At its quarterly meeting on July 24, PFBC Commissioners approved a notice of proposed rulemaking to address Class A wild brown trout-designated streams that are also stocked with hatchery-raised rainbow trout in central Pennsylvania. 

In an effort to protect wild trout, the board voted to change the regulations on 12 stream sections where brown trout will be catch-and-release only, but other species of trout like rainbow can be harvested under statewide general regulations.

The following streams would be added to the list of waters managed under miscellaneous special regulations:

Yellow Creek, Section 04, Bedford County
Pohopoco Creek, Section 04, Carbon County
Bald Eagle Creek, Section 06, Centre County
Penns Creek, Section 02, Centre County
Fishing Creek, sections 13 and 14, Clinton County
Little Lehigh Creek, Sections 04 and 07, Lehigh County
Monocacy Creek, Section 09, Lehigh and Northampton counties
Kishacoquillas Creek, Section 05, Mifflin County
Martins Creek, Section 01, Northampton County
Monocracy Creek, Section 08, Northampton County.

If adopted, the amendment would go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at[email protected] and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook@whipkeyoutdoors,Twitter@whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram atwhipkeyoutdoors.