Lehigh private fishing club

[JustFish]

Question, can I wade and fish through a hoity toity private fishing club if I don’t step on land? This club is on the Lehigh River.

 

[allan_s]

http://www.fishandboat.com/Transact/AnglerBoater/AnglerBoater2000/JulyAugust/Documents/lehighhh.pdf

 

[jifigz]

Interesting read and after reading that I would say go for it. I wish we respected each other more and had more open and "public" land. It gets screwed up when people trash others lands. If we were all a little more respectful we'd probably have more areas to explore.

 

[afishinado]

JustFish wrote:
Question, can I wade and fish through a hoity toity private fishing club if I don’t step on land? This club is on the Lehigh River.

Can you?? Yes, the Lehigh River has been deemed (proven in court) a navigable river and one can legally access any part of the river up to the high water mark.

Should you?? Well there may be a hornet's nest on public property, should you step on it because you can??...it's up to you.

 

[Canoetripper]

I am not a lawyer so I can't explain what exactly is a "navigable waterway." I have been on both sides of the fence on this issue.

As a canoe/camper enthusist I am very respectful when I know I am canoeing in areas that are private property. I always try to do my research prior to a canoe trip to make sure that I am not camping on someone else's private property.

I know that I have though because of weather or darkness setting in very fast. I never litter at all. If I pack it in, I pack it out, and plan accordingly.

I am about to be the new member of an R&G club in the western Pocono Mountains. I know from previous experience there that other members won't be as tolerant as me.

My worst experience was when I was camping on a sand bar on the James River somewhere betwenn Wingina and Scottsville, VA. He was a loud and intimadating guy on horseback and I couldn't help but notice the Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum on his hip.

I'm smart enough to know that this was not the time to argue with a stranger that was more than heavily armed.

I told him that it was too dangerous to canoe downstream from a sandbar on a rocky river and that I would rather get arrested for camping on a sandbar when I never thought that I was trespassing in the first place.

Nothing worse happened, but I must admit that I was intimidated by an angry man on horseback letting me know that he had a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum on his hip.

 

[krayfish2]

Is that above the lake?

 

[Canoetripper]

It is above the FEW lake.

 

[wbranch]

I have never fished the Lehigh River but from what I've read it has probably at least a dozen miles of trout water. What is so special to you about the posted/private water that makes you want to go against the owners wishes to not fish it? There are a number of rivers I fish that have sections of posted property and clubs that prohibit you from fishing. These are in NYS and the land owners own the river bottom and can preclude people from wading through or anchoring and fishing. But even if they don't own the river bottom there is just so much open water I would never "fish through" private/club water just because the river had been deemed navigable 200 years ago.

 

[troutbert]

JustFish wrote:
Question, can I wade and fish through a hoity toity private fishing club if I don’t step on land? This club is on the Lehigh River.

The river channel (top of bank to top of bank) is public. The adjoining land is private.

If you are walking up past the top of bank, on the floodplain, you are breaking the law (trespassing).

If you are fishing within the channel and someone tries to run you out of there, it is the same as if someone would try to run you out of state forest or state gamelands or state park or other public property.

If they do that, THEY are breaking the law, and you should report that to law enforcement (PFBC preferably, and/or state police).

 

[afishinado]

JustFish wrote:
Question, can I wade and fish through a hoity toity private fishing club if I don’t step on land? This club is on the Lehigh River.

The Lehigh River is one of the most accessible rivers to anglers and the general public in the eastern part of the state. Perhaps you just wish to stick it to the "hoity toity private fishing club." Consider fishing to relax and enjoy yourself and not to intentionally thrust yourself into a situation causing conflict. But the choice is yours.

This same issue came up a while back on here. Below is a link to the thread dealing with the Lehigh River being open to the public.

Lehigh River Open water

 

[Letort]

If you want to fish it, consider spending your hard earned cash (like others do) and become a member.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

Or just fish it and forget what the others are implying. The water and stream bottom is owned by the public, not a private club making money off public land. Stay in the high water mark. It amazes me how people think. Could you fish somewhere else? Sure, but you sure can fish that area.

Same with guides, making money off things they don’t own.

 

[wildtrout2]

IdratherbePhishing wrote:
Or just fish it and forget what the others are implying. The water and stream bottom is owned by the public, not a private club making money off public land. Stay in the high water mark. It amazes me how people think. Could you fish somewhere else? Sure, but you sure can fish that area.

Same with guides, making money off things they don’t own.

Exactly. Regardless of the river miles that are accessible/available, if that stretch is legal to fish, then fish it. Enjoy yourself and be safe about it.

