# Black Creek



## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

edit edit edit


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## sbreech (Jun 6, 2010)

I don't think I've ever heard of it.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

Mushijobah said:


> No one knows about Black Creek trout? Buehler?


Must confess, I've never heard of it. I've been over Kilbuck (never fished it) but Black Creek is a new one on me.

care to share a map or general location?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

copperdon said:


> Must confess, I've never heard of it. I've been over Kilbuck (never fished it) but Black Creek is a new one on me.
> 
> care to share a map or general location?


I'd settle for GPS coordinates.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

So there are wild bows in this creek?


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

I found the study on the OEPA site and also noticed the trout. I would find out if its stocked by a club or someone, but if it isn't.......


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

... you guys just found some wild rainbows.

Could they be washed out from some guys pond or something?

What does "trout-perch" mean? trout or perch?


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Trout Perch

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/troutperch/tabid/6778/Default.aspx


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

Well thats sums it up. Where are you finding these reports on rainbows for black? I can only find killbuck.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

Next spring I'm gonna head down there. I live just north and all my friends duck hunt kill buck and some live by Killbuck creek.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Just an FYI for anyone, this creek probably isn't worth a big road trip for to catch a wild rainbow. For example, there's a lot of streams on the trout reproduction list in PA, but a lot of them are duds, which they probably only surveyed very few fish and its not worth fishing(I fished a lot of those streams), but others on the list produce 20 fish days for wild trout. If you're in the area then maybe check it out, it just might be a gem. I think we're spot burning a little too much LOL.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

> Could they be washed out from some guys pond or something?
> 
> 
> 
> Read more: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1326494#ixzz1g2gp7VQH


Very doubtful that they'd be wild bows.

Apple Creek is a tributary of the Killbuck...

And considering that this past fall, over 2000 rainbows (and a few browns) were stocked at Apple, having the amount of rainfall we've had, and swelling the creek to very high levels and very fast currents, might explain how trout have ended up in Killbuck.

I was at Apple yesterday (skunked) and the water was running fairly high and very fast. The upper bank areas, I'm guessing 5 -7 feet above normal stream levels, had sections where the grass and weeds were bent down, as well as washouts on paths, so it was obvious that during the heavy rains we had last week, the stream rose to those levels. It's not much of a stretch to think that fish would have been washed downstream to whatever tributary junctions there are, including the Killbuck, and eventually, Black Creek.

Apple Creek has been stocked with trout for several years now, and this is a stream that swells and rises with not much rain. Add to this the heavy rains we've had recently and I think we've found the source of those trout in The Killbuck and the Black.

IMHO of course.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

copperdon said:


> *Very doubtful that they'd be wild bows*.
> 
> Apple Creek is a tributary of the Killbuck...
> 
> ...


I know it is splitting hairs on words, but I think what you meant to say is that it's highly unlikely they are _native_, not _wild_. The folks in WV are quick to point this out to you if you make the mistake of calling wild reproducing trout native, because only the brook trout are native in the areas I fish. The bows are wild, stream-born fish, but were not native to the area. They were stocked back in the 70's, stocking stopped, but they began reproducing. If there are trout in the creek in mention, they would almost certainly not be native, but could be wild. See the difference?

I won't give the stream names, but Mushi and I both know a young lad  who was working the electro-shock surveys for a few summers and they found rainbows of all age classes in a stream or two here in Ohio. All age classes means they have been reproducing. Would they be native? I highly doubt it, but stocked fish that have begun reproducing likely is what started a wild reproducing population of trout.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

> I know it is splitting hairs on words, but I think what you meant to say is that it's highly unlikely they are native, not wild.
> 
> Read more: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1326554#ixzz1g2vxf1Jc


I stand corrected....and it's not splitting hairs... you're right.
There's a difference and I should have said it better. 

Anyway, I still believe that these fish probably originated from the various stockings at Apple Creek. Out of 4 seasons of stockings, in both spring and fall, with stock numbers approaching a total of anywhere between 8000 and 10,000 trout in total over this period, I wouldn't think it impossible for some of these fish to end up in the connected tributaries, like Killbuck and Black.

