Trout rivers near Arnprior?

[RJ]

Ganman, you are a treat to read Sir. Though I haven't an ounce of interest in stream fishing I read every word of that. The day I stop trying to learn stuff ya might as well put me in the ground. Thanks for taking the time.

RJ

[Bait&Fate]

Ganman, Your posting was extremely informative and an interesting read.

Thanks
Dave

[rustyhook]

there are lots of trout creeks. I trap minnows for a living and trap dozens of creeks and I've caught trout in my minnow traps in almost every creek. I get smaller trout in my traps but have seen larger ones sitting in front of my traps and swimming in the creeks, especially in the spring and fall. I see schools of them in some of the creeks that I boat up. They stock hydes creek and a few others @ griffith. Not sure why people say there are no trout creeks as I can name about 20. Almost every creek I've trapped has trout even the small creeks. Hydes creek that runs for miles up hwy 41 is your best bet as I see all kinds of them in that creek.

[ganman]

there are lots of trout creeks. I trap minnows for a living and trap dozens of creeks and I've caught trout in my minnow traps in almost every creek. I get smaller trout in my traps but have seen larger ones sitting in front of my traps and swimming in the creeks, especially in the spring and fall. I see schools of them in some of the creeks that I boat up. They stock hydes creek and a few others @ griffith. Not sure why people say there are no trout creeks as I can name about 20. Almost every creek I've trapped has trout even the small creeks. Hydes creek that runs for miles up hwy 41 is your best bet as I see all kinds of them in that creek.

First ....thanks everyone for the kind words. It is an abbreviated talk I gave to a club where the members wanted an answer to that question.

rustyhook: I mentioned there are a few spring fed creeks in the area with trout in them and you can catch some brook trout but they are small and the fishery is limited when compared to other places. Cold Creek is a small stream and Hydes Creek is tiny in comparison with limited areas that harbour trout. The other creeks in that area, Kilpecker, Colton etc. are tiny when compared to Hydes. You can step over them in most places.

Those fish you see in schools are you certain they are trout? Normally in a stream or river trout do not school and avoid slow water. Baitfish, chubs, suckers etc. however do like slow water. When approached trout scoot for cover while chubs and suckers form fright huddles on the bottom and shift nervously back and forth in a mass. The only trout that might school like that would be freshly stocked trout and it fits the scenario of being dumped into a place like that.

Was this in Hydes Creek where it flows into the Madawaska?

[Todd B.]

From what I know Hydes Creek @ Hwy 41 is where the MNR stocks the creek with fingerlings, though I'm not sure if they've been doing fall or spring stockings. If you're interested just give Darwin a shout at the Pembroke MNR office.

[rustyhook]

%100 sure they were trout. It was up on a shallow flooded flat where they must have been feeding on bait. The fall is when they are really active. There was one day last fall I had at least 10 1/2 pound trout in one of my traps and another couple of large ones in the creek out of Quackenbush lake(and yes they were specks not rainbow). I couldn't even believe they could fit through the holes. They are there just hard to get in the summer time I guess.

[ganman]

You wonder why they would just dump them at the mouth like that. The highway follows much of the creek I would think it would be beneficial to stock them at various places along the highway.

Another time you see trout bunched together is in hot weather. I have seen stressed trout cramming into a shallow sandy backwater where a spring came in. I would suggest if anyone saw this...leave them alone.

It is interesting about Quackenbush Lake. I don't think the MNR has any handle on trout reproduction. I would be almost certain no rainbow reproduce. I think the MNR take is that brook trout spawning no longer occurs or is inconsequential. It can also happen that trout do get mixed up in hatcheries and oddball catches do occur. One of the problems with a trout that size in a small lake....it is eating a lot of stocked trout.

[scarkner]

Paul's Creek (near Lavant Mill Rd) is stocked with trout and is a little closer to you, but still a good hour from Arnprior.

I have NOT had luck fishing it, but talked to a number of locals who (frankly) disgusted me. Many of them talked about how they would catch a dozen trout in the morning and have them for lunch. When I asked how big the trout were... they held up their fingers reallly close together. Yep, they were basically just catching and eating the freshly stocked fingerlings. Continued conversations usually revolved around how the trout would suddenly and mysteriously "appear" in the creek and everyone in the campground would start furiously fishing, but within 2 weeks the trout would be gone (they presumed the trout went into the nearby lake, but I am pretty certain it was into their stomachs).

So I tried walking up the creek away from the campground, saw some good sized splashes which might have been trout, but again, never caught anything myself. This was mid-august and probably around 2pm, so certainly not prime time.

Well... to each his own!

good luck!

[campnfish]

Interesting you mention Paul's creek. I have walked that creek from the graveyard to the lake and caught nothing. I think all the locals fish by the wooden bridge near the culvert under the road.

Was it just me or did you notice platforms and crude structures along the shore as you walked down? Hunt camp possibly? There were dock-like structures, some with storage containers on them....wasn't sure what they were.

I've fished Bissett (Wadell) creek and caught some 10-12" specks, but it was on private land (with permission) and quite a hike.

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[scarkner]

I started at the graveyard and worked UP the creek for about 45 minutes (it is tough going, muddy, shore is very thick brush). I then worked my way back down the creek all the way to the lake. The bridge is very nice!

[smitty55]

Used to get some ok Brookies in Broad Brook Creek many years back but I can't remember the last time I saw it on a stocking list.

Cheers

[rod84]

There used to be trout when my grandpa was young, so that would have been the late 30s, early 40s in the Madawaska River (Upper). I am not sure if there are any trout left in there though, with all the dams the water slows down, warms up and silts up.

In SW Ontario where my other grandpa grew up, him and his brothers were tasked to dig out the collecting pond for drinking water for one of the neighbours, this would have been about 1930, they used to throw the trout out of the creeks with the shovels as they dug. That creek now flows in through Waterloo and is so bad of a creek chubs barely live in it now.

Cold water creeks and rivers used to exist, but then we cleared all the land, dammed up the water ways and "cleaned" up the waters. No where for the trout to go and not very good water conditions for them, especially brookies, they are tough ones to keep alive.

[ganman]

My understanding is the Madawaska outside Algonquin was a river that had trout seasonally. It was always dominated by warmwater species. At the mouth of coldwater tributaries you could catch brook trout. It was likely late fall after spawning when they dropped down from the tributary to the big river and would live in the big river over winter and goes with what Rusty was saying about Hydes Creek. By late spring/summer the trout would need to find cold water refuges.