POWDER MILLS PARK, N.Y. – If you and your family fish in the Irondequoit Creek, you may have a harder time catching anything next year. For the first time in decades, the state won’t be releasing brown trout in the creek in 2026.
“Fishing is one is one of those things that’s passed down in generations and Irondequoit creek has been around since the 1700’s so it’s a perfect place to learn how to fish and catch a fish and then learn about the fish themselves and the environment they live in,” says Lynnette Manuse, who fishes with her husband and grandson.
It was during a recent visit to the Riedman Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park she learned there will soon be far fewer fish in the creek.
“I’m only allowed to stock within park boundaries and that’s where the majority of our fish are going to go within park boundaries,” says Ronald Mitchell, Director of the Hatchery. That stocking will continue but the rest of the brown trout you normally see in other parts of the creek will be gone.
“Caledonia has historically stocked this creek with 10-14,000 browns (per year) for the past 50 years and that’s going to stop in 2026 and I feel bad for all the fisherman who are going to go to the local parks and not catch anything,” Mitchell says.
In a statement, a spokesman for DEC tells News10NBC, “DEC fisheries staff surveyed Irondequoit Creek last summer and were excited to confirm substantial natural reproduction of wild trout within one of the stocked reaches. This indicates that the stocking program was successful and achieved significant progress towards DEC’s goal of providing optimal benefits to the open lake and tributary fisheries. DEC fisheries staff will complete an additional survey of the creek within five years to assess wild trout abundance.”
The DEC says the decision will bring the creek in line with all other tributaries to Lake Ontario, which are managed for ‘lake run’ fish that migrate from lakes into rivers or streams to spawn. The decision was made by DEC’s Lake Ontario Policy Committee, which includes the Regional Fisheries Managers on Lake Ontario.
“If they did find say 500-1000 fish in one area, that just proves that the wild fish are co-existing with the stock fish. You take the stock fish out of the equation, people will probably have to fish more for the wild fish and they’re going to be hard to catch, don’t be mistaken about that,” Mitchell says.
Mitchell believes the DEC is favoring fly fisherman over those who use bait and he worries it’ll drive families away from the sport. “They don’t catch a fish twice, they go a 3rd time, they don’t catch anything, they won’t go back. So, this is really going to effect the kids, that’s why I’m fighting the DEC in this issue, it’s not fair, it’s not fair to local fisherman at all,” he said.
Manuse agrees, “when you catch a fish, you’re more apt to continue it and then if you continue it, you understand the sport, you understand the nature around it and I really believe it’s a plus and I really do think it’s a good thing for people to experience in our area.”
Still, it appears the DEC’s decision is final, at least for 2026.
“They made this policy issue with zero public input and they constructed it that way. It’s like, wait a minute, you guys work for us, the fishing public you need to get back in tune with the needs and wants of your local fisherman,” Mitchell says.
Brown trout will continue to be stocked bytheRiedman Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park. DEC will continue stocking the creek with rainbow trout (steelhead).
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Families fear impact as DEC confirms end to brown trout stocking program in Irondequoit Creek WHEC.com.
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