LockedWilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season?

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2016/03/24 13:55:06 (permalink)

Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season?

Looking at hitting a few wilderness trout waters with my son over the next few days.  These are un-stocked, and hold wild fish.  
 
As usual, the PFBC makes regulations as vague and confusing as they can.  I don't find any specific closure of these waters to fishing during the shut down of many stocked trout waters, but neither do I see any specific green light to fish them right now.  
 
So anybody familiar with these regs?  Are they open year round, without harvest of course during the closed season on keeping trout.  
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    solitario lupo
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/24 14:47:00 (permalink)
    My take would be you cannot keep the trout cause the season is closed but if its not marked approved trout waters it can be fished.
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    Big Steve
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/24 20:41:34 (permalink)
    You are correct, open all year with no harvest during the closed season, unless it is a stocked stream. If it is a class a and stocked the stocked rules apply. If you have any questions, imo, it is best to contact the pfbc via the inquiry form and you will have a written record if you should run into any problems.

    It is legal* to fish for trout in Class A trout streams year-round, with no kill beginning the day after Labor Day through the opening day of trout season the following year. The same holds true for wilderness trout streams. Of course, all other fishing regulations still apply.
    http://fishandboat.com/im...a/trout/year_round.htm
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    Divemaster
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/24 21:13:18 (permalink)
    From my understanding it's open year round but I thought it was no harvest ever, maybe that's only wild Brook Trout Improvement Wilderness streams, though. If they actually allow the harvest of native Trout whether they're legal size or not then I'm pretty disappointed in the ethics of the PFBC. There's no need to keep a 10" trout native or otherwise!
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    Big Steve
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/24 21:40:12 (permalink)
    You are correct the WBTE program did not allow any harvest, however the program has been discontinued.

    "On July 14, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commissioners voted to end the Wild Brook Trout Enhancement Program — with the pledge that the eight so-designated waters would be moved into other existing programs. The Commission’s staff had informed the commissioners that the program had been ineffective, based on electro-shocking surveys, ..."

    http://www.centredaily.co...s/article49519165.html
    post edited by Big Steve - 2016/03/24 21:42:53
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    Guest
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/24 22:23:42 (permalink)
    Thanks for the helpful info guys! Just Wilderness streams I'm looking at and not Class A.
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    ExRaided
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/29 11:28:30 (permalink)
    What if a stream is stocked but not by the state? 
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    Big Steve
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    Re: Wilderness Trout Water Classification - Any Closed Season? 2016/03/29 12:27:16 (permalink)
    If no part of the steam is stocked by the state it will not be listed as stw, and should be open for fishing. Contact the PFBC via the inquiry form or email (paper trail/accountability) if you have any questions.
    #8
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