Public Fishing Access On Posted Land, NO ONE KNOWS THE RULES!

[Bamboozle]

...A great way to find public access, even via property property, is to help stock.

And a great way to maintain access, even public is to behave and leave nothing but footprints...

 

[bigjohn358]

This debate comes up at least once a year. It's pretty simple to me. There is SO much public accessible water in Pennsylvania, why bother taking the risk? It's the entitlement displayed often in these discussions that leads to landowners posting in the first place. Know where you are fishing. Ask permission if it's private.

A great way to find public access, even via property property, is to help stock.

I'd rather find places not stocked...

 

[poopdeck]

Does anyone fish the Delaware just above the foot bridge in lumberville ? With shad season just around the corner we used to wade out in that area a lot. You could cross over canal path and walk down. Some time ago the area had been heavily posted. Being a navigable river can I ignore the signs and fish there ? Going by quote 2 under “public’s right to fish and navigabilty “ in your link it seems like I do ?

You could walk over the footbridge and be on the banks of the river in the Bulls Island state park. You can fish either bank with a PA or NJ fishing license.

 

[MBWCC]

This debate comes up at least once a year. It's pretty simple to me. There is SO much public accessible water in Pennsylvania, why bother taking the risk? It's the entitlement displayed often in these discussions that leads to landowners posting in the first place. Know where you are fishing. Ask permission if it's private.

You advocate fishing public water, yet the water you suggest the public pass up IS public water. In effect you promote allowing private landowners to effectively steal public water from the fly fishing public. My personal attitude is that I will fish public water -- any and all public water. Public water is mine, and I will not let someone steal it from me. As an example of where your personal philosophy inevitably leads, fishing on the Little Juniata would not be available to the public today if not for someone who refused to allow Donny Beaver to steal publicly owned fishing rights. It is our (the fly fishing public) responsibility to protect fishing rights on OUR water.

BTW, this debate comes up once a year because there are plenty of landowners who will happily bluff the public off public waters, and they continue to do so every year.

 

[laurelrun]

You advocate fishing public water, yet the water you suggest the public pass up IS public water. In effect you promote allowing private landowners to effectively steal public water from the fly fishing public. My personal attitude is that I will fish public water -- any and all public water. Public water is mine, and I will not let someone steal it from me. As an example of where your personal philosophy inevitably leads, fishing on the Little Juniata would not be available to the public today if not for someone who refused to allow Donny Beaver to steal publicly owned fishing rights. It is our (the fly fishing public) responsibility to protect fishing rights on OUR water.

BTW, this debate comes up once a year because there are plenty of landowners who will happily bluff the public off public waters, and they continue to do so every year.

Thanks for proving my point. It's not hard to find information on who owns a piece of property. It's also not hard to ask nicely. It's even less hard to respect the word, "No".

 

[mgmunson]

Amend the Constitution to protect our "right to roam". I don't think any of us got permission from the OG land owners. Isn't there something about receiving stolen goods?

 

[jifigz]

Amend the Constitution to protect our "right to roam". I don't think any of us got permission from the OG land owners. Isn't there something about receiving stolen goods?

Are you making the "we, the descendants or European settlers from hundreds of years ago, stole this land from the Native Americans" claim and that now we are "receiving stolen property?"

Interesting......

 

[Bamboozle]

And nobody is prevented from giving back from their own holdings what they feel their ancestors "stole" or obtained through unethical means...

...but they don't...

 

[mgmunson]

Are you making the "we, the descendants or European settlers from hundreds of years ago, stole this land from the Native Americans" claim and that now we are "receiving stolen property?"

Interesting......

In jest, yes, I am. I know that the land cannot be stolen once again from generations that rightly inherited it. But, just because it was acquired in recent history by legal means, does not negate the fact that it was forcefully stolen.

And nobody is prevented from giving back from their own holdings what they feel their ancestors "stole" or obtained through unethical means...

...but they don't...

I don't want the land given back; just the ability to roam and explore and fish as the Good Lort 'tended us to.

 

[jifigz]

In jest, yes, I am. I know that the land cannot be stolen once again from generations that rightly inherited it. But, just because it was acquired in recent history by legal means, does not negate the fact that it was forcefully stolen.

