You can see from the photograph with this post that the young man in waders, my son Nick, is fly-fishing for trout in the traditional, usually productive way — nymphing or stripping a streamer through a fairly deep run along a bank in a freestone river. He’s fishing a spot that looks fishy. Such a spot in a river with a healthy population of wild trout would probably get him a hook-up.
But this was a put-and-take river, Big Elk Creek in northeastern Maryland: The state puts and anglers take. Natural resources crews stock this river with an unnatural resource — hatchery trout — every spring. Hatchery trout do not behave as wild trout do. They might eventually gravitate to a spot like the one that caught Nick’s eye, but they would have to be in the river for a while — weeks, not days — to swim away from the pools where they are stocked to other natural surroundings. Having been hatched and raised in a hatchery, and fed trout food, then tossed into a real river, rainbows and browns experience culture shock. I’ve seen them adjust to a river, but only when special regulations (delayed harvest, for instance) allow the time necessary to trigger their instincts. Some put-and-take streams have a closed-to-fishing regulation, but the closures are not very long.
So, as anglers who prefer to prospect for wild or stream-bred trout know, fishing for stockers shortly after they’ve been stocked is a very different (and dull) experience. It’s doubtful stocked rainbows will be immediately delighted to see your authentic-looking nymph or streamer, doubtful they’ll instantly recognize the places in a river inhabited by their wild, distant cousins. So, you’ll have to adjust — nymphs for Velveeta balls!! — and lower your expectations. I don’t say this about many things, but I say it about fishing for stocked trout: It is what it is.
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Dan Rodricks 
Long time ago in Colorado where I’m from, stockers were not desired for the dinner table. The flesh was soft and undesirable. By late summer they were wild and fun to catch.
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never liked the taste of stocked trout. Tastes like the food they’re fed. Several rivers and small ponds in Oklahoma are stocked for seasonal recreation and you’re supposed to keep what you catch because they die off in the summer. The Illinois river in ne Oklahoma is the exception because the trout survive and are reproducing, which was a pleasant surprise. 6lb+ rainbow caught is not unusual. The stripers appreciate it also as the stocked trout are preferred over the shad. Guides have a special license to purchase them from an Arkansas hatchery to keep as bait. State record striper from the same river
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you are correct, but all stocked trout are all too frequently caught and kept by meat hungry anglers who want to get an ROI on their license costs…not real sport…but perpetuated by DEC practices that don’t conserve. No one in the put and take world believes that The trout is too valuable, a resource to be quite only once.😔 I agree, stock them weeks before people can fish. Let the trout acclimate on insects and real cover.
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Agree. Even better would be a diversion of some of the money spent on stocking to stream rehab for more wild trout populations.
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trout stocking at least here in Va is paid for by the purchase of special trout fishing licenses aka trout stamps. Gonna be hard to divert funds that are so specifically allocated.
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snobs. Getting out and being active is the idea here, not being daniel Boone. If you want to get real, get rid of your $1000 fly rod and use a pointed stick. Theres nothing wild about using a reel that costs $800 and orvis waders
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you can get the same crappy tasting Hatchery fish at the supermarket
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Ha. That’s funny. My outfit total cost about $400 10 years ago. Keep drowning worms to catch your creel limit. And, fyi, catching wild or stream-bred trout is not easy. Otherwise everyone would do it. If that’s snobbery, I’m fine with it.
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I own at least a dozen combos in varies sizes and all combined they don’t cost over $1000. Bass combos, tarpon combos and of course trout combos of all sizes down to 2wt. I only fish wild streams because it’s more of a challenge. Maybe you should learn the art and not fish for food. Maybe, just maybe you’ll enjoy life a little more. I know I do
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I seem to catch my share of trout with a affordable outfit Fly fishing is too expensive for the average fisherman to begin I will never spend 1,000$ on a fly rod
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Michael – that’s just not true. I have never spent anywhere near that for a fly rod. If you’re interested in trying it, let me know.
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Agree. A good fly angler could catch fish with a broomstick and an antique Pflueger Medallist assuming a reel was even necessary. A few flies tied at home also keeps costs down.
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We can’t all live in Montana ! I fish stocked streams in Iowa through winter months when there is no stocking and do just fine on narrow banks away from previous stocked holes . Get off your high horse !
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Hatchery fish our genetic degeneres. Every egg survives! In the wild if only two eggs survive out of each Nest the race is insured. They’re much higher quality tasting fish and fight much harder than any Hatchery fish I’ve ever caught. There’s a problem with Hatchery fish breeding with wild fish and depleting a gene pool that took eons of time to develop. You can buy the same s***** tasting fish in the supermarket
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Oh for crying out loud. The post was about the difference in fishing for stocked trout versus wild trout. I find stocked fish boring unless they’re given more time in the river (delayed harvest). That’s my view of it. Tight lines, Ken, and I only like horses if I can bet on them.
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And you don’t have to go to Montana to catch wild trout.
