Categorization of State Trout Stream Reaches

NOVEMBER 2020

Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor | Basil Seggos, Commissioner Total Management # of Stream County Reach Description Category Miles Trout Region 8 From Canaseraga Road bridge (County Sugar Creek Livingston Route 17) upstream to Dannack Hill Road Stocked bridge Region 9 From 0.5 miles downstream of Cemetery Bear Lake Chautauqua Road upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of Mill Stocked Outlet Road From confluence with Great Valley Creek upstream to W. Fancy Tract Road AND from Beaver Meadow Cattaraugus Route 240 (W. Valley Road) upstream to 100 Stocked Creek yards upstream of Beaver Meadows Road (County Route 75) From the most downstream County Route 16 Black Creek Allegany crossing upstream to the second County Stocked Route 16 crossing. From 0.5 miles downstream of confluence Bone Run Cattaraugus with Phillips Brook upstream to confluence Stocked with Little Bone Run From 0.5 miles downstream of Factory Road Buffalo River Wyoming upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of Sanders Stocked Hill Road California From County Route 33 upstream to 0.5 miles Allegany Stocked Hollow Brook upstream of confluence with Kansas Hollow From the Allegany/Steuben County line Canacadea Allegany upstream to Hamilton Hill Road in Alfred Stocked Creek Station From confluence with Unnamed Tributary 0.55 miles upstream of Arkright Falls Canadaway Chautauqua upstream to confluence with Unnamed Stocked Creek Tributary 700 yards upstream of Griswold Road Allegany/ Canaseraga From the State Route 436 bridge upstream Livingston/ Stocked Creek to County Route 24 at Swain Steuben From County Route 7B crossing near Caneadea Rushford Village upstream to 600 yards Allegany Stocked Creek upstream of County Route 7B near Agett Road Cassadaga From Route 342 in Kabob upstream to 0.5 Chautauqua Stocked Creek miles upstream of Luce Road Cattaraugus Cattaraugus/ From Hake Road Bridge upstream to Stocked Creek Erie confluence with Elton Creek Cattaraugus Erie/ From confluence with Elton Creek upstream Stocked- Creek Wyoming to 1.0 miles upstream of Java Lake Road Extended From Como Park Lake upstream to Bowen Cayuga Creek Erie Stocked Road

Cattaraugus/ From confluence with Conewango Creek Clear Creek Wild-Premier Chautauqua upstream to bridge at Cockaigne Ski Area

27 Total Management # of Stream County Reach Description Category Miles Trout Region 9 From confluence with Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus/ Clear Creek upstream to NYS Route 98 crossing near Wild-Premier Wyoming Phillipi Road From confluence with Unnamed Tributary Connoisarauley 400 yards downstream of County Route 12 Cattaraugus Stocked Creek upstream to the Route 219 crossing upstream of Neff Road. From the New York/Pennsylvania State Line Cryder Creek Allegany upstream to confluence with Wileyville Creek Stocked in Whitesville From Temple Street upstream to Route 305 Dodge Creek Allegany Stocked in W. Clarksville From South Broad Street in Wellsville Dyke Creek Allegany upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of Ray Hill Stocked Road East Branch From the Route 400 crossing at Emery Park Cazenovia Erie Stocked upstream to Savage Road in Holland Creek From Wyoming County Line upstream to Stocked- East Koy Creek Wyoming Green Bay Road Extended From Patchin Road upstream to confluence Eighteenmile Erie with Unnamed Tributary 500 yards Stocked Creek downstream of W. Hillcroft Dr. From 0.75 miles downstream of Glen Ave Ellicott Creek Erie Bridge upstream to 400 yards upstream of Stocked Route 5 From confluence with Little Conewango Elm Creek Cattaraugus Wild-Premier Creek upstream to NYS Route 394 From confluence with Cattaraugus Creek Elton Creek Cattaraugus Stocked upstream to Route 16 in Delevan From NYS Route 16 upstream to former Elton Creek Cattaraugus Wild-Quality bridge on Swanson Hill Road Fenton Brook From Conewango Creek upstream to County (aka Mud Cattaraugus Wild-Quality Route 6 downstream of Fancher Hill Road Creek) From 350 yards downstream of Chapin Five Mile Creek Cattaraugus Cross Road upstream to the most Stocked downstream Church Road crossing Flynn (Spring) From confluence with Cattaraugus Creek Wyoming Wild-Quality Brook upstream to Youngers Road From confluence with Great Valley Creek Forks Creek Cattaraugus Stocked upstream to Sugartown Road From Belmont Dam in Belmont upstream to Stocked- Allegany County Route 29 near York's Corners Extended From County Route 29 near York's Corners Stocked- Genesee River Allegany upstream to NYS Route 19 bridge in Shongo ExtendedCR

