# I found a creek with rainbow trout in it!



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I was out seining a little creek for fish for my native tank.
I figured it was spring fed because it was so cold.
Didn't get anything for the tank, but when I netted one pool it full of 5-8" rainbow trout!
I just had to share- I thought it was cool!



Sorry, can't tell you where I was. . . . ..


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## faceman9 (May 4, 2008)

Thats sounds like a nice creek to practice at.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

You really should call the DNR NE Ohio Fisheries Supervisor in Portage Lakes to report this. They are enormously interested in hearing about trout in creeks!!
Esp. little ones. They know abt. several(out of the way) places where they exist but very likely don't know abt. this one. Don't worry abt them letting the word out, they are very tight lipped about this situation and would definitely like to study the place.


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## Lawman60 (May 17, 2010)

That's awesome Creekcrawler! I can tell that you have the nature a true treasure hunter. Not out for silver or gold, but the treasures that are over looked by the mass majority. Just think of how many folks pass by or over that little stream you seined, never knowing, or for that mater, maybe never caring about the amazing life that goes on unseen. It's okay that you keep your secret place, but I do hope you share it with someone that can see the treasure like you do. That's a place to pass on to the next generation of open eyes. And thank you for posting it.


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Lawman60 said:


> That's awesome Creekcrawler! I can tell that you have the nature a true treasure hunter. Not out for silver or gold, but the treasures that are over looked by the mass majority. Just think of how many folks pass by or over that little stream you seined, never knowing, or for that mater, maybe never caring about the amazing life that goes on unseen. It's okay that you keep your secret place, but I do hope you share it with someone that can see the treasure like you do. That's a place to pass on to the next generation of open eyes. And thank you for posting it.


That's what I was going to say  

Honestly though, that's a cool find.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Thanks for the kind words.
The wife thinks I'm a little looney - I've spent some serious time trying to find a creek with some redbelly dace , redside dace or
rosyface shiners. They all require a clean, cold habitat.
I saw some dace in this creek, but they were too quick for me!
I hiked and seined about 2 miles of this creek last week, and my arms were falling off!
Heh, all that hard work just makes the cold beer taste better.


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## Biodude (Nov 5, 2004)

That's very cool you found that creek. Also nice to see someone interested in our native stream fish. I love catching smallies on topwaters as much as anyone, but there seems to be very little appreciation for our smaller stream fish. We have some beauties here in Ohio. Love the daces, madtoms, and especially the darters.


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

creekcrawler said:


> Thanks for the kind words.
> The wife thinks I'm a little looney - I've spent some serious time trying to find a creek with some redbelly dace , redside dace or
> rosyface shiners. They all require a clean, cold habitat.
> I saw some dace in this creek, but they were too quick for me!
> ...


I know a creek you can find all the above. Them red sided daces used to make great small mouth bait back in the day.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

creekcrawler said:


> Thanks for the kind words.
> The wife thinks I'm a little looney - I've spent some serious time trying to find a creek with some redbelly dace , redside dace or
> rosyface shiners. They all require a clean, cold habitat.
> I saw some dace in this creek, but they were too quick for me!
> ...


Sounds like S4L can help you out, but you might also try NANFA. That is, if you don't already know about them. Pretty sure google of the acronym gets you to them. If not, I'll post the link.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Crittergitter - I'm already on the NANFA site.
Stripersforlife - How's 'bout you PM me a location for this creek??
Pullleaze.


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## mishmosh (Jul 22, 2007)

If anyone finds a creek with grass pike, let me know... I wouldn't mind a couple for my native tank.


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## Cleveland Metroparks (Dec 14, 2005)

creekcrawler said:


> Thanks for the kind words.
> The wife thinks I'm a little looney - I've spent some serious time trying to find a creek with some redbelly dace , redside dace or
> rosyface shiners. They all require a clean, cold habitat.
> I saw some dace in this creek, but they were too quick for me!
> ...


All three of those minnow species are becoming exceedingly uncommon, and two of them are noted as declining statewide. I understand why you might like them in a tank, but from a conservation standpoint I would suggest considering not removing them the comparatively few fragile littel streams where they are clinging on in if you do find them (although there are currently no laws prohibiting this). To put it in perspective, I supervise stream assessment crews that are surveying smaller streams of our Park District, and out of nearly 1,000 streams studied over 20,000 acres in our multi-year project, only ONE has had a small population of southern redbelly dace. A few more have redside dace, but they too can be counted on one hand. In streams like this, every individual counts.

