03-20-2007, 08:10 PM
Anglers counting down the days to their first crack at the bigger trout being stocked this year by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) can count on finding fish. A study conducted last spring on trout residency in the days following stocking indicates that for the vast majority of waters, hatchery trout distribute themselves within proximity of the stocking site.
The 2006 study involved 135 stream sections that were evaluated using electrofishing at randomly selected stocking sites 10-20 days after stocking and the start of the open season. (Electrofishing is a common fisheries survey process which passes a mild electric current through water, drawing in fish so that they can be evaluated.) The intent of the study was to determine the percentage of the stocked trout remaining within 300 meters of the stocking points. In all, 259 samples were taken and scored as "excellent" (>90% recaptured), "good" (75% - 89.9%), "fair" (40% - 74.9%), "poor" (19% - 39.9%) or "very poor (
The 2006 study involved 135 stream sections that were evaluated using electrofishing at randomly selected stocking sites 10-20 days after stocking and the start of the open season. (Electrofishing is a common fisheries survey process which passes a mild electric current through water, drawing in fish so that they can be evaluated.) The intent of the study was to determine the percentage of the stocked trout remaining within 300 meters of the stocking points. In all, 259 samples were taken and scored as "excellent" (>90% recaptured), "good" (75% - 89.9%), "fair" (40% - 74.9%), "poor" (19% - 39.9%) or "very poor (