Fall trout stockings now underway across the state will be icing on the cake for many fisheries that managed to hold on to "holdover" trout.

Although some streams took a beating in September's prolonged dry spell, the cool, wet weather that prevailed last summer bolstered the survival of spring-stocked trout, overall, according to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission fisheries biologists. Hatchery trout now bound for lakes and streams will add to existing numbers.

"Our flow gauging stations showed a lot of streams were at or better than normal in terms of flow and temperatures all summer, which should mean better than usual carryover fish," said the commission's chief coldwater biologist Tom Greene. "Much of September was dry, but we were into cooler nights, which enabled even some of our bigger freestoners in central Pennsylvania to withstand the lack of rainfall."

In a hot, dry summer, loss of trout occurs through attrition.

"A lot of anglers don't even notice it," said Greene. "Stressed fish will stop eating and get weak and raccoons and herons will pick them off. You'll see a couple of dead fish here and there."

Fish and Boat Commission northwest regional biologist Al Woomer said retention of fish also can be subtle.

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Late season trout fishing

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"This was a good year, so there are probably more fish, but I don't want to over-emphasize density, especially on streams we're not going to stock this fall," he said. "Most spring stockies have moved. All fish will travel, looking for areas they can exploit. Even a brief period of warm weather can send fish up into feeder streams. But we probably had less migration this year. We were on Oil Creek and saw trout from last spring above the delayed harvest area. That's a big warmwater stream where trout ordinarily don't make it through summer."

Woomer's top regional picks for fall fishing include Little Sandy Creek's Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section because it's smaller, cooler water, as well as Kinzua and East Hickory creeks, and the Allegheny River above Coudersport. All are in the fall stocking program.

George Daniel of TCO Fly Shop in State College said reports he's getting from Pine (in Lycoming County) and Kettle creeks -- both slated for stocking this week -- is that anglers are finding fish.

"There was some migration, but those drainages held trout really well," said Daniels, 2008 U.S. National Fly Fishing champion. "The bite was good all summer and it's good right now, especially on Pine's new Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section."

Daniel said flow was a little low last week, "so I'd target fish with a Slate Drake-Caddis tandem or some real light nymphs." In normal fall flow, Daniel suggests working streamers or dredging the bottom with larger Stoneflies and Prince nymphs.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, most local streams have recharged from recent rainfall, but some may have lost fish in September, according to Fish Commission southwestern regional biologist Rick Lorson. Still, he characterized this as a better-than-average year for holdovers, especially in wooded, spring-fed waterways, and named his top choices for fishing fall-stocked streams.

"The Youghiogheny River tailrace is probably the best of the bunch, in terms of holding flows and temperatures," he said. " My next pick would be Dunbar Creek's Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section, and then Deer Creek's Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only. Dunbar is in a forested area. Even Pine Creek (in Allegheny County) normally would be a good choice because Willow Run brings in cooler water, although that's being nullified by the draining of North Park Lake.

"Streams that have a few wild trout in them, like Dunbar, are usually a good bet because their conditions indicate they're appropriate to holding trout."

In all, 128 lakes and streams will receive a total of 103,500 trout over the next six weeks. Most will be rainbows, although a few gravid brook and brown trout will be in the mix, Greene said.

"They may expel their eggs, but it's questionable whether their spawn will be viable, given they're going into a lot of marginal streams," he said.

In streams where natural reproduction is known to occur, anglers are urged to avoid targeting brightly colored brookies and browns on gravel beds after mid-October, since they probably are spawning.

Although fall stockings comprise just 5 percent of the commission's annual trout program, they are likely to be downsized in coming years because trout fishing can't compete with steelheading and hunting at that time of year, Greene said.

"Hunting is the biggie, although some hunters will take their fishing rods to camp so they can fish in the afternoons," he said.

The commission is scheduled to unveil its strategic trout management plan at its quarterly meeting in Harrisburg tomorrow and Tuesday.

"I don't think we'll ever end fall stockings completely, but I think we'll make adjustments in the future," Greene said. "We'll look at waters that simply don't get fished and drop them here and there."

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