Fishing News
153 posts
I added some more info about Pennsylvania brook trout fishing spots in northeastern PA including Lackawanna State Forest, and also a new section for New Jersey brook trout resources. I will visit some of the areas mentioned this summer, notably the places I’ve marked, “Might have some brook trout.” Gotta find out.
If there is any info you have that may be useful just contact me and I’ll consider adding it to the resources page.
I think he lives in Michigan, but almost no matter where you go a sixteen inch brook trout is worth a dance. He did note:
If you’re new to fishing or haven’t fished for brook trout, a 16 inch brook trout is a big deal. It may not sound big, but the average brookie, especially in small streams, is about 6-8 inches. Ten is a nice fish, 12″ is big, 14″ rare and makes your season- 16 inches, in a small stream? Lifetime. It’s roughly equivalent to a 24 inch brown. There’s bigger fish out there, but not many, and there’s only a handful of areas, usually remote, such as Labrador, northern Quebec and Ontario that regularly produce fish bigger than that. Thus my excitement.
Orvis News has posted the second item about catching monster brook trout at Riverkeep Lodge on Atikonak Lake in Labrador. I mentioned part one last week.
Ho hum, just shockingly huge brook trout that you’ll never see unless you go to northern Maine, Quebec or Labrador.
Bonus stocking of 500 brown trout on Owens Creek in the catch and release section on June 1st. That’s about it.
Bonus troubling news, in case you hadn’t read this, is that whirling disease was found in 8,000 rainbow trout stocked in western Maryland streams. Maryland has a real campaign to prevent the spread of invasive species and whirling disease, which includes a ban on felt soled wading boots and the maintenance of cleaning stations for waders and boots at many streams throughout the state. Heed their advice and be responsible.
Nice compendium of stocked Maryland streams on the map below…
View MD Frederick Co Trout Management Areas in a larger map
Uh oh. It’s that time of year. Summer approaches, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries trout stocking program tapers off until the Fall. It’s light this week for sure.
Meanwhile, in the mountains the brook trout are hitting dry flies to the maximum extent. Go there now. Have a great weekend!
- Craig Co.
- Potts Creek (05/28)
- Scott Co.
- Bark Camp Lake (05/28)
- Washington Co.
- Whitetop Laurel (Upper) (05/31)
- Whitetop Laurel (Lower) (05/31)
- Tennessee Laurel (05/31)
Maryland has stocked fish in sections of the North Branch of the Potomac and the Youghiogheny.
No one in the world not from that area can spell Youghiogheny, and if they could, they couldn’t pronounce it (“yock ah gain ee,” in case you needed that).
| Garrett | North Branch Potomac River at Barnum | May 23 | GO > |
| Garrett | North Branch Potomac River at Westernport | May 23 | GO > |
| Garrett | Youghiogheny River at Friendsville | May 19 | GO > |
| Garrett | Youghiogheny River, Oakland Area | May 19 | GO > |
The water levels are dropping from muddy and raging to fishable on all the rivers around here. Even the Shenandoah is clearing up, finally. I stopped by Passage Creek last weekend and it was wild. I even saw two whitewater kayakers putting in at Rt. 55, downstream of where the fish are stocked, but they could have easily run the sections upstream. Looks like they just stocked Passage Creek this week, so might be worth checking out.
The fish stocking in Virginia will soon be slowing down for the summertime.
- Albemarle Co.
- Mint Springs Lake (Middle) (05/21)
- Mint Springs Lake (Upper) (05/21)
- Augusta Co.
- Braley Pond (05/24)
- Hearthstone Lake (05/24)
- Bath Co.
- Back Creek (05/25)
- Cowpasture River (05/23)
- Giles Co.
- Big Stoney Creek (05/26)
- Wolf Creek (05/21)
- Madison Co.
- Robinson River (05/23)
- Roanoke Co.
- Roanoke River (City) (05/24)
- Roanoke River (Salem) (05/24)
- Shenandoah Co.
- Passage Creek (05/26)
- Smyth Co.
- Middle Fork Holston River (Marion-Chilhowie) (05/21)
- Staley Creek (05/21)
- Tazewell Co.
- Lake Witten (05/26)
- Washington Co.
- Beartree Lake (05/26)
- Big Brumley Creek (05/24)
- Big Tumbling Creek (05/24)
- Wise Co.
- Middle Fork Powell River (05/23)
- South Fork Powell River (05/23)
- Wythe Co.
- Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) (05/25)
- Rural Retreat Lake Pond (05/21)
- Guillion Fork Ponds (05/24)
Way out in western Maryland, fish have been stocked, including the Savage River and streams in Allegany County.
The Savage River has a great population of wild brook and brown trout, possibly some of the best populations of both in the entire state. This includes fly fishing only and artificial lures only sections of the Trophy Trout Management Area. Stocking of hatchery trout in the Savage River tailwater was discontinued “after 1990.” So if you go, you might actually want to hit the real thing after you’ve fished the reservoir.
View MD Garrett Co Trout Management Areas in a larger map
NOTE: Remember, the ban on felt soled wading boots is now in effect in Maryland.
| Garrett | Savage Reservoir | May 18 | GO > |
| Allegany | Wills Creek | May 18 | GO > |
| Allegany | Evitts Creek | May 17 | GO > |
| Allegany | Fifteen Mile Creek | May 17 | GO > |
| Allegany | Fifteen Mile Creek | May 16 | GO > |
Springtime, and the trout stocking is still going strong in Virginia.
The Dismal River, in Buchanan County, Virginia. It’s a Category A trout stream, meaning it’s stocked eight times between October and May. Hope it’s not as bad as its name. At least it is off limits to “snagging, grabbing, snaring, gigging and the use of a striking iron… to take non-game fish,” in case you were planning any of that.
- Amherst Co.
- Pedlar River (Lower) (05/17)
- Augusta Co.
- Elkhorn Lake (05/17)
- South River (Ridgeview Park) (05/19)
- Bath Co.
- Jackson River (Rt. 623) (05/18)
- Buchanan Co.
- Dismal River (05/13 after 4 p.m.)
- Carroll Co.
- Crooked Creek (05/16)
- Little Reed Island Creek (05/16)
- Craig Co.
- Barbours Creek (05/14)
- Fauquier Co.
- Thompson WMA Pond (05/19)
- Floyd Co.
- Little River (05/14)
- Grayson Co.
- Elk Creek (05/14)
- Henry Co.
- Smith River (Lower) (05/18)
- Page Co.
- Hawksbill Creek (05/19)
- Patrick Co.
- Dan River (Below Powerhouse) (05/18)
- Pulaski Co.
- Peak Creek (05/17)
- Roanoke Co.
- Glade Creek (05/17)
- Tinker Creek (05/17)
- Rockingham Co.
- Briery Branch Lake (05/18)
- Hone Quarry Lake (05/18)
- South River (Grottoes) (05/19)
- Smyth Co.
- South Fork Holston River (Lower) (05/14)
- Tazewell Co.
- Lincolnshire Lake (05/17)
- Washington Co.
- Beartree Lake (05/13 after 4 p.m.)
- Beartree Lake (05/17)