browns

[bilge]

Hey I was wondering if Lake Erie was or will be stocked with brown trout? The steelhead are obviously world class, imagine giant browns following them up stream like in Pulaski! How does one become involved in such an undertaking?

[Woodland]

You can catch Browns in the New York tribs. I don't know if they are stocked or natural, but they have a pretty good population of them with some good size to them.

[RRmike]

I read that PA is planning to stock browns in their rivers, next year, I think. Don't know if they'll make their way west.

[GMbuck]

I'm sure the state knows better, but rather than stock the lake erie tribs, I'd rather they do more on the inland streams. I don't care if they'd only be 15 inches. I'd rather have more streams scattered about with some trout, than the same few streams get more fishing pressure. Of course, if there aren't anymore streams that would support trout... like I said, i'm sure the state knows better.

[Lance]

The state tried stocking browns in the Erie tribs a number of years ago but they had a very poor return rate. For Ohio to go back to stocking browns they'd have to reduce the steelhead numbers stocked. There is a body that governs the over-all number of fish that reside in Erie. If PA adds browns then they'll have to reduce their steel although they've done this in past.

As far as trout being stocked in other ohio waters ODNR did a study a few years ago cataloging all streams that have the "potential" to support trout year round, unfortunately there weren't too many. Beyond the Mad, and Clear fork there are only a couple others that have any public access that are getting any effort at all. Apple Creek in Wooster is being stocked by the local TU chapter. It's a very small stream and seems like it wouldn't take a lot of pressure to clean out all the fish in it. There are no "special regs" on it however the park and TU have asked the people voluntarily practice C+R fishing so that the fish are there more than a couple weeks after stocking. Most of those streams cataloged a very small with limited access at best so I doubt that the state will invest any money on establishing a fishery that is not accessible to the general public.

[bilge]

Yeah I can see some of your guys points. Impose a trout stamp like other states that helps go to funding stocking and more research, fines generated from nonstamped licenses taking fish would generate funds too. I understand that the state may have done all the scientific studies on return rates but back where I grew up in NJ there was a river called the Manasquan, small shallow mud bottom, often chocolatte milk but it held a year round population of browns and rainbows. With a number of the browns becoming searuns. The river eventually turned salt closer to the coast. The trout never made it as far as the Atlantic to be true searun but they would summer in the deeper saltwater sections down river, They take on an entire different apperance, still keeping there spots like a normal brown but getting chrome and almost looking like a rainbow except there stripe would apprear a golden brown as opposed to that pink that bows get. They were rare but catchable in the winter months. Belive me if you all saw this river you would say noway! Even the brookies did fairly well. Top it off it was fed from warm springs.

[badger]

Yeah I can see some of your guys points. Impose a trout stamp like other states that helps go to funding stocking and more research, fines generated from nonstamped licenses taking fish would generate funds too. I understand that the state may have done all the scientific studies on return rates but back where I grew up in NJ there was a river called the Manasquan, small shallow mud bottom, often chocolatte milk but it held a year round population of browns and rainbows. With a number of the browns becoming searuns. The river eventually turned salt closer to the coast. The trout never made it as far as the Atlantic to be true searun but they would summer in the deeper saltwater sections down river, They take on an entire different apperance, still keeping there spots like a normal brown but getting chrome and almost looking like a rainbow except there stripe would apprear a golden brown as opposed to that pink that bows get. They were rare but catchable in the winter months. Belive me if you all saw this river you would say noway! Even the brookies did fairly well. Top it off it was fed from warm springs.

I see your interest, but I can't see more of our money going to a trout stamp. Getting harder every year to buy all the license I need. I'll stick with the steelies for my trout fix.

[buckeye6]

the cleveland metroparks are looking into stocking the rocky river with browns.if it happens...who knows,but talk is always good

[RRmike]

Buckeye6,
This topic was brought up on another thread. The following is from one of the posts on that thread:

I raised the question with the aquatic biologist of the Cleveland MetroParks, Mike Durkalec. He is involved in a lot of the stocking programs they do. Of course, he can only speak for the Cleveland MetroParks, not the DNR. However, the reasoning would probably apply there, too. His response was as follows:

I would love stock more brown trout and am, in fact, trying to do so. The main issues are as follows:

-browns are much harder to raise in hatcheries
-browns are therefore much more expensive
-very few hatcheries have browns available in this region

Regardless, I’m still looking into ways to expand our fishery w/more browns, as many anglers are interested in this species. I’ll be sure to make information available if and when that progresses.

Thanks,
Mike

[bilge]

I wonder how hard it would be to obtain the strain raised in the Pequest Hatchery in NJ they are hearty fish and can deal with warmer waters and low flows I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[hoodytwin]

I fished Clear Fork over the weekend. I caught 2 brown on Saturday in 20 minutes and snappned my rod. sunday didn't have any luck, but the wife bought me a new rod for father's day : )There were some big brown's well over 12 inches. Go for it, and have fun...