2021 Conservationist of the Year

[Canoetripper]

Regardless of what written in the above posts, I think that everyone on the board is supportive of an environmental success story in Pennsylvania.

Once upon a time, the Little Juniata River was very polluted, Now it is a fly fishing destination.

 

[JackM]

Congratulations to him. Whether the river needed it or not he is obviously doing things that others appreciate.

 

[wbranch]

"The Lackawanna River in Northeastern Pennsylvania was called a “waking giant” in a recent Fly Fisherman feature article (Aug-Sep 2018), was included in the most recent edition of Trout Unlimited’s Guide to America’s 100 Best Trout Streams"

Well another river, somewhat unknown my most, will now be besieged by many anglers wanting to sample the monster trout of the waking giant. Ugh.

I don't fish it even though I have been driving by it for over twenty years on my way to the Delaware. However I do know quite a few very good fly fishers who love the Lacky and have enjoyed it's relative anonymity for decades.

 

[larkmark]

wbranch and a few others understand what has happened.

 

[troutbert]

Canoetripper wrote:
Regardless of what written in the above posts, I think that everyone on the board is supportive of an environmental success story in Pennsylvania.

Once upon a time, the Little Juniata River was very polluted, Now it is a fly fishing destination.

The big brown were there even when the paper mill was polluting the river.

I don't know that from experience, but I've talked to several people who fished it back then.

I think it's likely that wild brown trout have been in the Little Juniata ever since they were first introduced in the late 1800s.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Congrats to a PA guy, and that is a long list of work that began 20 years into the quiet recovery, as others have mentioned. Lark and WBranch bring up good points, though. I am sure Chucky Charles' boys are pissed at him for further exposing their local creek in a national publication. I have written about trips to the Lack in a couple blog posts, a blog that gets read by maybe 50 people, most of whom I know, and I got grief for not calling it NEPA Freestoner or American Stream.... Granted, the comments may have come from one of the dudes who guides it, so self-serving for the the one making the comment, too. It is complicated, for sure.

 

[wbranch]

"I am sure Chucky Charles' boys are pissed at him for further exposing their local creek in a national publication."

You all have to remember that a lot of the authors of fly fishing magazine articles have little, or no vested, interests in the waters that they write about and often portray it as fly fishing's new Nirvana.

Therefore once they get the article published they have little concern if that water is inundated with hordes of anglers descending on it. They are off to some new "Hot water" to exploit it with another article for next month's pay check.

 

[JeffP]

Well if everyone is now flocking to the Lackawanna, they may not be going to the Delaware. Unless we have more fly anglers, what's the problem? And if we have more fly anglers what's the problem? I would think that's a good thing. Personally I love finding out about new places, even if I won't ever fish them. If you want to get away, you can still find places. Obviously, we all have our favorites and hate to see them packed. Personally I could never deal with big crowds. I couldn't imagine dealing with the Delaware and issues with guides and etiquette . It would just stress me out and that's not what I fish for.

 

[Mike]

I don’t think you have to worry about hordes of anglers from other areas fishing in an urbanized environment and all that goes with it. That’s just not a lot of people’s cup of tea and if they go once and don’t catch a big fish they’re probably unlikely to return. Example: the underutilized striped bass fishery in Philly.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

As I and others have said many times on this site, Streams need advocates. This is especially true in urbanized areas. Make no mistake, the Lack is in a highly populated, commercialized, "urban" corridor. It faces ongoing attacks from a variety of things associated with its location. IMO, that's part of it's beauty....and what makes it ugly.

So, it's not a bad thing that it gets some publicity in a conservation context.

Regarding crowding, access can be a bit challenging. If you know where to park and walk, it's easier. If you use the upper Delaware and spring creek (Center Co.) as analogs, too many anglers can degrade the quality of the fishery. Debate that if you like. As JeffP suggested, too many anglers does degrade the quality of the experience for many of us.

Publicity for the Lack, Big D, Lehigh, Penns, Pine, Susky, etc. (speaking only of the rivers I frequent) is not spot burning like it is for small, fragile tribs. The big waterways are well known. Tribs are, to varying degrees, not as well known. I don't even tell my buddys where I catch big fish. I'll take them there, but that gives me a chance to talk about overexposing a small wild trout stream. I can only hope my trust in sharing "my spots" is well placed.

Hopefully, these distinction makes sense.

 

[troutbert]

The Lackawanna River got busy after "special" regulations were put on it.

The same is true elsewhere. Nearly all the places that are crowded with flyfishermen are places with "special" regulations.

The "special" regulations were done with good intentions.

The over-crowding they cause is an un-intended negative consequence.

Now that we are aware of this negative consequence, it shouldn't be ignored, adjustments should be made.

 

[larkmark]

Over crowding is viewed as utilization by Fish Comm. If we were truly pragmatic about a lot of the choices we make in the name of trout and conservation we would at least honestly look at the big picture. Maybe starting by taking in a watershed as a whole and historically.