Greene said the browns that are being caught recently are entering the lake from tributaries that are stocked with adult trout.

Fishing specifically for brown trout at Raystown Lake might be a long shot. Any big browns that are caught are likely to be taken by anglers who are fishing for lake trout, which are stocked in the lake

For information about local services, contact the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, R.D. 1, Box 222A, Seven Points Road, Hesston, PA 16647; or call (888) RAYSTOWN.

LAKE ERIE
Fazle Buljubasic caught the current state-record brown trout, 19 pounds, 10 ounces, from Walnut Creek, a Lake Erie tributary. It took the record away from Raystown in 2000, but how long will it last?

Lake Erie does not give up many brown trout. In 2003, the second largest reported in the state, 13 pounds, 2 ounces, was caught here. The year before, a 13-pound Lake Erie brown trout was the largest reported in the state. In 2001, a 10-pound, 8-ounce brown was the third largest reported in the state.

Roger Kenyon, a biologist at the Lake Erie Research Unit, explained that there is currently no special management program in place for brown trout in Lake Erie.

"We don't put them in Lake Erie," he said. "We tried a couple of strains like the Seeforellen variety, but nothing really came of it. The only way browns get into the lake is through the catchable program. The ones that escape the opening day throngs seem to grow real well."

Adult brown trout are stocked into Lake Erie tributaries. One possible reason brown trout stocking did not work in Lake Erie was that to stock the numbers necessary to build a fishery in the big lake, they had to be stocked as fingerlings and these small fish fell prey to the numerous larger predators.

Even though Pennsylvania's border includes a small portion of Lake Erie, this is still a lot of water. Targeting brown trout in the lake is not a good use of fishing time. A few are caught by accident, but most are taken in tributary creeks or at the mouths during fall. Brown trout are fall spawners. This is how the state record was taken.

Still, Lake Erie might have the best chance of topping the current state record.

"That's going to be pretty hard to beat unless it comes out of Lake Erie," Greene suggested.

Information about places to stay and other services is available from the Erie Convention and Visitors Bureau, 109 Boston Store Place, Erie, PA 16501-2312; or call (800) 524-3743.

ALLEGHENY RESERVOIR
It is highly unlikely that a state-record brown trout will ever be caught in Allegheny Reservoir. It simply does not have the proper forage base. The present forage base consists primarily of shiners, a mix of emeralds and spottails. Attempts were made several years ago to establish a rainbow smelt population, but that failed.

Nonetheless, this big lake holds a lot of exceptional brown trout. Top end is probably 15 pounds. Allegheny Reservoir brown trout have been among the largest reported from Pennsylvania, but not many of them crack the 10-pound mark. Some in the 10- to 12-pound class have been reported.

Very few anglers target brown trout here. Those who do will fish primarily during April and May. However, Allegheny Reservoir is the best lake in western Pennsylvania for anglers seeking trophy brown trout. You can expect to catch brown trout here by using the proper methods, at least during the first several weeks of the regular statewide trout season, and again during fall. Some big browns are also caught through the ice. Downrigging during summer might be productive, but this tactic is relatively untested here.

Trolling with a flat line or planer board is the common tactic. Use stick baits or spoons. Concentrate on the main arm from the mouth of Sugar Bay to the dam and in the Kinzua Creek arm. The best fishing is usually in the morning and during heavily overcast days. On bright days, lures should be trolled deeper as the sun gets high in the sky.