And if they _are_ reproducing, I think that's awesome!


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## tonoffish (Oct 10, 2011)

Just looking at that census table, and I'm probably wrong, but it seemed to me that the average weight of the trout were about an ounce. Also, the rest of the species seemed to be minnow-sized varieties. This was at the County Rd. 31 sampling. If this is true, do they stock trout that small?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

tonoffish said:


> Just looking at that census table, and I'm probably wrong, but it seemed to me that the average weight of the trout were about an ounce. Also, the rest of the species seemed to be minnow-sized varieties. This was at the County Rd. 31 sampling. If this is true, do they stock trout that small?


I know Trout Unlimited chapters do some fingerling stockings in WV that would be really small fish, but I'm not sure about Ohio. I haven't heard anything specific on fingerling stockings here, but that doesn't mean it isn't/hasn't happened.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm not saying they are not wild trout, but I do doubt it some. The fish coming from Apple is a good possibility, but why did they only happen to swim up Black Creek and not any of the other tribs to Killbuck? 

On the wild vs native thing, there are no native rainbow trout east of the Mississippi. There's certainly plenty of wild bows(naturally reproducing), but they are not native to the east, as in they would not be here if us humans didn't introduce them here. All the wild bows(and browns for that matter) in the east are the results of stocking at some period. Sorry, but I get annoyed by this a lot on another forum, lots of people call wild browns native, so I had to vent it out lol


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

> This was at the County Rd. 31 sampling. If this is true, do they stock trout that small?
> 
> Read more: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1326713#ixzz1g87k3vQA


I don't know about weight, but the average sized trout stocked at Apple is about 14"... some bigger, some a litle smaller, but none that would weigh in as small as an ounce. I do believe that there are some stocking programs that put in fingerlings, but I can't tell you where (because I don't know).



> The fish coming from Apple is a good possibility, but why did they only happen to swim up Black Creek and not any of the other tribs to Killbuck?
> Read more: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1326713#ixzz1g88G4YA3


Trout are going to go where the water temp, food sources and oxygen levels suit them. Maybe the Killbuck and Black Creek have those factors that make it favorable to trout while other tribs don't.

The Apple Creek thing is just a theory... but if the average sized fish found in Black Creek is weighing in at an ounce, then 1 of two things are happening;
either the fish being stocked at Apple are swimming downstream and then reproducing, or someone is putting the fish in these streams, either fingerling trout or bigger trout that are laying eggs.

I'm not aware of any TU or ODNR sanctioned stocks for Killbuck and Black Creek.... but that's not to say that some private stock isn't happening by someone who wants those fish in there.

If this _is_ happening, then I say God Bless 'em - I'd love to see trout begin to holdover and successfully reproduce in Ohio streams, but if someone is putting them in without permission from ODNR, then what they are doing is illegal. Again, I don't mind, but ODNR might.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

That would be pretty cool to have some wild rainbows. Even if you would barely catch any, that is still pretty cool.


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## meisjedog (Oct 4, 2010)

Considering the fish were found at "Y", I'd say those lakes are stocked and they escaped. Rural, dirt roads, multiple buildings(compounds if you will), some kind of race track in the farmers field across the creek... I think I'll stay back. Why two earthen dams? Did the first one leak?


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

I found this, go down the "major fish species" and Rainbows pop up. Would this have anything to do with the odnr knowing or stocking them in there?

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/WildlifeAreaMaps/NortheastOhioWildlifeAreaMaps/KillbuckMarshWildlifeArea/tabid/19773/Default.aspx


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

> Considering the fish were found at "Y", I'd say those lakes are stocked and they escaped. Rural, dirt roads, multiple buildings(compounds if you will), some kind of race track in the farmers field across the creek... I think I'll stay back. Why two earthen dams? Did the first one leak?