I don't want the land given back; just the ability to roam and explore and fish as the Good Lort 'tended us to.

Yeah, I know that you were joking, or at least not being that serious. I will respond with a serious yet simple response, though.

Yes, settlers brutally destroyed native culture, forcefully took their lands, easily subjected them to the will of our conquest, and, militarily, took what we wanted. That is, more or less, the exact same way it has happened with all cultures all over the world since the dawn of humankind. Does that make it right? No, not necessarily, but it also does not make the scenario of North America being colonized by Europeans any more egregious than every other time a culture has been dominated by another one. And that, complete domination and subjugation of one culture, has happened too many times to count throughout history.

 

[jifigz]

On a serious note directly related to fishing in PA, though, our state is RIFE with fishing opportunities. We really do not have anything to complain about.

 

[salmonoid]

Yeah, I know that you were joking, or at least not being that serious. I will respond with a serious yet simple response, though.

Yes, settlers brutally destroyed native culture, forcefully took their lands, easily subjected them to the will of our conquest, and, militarily, took what we wanted. That is, more or less, the exact same way it has happened with all cultures all over the world since the dawn of humankind. Does that make it right? No, not necessarily, but it also does not make the scenario of North America being colonized by Europeans any more egregious than every other time a culture has been dominated by another one. And that, complete domination and subjugation of one culture, has happened too many times to count throughout history.

I thought we had banned the invasives vs natives debates?!?!

Swattie and I took a gamble on fishing Sunday, with the 1"+ of rain, snow squalls and lower temps. And it paid off. We definitely are RIFE with fishing chances in PA.

 

[caddisflyer]

Freedom to roam - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In many of these European countries they have a much different idea of public and private than here in the so called freedom loving USA. Check out this article or look up Finland "Everymans Rights". The concept of private property is just another man made construct we choose to hold in certain ways.

 

[MBWCC]

Thanks for proving my point. It's not hard to find information on who owns a piece of property. It's also not hard to ask nicely. It's even less hard to respect the word, "No".

You missed the point completely. We are talking about public water, not private land. No one has the right to say, "no" regarding access within public water.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

You missed the point completely. We are talking about public water, not private land. No one has the right to say, "no" regarding access within public water.

If you want to read something really effed up, I encourage you to read the article I provided below. Taxpayers subsidized much of that fishery only to be precluded from fishing much of it in spite of the Commonwealth of Virginia deeming the river public. I lived through that mess down there. When people tout how good we have it in PA, they're not kidding.

Who Owns the Jackson River? | Virginia Living

Private developers and the public both lay claim to a stretch of the Jackson River in Allegheny County, and fly fishers are caught in the middle.

virginialiving.com

 

[wildtrout2]

When people tout how good we have it in PA, they're not kidding.

Absolutely! SGL, SF, SP, you can't go wrong.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Juuusssttt... Enter the water on a raft or boat from public access upstream and fish totally naked when you float past posted shorelines.

 

[jifigz]

I thought we had banned the invasives vs natives debates?!?!

Swattie and I took a gamble on fishing Sunday, with the 1"+ of rain, snow squalls and lower temps. And it paid off. We definitely are RIFE with fishing chances in PA.

If you wouldn't mind sharing that exact location, I'd be very grateful. A PM would do nicely. We don't want EVERYONE to know where you were....

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Juuusssttt... Enter the water on a raft or boat from public access upstream and fish totally naked when you float past posted shorelines.

You can't even float that area. Because of the King's Charter, property owners own the streambed and all resources above including the water. I know you're joking, but they have cables setup across the river where the public/private areas begin/end with cameras set up so they record you as you float by and then they call the police. What you propose would certainly result in charges for indecent exposure and a Class 1 Misdemeanor for trespass 🤣

 

[moon1284]

If you want to read something really effed up, I encourage you to read the article I provided below. Taxpayers subsidized much of that fishery only to be precluded from fishing much of it in spite of the Commonwealth of Virginia deeming the river public. I lived through that mess down there. When people tout how good we have it in PA, they're not kidding.

Who Owns the Jackson River? | Virginia Living

Private developers and the public both lay claim to a stretch of the Jackson River in Allegheny County, and fly fishers are caught in the middle.

virginialiving.com

No different than the DSR on the salmon river.