Skip to main navigation

Wiscoy Creek (2009)

Fisheries Survey Summary

During August, 2009, DEC Region 9 Fisheries staff and many angler volunteers sampled the wild brown trout population in Wiscoy Creek. Wiscoy Creek is located in Wyoming County and is considered to be one of Region 9's premier wild brown trout fisheries. The stream has not been stocked with trout since the early 1970's. Ten sites were sampled, duplicating efforts in 2006 and 2007. Several of these sites on Wiscoy Creek had also been sampled from 1978-2001. In conjunction with the fish sampling, a March-October Wiscoy Creek Angler Diary program was also conducted.

Wiscoy Creek is managed with a 10 inch minimum size limit and a 3 fish/day creel limit during the April 1-October 15 period and then with catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only regulations from October 16 - March 31. In addition, there is a one mile long section managed with catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only regulations all year. In the 2009 sampling, 941 yearling and older wild brown trout were captured in 5,866 feet of stream sampled. For the 10 sites sampled in 2009, the abundance of yearling and older wild brown trout/mile varied substantially from 84/mile to 1,581/mile with an average of 956/mile (Table 1). This is lower than the average value found in 2006 (1,432/mile). Some of this year's sites were sampled from 1978-2001, while other sites were new in 2006 and 2009. Table 1 compares the numbers of trout per mile each year at each site and shows the averages for each year from 1978-2009. The 2009 average abundance of brown trout was the lowest measured since 1978. Habitat at all the sites was very similar in 2009 to what we found in 2006, so it is unlikely that changes in trout abundance from 2006 to 2009 are habitat related.

The average number of trout >10"/mile (legal size) in 2009 was 233, while in 2006 it was 404 (Table 2). Although the overall trout abundance was lower in 2009 than in 2006, we did find more, larger trout in 2009. The average number of trout >12" (115/mile) and the number >14" (38/mile) were somewhat higher than in 2006 (93/mile and 20/mile, respectively). In addition, the number of trout >14" was higher in 2009 than in 2001 (Table 2). The electrofishing catch of trout in 2009 included a higher than normal percentage of yearling fish and age four and older fish. Lower percentages of age two and age three fish were seen than normal. This corresponds with sampling done on other Region 9 streams like Mansfield Creek (2008), Ischua Creek (2008) and Clear Creek (2007), where brown abundance was also reduced. Across the border into north-central Pennsylvania, biologists have reported decreases in many of their wild brown and brook trout populations in 2009, indicating that this may be a regional phenomenon, not just something related to Wiscoy Creek. Weather records do show several regionally high flow events (November 2005, January, March and December 2006, and March 2007) that might have negatively affected brown trout reproduction for the 2006 and 2007 year classes (ages 2 and 3 fish in 2009).

Even with the average abundance dropping to slightly less than 1,000 yearling and older brown trout/mile, Wiscoy Creek still ranks among the best wild brown trout streams in western New York. While Wiscoy Creek is not known for producing large fish, the largest wild brown trout captured in Wiscoy Creek in 2009 was 18.1", with 7 of the 10 sites producing at least one fish >16". Anglers have abundant access to this 22 mile long stream with 12.6 miles of public fishing easements, 11 angler footpaths and four angler parking areas. Other areas are open by landowner permission.

We will again do population sampling on Wiscoy Creek in 2011 or 2012 to monitor the status of the wild trout population. This sampling will be dependent on staffing and budget considerations.

* These sites are in Allegany County and prior to 2005, were stocked with hatchery trout.
** Sites were sampled in 2007.
*** Catch and release section created October 1, 1994.

Sites in bold were sampled in all three years.
*These sites are in Allegany County and prior to 2005, were stocked with hatchery trout.
**Sites were sampled in 2007.
*** Catch and release section created October 1, 1994.

• Important Links
• • Wild Trout Streams in Western New York
  • Wiscoy Creek, North Branch & Trout Brook PFR Maps (509 KB pdf file)
  • Wiscoy Creek Angler Diary
• PDF Help
• For help with PDFs on this page, please call 518-402-8924.
• Contact for this Page
• DEC Region 9
  Bureau of Fisheries
  182 East Union Street
  Allegany, N.Y. 14706
  716-372-0645
  Send us an email
• This Page Covers
•