Some people may know what this stream is and I'll give more than enough information without actually supplying the name. It's a tailwater stream in suburban Maryland, less than 5 miles from my house. Year round cool water, supports trout well, is stocked by trout in the class room with a few hundred fingerling rainbows every year and sometimes the state has an extra load of fingerling fish. It was once a catch and release stream in the 90's but was "de-listed" because it did not amount to the quality of the other "famous" trout streams in the state. Well, that's because it was never stocked with adult trout when it was a catch and release stream. In the 80's it was a put and take stream and was stocked well. The fish thrived year long, even after bait chunkers cleared the place out. Anyway... it's often been said it does not have the habitat. Which is true under low summer flows but there is a base flow of water to this stream and the trout know how to move to survive. I've personally seen trout in the last few years to 18 inches, shocked up over 50 trout in a 75 meter stretch with MNCPPC and the DNR a few years ago including a 16.5" brown. No one has stocked browns in years. Last year, in the warmest part of the summer the state stocked browns and rainbows but they said the temperature in the stocking truck compared to the creek was near 30 degrees different and the trout didn't make it. Yes, 30 degrees. The water in the summer is often near 50 degrees even a mile from the dam.
Anyway, here's some pictures of this poor habitat. and yes, there are trout there. This area hasn't been stocked in 20 plus years. The trout have found a way. Yesterday I caught a beautiful, hook jaw male rainbow that was as round as a k2 football and near 12 inches long underneath one of these boulders. I was prepping the fish for a picture and it flopped out of my hands. I even saw what I think was a March brown dancing over a riffle. It was a large mayfly, with long anal antennae but unfortunately I only saw one. If you look back a few reports you'll see the results of a fine afternoon of fishing in less than two hours effort I managed 5 trout what the DNR would consider adults. And adult trout have not been stocked in 20 years! Awesome fishery but it gets no respect or protection. It's considered a natural trout stream with the standard two trout a day limit. If someone planning on keeping trout fished this stream in a little over a week keeping two trout a day... it would ruin it. The few fish that avoid the predators and each other could not take any harvest.
Anyway, here's some "poor" habitat for a Piedmont stream. Enjoy.
Here's a shot from earlier this winter.
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