# Trout---Sneaky Pennsylvania Fish Commission



## Bearcarver (Apr 7, 2020)

So Bear Jr was on the Ball, and had some fun today.

He was alert, and heard this morning that PA opened Trout season today.
It was supposed to open next week for kids & the following week for Adults, but they opened it Unannounced today.

They said they figured this way there won't be the usual crowds along the Trout Streams of PA, and people getting sick.

They also said they won't be announcing where & when they will be doing the "In Season Trout Stockings" like they always have in the past----For the Same Reason.

He caught 28 Trout, but threw them all back----LOL. That's just the way he is.

He sent me a few pics,

Bear

His Favorite Pastime: (2 Rainbows)







Rainbow:







Another Rainbow:


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## gmc2003 (Apr 7, 2020)

That's a great haul, but I would have kept a couple. Trout is a favorite here.

Chris


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## smokerjim (Apr 7, 2020)

looks like he had a nice day, that was a little sneaky by the fish comm. at least he wasn't shoulder to shoulder.


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## chilerelleno (Apr 7, 2020)

Damn'it if I ain't green with jealousy.


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## RichGTS (Apr 7, 2020)

Looks like a great way to spend the day and he did dang good.


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## Kevinbthgrouse (Apr 7, 2020)

Awesome !!!I love to trout fish and tie my own flies


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## pushok2018 (Apr 7, 2020)

Damn! Trout is my favorite!!! Definitely, I would keep a few....


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## meskc (Apr 7, 2020)

They have stopped all stocking here until they lift the stay at home order.  Still can fish many to be caught.


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## buzzy (Apr 7, 2020)

Looks like a great day for him. I don't think there strategy worked so well. Elbow to elbow at the old mill on the Big Spring.


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## thirdeye (Apr 7, 2020)

“ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after,” Henry David Thoreau. 

We don't have fishing seasons, but there are some restrictions like slot limits, or artificial bait only.  Our wildlife is carefully managed, I release plenty of trout too, but have no problem in harvesting during certain times of the year.


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## Jabiru (Apr 7, 2020)

Nice Rainbows. Jealous of Bear Jnr, love catching trout and like smoking them even more :)


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## Steve H (Apr 7, 2020)

Nice haul! I would have kept a couple too. Love Rainbows.


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## Sowsage (Apr 7, 2020)

thirdeye said:


> “ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after,” Henry David Thoreau.


 Great quote.


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## Sowsage (Apr 7, 2020)

Dang Bear he had a good run. Although I'm with some of the others , too bad he didnt bring a few to the table!


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## wbf610 (Apr 7, 2020)

I think i fished the same creek as him.  My son did very well today.  I caught 7-8 in the time i actually fished.  We put them all back as well.


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## Winterrider (Apr 8, 2020)

I must live under a rock.     I have to omit, I have never had trout. They are not very common in my neck of the woods, and fish prices are ridiculous.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 8, 2020)

wbf610 said:


> I think i fished the same creek as him.  My son did very well today.  I caught 7-8 in the time i actually fished.  We put them all back as well.




He and one of the guys who works for him were fishing right across the street (Water St) from his New Tower Shop, in the Perkiomen Creek.  They went in separate trucks to stay apart. When they got there, there was one other guy fishing there, and when they left, there was two other guys there.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Apr 8, 2020)

gmc2003 said:


> That's a great haul, but I would have kept a couple. Trout is a favorite here.
> 
> Chris




He normally keeps a Limit (5), and Fillets them for his Dear Old Dad, but I guess he was having too much fun, and wasn't in the mood. I don't mind---He does so much for us already.

Bear


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## chopsaw (Apr 8, 2020)

He's got some nice ones there . I'm all catch and release myself . Something " normal " to step away from the headlines for a bit .


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## Lonzinomaker (Apr 8, 2020)

He's lucky. 
Washington state has closed all hunting and fishing for duration. 
As well as schools for the rest of the school year.


