Meadville, PA – The PFBC will be stocking brown trout into the tributaries of Lake Erie beginning as soon as Sept. 29, 2009. These 7-inch long trout will be fin clipped for identification purposes before being stocked the next day. Planned stocking locations are Trout Run, Presque Isle Bay, Crooked Creek, Godfrey Run and Orchard Beach Creek. All tributary stockings will be done as close to the mouths of each stream as possible as long as there is adequate water flow. If stream flow is low, the fish will be stocked directly into the lake near the stream mouth.  

“The goal of this program is to emulate the brown trout program on Lake Ontario, but on a smaller scale,” said Lake Erie Fisheries Biologist Chuck Murray. “The intention of this effort is to add some diversity to the tributary fishery, create a near shore springtime fishery and enhance the offshore summer boat fishery.  These brown trout stockings will supplant the surplus steelhead stocked since the elimination of the Coho program in 2003.  The program was started through the gracious donation of 100,000 certified disease free eggs provided by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. As the program evolves, the PFBC will develop self sustaining Lake Erie brown trout brood program at their hatcheries.”  

Murray also added that “this will be a cooperative venture between the PFBC and local cooperative sportsman’s nurseries. In addition to the thousands of brown trout to be stocked by the PFBC, approximately 35,000 additional brown trout were already stocked earlier this year by 3-CU and the Wesleyville Conservation Club with the assistance of the PFBC Cooperative Nursery Unit. The success of the program will be monitored through creel surveys and existing assessment programs over the next several years. Brown trout stocking will be about 50,000-100,000 annually, representing about 5-10% of the steelhead stocking levels.”