Stocking is done already!

[lycoflyfisher]

Maxima you finally are talking sensible. Move stocking locations closer to town on larger creeks to be better utilized by the public and provide ample opportunities for youth close to home. I do not think anyone on this board would argue with you there. For your second point, yes we all including fish and boat need to continue to increase outreach to women and youth anglers. Did you know that pfbc already does quite a few introductory to fly fishing workshops specifically for women the ones that I am familiar with filled up in short order.
To provide you some info on water quality, pfbc hatcheries are required to meet effluent limits as according to their discharge permits the same as any other industrial discharge. Higher amounts of biomass obviously equals more nutrients. I'd be willing to bet that many of the private hatcheries do not follow the same standards. Or they do not have to because they claim to produce less fish than the typical state hatchery.

 

[PALongbow]

Fish & Boat already makes trout fishing easy enough by stocking more of the fish at bridges and easy access points. My goodness should we just let people fish out of the stocking trucks. I hardly see people fishing anymore so I feel the stocking program is probably just about right now for the number of fisherman on the streams. The problem is that the guys that fish now have stringers of fish and for some reason they can't release fish. It's an age old tradition in PA to "get your limit'. I live on a well fished creek and see what goes on there with stocking and fishing in general.

Ron

 

[maxima12]

I got it! Longbow, start watching these fishermen, CROSSEYED!

You will see more fishermen and less stringers.


Maxima12

 

[PALongbow]

Maxima - I don't think we will ever see less stringers. Fisherman and hunters in PA are ingrained with entitlement. They pay for a license so that means take as much as possible until its depleted so then they look elsewhere. This mindset has been passed down through the generations. If no creel or bag limits were in place today we wouldn't have any fish or game to pursue in PA.

Ron

 

[ryansheehan]

maxima12 wrote:

Wanted streams close to town or in towns, stocked heavily, so youth could walk or ride bikes not having to have parents drive them to go fishing. This also included locals, who would like to harvest tout to eat and an easy access for the elderly. Almost was in until T.U. stopped it in its tracks, stating water was too warm.

Stocking close would have had an impact on Wild fish. Less pressure. Stocking close would have an impact on license sales.

Perfect, not sure why TU balked, stockers should be put in water that gets too warm. If the water was colder it would have a wild population, for the most part. Based on your previous post regarding Penns I didn't think this was your stance, I stand corrected.

 

[jifigz]

I'm no super duper animal activist or anything, but how long before someone like PETA cuts down on stocking trout in waters that will get too warm and they will eventually die anyways? I mean, they are totally anti-fishing, but that is one more argument that they could use. It's like torture, ya know?

I'm so glad I live where I live. Where the wild trout abound. Now if I could just find the time to fish and it would rain just a little less.

 

[jifigz]

PALongbow wrote:
Maxima - I don't think we will ever see less stringers. Fisherman and hunters in PA are ingrained with entitlement. They pay for a license so that means take as much as possible until its depleted so then they look elsewhere. This mindset has been passed down through the generations. If no creel or bag limits were in place today we wouldn't have any fish or game to pursue in PA.

Ron

This comes back to something that I've been saying for a while. I enjoy eating fish. I love it, actually. Is it more responsible for me to let the overfished and stressed ocean populations to feed me and see no evil (when though many commerical fisheries are on the verge of collapse) or occasionally keep a fish I catch and can eat. One that I know I only took what I needed and what I wanted. And I don't even typically keep a fish a year. And I'm not all for releasing every wild trout etc. Wild trout taste so much better than a stocker. And if their numbers and population is healthy and thriving, why not keep one? This may upset people, but there will be at least one day this year when I harvest a few small smallmouth bass and fry them up. If if fish hard, respect the resource, truly care about it and know it better than most, but then I'd be looked down upon for keeping one. Crazy.

 

[Mike]

Jfigz,
I've gone out twice in the past two weeks to specifically fish for stocked trout dinner. It happens that the closest stream to my home is a stocked stream section that rarely holds trout past early to mid-June. In fact, I fished it yesterday. Harvested five for that purpose last week and two yesterday, although I was trying for three. If it were an unstocked wild brown trout stream, I would do the same thing on occasion. The next closest stream to me is a small Class A wild brown trout stream, but I pretty much ignore it in its very urban setting.