I don't know of any new structures. A small dam was removed in the park. The stream has plenty of fish, as the Fish Commission report indicates. They can be moody, but they are there, and some are big. A buddy thinks the Fish Commission will just wait until things settle down then push the stocking, bait fishing, hatchery idea through. A flood of letters will give them second thoughts for sure. Please keep those letters coming to them:
John Arway, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Fish Commission 717-705-7801 (I’m writing and calling him).
Commissioners: Edward P. Mascharka III, Rocco S. Ali, William J. Sabatose, Leonard L. Lichvar, Eric C. Hussar, Norman R. Gavlick, G. Warren Elliott, Steven M. Ketterer, Glade Squires. See the first pages of this thread for Erik's talking points. I think letters sent to the HQ in Harrisburg will get to the right destination.
Commissioner [insert name here]
Pennnsylvania Fish Commission
1601 Elmerton Avenue
PO Box 67000
Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000
Here's my letter. I don't think the point about senior anglers has been made before:
It has come to my attention that commissioners are considering allowing stocking and bait fishing in the trophy water on Saucon Creek in Hellertown. A hatchery is also proposed. Well-intentioned, but misguided people have pushed this ill-advised proposal. They have put forth the idea that such a move would draw lots of kids, giving them a place to fish.
But let’s take a look at this claim. Would more kids fish if the proposal were enacted? As a grandfather, father, and family man, I value children, and have taught many to fish. The Saucon Creek's total length is over 14 miles and the special reg area is about 2 miles long. Kids and their dads have over 12 miles of stream to fish any way they want already--with flies, lures, or bait. And they have a park at the Grist Mill. In addition, the Little Lehigh and Monocacy offer many, many miles of easy access park settings for all-tackle fishing. It’s simply not true that there’s no place for kids to fish. The decline in kids fishing has many causes, and changing the regulations in the Saucon Trophy water won’t fix that.
But what it will do is likely ruin a very special fishery, unlike any other in the state. Wild fish thrive in the Trophy section of the Saucon, and big wild browns rise to multiple hatches.
Studies indicate trout that swallow bait deeply more often than artificial lures or flies, and once hooked in the gills a fish will die, even if released. The restriction on bait fishing helps protect the wild browns, including the larger breeding fish, from being killed before they can reproduce. That helps keep the gene pool strong. Furthermore, and you know better than most, stocking over wild fish disrupts feeding and breeding patterns, degrading the fishery. A hatchery would pollute the stream, degrading it further.
Some have mistakenly claimed that only a few of the same guys fish the Saucon in the park. I know this to be a mistaken perception. Yes, a few of the same guys are often around, but the hundreds of other guys like me who show up over the course of a season rotate a great deal. Many of us have been fishing the stream for many years, and we fish it year round. Many of us are seniors, who have a hard time getting around on swift, boulder filled streams. The Saucon special regs area is a paradise for older anglers who appreciate wild fish. We fish in the park, and outside the park, but we all know the bait, hatchery, and stocking proposal will damage the fishery, not to mention closing this part of the stream during the blue wing olive hatch to older anglers who fish it then.
So, please protect the Saucon’s wild browns and our access to them. If you allow a hatchery, stocking, and bait fishing in Saucon Park, we all will lose a special part of Pennsylvania’s heritage and resources that may never be brought back.
Respectfully yours,
