Well, some of you may have noticed my absence this past weekend(If you haven't noticed, I'm addicted to this place). Anyways, I was in Pennsylvania at our hunting property cleaning up the ice damage we had from the 1 inch plus ice coating we had back in February. Tore the trees up bad, lots and lots of downed limbs!

Anyways, while up there my dad and I stocked the creek behind our hunting cabin with 100 trout. 60 rainbows and 40 browns. Should be a fun spring of fishing. I would have taken pictures of the trout going in, but was worried about them going belly up before we got them in the water. Here are a few pics from the weekend...

A few pics of the creek:















A couple pics of one of the golden rainbows and a couple other trout in the deep hole after being stocked:

That's a pretty place. I love those PA limestone streams.

That looks really nice,thanks for sharing.

beautiful pictures. All you need now is a dam at one end.

The dam has definitely been a thought... More like an unobtainable dream! I figure the lake that would be formed would be 300 plus acres and cost millions to build. Not to mention all the land that would have to be bought for the area that would be flooded.

Nice!

Don't tell us you didn't take pictures of the actual act of letting freedom ring for the trout.

I didn't, I had an hour ride from the hatchery to the release. I was cramming a lot of trout into the haul tank and was worried about them not making it. So it was just get them in the water and not worry about pics...

If you ever want a good place to get trout for your place in Somerset, check out http://www.laurelhilltroutfarm.com/index.html I have bought from them for a several years and have always been happy. They even have haul tanks you can borrow for free.

CJ, I just got back from the pond, great looking creek?, If that's a creek what does a river look like.
Boy that golden rainbow really stands out in the water, do you own on both sides of the water, and where's your Bass boat?

Here's a couple photo's of the stream,it finally opened up, just a trickle compared to your crik.


Here's the pond, it's only open by the bubble hose, and still 14 inches from full.

Looks good! Another month and you'll be ice free...

We don't own the other side. It's owned by the Western Pennsylvania Nature Conservancy, however the mountain is so steep no one ever walks back there, so it makes it nice. Never really had an issue with anyone sneaking down to fish our section of the creek out. But I'll say that and will come back two weeks from now and it'll be fished out!

Yes, the golden rainbows stick out! Helps me keep track of how the trout are doing. Most years a few brown trout will hold over, water gets up to about 72-74 degrees, but the rainbows usually don't. Maybe one in four years do the rainbows hold over. The deep hole as we call it is 9 feet at the deepest spot which is darn deep for a creek that size. Yes, its actually a creek, Sideling Hill Creek to be exact. HAHA

Its more of a cool water creek than a coldwater trout stream... It is hard to manage because the fish are so migratory, moving up and down the stream with the seasons and their whims. There is about an equal number of LMB and SMB in there. Some huge CP, the largest we've caught is 26.5" but I saw one last year that had to be pushing 30" and 8 lbs. There are also lots of RBS and GSF a rare BG and some nice rock bass as well. Some huge white suckers and the occasional carp.

Other than the unusually large CP, the fishing isn't spectacular, but its fun and the trout just add to the interest. I think the scenery is better than the fishing!

I'd put some smallies in there.

I guess with the nature conservancy owning the other side no one can build there, keeps it quiet.
Being feed raised, did you ever consider putting a feeder there to see if the trout will hold, after all your putting your time and money into the stocking.
Real pretty site.
Maybe Sunil will lend you some SMB.

There are smallies in there. Usually not very big, most are 8-10" but my dad caught one a couple years ago that was 19". I stocked it with a some CC but never saw them again. The CP are pretty nasty. I caught a 5" RBS last year and tossed it back into the creek, shortly after hitting the water I watched a two foot long CP inhale the RBS and swim away. Nasty little buggers!

I've thought about feeding them... There is a very steep bank above the deep pool, a feeder would probably work well there. We may consider it...

Man, that really is a wonderful slice, ain't it? Bote of 'em.

Hey Brettski, what's going on with the pond at LNP?

What is CP? Chain Pickerel? Cathodic Protection?

I bet if you put in a feeder, your hole would fill up with some serious fish!
Now that would be cool!!

At the risk of just another hijack, thanks for asking. Dski and I have been bustin' hump remodeling the principal crib. I'm juggling installation of 700 sq ft of 3/4" hardwood flooring with the plans to break ground at LNP this spring for a garage/apt. The project overlaps are killin' me. Guess where I'd rather be...
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...we now return you to your regularly scheduled babbling creek

I wouldn't want to dam that stream up. I love fishing places like that here in Louisiana. The bass are really aggressive in those small rivers /big creeks.

One of the things I love about fishing is not knowing what species you are going to catch, or should I say what is on the end of your line.

That nice stream/creek/river really let's that mystique come into play.

So what is CP?

CP=Chain Pickerel

I am the same way, I like the mystery of never knowing what is on the end of your line when you're fishing! That is one of the things I don't think about your classic BG, RES LMB, CC pond... Just so boring!

With my fishing skills I'm just happy to have something on the end of the line.

Trophy Rock Bass.

with a boat like that, who cares if anything is on the other end of your line!

Nate, you know how it is, the longer you live the more toy's you collect.
That pontoon boat is 7 years old, practically an antique.
Last year I wanted to sell it so I could buy a side by side atv, but the boss put the kabash on that idea.