They didn’t look like rainbow trout; not like the ones fishermen are used to catching in area streams.

They looked more like guppies, tiny fish only a couple of inches long that often are used for bait.

But rainbow trout they were; raised in a fish tank since they were just eggs.

The little fish were the product of the “Trout in the Classroom” program at the Beltzville Environmental Interpretive Center.

On Tuesday morning, about 10 members of Cub Pack 145 in Lehighton released 104 of the baby trout into Pohopoco Creek near the foot of the dam at Beltzville Lake in Franklin Township. The Cub Pack had been at the Environmental Center shortly after eggs were placed in the fish tank and saw their growth progress.

They were able to feed the young fish and now the trout were ready for their next stage, which is entry in their natural habitat.

Barry Reed, secretary/treasurer of the Pohopoco Road and Gun Club, said Trout in the Classroom has been happening for several years but is only in its second year at Beltzville. He said the project is a joint effort with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commission and usually schools.

The fish eggs were brought to the tank in January and maintained by employees and volunteers at Beltzville State Park and the environmental center.

Reed said the tank was purchased about eight years ago by the club and was initially placed in the Lehighton Area Middle School where it remained for six years. When at the middle school, the eggs were put into the tank in the fall. However, because tap water was used and there were gaps in maintaining it at times because of school holiday breaks, only a small percentage of the eggs would hatch.

After it was moved to Beltzville, Reed said the survival rate of eggs was significantly higher.

Fran Gough of Lehighton, a retired biology teacher in Crestwood Middle School in Luzerne County, had run the Trout in the Classroom program there for nine years until his retirement in 2014. He became involved in the Beltzville project.

Gough said, “The Pohopoco Rod and Gun Club was looking for somebody to do this program and to get us out there in the community. This lets them know who we are and what we’re about.”

“The big thing is they try to get more kids involved,” he said.

Rob Bergstresser, environmental educator at Beltzville State Park, is in charge of the Beltzville program. Coincidentally, he’s a former student of Gough.

Reed is also a retired teacher, having spent his career in the Lehighton Area School District.

He said he is a strong proponent of the Trout in the Classroom program. “I think it’s great whenever you get people involved in nature and appreciating what we have around us,” he said. He said he’s pleased to see the Scouts involved in the release because it shows them the importance of environmental maintenance.

He said, “Hopefully the youngsters will be good stewards of this earth.”

The Pohopoco Rod and Gun Club has been stocking the streams with trout and releasing pheasants for about 30 years, Reed said.

“The program went real well,” said Gough. “The big thing is trying to get more kids involved.”