CR Catch and release regulations apply all year.

28 Total Management # of Stream County Reach Description Category Miles Trout Region 9 From NYS Route 19 bridge in Shongo Stocked- Genesee River Allegany upstream to State Line Extended From NYS Route 474 in Ashville upstream to Stocked- Goose Creek Chautauqua Wall Street Extended From confluence with Wrights Creek Great Valley upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of Brewer Cattaraugus Stocked Creek Road

From Route 242 near Irish Hill Road Great Valley Cattaraugus upstream to the confluence with Beaver Stocked Creek Meadows Creek Hosmer From confluence with Cattaraugus Creek Erie Wild-Quality (Sardinia) Brook upstream to Genesee Road From confluence with Oil Creek upstream to Ischua Creek Cattaraugus Stocked Franklinville/Farmersville Town Line Lime Lake From confluence with Elton Creek upstream Cattaraugus Wild-Premier Outlet to Lime Lake From 0.7 miles downstream of Schwartz Road upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of Little Buffalo Ck Erie Schwartz Road AND From 0.5 miles Stocked downstream of Town Line Road upstream to East Ave. Little From Swamp Road upstream to 0.6 miles Conewango Cattaraugus upstream of County Route 9 (Price Corners Stocked Creek Road) From 0.5 miles downstream of Sanford Little Genesee Hollow Road upstream to 0.6 miles upstream Allegany Stocked Creek of second County Route 8 (Inavale Road) crossing Little From County Route 1 (W. Middlebury Road) Tonawanda Wyoming Stocked upstream to Pflaum Road Creek From confluence with S. Branch Cattaraugus Creek upstream to 0.5 miles upstream of the Mansfield Creek Cattaraugus Stocked western-most County Route 13 (Maples Road) crossing From 0.5 mi upstream of the western most County Rt 13 (Maples Rd) crossing upstream Mansfield Creek Cattaraugus Wild-Quality to Hinman Hollow Road crossing near Poverty Hill Road From confluence with Lime Lake Outlet McKinstry Creek Cattaraugus Wild-Quality upstream to source From 0.5 miles downstream of Route 60 Mill Creek Chautauqua Stocked Bridge upstream to Hall Road North Branch From confluence with Wiscoy Creek Wyoming Wild-Quality Wiscoy Creek upstream to NYS Route 362 From confluence with Stony Creek upstream Wyoming Stocked to 0.5 miles upstream of Keeney Road From confluence with Quaker Lake upstream Quaker Run Cattaraugus Stocked to Science Lake dam

29 Total Management # of Stream County Reach Description Category Miles Trout Region 9 Red House From Bay State Road upstream to Red Cattaraugus Stocked Brook House Lake dam Red House From Red House Lake upstream to 1.5 miles Cattaraugus Stocked Brook upstream of France Brook Road From confluence with Little Genesee Creek upstream to 350 yards upstream of Root Creek Allegany Stocked Black/George Hollow Road

