by classification as part of Operation FUTURE. The stretch surveyed ran from the backwaters of Sayers Dam to Port Matilda. From Spring Ck’s confluence to Port Matilda Bald Eagle was naturally a SMB/RBSF stream. I don’t recall rock bass, but maybe we did find them as well. The fish community was comprised of warmwater species and some transitional species. Few stocked trout remained in the summer.

We also surveyed the stocked tribs that year and they were fairly good to good wild trout streams supporting brown trout within the stocked sections. One of the Laurel Rns was Class A. We may have found ST in the Laurel Rn trib by Port Matilda. I recall the tumbling/cascading and the narrow width, but am a bit unclear on the species found…whether it was strictly BT, a BT/ST mix, or purely ST. The last time I checked the Class A list I believe I recall that particular Laurel Run had joined the other as being Class A now.