 

[troutbert]

IdratherbePhishing wrote:

Or just fish it and forget what the others are implying. The water and stream bottom is owned by the public...

I was thinking the same thing about what others are implying.

They are implying that a fisherman who fishes there is doing something wrong, something aggressive, which implies that the river is private.

But it isn't private. It's public.

Since it is public, we have just as much right to go there as on state forest land or national forest land.

For those of you who are implying that it's wrong to go there, what is your basis for that?

The position you are taking is that people should not go on public property if the people on adjoining private land don't want them to.

Can you support that position?

 

[ryansheehan]

troutbert wrote:

IdratherbePhishing wrote:

Or just fish it and forget what the others are implying. The water and stream bottom is owned by the public...

I was thinking the same thing about what others are implying.

They are implying that a fisherman who fishes there is doing something wrong, something aggressive, which implies that the river is private.

But it isn't private. It's public.

Since it is public, we have just as much right to go there as on state forest land or national forest land.

For those of you who are implying that it's wrong to go there, what is your basis for that?

The position you are taking is that people should not go on public property if the people on adjoining private land don't want them to.

Can you support that position?

Amen, I dont know the river but could someone please explain logically why a fisherman should not fish a public river at his pleasure?

 

[ryansheehan]

wbranch wrote:
I have never fished the Lehigh River but from what I've read it has probably at least a dozen miles of trout water. What is so special to you about the posted/private water that makes you want to go against the owners wishes to not fish it? There are a number of rivers I fish that have sections of posted property and clubs that prohibit you from fishing. These are in NYS and the land owners own the river bottom and can preclude people from wading through or anchoring and fishing. But even if they don't own the river bottom there is just so much open water I would never "fish through" private/club water just because the river had been deemed navigable 200 years ago.

You fish the west branch right? Pretty sure there are a number of land owners who don't want you to fish through "their property". Somehow I feel like that 200 year old declaration of navigability is important to you there right?

 

[afishinado]

Every angler is free to fish anywhere on a navigable waterway within the river bed aka high water mark. It's perfectly legal. So again, do as you please.

I got the impression from the OP when he mentioned a "hoity toity private fishing club" that he was fishing there to make a point by trying to stick it to the owners of the property.

I fish for pleasure. I don't take pleasure in doing something to stick it to anyone. For me, getting out fishing relieves stress, not causes more!

It sort of reminds me of the guys on the stream that low-hole and crowd you out by fishing right on top of your line when there's plenty of other places in the stream to fish. You know the type, the guys that tell you "I paid for my license too!" Yes, it's perfectly legal for them to fish there, but is it the right thing to do? It's really up to the individual.

Fish through the middle of their property if you think it's right for you to do so because it's legal. Believe it or not, sometimes if the stream I'm fishing goes right through someones yard or near their house or deck, it's perfectly legal for me to fish right through. But I often choose to work my way around or turn around and not fish there.

A lot of guys think that's just being a dumb dim-wit by not taking full advantage of my legal rights. I will admit, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I sleep well at night and have a great time fishing every time out. I guess that's what really counts.

 

[redietz]

ryansheehan wrote:

...could someone please explain logically why a fisherman should not fish a public river at his pleasure?

Because asserting/defending that right might involve considerable court expenses?

 

[RLeep2]

"Can" is not always the same as "should". It's all situational and sometimes (not always, but sometimes), there can be greater harm to the big picture than there are benefits to exercising our narrowly defined rights in a given situation.

This doesn't mean that we should not fish this section of the Lehigh. It is after all, "legal" to do so. But it does (IMO, anyway..) mean we need to think it through beforehand bearing in mind what the impact of our actions here may be on access issues somewhere else or in general. Especially if a part of our intent is to push the envelope simply for the sake of envelope pushing.

When there is a legal change like the navigable/access status of the Lehigh (which I realize didn't just happen last week..), it can take a while for all the impacted parties to reach a degree of acceptance or at least tolerance of the new reality. We probably generate less lasting ill will on other similar situations if we treat this change less like the throwing of a switch and more like gradually turning on a faucet. Slow and easy with minimal in-your-face stuff will probably bring quicker and lasting acceptance than simply throwing a switch and saying "I can fish here now.."

Just my view...

 

[troutbert]

What specific stretch of the Lehigh is being discussed? And what fishing club?

Go to Google maps and put in "Stoddartsville, PA"

Is that the area under discussion?

If so, look at how much land bordering the river on the north side is shown as public land, from the bridge at Stoddartsville down to the lake.

Is the map accurate?