Seems like we are always eliminating FFO or DHALO's. When was the last time one was added? There should be more not less. I concede the point that maybe the Clark's FFO could go away, I always did better in the ATW, but why is it such a problem to add more catch and release oriented stream sections when they only comprise less than 1% of the total stocked or wild trout water in the state? I don't think the resource is being wasted when the fish provide multiple fishing opportunities as opposed to hanging from a stringer shortly after being stocked. Just my opinion.
As of three yrs ago there had been a moratorium on the establishment of new FFO waters for nearly two decades. I assume it’s still in effect and for good reasons. As stated a number of times in the past FFO is a remnant of the past when there was little to no scientific knowledge of the low mortality rates also associated with artificial lure fishing. Now we even know that low mortality rates can be achieved with tight line bait fishing. FFO amounts to a social program, as artificial lure (spinning) has limited additional biological impact and it occurs to an extent that is most likely imperceptible to electrofishers, let alone anglers using a whippy-stick.
As for DHALO areas, they have been the alternative to stocked FFO’s and where they had been established had always, at least during my tenure with the PFBC, been at the discretion of the AFM’s based on a number of considerations, not the least of which had been water temps in June and early July, social and access factors, stream size and seasonal flow, habitat for holding stocked fish throughout the spring, proximity of other special reg waters, and “taking” of existing stocked waters for DH purposes, etc. In my case there were stream sections where I sought to establish additional DH management and ultimately one or more conditions proved to be unfavorable.
You may recall that the anglers in the past shot down the idea of opening DH Areas to harvest around June 1. I favored that as an earlier harvest date would have made more waters available for DH consideration because water temps would have been cooler during the earlier allowable harvest period than the period following June 15. While few anglers harvest DH fish, the option is still available for those desiring to do so and cool temps encourage the trout to take lures/flies; warm water temps do not. The idea of DH areas is NOT to push trout to the point that temperature stress is substantial by June 15 such that it inhibits the catching of trout. The original DH areas were selected in streams where water temps were cool until at least July 1, meaning there was at least a 2 week period during which a number of trout could potentially be harvested rather than die due to temperature stress.
A major advantage of these stocked special reg waters has always been the ability to fish them during the traditionally closed late winter/early spring season. With the updated regs regarding fishing outside of stocked trout sections, the knowledge of trout residency results, and the number of wild streams listed, anglers are now equipped to C&R fish a lot more waters during the closed season than ever before. Additionally, with so many anglers practicing C&R fishing in regular stocked trout sections for over a decade now, the argument that these sections are fished out is so much weaker than when the statewide DH program was first established. Even when I fly fish the Tulpehocken I almost never fish the DH area because the fishing is quite good outside of the DH area and I never fish the FFO area on Kettle Ck.
Likewise, I regularly fly fish one of the most, if not the most heavily fished regular stocked trout section known to exist in the state based on angler use and harvest studies, that being the urban section of Jordan Ck, Lehigh Co. Despite this, fly fishing is quite good throughout the spring and up until sometime in late May or early June when the water warms too much.
As for conflicts with bait or lure anglers, I perhaps have one person at most move close to me per year and that’s usually in a narrow stretch where they might take up a position directly across from me very early in the season when less serious anglers may be more common. Big deal…there’s plenty of other water to fish despite the high angler use. This whole idea that I have heard at times that fly anglers need to fish only with other fly anglers who understand the associated etiquette is oh so weak in my considerable experience in waters that most fly anglers would shun.