Incidentally, I'm seeing more juvenile trout in recent years in similar small creeks to the one you described while doing water quality assessments projects. The small wild ones sure are pretty little fish.

Mike


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## Cleveland Metroparks (Dec 14, 2005)

Stripers4Life said:


> I know a creek you can find all the above. Them red sided daces used to make great small mouth bait back in the day.


From a stream conservation standpoint, I would strongly advise that you please do NOT share the location of this creek! All three are becoming more rare as their habitats diminish, and two of the species are noted as declining statewide. The fish that are survivors deserve to stay in the fragile little creeks where they are found.

Mike


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Great to see the rivers improving from the bad days in the 70's. You're making me want to search the smaller streams for some new creatures. It would be really cool to see one of those mudpuppies! 

It's amazing how the river species have bounced back since we stopped dumping everything in our cupboards in the rivers. Isn't there a stream in Geauga County that has a hold out population of brook trout? That would be cool to see in the minnow seine as well. 

The only native fish I've had in my tank was a bullhead. Caught them when they were 1" long and they only grew to 5" long in 2 years before I released them.


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## davie1989 (Mar 31, 2010)

speaking of rivers and streams theres a lil stream/river that runs threw garrettsville ... called silver creek/eagle creek one of the 2 haha ive heard that there use to be trout in this river/stream idk if its tru its really shallow in area and kinda nasty lookin too ..im sure there nice pools tho has any fished this stream/river ???? i no it allso go's in to the eagle creek state nature preserve off hopkins road are u aloud too fish that?? there looks like a nice pond there on google earth any info will be awesome thank you 



david


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

I cannot share the location of the creek. Sorry CC.


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

mishmosh said:


> If anyone finds a creek with grass pike, let me know... I wouldn't mind a couple for my native tank.


Cuyahoga river below lake rockwell. The area near the water plant and a bit downstream (south of the bridge) normally has some grass pike available near the edges. I don't know if you can park around there. At one time, you could fish the area by the plant and upstream to a cable below the lake rockwell spillway, then they closed/posted the whole area due to littering. A talked to some folks a few years back that said the area was open again.


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## Ripley (May 10, 2010)

davie1989 ....

i live near garrettsville.... the two creeks your talking about really don't have much of anything in them.... i have walked and fished those creeks many many times since i was mid teens in the late 70's...starting in the woods out near st. rt. 700 and following out to where it branches out to many different swampy areas out into nelson...now the trumbull county side picks up and gets better....but around garrettsville there are a few bass... few and far between... some gills... used to be some carp and small cats....since the bridge was redone on center st. crossing eagle creek it hasn't had much fish at all because they drained that area....may have been about 4 years ago.....years ago out where it crosses brosuis rd it use to be pretty deep... you could jump off the top of the old bridge and swim... if you didn't mind the sewage floating by...it went from a couple of feet deep to about 14 feet and then back to ripples all in about 40yds.....this is where the carp were fun to catch.... but when they put in the new bridge there it's all really shallow and it seemed to have chased the fish away... thats been maybe *can't remember for sure* 15 years..... but i have never ever seen any trout.... really the most senic part of the creek is where liberty st. crosses.... down towards the water/septic plant.... behind the street dept... i go down there and ultra light creek chubs.... most of the kids that fish it fish right there in garrettsville south st. to the falls or back upstream to the old pauls lumber... easy access... kind of slow water... thats the only area that i have ever been able to catch crawfish on a live bait ... toss it out there... don't even need a hook.... they latch on and hold on to it... biggest i have caught has been maybe 3inches long... 

rumour has it that some the old buildings and houses along the creeks still have the sewage dumping into it .... now i don't believe it.... garrettsvilles sewage plant has the water tested before and after the plant.... and always pass with flying colors.... them boys do a very good job about keeping things clean .... 

but all in all... not really any action to speak of... most of it is all private property .... used to be if you asked most would let you...not so much anymore... the wildlife area is full of deer and other cool things... fell in at crossing the beaver dam out there once.... my buddy laughed at me for weeks...


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## Lawman60 (May 17, 2010)

Davie, There was a time that Leavittsburg Fish and Game Club released trout into Eagle Creek behind there meeting hall. It's on Eagle Creek Rd. in Leavittsgurg. The spot they released from was very close to where Eagle Creek flows into the Mahoning River. It was pretty dirty up there, but with the new septic laws in Trumbull County, it should be a little better. There are fish in Eagle Creek, including small mouth and rock bass. I used to float that creek duck hunting and have fished the area where it meets the river many times. Anything that lives in the Mahoning could be found in there, even muskie. I've caught 5 muskie in the area just above the falls in Leavittsburg over the years. I also once caught a glimpse of a huge one as it took a duckling off the surface!