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here in WV a DNR grown trout can be 5lbs and then stocked in a river or lake and when caught in a week it becomes a state record. This should not be allowed.
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I totally agree, I have only been fly fishing for about 5 years now. First year I cleaned up on stocked fish, they were way to easy, even a month or more after stocking. I’m now fishing wild brook trout in catch and release areas only. Much harder, but so much more rewarding when I manage to put a beautiful 6 inch native brook in my net.
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Let’s get along. I’m in the middle on this. I’m in NE Pa where we have an abundance of stocked streams and wild trout fisheries. Perhaps some of the best anywhere (Delaware River, Lackawaxen River) and am only a reasonable drive from New York’s famous Salmon River and Beaverkill. True, stocked trout aren’t as wise or fight as hard as wild trout. But given them a month in the stream and they adapt nicely. I’m blessed to be able to afford the finest equipment and ability to fish all the great Montana streams. But I love nothing better than teaching young and old the joys of fly fishing. And yes giving away to those who couldn’t otherwise afford equipment. Never be a snob or elitist. It’s a short journey. Love, give, teach and smile🎣Tight lines🙏
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I live in WV in a county that use to claim to be home of the “Golden Trout” where hundreds/thousands of local and out of area fisherman come each year to try their luck in our mountain fisheries. In this county alone there are a few trout hatcheries that stock the rivers and lakes a few times a year. They will always post in the local papers/ FB blogs and usually announce on the radio when and where they will be stocking next. Although most of the fisherman do their own thing, you’d be surprised at the amount of people that follow the stock trucks around, wait on the bank until the truck starts dumping, then cast their lines. They usually Catch their daily limit(6) in 6 casts. They will then make a FB post and brag about the size of the fish they just caught, making you think they worked hard for it and are just that good. Considering the fish are kept in tanks until they reach different sizes from large to extra large and are trained to eat everything thrown in front of them, they are not hard to catch when first released into the wild waters. It is like hunting on a small acre deer farm, where you are guaranteed to make a kill. I mean, is it truly “hunting” and does it require a lot of skill when you are guaranteed to kill a monster buck? To me fishing like this isn’t fishing. Besides, when you give the fish time in the wild waters they taste so much better and aren’t as spongy like in your mouth. Plus, they are a little bit harder to catch.
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Wild trout at the top of a mountain stream. Yes, okay. No need for stocking, but for the younger generation.That are not advanced in the art of angling will never have an opportunity to catch a fish. If we don’t stock, keep the art of Anglin, alive with are. kids and our family Stocking is highly suggested.
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Sad that there’s gatekeepers for fishing lol fishing in general is always nice, stockers allow for folks that are normally unable to get out the chance to enjoy some fishing.
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There’s no gate keeping here. Merely making observations about stocked trout behavior versus wild trout behavior, after 40 years of fishing for trout with spinners and then flies. Fish with Velveeta balls and Power Bait all you like.
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I’m in Western PA. Alot of local stocked trout fishing. One thing that I do to make it interesting is to use Steelhead tactics and flies on the bigger streams. Trout in new surroundings, not used to classic eating behavior… I swing colorful wet flies like Purple Peril, Umpqua Special, Kispiox….
It’s quirky fishing and productive enough to be interesting and fun.
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Let’s meet up on the Gunpowder 1 day!
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Dan, I find it much easier and faster to get fish to eat at the Lexington Market. KURTWENZING
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Some people and places simply don’t have wild trout. Here in Missouri… We have zero. But our conservation department and state parks do the best with what they have. What they did do very well was inspire me to want to investigate those less touched places and really delve into the fly fishing art. I’ve been all over now and caught many wild trout. I’ll take my son’s to Bennett springs State Park and teach them do that they’ll want to experience the wilderness just as I have.
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It’s true when they stock bows in the tailwaters.of the Arkansas river in Colorado. They all wind up in a shallow wide open concrete ditch area.Im a spin angler an catching 30 14in fish in 1 hr,is never even close to 8hrs for a 21 in 5lb er!!!
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And Bryan, by the latter do you mean a wild trout?
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Yes absolutely a wild trout.
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Many great memories growing up fishing for stocked trout here in New Galilee PA.
The state needs the monies from the license and special trout permits and I don’t mind paying to enjoy it.
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I get that. But think of the other possibilities. If the states put more money and effort into establishing wild trout populations in more rivers that could be restored to their historic bests — you could fish for trout all year and have the satisfaction that comes with catching and returning a truly wild rainbow or brown. And rivers that get too warm for trout — why not stock them with more smallmouth bass? That would be more fun all year.
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DAN you need come to wv and fish for the wv golden trout there a stocker that’s very hard to catch
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Yeah, I’ve seen them in Maryland too, hard to catch, I agree. Much more finicky than rainbows or browns.
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Although it can be argued atlwast In Colorado,that one may be fishing for the spawn of a stocked trout. As the.greenback Cutthroat is the only true native wild species. That is border line snobbish as hell though. (Not me)!
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