wild brook trout

[ac holmes]

It was way too windy to go on the lake today, so I took a ride to one of my old haunts to see if there were still some native brook trout population.  Caught a few little guys and this female who swallowed the hook so I kept her for dinner.  Female fish, full of immature eggs, thin and hungry but nicely colored for spring time.  In my youth, I used to catch brookies in quite a few remote places, and I intend to make a few long walks to see how they have done since I last fished for them 40 years ago.  I am working a little on an informal basis with the Eastern Brook Trout Restoration project and with the DEC out of Avon.  The goal is to document streams in region 8 that still support native brook trout, and consider them for restoration which includes having those waters designated as "protected" water.  If any body is interested in comparing notes please do PM me and we can tell some fish stories.  All the other regions of NYS have been surveyed, and region 8 is due for some consideration.  The problem is the fact that some of the brook trout water was never considered as trout streams by NYS, and some of it may have never been fished.  However, it is true that there are many places in region 8 that hold populations of these ancient and beautiful fish, and it would be a good thing to protect these populations.  As most of you already know, only the Lake Trout and the Brook Trout are actually native to NYS...and they are not, technically speaking true trout, but splake.  These two species have been around for 12000 years, since the last glacier.  I find it fascinating and am quite well motivated to help in the preservation project if I can.  

[ac holmes]

sorry photo was to big...here tis...

[zackblain]

Beautiful fish, we need more people getting involved with these type of programs to ensure the future of our fisheries

[Ray]

Reminds of my youth fishing the west branch of the Delaware River and its feeder creeks.  Beautiful fish!  Thank you for your work with these fish.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Ray

[Nessmuk]

With global warming and other environmental issues including intorduction of brown trout, I wonder if brook trout are realistic to re-establish.   Both lake trout and brook trout are members of the char family.  Splake are hybrid  lake trout X brook trout.  The only place I have caught brook trout are Spring Brook in Caledonia and in the north country.  Brook Trout are beautiful !

[ac holmes]

Thanks freshwatermodels, for correcting my post, I meant to say "char" not splake.  I think splake are stocked in some places in the north country, and do occasionally occur naturally.  No doubt it happened in the finger lakes in the old days when the feeders were full of brook trout.  The restoration project is very ambitious and some say doomed to failure, except in a few very unique waters.  I think the DEC has a more feasible approach for NYS (although they do support the restoration project) insofar as they want to designate brook trout populations as "protected" waters as the first step.  This approach may at least keep landowners and developers within the laws of NYS for trout streams.  I am convinced that there are hundreds of tiny brooks and streams in region 8 that have some brook trout.  They can survive in the most unlikely places if conditions are just right.  Even tiny little spring fed feeders at higher elevations can have tiny native fish, if they don't freeze to the bottom.  As these feeders gather together into a mapped stream, often conditions are good...especially in remote wooded areas, for bigger fish.  These streams are worthy of being named protected I think.

[BSmaster]

AC, I gave this a good nights rest before I commented.  I like the idea of restoration, however, (MHO) pick streams that have no brook trout, that could possibly sustain brook trout and do a 5-10 year study.  I don't like the idea of mapping all of the hidden streams that have natural populations.  I can see more harm than good coming from this approach.  When I read your post, initially, I was on board, but now after giving it some thought, I think you should focus on streams with potential and not those that mother nature is in control of.  I would love to be a part of this, but those little hidden gems...  I don't fish them and I don't talk about them either.  Its too easy for them to get jacked up by people who get them while they can and don't care about tomorrow.

 

Freshwater Models, the climate change is in general making everything warmer, however, one of the offsetting factors for stream recovery is the decline of agriculture and the streams down on the flood plain don't resemble their passageways through the hills which is most of the time under full canopy.  The rivers and streams in the Southern Tier Look the best they have ever looked in my lifetime.

[Nessmuk]

Along with the warmer climate and competing brown trout we also have development.  Some of my favorite small stream haunts in region 9 have new homes and a lot of the owners have turned the banks into lawns rather than the natural cover that once shaded the streams.   

 

Given all the new reasearch methods on line I can't imagine that serious fishermen aren't aware of even the tinyest stream that might hold trout.  Just having old fashioned topo maps will show potential streams if you know what to look for.   Add google earth and the web and you can find trout.    Then there are the locals who have known for generations where the trout are.  I have seen pools cleaned out by both locals and heron.

 

Conditions are very different than when I was a kid or even just before the movie that got everyone wanting to be a fly fisherman for trout. 

 

I'm very much a proponant of native fish and don't think non-native samonoids should have been introduced in lakes or streams.    The plus side of browns is that they are a lot tougher when it comes to some of the climatic changes we are seeing.   I do agree with BSmaster that a study is probably in order.  I also think this shouldn't be done with public knowledge.

 

The best native brook trout nursury I have seen is in a private section of a stream.

[ac holmes]

Very thoughtful reply BSmaster...i have thought the thing through much along the lines of your reasoning before posting on this thread.  Some more analysis as follows:  most of these little hidden "gems" are quite inaccessible by terrain, brush, posted signs, etc, so the threat of too many fishermen going to these places may be unlikely. The photo of the fish I caught yesterday is actually quite a large fish (12 inches) as native brook trout go.  Most of the natives are in the 4-8 inch range and not many fishermen care for catching such tiny fish, especially if it is a long hike through brush and thorns into the stream.  

