One of the Tunkhannock Creek rainbows remained in the pool where it was stocked for 14 days, then took up residency in a pool 0.4 miles downstream. One of the trout vanished, while the others dispersed downstream, one taking up residency 12.6 miles downstream from the stocking point.

While the rainbow trout moved downstream, movements of the brown trout were more variable. Most stayed at their stocking points for a couple of weeks. A few moved on the first and second days after stocking.

One of the Wysox Creek browns moved 0.7 mile upstream. The longest movement by a brown trout was one at Tunkhannock Creek that moved 6.3 miles.

Only one of the radio-tagged browns was lost. Brook trout were relative homebodies. All but one brookie remained at its stocking point for at least 10 days, and brook trout movement ranged from 0.5 miles to 11.6 miles. One of the brook trout was the only radio-tagged trout to ascend a tributary stream. One of the radio-tagged brook trout was lost, and two were apparently eaten by mink.

By the time trout season opened, only a half-dozen of the 25 radio-tagged trout remained in the stocked sections of the two creeks.

Obviously, all this has significant implications for trout anglers. Following a stocking truck might be an effective, if perhaps ignoble, in-season strategy. But pre-season stocking locations are not always a reliable tip for finding trout on opening day.

In addition to the radio-tagged trout, an additional 4,000 trout were tagged and stocked into these streams. The project was given good publicity. Anglers were asked to report tagged trout and information about them. Information to be collected included the species of trout caught, the date of catch, where caught, tag color, tag number and whether the fish was kept or released.

Each tag’s color signified which stream the trout was stocked in, and whether it was acclimated to cold or warm water temperatures. The tag number revealed the species of the stocked trout.

Even though there were incentives for returning tags, or tag information, only six of the 4,000 tags were returned, too few to draw any conclusions.

Of course, trout movement varies from stream to stream. Fish and Boat Commission biologists have looked into 30 variables, such as habitat and water quality, but there are still no clear answers.

Two factors that were immediately suspect -- flooding and water chemistry -- have seemingly been eliminated as causes for dispersal.

Still, no verifiable reasons for trout dispersal have been confirmed. However, a couple of things have come out of this study. The timing of which species are stocked has been changed. Rainbow trout tend to be stocked more in-season. In some streams, pre-season stocking is being done closer to the opening day of trout season.