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## thirdeye (Apr 8, 2020)

Lonzinomaker said:


> He's lucky.
> Washington state has closed all hunting and fishing for duration.
> As well as schools for the rest of the school year.


 Boy, I guess it depends on how "managed" the game and fish in Washington truly is, but that could have some negative effect.  Our wildlife management plan takes into account winter kill and predator kill but more importantly the hunter kill.  If too few animals are harvested they can become overpopulated.


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## chopsaw (Apr 8, 2020)

thirdeye said:


> Our wildlife management plan takes into account winter kill and predator kill but more importantly the hunter kill. If too few animals are harvested they can become overpopulated.


I would think most are the same , and if they don't get the numbers where they like them , they open a bonus season . So maybe we will see some added seasons when this is passed us .


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## thirdeye (Apr 8, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> I would think most are the same , and if they don't get the numbers where they like them , they open a bonus season . So maybe we will see some added seasons when this is passed us .


Additional tags are also an option.  We do that, usually for Pronghorn Antelope, and generally  doe/fawn tags.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 8, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> looks like he had a nice day, that was a little sneaky by the fish comm. at least he wasn't shoulder to shoulder.




Yeah, They were pretty nice for "PA Stockies".
Nothing like the 30" monsters he caught in NY, but they'll do for some fun, with his Flyrod.

Bear


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## Ben58 (Apr 8, 2020)

Our season isn't until the last Saturday of April. I envy your son having a good time. My wife and I love trout fishing! A couple of those would make a fine meal. I too like to release. My biggest release was an eight pound bow on the Beaver River near Georgian Bay.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 8, 2020)

Ben58 said:


> Our season isn't until the last Saturday of April. I envy your son having a good time. My wife and I love trout fishing! A couple of those would make a fine meal. I too like to release. My biggest release was an eight pound bow on the Beaver River near Georgian Bay.




These are the biggest ones Bear Jr ever caught:
I believe the Buck he's holding was 31" long, and the Roe laying on the ground was 29 1/2" long. Caught in Salmon River, New York, about 10 years ago.

Bear


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## wbf610 (Apr 8, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> He and one of the guys who works for him were fishing right across the street (Water St) from his New Tower Shop, in the Perkiomen Creek.  They went in separate trucks to stay apart. When they got there, there was one other guy fishing there, and when they left, there was two other guys there.
> 
> Bear


Well it wasn’t me.  Wrong creek.
Those brown pics are nice.  Love to hook into one of them.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 9, 2020)

wbf610 said:


> Well it wasn’t me.  Wrong creek.
> Those brown pics are nice.  Love to hook into one of them.




Yup, That year he went up to Pulaski, NY and caught a mess of Salmon on a spawning run.
Then he went up again about a month later when those Brownies run up the same river to eat the eggs the Salmon laid. Then he caught 5 of those Brownies. Those were the 2 biggest.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Apr 9, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> looks like he had a nice day, that was a little sneaky by the fish comm. at least he wasn't shoulder to shoulder.




Yup---I can remember first days of Trout season, where it was so crowded the first hour or 2 the worms in the can on my belt were suffocating!!
And the guy next to me I swear was trying to put his left foot in my right boot!!!

Bear Jr said it was like having the whole Perk' to himself!!

Even in the old days when it opened at 5 AM instead of 8 AM. We used to camp out all night on the banks---Only a couple of fires could be seen until Midnight. Then they started coming in. 
About a dozen fires by 2 AM. Then about 4 AM, Standing room only. 5 AM it was Nuts!!!

So we started going to the mountains every year "Saw Creek" Pike County.
That got crowded too, so we started going to "The Little Equinunk", Wayne County.
Even that started crowding up, before my Dad died & I quit.

Then a few years ago I started fishing around here, @ the Swabia, but never the first few hours of the first day!!!