 

I think the value of designating as "protected" is discouraging landowners from bulldozing, developing, waste water dumping, draining fields and logging without any consideration of brook trout habitat.  The basic issue is that many if not most of these brooks and streams have never been thought of as fishable water, and I know of several instances where folks tore things up as they pleased and destroyed precious habitat. 

 

The Eastern Brook Trout Restoration project is well meant and has some funding, but as mentioned earlier, probably restricted to waters that have already been named as trout streams by NYS.  My contact with the NYS DEC has convinced me that their initial goal is to get some of these areas protected under the law, and to work with the restoration project as a secondary longer range goal, where applicable.

 

The DEC needs some info on areas where brook trout used to be because they cannot survey the possibilities very effectively without some idea of where to spend resources.  I have always been interested in brook trout habitat and when I used to deer hunt would sometimes find spring fed open water brooks (50 degree water) when everything else was froze up tight.  I eventually fished some of this water and often found native fish.  I know of other places that local people (now long gone) told me about as holding brook trout, that I intend to explore this year and report to the DEC as possible places to survey.

 

For example...40 years ago I caught a trophy male brook trout about 15 inches long in a remote little stream that has not seen a fisherman since, I would bet.  Yesterday I walked in the same hole on that stream and flipped a worm in the water and in 3 seconds had a fish on.  I caught three 6 inch fish in a short time, carefully put them back, and the last fish was the one posted that swallowed the hook, so I kept her.  She was full of immature eggs, ready for fall spawning.  Sorry I killed her.  I was very pleased to know for sure, that the fish are still there and the DEC wants to know that, before they organize and fund a full survey.  My guess is that they will do that and that stream and it's tribs may get a protected status.  It's a small step...but a useful one toward letting mother nature continue to control the water.  I am not interested it making public the info to fishermen generally, nor do I have any commercial interest.  I am a retired guy and am happy to help out in this small way, if I can.  I know the local area as well as anybody still alive because I spent most of my youthful years stumbling around in local but remote places, and I need the exercise.

[Sk8man]

Thank you AC, freshwatermodels and bassmaster...I have learned some things from this discussion....I had almost forgotten about "brookies" and their inherent beauty. I used to get into them pretty good at my buddies place on the Black River a long time ago. He had a water falls on his property and they used to sit in the pool at the base of it. They were tough critters to get to bite sometimes in the clear water But were valiant.fighters for their size on ultralights...brings back some fond memories...thanks.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Sk8man

[BSmaster]

If you haven't done so, I suggest you contact fingerlakes land trust.  They are primarily focused on wetlands but there could be some discussion of interest to your cause.  Good luck.  It is a good project. 

[ac holmes]

Thanks for the suggestion BSmaster, my stepson did his internship with the land trust last year and I had the pleasure of meeting some very nice folks there.

[ac holmes]

I spent most of the day exploring some more remote headwater...did not catch anything, but had a real solid strike on a worm in a pool that would be an unlikely place for anything but a native brook trout.  Last week I went to a spot, close to a town, and caught a bluegill...no mystery there.  I realized today that finding the little native fish is highly symbolic for me, for they are a link to the gone world, and were once abundant.  It's not the fish exactly, it's what they stand for.  The last glacier was aprox 12,000 years ago, and it is nice to know that the fish have narrowly survived...just as they have always been since then.

[BrookTrout]

AC,  great thread man, I have followed along with the Eastern Brook Trout Restoration efforts.  I feel that the benefits of identifying and protecting current/prospective habitat far outweighs any increased fishing pressure.   I have been exploring some brook trout streams in Region 7 and have been pleasantly surprised but some of the small fisheries I have "discovered", but might do a little prospecting on small streams in Region 8 this season and would be happy to pass along any info.  

 

Jon

[ac holmes]

Hi Jon and others

 

I am reading an excellent book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Early-Love-Brook-Trout-Watercolor/dp/158574039X

 

 

The Brook Trout aesthetic has been an inspiration for many fisherfolk, and continues to inspire books, essays and artwork of all kinds.  I must say that I deeply appreciate the fishery that we enjoy on the lakes, and sometimes come home from a charter on my boat, Tara Too, tired from cranking in Salmon and big, fat browns and Lakers.  It is exciting and productive for all involved.  However, it is never as thrilling for me as the experience of finding some tiny Brookies in a hidden and remote stream.  Some things cannot be fully explained, but remain true, nonetheless.  I have had days on Seneca where we boated 40+ fish, some 10 lbs. or more, but I cannot say that it is more enjoyable than finding a Brookie or two.  I am happy to know that there are others who share this little pleasure, although somewhat irrational from the standpoint of "how many" and "how big".

 

Made a good contact this AM with the land trust people and will follow up this week...

 

cheers,

 

Andrew

[Fish Junkie]

Enjoying this topic.  I have a small camp in Steuben Co. and find myself more and more exploring the tiny headwaters in and around this county.  They are proof of something pure and true....rare in today's crazy world....