Mike wrote:
I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I am curious about the general thoughts being expressed. What is the bigger concern here...the idea of allowing bait fishing OR is it the idea of stocking?
I'm going to take a stab at this. First and foremost a proposal to change the regulations on Saucon Creek got virtually no comment from bait fishermen the last time a change was made., that would have been when the Selective Harvest Program was ended.
This stream is good because the wild trout population is one of the highest populations of wild trout in Pennsylvania, and has to do with the halting of stocking in the early 90's when the stream was found to have a "Class A" population of just over 40 Kg/Ht. It went from there to around 200 Kg/Ht. in a couple of years when stocking ended.
The lack of fishermen fishing with kids more than likely has as much to do with a high crime rate and people from NYC invading the park on weekends as it does with actually catching fish. That's my second point.
My third point is, no one is forbidden to fish this section, it's only the use of bait that is restricted. Bait fishing for wild trout has been shown to have a much higher mortality rate then other fishing types. Parking is or can be a problem on weekends with heavy park use.
Four; The point about stocking is that stocked fish will compromise the gene pool of the wild fish present. We know this from over 125 years of stocking. This is a stream that has a good wild trout population from the headwaters to the mouth and in all the tributaries. This fact alone makes it a poor candidate for stocking. This is after all a heavily used trout stream. There are also more than enough big fish there to guarantee a fun outing.
Finally it is NEVER about kids fishing, it's always about getting the adults out to fish.
edit: what Franklin says.