I would think thats where they came from. And that satellite photo looks familiar, like I've seen it on a trout club website or something before. Is that a trout club?



> That would be pretty cool to have some wild rainbows. Even if you would barely catch any, that is still pretty cool.


I know of a stream where you fish in PA that has a bunch of wild bows, send me a pm if you want to know..


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## foundationfisher (May 12, 2008)

black creek runs through glenmont. years ago, there was a trout farm there. some got out in a flood 30 some years ago. some of the locals still catch them, i'm told.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

foundationfisher said:


> black creek runs through glenmont. years ago, there was a trout farm there. some got out in a flood 30 some years ago. some of the locals still catch them, i'm told.


If this is true would this be the first "wild" trout stream in ohio in a long time? Like an actual fisherie so too say? This is awesome.


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## fontinalis (Mar 29, 2011)

There are native brookie cricks in ohio, Been there for a LONG time, like since the last ice age.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

fontinalis said:


> There are native brookie cricks in ohio, Been there for a LONG time, like since the last ice age.


Yup. Believe it or not, one not far from Akron. 

*But *...they are protected under the endangered species act, or so ODNR says. They also told me that while the stream isn't off limits to fishing, you can't intentionally target trout, and if you are caught with any in your possession, you could be in for a very hefty fine.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

fontinalis said:


> There are native brookie cricks in ohio, Been there for a LONG time, like since the last ice age.


I know but Ive been told you can't fish for them? Are there any that you can fish?


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

LilSiman/Medina said:


> I know but Ive been told you can't fish for them? Are there any that you can fish?



To the best of my knowledge Siman, I don't believe you are allowed to target native speckies on any of the Ohio streams where natives have been found... I'm pretty sure they are on the endangered ( or at least protected) species list state-wide.

Although I'm more than happy to be corrected if I'm wrong about this...but I don't think I am. 

The good news is that there is some pretty awesome brook trout fishing less than three hours east of here - in Pennsylvania - where, as long as you adhere to seasonal regs, and creel and size limits, you can fish for them completely legally.

I don't know about PA's trout season though... you might wanna ask FishinNick, he frequents Pennsylvania quite a bit and fishes for Brookies, he'd probably know what the season is, along with certain streams that are legal during certain times of the year and then sanctuary during others.... or you could plod through PA's book of fishing regs online. LOL


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

WV is just a hop, skip, and a jump away and also has good brook trout fishing. You just have to know where to look!


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

Just bringing this back up, would this be worth fishing too maybe catch one fish on a whole day? I'd go for anything that swims like a smallie or chubs with dries and nymphs and would I have a possibility of catching one? Or are they way to far spread to catch? It sounds like too me that these fish are reproducing and doing good on this river.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

LilSiman/Medina said:


> Just bringing this back up, would this be worth fishing too maybe catch one fish on a whole day? I'd go for anything that swims like a smallie or chubs with dries and nymphs and would I have a possibility of catching one? Or are they way to far spread to catch? It sounds like too me that these fish are reproducing and doing good on this river.


Well, it all depends on what you consider a successful day of fishing to be... LOL

Personally, I consider _any_ day spent fishing to be a good day, whether I catch any or not.

Just walking a stream and tossing some flies is fun for me; although the catching part is the icing on the cake.

I've never fished Black Creek, so I can't tell you what your odds of catching anything would be - I guess my recommendation would be to give it a go; if for nothing other than to get to know the stream a bit - finding out where certain structures are, along with bends, holes, shallows, etc. 


Other than that, and at risk of sounding like a broken record -LOL- you might want to also consider Apple Creek, in that I know for sure that there are nice trout in there right now.

Although, I can't promise that the stream is in the best of shape for fishing conditions right now, the water might be running high and stained - we've had lots of rain recently - but the good news is that Apple Creek is a stream that recovers fairly quickly from flooding.


If you do try Black Creek, please let us know how you do.
Good luck!


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

I'm heading out to apple as we speak. I just grabbed my vest from my closet. Ill give a report when I get back!


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