Bear


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## smokerjim (Apr 9, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> Yup---I can remember first days of Trout season, where it was so crowded the first hour or 2 the worms in the can on my belt were suffocating!!
> And the guy next to me I swear was trying to put his left foot in my right boot!!!
> 
> Bear Jr said it was like having the whole Perk' to himself!!
> ...


yeah that's probably why I never really got into trout fishing, I used to fish the Lackawanna river now and then because you would never get the crowds there, when my buddy had his boat I used to go to lake Ontario with him for lake trout and salmon, other then that I always fished for bass and bluegill,  I usually go deer hunting up near equinunk. it's amazing it gets crowded up there it's just so out of the way.


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## Ben58 (Apr 9, 2020)

Man, those are a couple beauties. Where we generally fish, it's browns, but not nearly that big.


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## wbf610 (Apr 9, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> Yup, That year he went up to Pulaski, NY and caught a mess of Salmon on a spawning run.
> Then he went up again about a month later when those Brownies run up the same river to eat the eggs the Salmon laid. Then he caught 5 of those Brownies. Those were the 2 biggest.
> 
> Bear


I go up there 2-3 times a year.  Good times.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 9, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> yeah that's probably why I never really got into trout fishing, I used to fish the Lackawanna river now and then because you would never get the crowds there, when my buddy had his boat I used to go to lake Ontario with him for lake trout and salmon, other then that I always fished for bass and bluegill,  I usually go deer hunting up near equinunk. it's amazing it gets crowded up there it's just so out of the way.




Yeah---First morning even the Equinunk was Nuts with crowds. Not bad in afternoon & the rest of the season.
The locals knew how to fix that. They'd  stock the Equinunk the day before opening day. Then the Trout would go into shock & not eat for 3 days. Then the Crowd would go home, and the locals would catch the Trout themselves, after 3 days. Pretty Smart !!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Apr 9, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> He's got some nice ones there . I'm all catch and release myself . Something " normal " to step away from the headlines for a bit .




A lot of the time Bear Jr fishes in the Fly Fishing Only Section of the Lehigh.
There it's all Catch & release, but the Trout are a lot bigger.

Bear


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## smokerjim (Apr 9, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> The locals knew how to fix that. They'd stock the Equinunk the day before opening day. Then the Trout would go into shock & not eat for 3 days. Then the Crowd would go home, and the locals would catch the Trout themselves, after 3 days. Pretty Smart !!


and a politician said recently farmers aren't smart people!


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## HalfSmoked (Apr 10, 2020)

Nice catch and a great time doing so. catch and release is fun. We don't have trout where I live.

Warren


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## Bearcarver (Apr 11, 2020)

HalfSmoked said:


> Nice catch and a great time doing so. catch and release is fun. We don't have trout where I live.
> 
> Warren




No Trout in MD ??
Must be why I used to run into MD fisherman in Northern PA, during Trout season.
I used to think, "Man, that's a long trip just for a couple small Stocked Trout".
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## HalfSmoked (Apr 11, 2020)

They have trout in Western Maryland none on the Eastern Shore where I live. But we do have some great fish though.

Warren


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## one eyed jack (Apr 11, 2020)

Looks like a great day in the life of a fisherman.

I applaud your son's practice of catch and release.  Thats what I do too.  It's been 12 years or so since I've kept a speckled trout,  (Different kind of trout, of coarse, salt water version of a trout).

This one caught from my Hobie Outback.  I do all I can to keep from touching the fish.  De-hook while in the net and release by lowering the net into the water.


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## SmokinEdge (Apr 11, 2020)

No trout season here in Colorado. It’s always fishing open. This year though I have read that Colorado Parks and Wildlife will write you a ticket for fishing while the Governor has us in lock down. Enjoy your trout. Nice haul.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 12, 2020)

one eyed jack said:


> Looks like a great day in the life of a fisherman.
> 
> I applaud your son's practice of catch and release.  Thats what I do too.  It's been 12 years or so since I've kept a speckled trout,  (Different kind of trout, of coarse, salt water version of a trout).
> 
> This one caught from my Hobie Outback.  I do all I can to keep from touching the fish.  De-hook while in the net and release by lowering the net into the water.




