Trout Fishing In Allegany State Park
Allegany State Park and Trout Fishing
Allegany State Park is the largest park in New York State at approximately 65,000 acres. The park represents one of the larger contiguous areas of publicly accessible wild and stocked trout fishing in the state and has the largest concentration of wild brook trout streams in western New York. The park has three campgrounds and hundreds of rental cabins for anglers wishing to stay and fish several days (see Links Leaving DEC's Website on right). Special Park fishing regulations may apply on some of these waters and are not listed in DEC fishing regulations guide, so check with Allegany State Park Headquarters in the Red House Administration building before fishing. A brochure which contains the following information and five maps is available for printing: Trout Fishing in Allegany State Park (PDF).
Trout Stocked Lakes in the Park
Two lakes (Red House Lake and Quaker Lake) and one pond (Science Lake) in Allegany State Park are stocked with trout each spring. Science Lake is a small impoundment on the upper end of Quaker Run.
Trout fishing in all three of these lakes is primarily a spring time affair from ice-out into late June. Summer conditions in the lakes are not conducive to trout survival. Red House Lake and Quaker Lake provide good fishing opportunities for warm-water fish species such as bass and sunfish throughout the spring, summer and fall. There is also a popular ice fishery for northern pike on Quaker Lake in the winter. In most years, Red House Lake and Quaker Lake are stocked with surplus breeder trout in October and November, providing good late fall and winter angling for these large trout.
Stocked Trout Streams in the Park
Two streams in Allegany State Park are stocked with trout each spring, mainly on a put and take basis. These streams do not generally have sufficiently cold water temperatures throughout the summer for the trout to survive year round. Over Eight miles of Red House Brook are stocked with yearling rainbow trout and two-year-old brown trout from Route 86 upstream to Red House Lake and from the lake upstream to the headwaters along ASP Rt #2. Red House Brook has numerous beaver ponds which provide quiet water angling opportunities, but also serve to raise summer water temperatures beyond the limits that trout can survive. Quaker Run, located in the southwestern part of the park, is stocked with yearling rainbow trout and two-year-old brown trout over 6 miles from Cain Hollow upstream to Science Lake. Quaker Run also has a modest population of wild brown trout and a few wild brook trout, found mainly from Coon Run upstream.
Wild Trout Streams in the Park
A large number of streams in the park support varying levels of wild trout reproduction. Most of the park's 65,000 acres are made up of maturing forest and the small, headwater streams flowing through these forested areas maintain ideal temperatures to support the native stream trout of New York State, the brook trout. These streams all share several things in common. First, they are very small streams, averaging 5-15 feet in width. While they often have ideal flows for trout angling in the spring, in the summer stream flows are sometimes reduced to a trickle between the remaining pools. Low summer stream flows limit habitat for adult trout. These small, headwater streams also are low in nutrients and support smaller populations of trout than larger more fertile streams. Because of limited habitat and fertility, wild brook trout are seldom found that exceed 8 inches and wild brown trout seldom exceed 11 inches. Life is difficult and often short for trout in these streams, with brook trout seldom surviving for more than 3 years and brown trout for more than 4 years.
What these streams lack in the numbers and size of their trout, they make up for in their solitude and beauty. Anglers fishing these streams can expect to have plenty of water to themselves and you will be surrounded by mature hemlock forest and singing birds. You will have a good chance to see numerous species of wildlife, including black bear while you are fishing. These streams are not stocked with trout, but rather rely on natural reproduction, and anglers are encouraged to release the trout you catch. Over-harvest can quickly deplete the limited trout populations in these creeks, and they can take years to recover. Remember, the trout you release are likely to be there for you and others to enjoy on future trips!
While dozens of streams in the park have wild trout, the following streams are likely to contain the healthiest populations. On the eastern side of the park, Limestone Brook, Rice Brook and Irish Brook support wild brook trout populations with a few wild brown trout as well. In the Red House Brook watershed, Beehunter Creek, Stoddard Creek and McIntosh Creek contain wild brook trout, with some wild brown trout found in Stoddard Creek. The upper section of Wolf Run in the southwestern corner of the park supports wild brook and brown trout. In the Quaker Run watershed, English Creek and Coon Run have wild brook and brown trout.
Trout Fishing in Allegany State Park Brochure and Maps (PDF)
Bureau of Fisheries, Region 9
700 Delaware Ave
Buffalo, NY 14209