Trout stocking time is nearing

[afishinado]

[color=000099]Why not get out there and help?[/color]

From the PFBC site:

We had very little help last year on some of the stockings which made it difficult to distribute the fish as evenly as we would have liked to.

We often get the angler who wants to call in and report that a favorite hole was not stocked well enough, and for reasons of bad weather and proximity to the road and or, for lack of help, it may have to be passed by. The first thing we ask is if they came along to help stock and the usual answer is no.

Stocking is a lot of fun and gives you a chance to give something back to the resource. It is also a great way to spend a day with a kid and to get them off the web and video games for a while. The web site below has been updated and will give you all the dates, times and meeting locations for any county in Pennsylvania. Simply put in the county that you are interested in and hit search and a list of all the stocked waters will come up.

Thanks in advance for your help!

http://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/TroutStockingDetails_GIS.aspx

 

[Dave_W]

Good reminder.

I think float stocking greatly improves the fishing experience and this requires some manpower and coordination.

 

[Mike]

Depending upon the particular stream involved, the terrain can make it great exercise. That is also true when there are just a few stocking helpers. Additionally, inseason stockings are even more poorly attended in many cases so the opportunity to carry even more buckets of fish presents itself. Finally, you can add to the exercise factor on a number of streams when you ride a bicycle rather than drive an automobile from stocking point to stocking point, which is my approach. Skip the workout that day, ride a bike, and stock some fish.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I like the bike idea.

 

[troutfanatic]

The just dump em off of bridges and overpasses down here.

 

[nomad_archer]

I helped during the second stocking for the first time last year and made it a point to dump the fish in riffs and in water that is usually overlooked by the truck chasers. I need to look when stocking will be this year and lend a hand if I can.

 

[John96]

I try to make it to a few each year on the stocked streams I regularly fish. It's also a good way to scope out streams that you're not familiar with.

 

[Maurice]

John96 wrote:
I try to make it to a few each year on the stocked streams I regularly fish. It's also a good way to scope out streams that you're not familiar with.

^^^ +1 helping with a stocking is one of the best ways to learn about stream access on a particular stream. And often the local regulars will share other spots during and after the effort.

 

[lestrout]

Maurice and John96 make excellent points, as does Mike. I like to see what's happening on the watersheds - bug hatches, habitat, changes from storms, etc. These days that's a big reason I go ffishing anyway. The last 2 years I stepped it up from a couple of stocking outings to about a dozen. I have brought my eldest grandson and he earns Boy Scout points for the conservation program.

Funny thing is I almost never ffish the spots I personally stock. It seems like the trouts in my buckets become friends and I don't want to hurt friends. lol

 

[Mike]

Expecting a good number of Browns to be stocked inseason this year. Should be great for those who favor Browns because they feel that Browns rise more reliably than Rainbows.

 

[FlyGuyGlen]

Do you just show up to the stocking locations at the date/time listed? Is there some other protocol to be followed? I'd love to help out with those near me.

 

[hooker-of-men]

FlyGuyGlen wrote:
Do you just show up to the stocking locations at the date/time listed? Is there some other protocol to be followed? I'd love to help out with those near me.

I second these questions. I've always wanted to get involved, but the fact that the only info I have is a listing in the regulation book for a meeting in a random gas station parking lot has created some reluctance. Seems like this could be made more inviting. As is, kinda makes me concerned I'm gonna leave with syphilis...

 

[Mike]

How would they be able to make it more "inviting?" There is a meeting place and time in daylight. A Conservation Officer leads the procession. There is always someone experienced around to explain the procedure. Just ask when your u arrive.

When I volunteer I wear sturdy shoes or boots that can be used to go through brush, etc and in some cases up and down steep embankments. Pants will get a little water splashed on them and occasionally some mud. I do not wear "good" clothes. Some people wear muck boots. By the end of the day you will probably have made some new fishing friends.

 

[Maurice]

Mike is spot on.

As with any new social encounter. Show up on time and find the head honcho. Look for a group shooting the bull, if they look comfortable, they know the deal, sidle up to them and ask who you should talk to about helping. You either found the "guys" or they will point you in the right direction. From there its just a matter of following direction and not getting in the way.

Some stocking efforts involve float stocking...its likely the group running the stocking (alongside the WCO) has the help they need for those efforts but it cannot hurt to have a set of waders in the car/truck just in case.

Whatever ya do, don't be a lurker while others are hustling, get involved.

 

[FlyGuyGlen]

Maurice wrote:
Mike is spot on.