South Branch From 300 yards downstream of Main Street Cattaraugus Cattaraugus in East Otto upstream to County Route 75 Stocked Creek crossing near Mason Hill Road From confluence with Elm Creek upstream to The Ram Cattaraugus Wild-Quality NYS Route 394 Tonawanda From Route 20A upstream to County Route Wyoming Stocked Creek 9 (Perry Road) in N. Java Station From confluence with Wiscoy Creek Trout Brook Wyoming upstream to 0.1 miles upstream of Hillside Wild-Quality Road From the most downstream County Route 10 Vandermark Allegany crossing upstream to the County Route 10 Stocked Creek crossing immediately South of Duke Road From 350 yards downstream of Route 83 in West Br Hamlet upstream to confluence with Conewango Chautauqua Stocked Farrington Hollow Brook 150 yards upstream Creek of Wentworth Road Allegany/ From confluence with Genesee River Wiscoy Creek Wild-Premier Wyoming upstream to Flynn Road From 0.5 miles downstream of Howe Hill Road upstream to confluence with Wrights Creek Cattaraugus Stocked Unnnamed Tributary near the junction of Bozard Hill Road and Golden Hill Road

30 Assigning Management Categories to Reaches

Management categories were assigned to publicly accessible stream reaches using the criteria listed in Tables 1a and 1b. Initial assignments were made by DEC regional biologists using the best information available. These assignments are listed by DEC Region in Categorization of New York State Trout Stream Reaches (NYSDEC 2020), which should be ● considered a dynamic component of this Plan that will be updated accordingly as new information becomes available. As part of this process, biologists prioritized reaches for resurvey (High, Medium, Low) based on the date ● of the last biological survey, the potential for subsequent changes to trout abundance and carrying capacity, the need to update angler use information, and assessing public access. As reaches are resurveyed and the current status is reevaluated, reach category assignments and ● boundaries may change in accordance with the category criteria and reach boundary guidance (NYSDEC 2020). ● Angling Regulations

In the last decade, special regulations on inland trout streams in New York State reached a peak ● of 26 different combinations of possession limit, length regulation, and season length. In many cases, only slight differences distinguish these ● regulations. Four regulations apply to the Plan’s management categories. These regulations and the waters to which they would apply are listed in Categorization of New York State Trout Stream Reaches (NYSDEC 2020).

The guiding principle of simple, understandable management demands that management categories and their associated angling regulations be simple and understandable. DEC acknowledges the general tendency of fisheries management agencies to establish large portfolios of complex but well-intentioned special regulations that cannot be effectively evaluated

7 While recent research shows that the ability to predict catch rate from trout density is unreliable at best (Alexiades et. al. 2014 and Kirn 2017), this metric is included as a benchmark for the persistence of stocked trout in the reach.

14 NEW YORK STATE TROUT STREAM MANAGEMENT PLAN | NOVEMBER 2020 (Radomski, et al. 2001). Such complexity is simultaneously influenced by the unregulated accepted and sometimes actively sought by avid mortality associated with natural predators and trout anglers with the assumption that trout environmental stressors, water-specific angling population characteristics can be reliably fine- regulations seldom achieve the desired outcome tuned by imposing water-specific measures. in a consistent or precise manner. This is However, it can discourage participation and particularly true when non-harvest mortality recruitment of new anglers to the sport (Knoche varies greatly from year to year, and in many and Lupi 2016) (Radomski, et al. 2001). years, exerts a greater influence on the Moreover, because trout populations are population than harvest.

