Waterways like the Pocono Creek that flow through Monroe County are home to fish like the wild brook trout.
“Poconos has some of the best trout fishing on the East Coast; we have some of the cleanest streams around,” said Todd Burns, Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Todd Burns is with the Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced new minimum size limits for trout anglers going up from seven inches to nine inches. State officials say this increase will protect more than 99 percent of the Commonwealth’s wild brook trout from being harvested.
“Brookies don’t get very big, and they don’t get very big fast, so the longer you can go before they are harvested, they will reproduce more, increase the population, and you’ll have more fish,” said Burns.
Burns says while there’s no threat to the wild trout population, he explains the new size limits will provide additional protections. “If we get more trout to maturity, you are going to have more eggs laid. More new trout, so if you can get an increase in reproduction of the trout, you will have an increased population, which helps anglers because there are more fish.”
When the state stocks trout ahead of the start of the season, those fish are already large, coming in at about 11 inches.
Burns says when it comes to the wild fish, the size of it is a good indicator of their environment. “Being a cold-water species really are an indicator of the health of the stream, especially the brook trout, because they need cold, clean waters that can’t be polluted. It has to stay cold; they like shade.”
Officials with the Fish and Boat Commission say the new limits will start on January 1.