As with any new social encounter. Show up on time and find the head honcho. Look for a group shooting the bull, if they look comfortable, they know the deal, sidle up to them and ask who you should talk to about helping. You either found the "guys" or they will point you in the right direction. From there its just a matter of following direction and not getting in the way.

Some stocking efforts involve float stocking...its likely the group running the stocking (alongside the WCO) has the help they need for those efforts but it cannot hurt to have a set of waders in the car/truck just in case.

Whatever ya do, don't be a lurker while others are hustling, get involved.

Thanks Mo. (And Mike)

I'll definitely try to make some time in my weekends to help with the stockings around me.

Probably shouldn't climb out of the car with rod in hand though, eh? :lol:

 

[hooker-of-men]

Mike wrote:
How would they be able to make it more "inviting?" There is a meeting place and time in daylight. A Conservation Officer leads the procession. There is always someone experienced around to explain the procedure. Just ask when your u arrive.

When I volunteer I wear sturdy shoes or boots that can be used to go through brush, etc and in some cases up and down steep embankments. Pants will get a little water splashed on them and occasionally some mud. I do not wear "good" clothes. Some people wear muck boots. By the end of the day you will probably have made some new fishing friends.

Well, for starters, you might publish information like this in the regs book. I've often wondered what I should wear, if I need waders, if I need to bring anything else specific, etc. Am I going to be hiking back and forth on land or helping float stock? It's great if the WCO and others involved already have those logistics figured out, but how am I to know that?

I think you're being a bit assuming when you make it sound so obvious. Frankly, that's the kind of attitude I was worried I would encounter after I drive a half hour to the meeting place with little information just to end up being somehow unprepared.

 

[Maurice]

hooker-of-men wrote:

Mike wrote:
How would they be able to make it more "inviting?" There is a meeting place and time in daylight. A Conservation Officer leads the procession. There is always someone experienced around to explain the procedure. Just ask when your u arrive.

When I volunteer I wear sturdy shoes or boots that can be used to go through brush, etc and in some cases up and down steep embankments. Pants will get a little water splashed on them and occasionally some mud. I do not wear "good" clothes. Some people wear muck boots. By the end of the day you will probably have made some new fishing friends.

Well, for starters, you might publish information like this in the regs book. I've often wondered what I should wear, if I need waders, if I need to bring anything else specific, etc. Am I going to be hiking back and forth on land or helping float stock? It's great if the WCO and others involved already have those logistics figured out, but how am I to know that?

I think you're being a bit assuming when you make it sound so obvious. Frankly, that's the kind of attitude I was worried I would encounter after I drive a half hour to the meeting place with little information just to end up being somehow unprepared.

Hooker, volunteerism is not for everyone...often the first encounter is a fact finding mission. no one is being off putting here, but attitude and entitlement is not conducive to meeting new people and wanting to help. I hope you take the time to give it a whirl, there are plenty of levels help needed, and every stocking scenario requires different levels of clothing, preparation etc. You won;t be scolded for not having the right attire, you will be placed into a role befitting your level of interest and preparation. This can be modified as your interests evolve.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Maurice,

I greatly appreciate the information and I will put it to use. Like I said, I've wanted to get involved for awhile. I've just felt clueless.

I don't think I'm quite coming from a position of entitlement or attitude. This is a thread about how not enough people help stocking; I've shared why I felt awkward about diving in. Explaining how to get involved to one person on a message board hasn't solved the problem the PFBC is having.

 

[afishinado]

hooker-of-men wrote:

FlyGuyGlen wrote:
Do you just show up to the stocking locations at the date/time listed? Is there some other protocol to be followed? I'd love to help out with those near me.

I second these questions. I've always wanted to get involved, but the fact that the only info I have is a listing in the regulation book for a meeting in a random gas station parking lot has created some reluctance. Seems like this could be made more inviting.

As is, kinda makes me concerned I'm gonna leave with syphilis...

All good advice by Mo and Mike.

Some guys wait for the truck at their honey hole. Many of these guys don't lift a finger to help, they just lurk (never really understood, but c'est la vie....)

It's best to wait for the truck to arrive at the predetermined meeting place published in the stocking listing. The WCO or PFBC person in charge will give you direction, and you can follow the truck to the first stocking point.

If you do wait for the truck at some point on the stream, be sure not to park in a spot that will interfere with the truck being able to safely park and stock the section.

Oh and just take two penicillin tablets an hour before you go, and you should be fine...

 

[steveo27]

I know in the past most stocking is done during the week. I havent looked at this years schedule for SWPA, but Id imagine most of it still during the week which is a bummer for people who want to help but also work M-F.