Cool Spring Creek, Mercer County, 3/29/13

[streamerguy]

First off, what's up with all the brookies??? Caught a couple today and also heard of a few others caught as well. Saw a pic on facebook the other day too of a brookie from cool spring and I didn't really believe it 100% at first, but I do now. The PFBC supposedly only stocks bows and browns(which they do every year), and I thought Neshannock TU only stocks browns, so anyone know who stocked the brookies????

Anyways, my brother and I had a great time on the water today. Fished the entire DHALO section and caught a good amount of fish throughout. All rainbows except for 2 or 3 brookies. No browns which I found odd. Some caught on eggs, a bunch on small streamers, and a bunch on small nymphs. Frenchies were hot.

 

[PennKev]

I've caught stocked brookies in Neshannock several times. Probably just some that got mixed in somehow. At any rate, they are just stockies.

 

[streamerguy]

I've caught them too in Neshannock, but from what I know the Neshannock fish weren't stocked by the PFBC or TU, but a different private hatchery(same one that does the lunkers maybe??? not sure).

Yeah I agree, they're just stockies, but was curious as to how they got there.

 

[chromid]

Streamerguy, was that you I talked to today on Cool Spring? I was one of the 3 old guys who were going in when you were coming out! We did quite good as well, but mostly on PT's and caddis nymphs. I caught mostly browns with only a couple RT. Highlight of my day was 2 browns on top with a Griffiths Gnat!! Maybe we can run into each other again there sometime.

 

[streamerguy]

Maybe....I had on a camo jacket(then later on a grey hoodie), orvis breathables, and a fishpond waistpack w/ net. My brother had on an orange jacket, but he quit fishing a little earlier than I. Towards the end of the day I was making a fool of myself getting all tangled up in the trees in the lower dhalo lol. I fished and caught fish in the whole section though. We caught around 20 total, and like I said no browns just bows and a few brookies. Weird.

 

[fishingnoob]

Glad you had some success today Nick...down here at the Tully it was a beautiful day but slow fishing...for the few hours I was there I only got one bow on a prince nymph right when I got to the stream then nadda...but I'm not disappointed despite the count...just glad I was able to get in some fishing in between fam time

 

[StarvinMarvin]

Nick do you have a youtube channel called nicksfishinghole??

 

[streamerguy]

Yep that's me. Were you the one who commented on it yesterday or whenever?

 

[StarvinMarvin]

Ya I saw the creek and I was what the ... ?? Why are there Brookies that's def not cool spring but sure enough I read your post and put two together

 

[vanorvis]

I'm glad to hear about the Brookies in Cool Spring. There is a chance that they came from our Trout In The Classroom Projects. We have been stocking some in Cool Spring for the last few years as fry. Maybe some are surviving ?? That would be great.
Neshannock Chapter TU

 

[streamerguy]

I doubt it. If they were the ones from Trout in the Classroom then they'd look more wildish, and these fish were clearly from what I could tell stocked this size. And I wouldn't think they would survive to be this size, especially since there are so many of them(not a lot, but enough to probably catch one or two a trip if you put in the time) and I didn't catch or hear of any caught last year. Did TU stock their normal browns in this year yet??

 

[StarvinMarvin]

I talked to the TU guys Saturday there when they were doing stream improvement and they said the browns are from the fall when they put them in, we only caught 4 or 5 browns though and they looked freshly stocked, so maybe it was a rough winter. but the cased caddis caccoons on the stream are unreal in the tailouts of pools there.

 

[streamerguy]

Huh, but didn't the PFBC stock browns this spring(as they always do)? You probably caught those, and yeah TU did stock browns in the fall(as the PFBC didn't), but as you said not this spring yet I guess. Still don't know about the brookies?

Yep that stream and Neshannock has a bunch of caddis. I always manage to snag a cased one every now and then. The Shenango too has a ton.