Nursery Operations
Over the years, Brandywine Trout & Conservation Club has made significant & impactful investments in our nursery operations to accommodate the growing fishing opportunities on the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek & Beaver Creek.
In the club’s early years we were raising 2500-3000 Trout in the ponds at Kerr Park.
As the club grew over the years so did our operations. At one point in time the Brandywine Trout & Conservation Club operated 3 local Trout nurseries, more than any other local organization & cooperative nursery. During that time we raised 14,000-16,000 Brook, Rainbow, Brown & Palomino Trout fingerlings. These fish help supplement the State’s stocking program, providing a robust fishery in not only the spring, but throughout the entirety of the year.
In recent years, BTCC has unfortunately lost:
Locust Springs Nursery due to a development being built next to the nursery and diminishing water flow
Devereux #1 Nursery due to the HOA of a newly built development removing/denying us access
Devereux #2 Nursery due to owners unwillingness to use existing generator as building’s backup power source resulting in the loss of fish on several occasions. (Board of Directors decision to stop nursery rental)
Perdue Nursery due to the township purchasing the land & filling in the pond
And now, we’re back to our original nursery…
Kerr Park Trout Nursery
During this period, a major improvement was made to the original nursery in Kerr Park. With assistance from the Borough of Downingtown, and significant funding generated through club fundraisers, the club converted one of the open ponds to a raceway 90ft long x 4ft wide x 2ft deep. This nursery has a limestone source making it ideally suited for raising trout. At that time this nursery consistently received 4,000 fingerlings annually from the state and delivered 3,000 for stocking each year. We are now a 501c3 private club and purchase all of the fish that we stock, numbers are based on the money we receive from memberships, donations and advertisements.
