All anglers who fish the Lehigh River should be aware of a survey being performed by the PA Fish and Boat Commission. The PFBC has been collecting information about how well stocked fingerling trout survive and grow in the Lehigh River. A fingerling trout is a juvenile trout that has grown to 3-5 inches in length.

The PFBC has been stocking the Lehigh River with fingerling trout for many years in the stretch from Francis E. Walter Reservoir down to Sandy Run, approximately 10 miles. Since the spring of 2007, the PFBC has expanded their fingerling stocking program below Sandy Run to the Palmerton area, another 25 miles of river. In the two stretches of river, the PFBC stocks over 50,000 brown and rainbow fingerling trout.

Since 2009, the fingerling trout have been marked for identification by clipping a fin on the trout prior to its being stocked. This is usually done in the hatchery before the fish are loaded onto the stocking trucks. The fins that are clipped typically don't grow back very quickly. Clipping the fins provides anglers and fishery biologists with an easy means of identifying whether the fish was a stocked fingerling trout. The fins that the PFBC typically clips are the adipose fin (small fin between dorsal/back and tail fin) and the pelvic fin, which is located on the belly of the trout.

The PFBC has been asking anglers to complete survey forms to record how many trout they catch and whether any were grownup fingerling trout. The forms ask for a variety of information, including the date the angler fished; where and for how many hours he fished; the size and species of the fish caught, and whether if any fish were killed or kept to eat. PFBC survey form.

To assist the PFBC, the Lehigh Coldwater Fishery Alliance has set up all-weather survey boxes filled with mail-in cards for anglers to use to record their catches. The survey boxes are marked with big yellow signs at the more popular access points along the river, from Francis E. Walter dam downstream to Walnutport. Anglers can also fill out an online survey.

Reporting catches of fingerling trout will make it possible to identify how many fingerlings survive and how fast they grow in the river. This information will help the PFBC ascertain if fingerling stockings are increasing the anglers' catch rates and helping provide a better angling experience on the Lehigh.

The LCFA has been collecting the survey cards mailed in by anglers and tallying the results. Listed below are some statistics the LCFA gleaned from the cards and online surveys submitted during the 2010 season.

Grownup, fin-clipped fingerling trout accounted for 11 percent of an angler's catch. Of the fingerling trout caught, 9 percent were Rainbow trout and 2 percent were Brown trout. Seventy-three percent of clipped Rainbows caught were harvested and 33 percent of clipped Brown trout were harvested. Clipped Rainbow trout accounted for 27 percent of the total amount of Rainbow trout harvested. The section of river most heavily fished was from Francis E. Walter dam downstream to Sandy Run, with 51 angling trips. Sandy Run to Palmerton had 35 angling trips and Palmerton to Northampton had 13 angling trips.

If you are a Lehigh River angler, filling out these surveys accurately is vital for continuing the stocking program. Based on the results, the PFBC will make a decision on whether or not to continue the stocking program. The LCFA and PFBC ask anglers to take the time to complete a survey form and return it to the address listed on the form.