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Cleveland Metroparks - I don't want to seem argumentative, but I find it hard to believe that taking two minnows out of a pod of 30-60 fish would do that much harm. 
*None* of the species I mentioned are on Ohio's threatened or endangered species list. I am aware of what fish are on the list, and would never think of keeping one.

I wonder how many of these "declining" species are eaten every year by the 400,00 stocked non native steelhead we put in our rivers. 
I'm guessing it's more than two or three...

Bdawg - I don't want to go into detail, but a once a fish has been captive in a tank, they should never be released back into any waters. They could carry diseases that could wipe out a fish population.

Stripersforlife - Ya just had to tease me with that photo, didn't ya? On a hook, for bait, no less...


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

For the time being, I'm done seining for a while anyhow.

I've got some _new additions_ coming in for my tank that will be _real interesting_! I will post photos when I get them...


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

creekcrawler, I was just a kid back when I released the fish back into the water. Didn't know any better. I was just the Little Cuy. River near Mogadore anyways. There's never been any fish in there except catfish and carp. 

Caught a 12" long goldfish a few years ago in Long Lake. It hit a crappie minnow. Thought about putting it in my tank, but it didn't survive the trip home.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

> I was just a kid back when I released the fish back into the water. Didn't know any better.


I hear ya. I did the same thing when I was younger too.
Most people, including me weren't aware of that.


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## faceman9 (May 4, 2008)

Hypothetically speaking, what you guys are saying is, if I know of a creek that has rainbow trout in it, say 4-10", that I should call who and tell them what? i don't know about the rest of the critters, maybe have to take a seine and go find out. love doing things like this. The mystery.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

A few years back the ODNR was looking for clear, cold streams for them to try to re-eastablish native brook trout in.
If there are rainbows in it, it _may_ also be suitable for brooks.
(Rainbow trout can tolerate higher temp than the brookies)
I'm sure they'd still be interested in hearing about it though.
Any chance it was in the spring? They may have been steelhead hatchery brats.


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## davie1989 (Mar 31, 2010)

thanks for the info =) my grandpa was telling me that there use to be trout in the river wayy back when ( he grew up in garrettsville) i was jus woundering if it'd be worth hittin it one day lol ..my buddy joe and i talked bout hittin silver creek off of hopkins rd and this lil flooded swamp type area idk how deep it is its on hopkins too the 1st bridge u cross that pocket of water .. it was after a big rain that why we thought bout it but dont no wats there seen a lil activey there tho.. well thanks again everyone


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

mishmosh said:


> If anyone finds a creek with grass pike, let me know... I wouldn't mind a couple for my native tank.


Not a creek but there is a little pond in Punderson State park just North of the big lake and east of the sledding hill that has grass pike or chain pickeral in it. A small Mepps black fury is a killer for them. No it's not Stump or Pine Lake but they may have em too....


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## Cleveland Metroparks (Dec 14, 2005)

creekcrawler said:


> Cleveland Metroparks - I don't want to seem argumentative, but I find it hard to believe that taking two minnows out of a pod of 30-60 fish would do that much harm.
> *None* of the species I mentioned are on Ohio's threatened or endangered species list. I am aware of what fish are on the list, and would never think of keeping one.
> 
> I wonder how many of these "declining" species are eaten every year by the 400,00 stocked non native steelhead we put in our rivers.
> ...



Those dace species are headwater stream species, adult steelhead are not. It's not typical for them to overlap in the same habitat, but certainly possible. Also, is one potential threat out there (presence of steelhead) a legitmate excuse for ignoring another one we can easily make the choice to do something about (by not removing these species from their habitats for bait or aquaria?). You are correct that neither dace species is listed officially as T&E....yet. Do we have to wait for this status to care or take common sense proactive measures? Why wait for a designation on paper when their population trends are already clear? As for "does one individual matter"...last time I sampled our red bellied dace stream I got ONE individual. And it was a gravid female (with eggs). You can bet that fish mattered. Just some thoughts in defense of protecting these fragile systems that so few folks know or care about (fishermen are among the few "good guys" in most cases when it comes to stream conservation).

Folks certainly will make their own determination on this...I'm just trying to be a voice of stream conservation in this conversation so that viewpoint (from a professional) is out there. I know from seeing your posts in the past, Creekcrawler, that you are a very experienced and caring stream angler and will assess this info and take it for what it's worth.

Mike


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## Iraqvet (Aug 27, 2009)

I agree....Fish should be left where they belong..