Seasonal Framework

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec CATCH-AND- HARVEST CATCH-AND- RELEASE SEASON SEASON RELEASE SEASON (artificial lures only) (artificial lures only)

Under this Plan, the same angling seasons are This change was included in the Plan based on proposed for all five management categories. the current science and DEC’s objective to provide for increased fishing opportunities ● April 1–October 15: Harvest Season whenever possible. “Appendix 1” summarizes ● October 16–March 31: Catch-and- the information considered in developing the Release Season (artificial lures only) proposal and in response to concerns expressed by the public during the fall 2019 public The single biggest change proposed for the trout meetings. While the argument for prohibiting stream angling regulations is the addition of a angling during the spawning and egg incubation catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only season seasons is intuitive and long-established in from October 16 through March 31 to provide angling tradition, the science shows no evidence year-round trout fishing opportunities statewide. of harm at the population level where catch-and- While New York State has traditionally closed release angling is permitted (Kelly 1993) (Roth, trout stream fishing during the winter period as a et al. 2019). precaution against the disruption of wild trout reproduction, many states, including neighboring Pennsylvania, have sustainably managed wild trout populations without a closed season. In New York, we have monitored trout populations in inland trout streams that have been open to year-round angling by special regulation for over a decade. Through this experience, DEC has gained confidence and found that it is feasible to sustainably manage wild trout with a winter Catch-and-Release Season. Applying this regulation statewide expands fishing opportunities for avid anglers who are motivated to fish on a catch-and-release basis outside of The Catch-and-Release Season expands fishing opportunities outside of the regular harvest season. the regular season.

NEW YORK STATE TROUT STREAM MANAGEMENT PLAN | NOVEMBER 2020 15 Category Harvest Anglers planning to harvest trout Regulations during a day of fishing different reaches must understand that Daily harvest limits under this Plan are tied to the daily possession limit of the the management category objectives as described earlier and summarized below reach being fished includes trout (Table 2). Except for the Wild-Premier category, placed or stored in a vehicle. where only 1 trout per day may be harvested, These fish count even if they the daily limit is lower for trout over 12 inches in were previously caught in a length than for smaller trout. This approach water with a greater possession serves two purposes: to provide more anglers a limit than the reach the angler chance to catch a large hatchery trout and to provide a greater degree of protection for mature is currently fishing. wild trout. The daily limit of 5 trout with no more than 2 longer than 12 inches is the new Use of Catch-and- statewide trout stream regulation applicable to: Release Regulations ● Stocked reaches, Nearly all reaches already managed under ● Wild reaches, and a catch-and-release regulation will be grandfathered into this Plan under a year-round ● Uncategorized reaches. catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only regulation Anglers planning to harvest trout during a day of with no further evaluation required (NYSDEC fishing different reaches must understand that 2020). Over the life of the Plan, a catch-and- the daily possession limit of the reach being release regulation on a specific reach may be fished includes trout placed or stored in a reevaluated if its value comes into question. vehicle. These fish count even if they were New year-round catch-and-release regulations previously caught in a water with a greater in Stocked or Stocked-Extended reaches will not possession limit than the reach the angler is be considered. However, a temporary catch- currently fishing (Revenaugh 2020). and-release regulation may be considered on a formerly stocked reach or a Wild reach that Table 2. Harvest Regulations for has been converted to a Wild-Quality as a Trout Stream Management Categories strategy to reach the trout biomass objective Apply from April 1 through October 15 if there is evidence that harvest pressure is a Category Daily Limit significant obstacle. In this case, an evaluation 5 trout, no more than 2 trout will be required. Wild over 12′′ The Plan retains the special catch-and-release 3 trout, no more than 1 trout Wild-Quality over 12′′ regulation specific to brook trout in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The handful of reaches that Wild-Premier 1 trout, any size support brook trout in these counties are very 5 trout, no more than 2 trout Stocked small in extent, isolated from each other, and over 12′′ are surrounded by densely populated suburban Stocked- 3 trout, no more than 1 trout neighborhoods. Given the scarcity of similar trout Extended over 12′′ stream fishing opportunities to diffuse angling 5 trout, no more than 2 trout pressure in a region with a human population Uncategorized1 over 12′′ exceeding 2.86 million, these populations were 1 Uncategorized includes any reach not specifically considered uniquely vulnerable. categorized, including reaches without public access, and is the default statewide trout stream regulation.

16 NEW YORK STATE TROUT STREAM MANAGEMENT PLAN | NOVEMBER 2020