SE early opener: good demo year for its benefits

[Mike]

If ever there was an extreme example of the benefits of the early opener in SE and SC Pa, this is it. Flow is low, heat is extreme for this time of the year, and almost all stockings have been completed in the SE. Cancellations have been avoided in Area 6 to date, as have stocking delays. A quick check of Area 6 streams showed what appeared to be only four streams remaining to be stocked.

 

[Maurice]

Don't hurt your arm patting yourself on the back Mike...We all like the early opener.And it'll be back in the 60s by the end of the week so....

 

[blueheron]

Split stocking is a good idea, wow I didn't see it as a personal triumph for Mike but if it is , so be it.Get your bike out Mike, the Lehigh is just about perfect for rolling and trolling.

 

[krayfish2]

Any reason it simply couldn't be April 1st statewide and be done with it?

 

[Mike]

Roll and troll...I like it!

Kray, there are a number of reasons but one is that it takes six weeks to stock all of the waters statewide and February is too iffy with respect to weather and remnant poor road conditions from the winter.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Sometimes the mid-April opener is too early for the Northern realm, I think. But what can you do? I never minded the double opener. I think the only time it had a "negative" impact on me was a few years ago. I was at my bro-in-law's house in Sullivan Co. He has a tributary to the Little Sock on his property that usually holds natives and wild browns. I was there over Easter weekend, and it was an early Easter (first weekend in April, I think). I was wishing I could fish the Little Sock that weekend, as the small stream was way too cold yet, and I suspect the bigger, warmer streams probably had wilds coming down from the tribs.

 

[Chaz]

The early opener put unnecessary pressure on wild trout streams when the trout are just getting into good fattening up season before the 'traditional' opener. I don't like the early opener for that reason, and for the crowds that normally weren't on streams in early April.
get rid of opening day altogether.

 

[Fishidiot]

This has been an unusual year weather wise: we have had back to back severe winters with lingering ice and cold. This year, that late winter was followed by an early onset of warm weather (at least so far). Even here in Adams Co pre-season stocking was difficult due to ice the last couple years.

So, sure, this year does reveal some of the advantages of the split-opener in ways that may not be so obvious under more typical weather conditions.

 

[RyanR]

Mike wrote:
Roll and troll...I like it!

Kray, there are a number of reasons but one is that it takes six weeks to stock all of the waters statewide and February is too iffy with respect to weather and remnant poor road conditions from the winter.

What does needing six weeks to stock have to do with it? So many other states that also stock trout, including those north of PA and subject to harsher winters are able to open earlier AND still stock trout adequately. The PFBC still stocks trout in-season too. NJ has a very popular 7 week in-season stocking program. NY always has an April 1st opener and also stocks preseason & in season. The main reason for the specific Saturday opener(s) I've heard right from the PFBC commissioners and ED themselves is tradition and the economic boost to many tackle shops and other small business, especially those in small or rural trout fishing destinations (such as the popular Northcentral region, among others.) It is perceived that changing opening day to just the 1st day of a particular month (where it may fall on a weekday some years) would lessen that economic boost that the traditional Saturday opener generates.

Personally I like the two openers now. They generate buzz and excitement around that old tradition of "opening day" except now it happens twice which is cool. On the other hand I certainly wouldn't mind an April 1st opener or just a first Saturday in April statewide no matter what.

Having grown up in Northampton County in the Southeast region I was glad when they finally instituted the regional opener because just about every year good trout fishing could be had by very early April. I remember the very first year of the regional opener we were finally able to enjoy fishing the start of the Hendrickson hatch on my favorite local wild & stocked stream and fish were taking dry flies off the surface that day!

 

[krayfish2]

Mike,
Wouldn't a solution be to stock less or do it just after the opener? Some winters would be mild enough for the stringer crowd to get their fill on opening day

 

[Chaz]

RyanR wrote:

Mike wrote:
Roll and troll...I like it!

Kray, there are a number of reasons but one is that it takes six weeks to stock all of the waters statewide and February is too iffy with respect to weather and remnant poor road conditions from the winter.

What does needing six weeks to stock have to do with it? So many other states that also stock trout, including those north of PA and subject to harsher winters are able to open earlier AND still stock trout adequately. The PFBC still stocks trout in-season too. NJ has a very popular 7 week in-season stocking program. NY always has an April 1st opener and also stocks preseason & in season. The main reason for the specific Saturday opener(s) I've heard right from the PFBC commissioners and ED themselves is tradition and the economic boost to many tackle shops and other small business, especially those in small or rural trout fishing destinations (such as the popular Northcentral region, among others.) It is perceived that changing opening day to just the 1st day of a particular month (where it may fall on a weekday some years) would lessen that economic boost that the traditional Saturday opener generates.

Personally I like the two openers now. They generate buzz and excitement around that old tradition of "opening day" except now it happens twice which is cool. On the other hand I certainly wouldn't mind an April 1st opener or just a first Saturday in April statewide no matter what.

Having grown up in Northampton County in the Southeast region I was glad when they finally instituted the regional opener because just about every year good trout fishing could be had by very early April. I remember the very first year of the regional opener we were finally able to enjoy fishing the start of the Hendrickson hatch on my favorite local wild & stocked stream and fish were taking dry flies off the surface that day!

And many of the states stock way more fish than PA does.