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## fishing pole (May 2, 2004)

Creekcrawler

knowing your whereabouts I am pretty sure I know where you were. I have seen the same in there. Also have seen dace right before it bends back into the woods for a good ways


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## Lawman60 (May 17, 2010)

CC, you sure opened a can of worms with this thread! LOL
As fast as the creeks are warming this year, I would think that the steel head smolt have already moved to greener pastures and cooler water.


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

creekcrawler said:


> Stripersforlife - Ya just had to tease me with that photo, didn't ya? On a hook, for bait, no less...


Heck yeah, those things are like a T-bone for a small mouth, they love em. BTW that was quite a while ago, and we only used them for bait, out of the same stream we were fishing. And there were hundreds. I haven't been out there in a few years tho.


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## mishmosh (Jul 22, 2007)

Snakecharmer said:


> Not a creek but there is a little pond in Punderson State park just North of the big lake and east of the sledding hill that has grass pike or chain pickeral in it. A small Mepps black fury is a killer for them. No it's not Stump or Pine Lake but they may have em too....


Great directions! Just looked on a map...must be emerald lake. Thanks!


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

mishmosh said:


> Great directions! Just looked on a map...must be emerald lake. Thanks!


Never knew it had a name but I found the map you were looking at and that's the place.....Don't believe the reports of mukie in it though LOL.....I like the report for Kiwanis Lake coho salmon.....Plus a lot of the lakes they list as public are private....


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

What are the bright colored ones in this pic? We have hundreds/thousands of them in our creek. I know the Crappie sure love them.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Redside Dace?

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/spe...ideIndex/redsidedace/tabid/22154/Default.aspx

Some might be mixed in?

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/spe.../southernredbellydace/tabid/6763/Default.aspx


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Thank you


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## chubbahead (Jan 24, 2008)

H2O Mellon said:


> What are the bright colored ones in this pic? We have hundreds/thousands of them in our creek. I know the Crappie sure love them.


I have seen these fish in creeks everywhere around Dayton. I haven't seined in a few years, but as of then, they were/are pretty common around here.


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## faceman9 (May 4, 2008)

creekcrawler said:


> A few years back the ODNR was looking for clear, cold streams for them to try to re-eastablish native brook trout in.
> If there are rainbows in it, it _may_ also be suitable for brooks.
> (Rainbow trout can tolerate higher temp than the brookies)
> I'm sure they'd still be interested in hearing about it though.
> Any chance it was in the spring? They may have been steelhead hatchery brats.


Diffently not a hatchery brat, no stocking. Yes it was caught in the spring, May 3rd according to the picture date. 4 others around 6-8" were caught in August.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

> What are the bright colored ones in this pic?


Ummm, those would be the fish I was looking for. . . 



> assess this info and take it for what it's worth


I understand what you're saying Mike. 
I didn't necessarily mean I was targeting these fish 
in the areas of the Cleveland Metroparks.
They seem to rather abundant in the more southern section of state?
What are your thoughts?



> We have hundreds/thousands of them in our creek.


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## Cleveland Metroparks (Dec 14, 2005)

creekcrawler said:


> Ummm, those would be the fish I was looking for. . .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Like anything of this sort, they are rare overall...but can be abundant in the right habitat. I'm on the Ohio Brook Trout Advisory Council and I can say the same thing...very rare (state threatened) overall, but are doing very well in a small handful of places. Habitat is key, and their habitat (brook trout and redbelly dace) is what is really limiting. All I can say about the creek on the southern property where the guy took the pic of the netful of redbelly dace is that stream you have is a real gem and I would feel priviledged to have something like that on my property. I hope you now feel the same.

Mike


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## Keys Cotrtrell (Mar 25, 2010)

mishmosh said:


> If anyone finds a creek with grass pike, let me know... I wouldn't mind a couple for my native tank.


I know of a pond with grass pike it it.


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## Cleveland Metroparks (Dec 14, 2005)

H2O Mellon said:


> What are the bright colored ones in this pic? We have hundreds/thousands of them in our creek. I know the Crappie sure love them.


They are redbelly dace (note the red bellies on the males in the pic). Quite a bit less common than also fairly rare redside dace...at least in northern Ohio these days. Redside dace, as the name implies have a rosy blush to blood red patch on the middle of the upper half of their body along the lateral line, not belly.

Mike


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

For all you guys looking for pickerels - You can buy them here.
They have red fin, grass and chain pickerel!
Scroll down to the bottom of the list.

http://www.aquaculturestore.com/fwverts.html


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