Trout Brook is a major tributary of Wiscoy Creek and like the Wiscoy it is not stocked. However, large numbers of wild trout make this a very rewarding—but often frustrating—stream to fish. Wild brook trout are plentiful above East Hillside Road and in the 0.25-mile-long section below the road, as well as off the mouths of some tributaries in the lower end, but overall brown trout dominate in this stream. To see the results of the DEC's most recent trout population survey of this stream, see Technical Brief under Links.

This remarkable stream originates as a rivulate just north of Hobday Road near a parcel of county-owned forest. It flows through the forested parcel for a short distance and then enters crop fields south of Hobday Road. During normal summers, most or all of Trout Brook’s flow goes underground in the crop fields and doesn’t re-emerge until it approaches a swampy area north of East Hillside Road. (The map pin is located along this road next to a gravel parking area.) This submergence benefits the stream since it keeps the water cold instead of broiling in the open sun of the crop fields, where there is no functional riparian buffer to provide the stream with shade. Trout Brook and two of its tributaries converge immediately north of East Hillside Road; the main stem of Trout Brook is the middle stream. Both tributaries, which are cold and have very good water quality, are the main reason brook trout do so well in the upper section of Trout Brook. 

Prior to coming together, all three streams would be exceedingly difficult to fish due to the encroaching vegetation (see photos), and they are posted upstream of the road. However, a polite request could put you onto some very productive waters, as each of them has substantial populations of wild brown trout and brook trout. Very few anglers specialize in the kind of stealthy, closed-in fishing needed to pursue trout in these streams, but they are rewarded with many brook trout and, occasionally, some big browns. If you fish here, please be gentle with the trout, use barbless hooks, and return them to the water as soon as possible.

Trout Brook significantly increases in size by the time it passes under East Hillside Road due to the contributions of its tributaries. The stream will also swell if beavers have maintained a dam usually located several hundred feet further downstream. The short section of the stream between the bridge and the recurring dam is very popular with anglers of all types due to its productivity, and the DEC has obtained about 0.8 miles of public fishing rights (PFRs) along both sides of Trout Brook immediately south of East Hillside Road. The abundance of adult trout within the upper end of the PFR section tends to vary, likely due to intermittent beaver activity on the stream, but it's always worth investigating.

About 400 feet downstream of East Hillside Road, Trout Brook enters a heavily wooded area. From this point down to the crossing at Hardys Road, Trout Brook generally ranges from about 10 to 15 feet in width, and most of the stream is heavily cloaked with alder and willows, making casting difficult to impossible. However, a few isolated sections are as much as 25 feet wide and open enough for a short cast of a fly or spinner (see photos). The bottom consists mainly of cobble and gravel with some silt. Within the PFR section, water temperatures are generally good to excellent, and there are always plenty of trout, but catching them can be difficult, even for a skilled angler. 

Scott Cornett, the DEC’s inland cold-water fisheries biologist for Region 9, is a very skilled small-stream fly fisherman. When I asked him if he had ever fished the lower PFR section of the stream, he responded: “I have only been a ways below Hillside Road once, about a quarter to three-quarters of a mile. I was fly fishing, and even with a short rod at low flow in September, I found that virtually every good pool was so brushed in that, by the time I could get close enough to put a fly on the pools, I had spooked the hell out of the fish. I saw a ton of nice trout, mostly browns, but don't think I caught any until I got back up to the open field just below the road. To me, it is a very productive trout stream, but most of it is for a skilled bait dunker. I think you would do great with worms on that section of Trout Brook, and those fish are probably not used to seeing many anglers.” These are clearly fish you must work for.

Downstream of the PFR section, the quality of the stream begins to decline, especially as you approach Hardys Road. Factors affecting the quality of the stream include beaver activity, periodic droughts, and excessive water withdrawals for irrigation of adjacent crop fields. Stream temperatures can rise into the low to mid-70s by the time it reaches the crossings at Hardys Road and Route 39, and the flow can be noticeably reduced. That’s not to say that you can’t catch trout in this lower section, but it’s not nearly as productive as the PFR section. Much of the stream above and below Hardy’s Road is heavily cloaked with alders and willows, but a few sections are open enough for short casts of a fly or spinner.

The following article on Trout Brook was written by the late Jim Keech of the Western New York Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Though a legacy article written more than 30 years ago, it's as relevant now as the day it was written. 

Trout Brook

by Jim Keech

Where does one fish when the streams, swollen with rain, run over banks and wader tops with the muddy excess of nature's bounty? The answer is Trout Brook in Wyoming County, a small tributary that joins the Wiscoy about a mile and a half west of the town of Pike on Route 39, just east of Wing's farm and the Beardsley roadside park. When the Wiscoy runs high and muddy, Trout Brook is usually clear and just high enough for the fish to feel comfortable and safe. There is about a mile of stream that's unposted; after Hardys Road (County Road 10), upstream it's poachers only, but that 1 mile is loaded with fish (Mike Muldoon claims to have released a 6-pounder from one of its small, deep pools). Just downstream of Hillside Road there is about 0.8 miles of public fishing rights.

Trout Brook is a small forest stream, overhung with trees, willows, and just about anything else that grows, but if you're looking for solitude and a sense of being alone in the wilderness, you can find it on Trout Brook.

You can fish the stream with ultra-light spinners (1/16- and 1/8-ounce Panther Martins or Nos. 0 and 1 Mepps) upstream, running the spinner close to the willows or the numerous downed trees. Fish all the water, even the shallow runs, for many will have a deep pocket or two that will harbor a trout. You should pick up a brookie every now and then. Try to work the spinner slowly, letting it settle a bit in the deeper pockets before retrieving; and give each small pool or run several casts before going on to the next.

If you own a short fly rod, 4 to 6 feet long, the stream frequently provides some good fly fishing for small trout. The hatches are generous, but the flies are usually smaller than those found on the Wiscoy. Seldom will anything larger than a size 16 be effective, and a size 18 is better still. There isn't much casting room, and the pools are small. Be prepared to roll cast frequently, lose a lot of flies, and curse a lot—but there are days on Trout Brook that make it all worthwhile. A size 16 Blue Dun in mid-May for instance, can prove irresistible to the brilliantly colored brookies. A size 18 Tan Deer Hair Caddis on a long, light leader is great in July, but it’s fine and far-off fishing on low water over wild and very spooky fish.

Trout Brook can be a generous but challenging stream. It’s a natural fish hatchery for the Wiscoy, and thus an ideal stream for releasing one's catch. The trout are wild, beautiful, and far too valuable to be caught only once.