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ERIE — Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissioners are expected Tuesday to change the rules regarding fishing at a number of western Pennsylvania lakes.
First up are several stocked trout waters.
Right now, the commission manages 56 lakes across the state to allow for year-round fishing. Anglers can target trout between March 1 and opening day as long as they release the fish.
Jason Detar, chief of the division of fisheries management for the commission, said there has been some concern, especially in Western Pennsylvania, that the fishing is causing problems.
“There's a fear it may be having a negative effect on catches on opening day on smaller lakes,” he said.
In particular, the worry is that on lakes smaller than 50 acres, with limited warmwater fisheries to keep anglers busy, the pressure on trout is just too much, he said.
As a result, commissioners Tuesday are expected to take 15 waters out of the year-round fishing program and go back to managing them under general statewide regulations. That would put them off limits to trout fishing from March 1 to opening day.
The list of waters includes Virgin Dun Dam in Fayette County, Harbar Acres Lake in Butler, Mammoth Dam in Westmoreland, Duman Dam and Lake Rowena in Cambria, Bessmer Lake in Lawrence, Cloe Lake in Jefferson, and East Basin Pond, West Basin Pond, Lake Pleasant and Upper Gravel Pit in Erie, among others.
Commissioner Bill Sabatose of Elk County said he supports the move. He initially favored putting them in the year-round program, he said. But angler complaints tell him it is time to take these waters back out.
The rules change would go into effect on Jan. 1.
Commissioners also are expected to approve Tuesday a rules change that will limit anglers on Pymatuning Lake in Crawford County to keeping 20 crappies per day, all of them at least 9 inches long.
Right now, when it comes to the crappies rules on that lake, “well, there really aren't any,” Detar said.
“There's no closed season, no size limit and no creel limit,” he said.
The change, which would go into effect March 1, is an attempt to protect more young fish and allow them to grow to quality sizes, he said.
Fishing pressure on crappies on Pymatuning quadrupled between 2004 and 2011, he said, mirroring a surge in the population of fish initially. It has remained high in more recent years, though, even as the catch and catch per hour of crappies has declined.
The hope is that the rules change — being made in conjunction with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which co-manages the lake straddling the state border — will pay some quick dividends.
On most Pennsylvania lakes, it takes crappies four years to reach 9 inches, Detar said. At Pymatuning though, it takes three.
“That reservoir basically functions like a Midwestern reservoir,” he said.
Commissioners moved both the stocked trout and Pymatuning changes out of committee with little discussion. Approval by the full board is expected when members meet in formal sessions at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Bob Frye is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via @bobfryeoutdoors.
First up are several stocked trout waters.
Right now, the commission manages 56 lakes across the state to allow for year-round fishing. Anglers can target trout between March 1 and opening day as long as they release the fish.
Jason Detar, chief of the division of fisheries management for the commission, said there has been some concern, especially in Western Pennsylvania, that the fishing is causing problems.
“There's a fear it may be having a negative effect on catches on opening day on smaller lakes,” he said.
In particular, the worry is that on lakes smaller than 50 acres, with limited warmwater fisheries to keep anglers busy, the pressure on trout is just too much, he said.
As a result, commissioners Tuesday are expected to take 15 waters out of the year-round fishing program and go back to managing them under general statewide regulations. That would put them off limits to trout fishing from March 1 to opening day.
The list of waters includes Virgin Dun Dam in Fayette County, Harbar Acres Lake in Butler, Mammoth Dam in Westmoreland, Duman Dam and Lake Rowena in Cambria, Bessmer Lake in Lawrence, Cloe Lake in Jefferson, and East Basin Pond, West Basin Pond, Lake Pleasant and Upper Gravel Pit in Erie, among others.
Commissioner Bill Sabatose of Elk County said he supports the move. He initially favored putting them in the year-round program, he said. But angler complaints tell him it is time to take these waters back out.
The rules change would go into effect on Jan. 1.
Commissioners also are expected to approve Tuesday a rules change that will limit anglers on Pymatuning Lake in Crawford County to keeping 20 crappies per day, all of them at least 9 inches long.
Right now, when it comes to the crappies rules on that lake, “well, there really aren't any,” Detar said.
“There's no closed season, no size limit and no creel limit,” he said.
The change, which would go into effect March 1, is an attempt to protect more young fish and allow them to grow to quality sizes, he said.
Fishing pressure on crappies on Pymatuning quadrupled between 2004 and 2011, he said, mirroring a surge in the population of fish initially. It has remained high in more recent years, though, even as the catch and catch per hour of crappies has declined.
The hope is that the rules change — being made in conjunction with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which co-manages the lake straddling the state border — will pay some quick dividends.
On most Pennsylvania lakes, it takes crappies four years to reach 9 inches, Detar said. At Pymatuning though, it takes three.
“That reservoir basically functions like a Midwestern reservoir,” he said.
Commissioners moved both the stocked trout and Pymatuning changes out of committee with little discussion. Approval by the full board is expected when members meet in formal sessions at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Bob Frye is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via @bobfryeoutdoors.
