Spring Creek, Center County, 8/24/2003

tomgamber said:
that is funny. the very thing some pollute every thread with happens and you can't believe it.
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Don’t think that was suggesting he didn’t believe brook trout were caught. Believe he is making light of the fact PFBC has never done a single reintroduction project.
 
tomgamber said:
that is funny. the very thing some pollute every thread with happens and you can't believe it.
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So you know it's a reintroduction project, then?
 
afishinado said:
Likely the four 6" brookies caught by you and your buddy in the same section on the same day were all hatchery escapees or stocked by someone.
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This ^
 
silverfox said:
This ^
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Or, they were Brown Trout. I’m joking, and just being a general jerk, but I’ll admit I do think they were probably Brownies.

If they were escapees, or the result of a rogue stocking effort, and you caught four of them, it should be relatively easy for someone to go back, fish that spot, and see if they turn any more up. Brookies, especially stocked ones, aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.

The trib(s) that have Brookies further up are not always continuously flowing and connected with Spring. They sink in spots once they hit the limestone in the valley floor. FWIW. I don’t doubt that if you shocked Spring from headwaters to mouth that you’d probably turn up a few wild Brookies. But to catch four, in one day, in close proximity to one another, suggests either misidentification or some type of stocking/escapee scenario. I’d be much more willing to believe a catch of one wild Brookie, than four, in one day nonetheless, on Spring.

Maybe a Trout in the Classroom release project?
 
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Swattie87 said:
Or, they were Brown Trout. I’m joking, and just being a general jerk, but I’ll admit I do think they were probably Brownies.

If they were escapees, or the result of a rogue stocking effort, and you caught four of them, it should be relatively easy for someone to go back, fish that spot, and see if they turn any more up. Brookies, especially stocked ones, aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.

The trib(s) that have Brookies further up are not always continuously flowing and connected with Spring. They sink in spots once they hit the limestone in the valley floor. FWIW. I don’t doubt that if you shocked Spring from headwaters to mouth that you’d probably turn up a few wild Brookies. But to catch four, in one day, in close proximity to one another, suggests either misidentification or some type of stocking/escapee scenario. I’d be much more willing to believe a catch of one wild Brookie, than four, in one day nonetheless, on Spring.

Maybe a Trout in the Classroom release project?
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Tic switched to rainbows i think. Prob just another private citizen with a bucket in PA’s wild wild west of stocking
 
joebamboo said:
Arrived at Benner Spring section yesterday around 7:30 AM, water was slightly off color and a cool 60 degrees,. The reported Trico hatch was non existent. I did, however, land two brookies on a size 20 trico. Fooled three more on a #18 ant pattern. Fished until 11:30 or so.

I haven't fished this section for about two years and wasn't aware if the "stream improvements". I am not a fan of removing overhanging vegetation and installing logs along the bank,.
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I've been fishing SC since the mid 80s. I have caught brook trout there. Before improvements were made to the hatcheries, escapism was much more prevalent, and from time to time, certain species of trout showed up that weren't normally present following a severe flooding event. I know this because I have caught brook trout both at Benner Springs and in the outflow at Fisherman's Paradise. I believe it would be extremely rare to catch a brook trout in either location today, but then I also thought the same thing about rainbows until I started regularly turning them up in certain areas far away from either hatchery. I am all but certain that the bows I catch are not the progeny of the bow fingerlings stocked in BEC that make their way up SC. I'm really surprised that anyone is questioning a long-term member regarding his fish classification skills. I don't doubt that Joe Bamboo caught what he caught. The fish are small enough that they could've legitimately snuck out of the hatchery. Maybe someone stocked them. Point is, I wouldn't be so skeptical of someone's claims just because you never experienced it, and in consideration of a whole host of factors at play here- some known and some unknown. While bows have firmly laid down their marker in certain sections of SC, I highly doubt that you are going to see a Penns Creek type situation with hatchery origin brook trout on SC. Hopefully everyone can relax now and go do some fishing.
 
Wild_Trouter said:
I've been fishing SC since the mid 80s. I have caught brook trout there. Before improvements were made to the hatcheries, escapism was much more prevalent, and from time to time, certain species of trout showed up that weren't normally present following a severe flooding event. I know this because I have caught brook trout both at Benner Springs and in the outflow at Fisherman's Paradise. I believe it would be extremely rare to catch a brook trout in either location today, but then I also thought the same thing about rainbows until I started regularly turning them up in certain areas far away from either hatchery. I am all but certain that the bows I catch are not the progeny of the bow fingerlings stocked in BEC that make their way up SC. I'm really surprised that anyone is questioning a long-term member regarding his fish classification skills. I don't doubt that Joe Bamboo caught what he caught. The fish are small enough that they could've legitimately snuck out of the hatchery. Maybe someone stocked them. Point is, I wouldn't be so skeptical of someone's claims just because you never experienced it, and in consideration of a whole host of factors at play here- some known and some unknown. While bows have firmly laid down their marker in certain sections of SC, I highly doubt that you are going to see a Penns Creek type situation with hatchery origin brook trout on SC. Hopefully everyone can relax now and go do some fishing.
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maybe some forum members can go do that fishing out near Benner and if ya happen you catch one and feel like snapping a quick photo post on here. Probably hatchery origin but still interested to see what they look like.
 
silverfox said:
So you know it's a reintroduction project, then?
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No, The odds are pretty slim that's the case. I would assume anything lie that would have to go public first. I'm with on the escapee bandwagon. I was just giggling at the irony.
 
joebamboo said:
For the nay sayers, My fishing bud was about 100 yards or more upstream from me and caught two "brookies".
I have no idea how or why those fish got into Spring Creek, nor do I care. It was a very good day for me!
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I believe you Joe. Theoretically after PFBC new stocking “notification” someone will have to own up to their pollution with hatchery fish if their not wild and we can get the answer to these things, in reality PFBC toothless watered down notification will likely not change much.
 
I fished Fields Run for brookies yesterday. Did well despite the thick mountain laurel on that PA Wilds stream. A small bamboo made midge taper was the ticket. Headed over to Bellefonte Spring Creek to round out the day for the evening. Caught a couple browns on a small caddis before darkness fell. I never caught a brook on Spring in all the years fished there. To catch four in a certain section of stream seems unreasonable. I'm not besmirching or underscoring the original fisherman's account. They were dumped or some kind of weird Clint Eastwood Alcatraz escapees.
 
joebamboo said:
For the nay sayers, My fishing bud was about 100 yards or more upstream from me and caught two "brookies".
I have no idea how or why those fish got into Spring Creek, nor do I care. It was a very good day for me!
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most times it is a pic that gets the experts in an uproar over how the fish was mishandled, but this time no pic was needed to get lamblasted. I know you and know you know what a brook trout is.
 
In 100 years Spring will return to its former Brook Trout glory for armies of euronymphers or whatever they call them then.
 
I've never caught a brook trout in Spring but it's cool that you did!
Thanks for sharing
 
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