Thank You Jack!!
When I used to fish, I usually used a net, however I believe most nets remove more of the protective Slime from a fish than a bare hand does.

Bear


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## Smokin' in AZ (Apr 12, 2020)

I never trout fished until I moved out west, now I actually enjoy it.

Catch and release all the time as I do not care for salmonids taste.

I have only kept a few for a neighbor friend once or twice.

28 is a really good haul!

John


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## normanaj (Apr 12, 2020)

Great thread Bear!Love the pics!

RI more or less did the same thing.Fishing opened immediately.Valid fishing license,A-M on even days and N-Z on odd days and not all ponds stocked.I said ponds...we don't have lakes here in RI!

Saltwater wise the first schoolie stripers have showed and blackfish have started.I can't wait for bluefish to show in a few weeks and neither can the smoker.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 12, 2020)

normanaj said:


> Great thread Bear!Love the pics!
> 
> RI more or less did the same thing.Fishing opened immediately.Valid fishing license,A-M on even days and N-Z on odd days and not all ponds stocked.I said ponds...we don't have lakes here in RI!
> 
> Saltwater wise the first schoolie stripers have showed and blackfish have started.I can't wait for bluefish to show in a few weeks and neither can the smoker.




I only ever went Deep Sea Fishing twice---Once off Brielle, NJ, and once in Hawaii (Army).
Bear Jr used to go Sea Fishing a lot, until Sandy took his "Trophy Pro" from it's stall in North Jersey, and parked it in a Woods 2 miles faster south. (Rough Ride too)

Bear


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## Murray (Apr 13, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> and a politician said recently farmers aren't smart people!


That  politician, I hope gets voted out next election.  What a stupid thing to say.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 13, 2020)

muskyjunky
 ---Thank You for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Apr 14, 2020)

jaxgatorz
 ---Thank You for the Like.

Bear


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## Norwester55 (Apr 14, 2020)

Nice pics Bear! I'm going to get out this week or early next week.  A local ODFW pond at the wildlife refuge has been upgraded with docks and walk ways. It was a mudhole before. The dog walked me out there (3/4 mile walk) a few weeks ago and they were close to being done. Ponds are open year round and this one gets stocked with trout thru June. You can see the truck over by the chute, they had just finished dumping a load. Plus there's plenty of sunfish, crappies and large mouth bass.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 14, 2020)

Norwester55 said:


> Nice pics Bear! I'm going to get out this week or early next week.  A local ODFW pond at the wildlife refuge has been upgraded with docks and walk ways. It was a mudhole before. The dog walked me out there (3/4 mile walk) a few weeks ago and they were close to being done. Ponds are open year round and this one gets stocked with trout thru June. You can see the truck over by the chute, they had just finished dumping a load. Plus there's plenty of sunfish, crappies and large mouth bass.
> 
> View attachment 440283
> 
> ...





Nice Ponds you got there, in Oregon!!!
I've always fished Streams for Trout.
However Pennsylvania has nearly 16,000 miles of wild trout streams, nearly 5,000 miles of stocked trout streams and over 125 stocked trout lakes.

Bear


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## Norwester55 (Apr 15, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> Nice Ponds you got there, in Oregon!!!
> I've always fished Streams for Trout.
> However Pennsylvania has nearly 16,000 miles of wild trout streams, nearly 5,000 miles of stocked trout streams and over 125 stocked trout lakes.
> 
> Bear


I never have fished a pond myself but figure it might be a good way to get some for the pan and smoker. Streams don't open here until the 3rd week of May and in my zone its C and R only and in adjacent zones a 2 fish limit. Eastern Oregon theres no limit on brookies and browns but thats a ways to travel. Especially right now.


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