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A recent heavy rainstorm wiped out thousands of rainbow trout at the Lycoming Creek Anglers Club's nursery.
Sam Caldwell, club treasurer and longtime member, said he's hopeful the state Fish & Boat Commission will be able to replace many of the 3,546 fish that perished.
The fish, most of them fingerlings that had grown to an average of 10.5 inches, were set to be stocked in Lycoming Creek and some of the stream's tributaries in the spring for the 2025 trout season.
"We also lost 65 holdover, 2-year-old trout," he said.
Caldwell said Slack's Run, which feeds the raceway where the trout are raised, received some 3 inches of rain Aug. 28.
"It sent a lot of leaves and debris down," he said.
That resulted in a screen of the raceway impeding water flow and preventing trout from receiving sufficient oxygen. Caldwell said this marks the third high water or flood event sustained by the organization since he became involved with the group more than 20 years ago.
"It just puts a big hurt on us," he said.
Caldwell noted that stones were washed away along with part of an embankment.
"The Jack Dam got damage to it," he added.
The good news is that some 3,400 trout survived the high-water event.
However, Caldwell lamented that all the money spent to feed the now-dead trout is "down the drain."
While the Fish & Boat Commission's trout donation will be welcome, he fears the fingerlings will be much smaller than the ones which perished and not ready for the spring stocking of streams.
"We only got two more months of good growing weather (for trout)," he said.
Lycoming Creek Anglers each year also place trout from its nursery in Lycoming Creek for a kids' fish derby.
The task ahead, Caldwell said, will be for club members to restore the raceway.
"We got a lot of work Saturdays coming up," he said.