Public Comment on Spruce Creek

[DaveKile]

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to fishing tackle regulations along a section of Spruce Creek located in Huntingdon County. Learn more here:

ow.ly/oSv650uwmcb

 

[PALongbow]

If bait fishing is added they should have to take a video tutorial on how to handle fish especially those that get hooked deep and also the use of barbless hooks. I don't think that bait fishing and catch and release go well together. Just my opinion...

Ron

 

[jifigz]

I do think that bait fishing increases the chances of a deeply hooked fish and fish mortality, however, I don't think it is the bait's fault. A good angler can prevent this from happening 99% of the time. There is no doubt that a big juicy nightcrawler is more likely to get inhaled than a fly that is spit out immediately.

 

[jifigz]

Here is the real issue at hand, in my opinion. I love that the old Indian Caverns property was acquired and it opened up more public angling..the sad thing is that it is 0.15 of a mile. That stinks. I wish more of Spruce Creek was open to angling and less of it was pellethead stocked private water.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Done. Not in favor of All Tackle C&R due to increased mortality rate. I am in favor of C&R Artificial Lures Only. Everyone who has an opinion on this matter now is your chance to express those opinions to the PFBC.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I added my comment and proposed that the .15 section be kept consistent with the Harvey C&R ALO area. The PFBC has enough of a problem trying to enforce the regs it currently has in place. I have never seen a WCO on Spruce in all the years I have fished there. To have a separate C&R All Tackle area on the .15 mi. section is just inviting people to fish bait in the Harvey section and claim ignorance because they don't read the signs to note the change in regulations. My .02 which is free.

 

[Acristickid]

I see the merit of artificial lures but in this case and against my typical response I say let them eat cake.

Maxima would be proud- see not all flyfishers hurt the children!

It’s a sacrifice or compromise for the sake of all anglers. Okay- reason is it’s very small, close to road with large parking area. Let them have it. .15 of a mile. I’ve fished it twice when it first was opened up- not particularly good holding water although we caught fish.

While there are no doubt wild fish there is no denying there are also an awful lot of stockers and let them get all beat up.

 

[RLeep2]

They could (or may already have..) get a baseline on the potency of the current wild trout population in the section under discussion. Then, implement the regs as proposed and let them go that way for a few years, then sample it again. If they find a significant decrease in the trout pop., go to C&R ALO. My bet would be that they would not be able to demonstrate harm to the fish population from the all-tackle regs. I mean, isn't this how the entirety of Spring Creek ( a not dissimilar stream..) is currently managed? Is the wild trout population in Spring Creek being suppressed by the current regs?

 

[silverfox]

Make sure to use the comment link:

https://pfbc.pa.gov/regcomments/index.htm?title_number=SpecRegSpruce-July2019

or that "SpecRegSpruce-July2019"

appears in the "Number of Rulemaking or Title of Notice" space.

The link above can be found directly on the commission's website here:

https://www.fishandboat.com/Regulations/Pages/ProposedRecentRegulations.aspx

under: Notice - 5.16.2019

 

[Dave_W]

Thanks for the update on this. I have sent in my comments.

 

[salmonoid]

Good use of bureaucratic resources - request public comment not once, but twice, for 792 feet of stream in what is mostly a private stream...

Just leave it as open water. No need for any more special regs in the state... (And if we do need them, Spring and Valley and the Little J and Upper Kettle and Pine seem to be doing just fine with All-Tackle)

 

[FrankTroutAngler]

Thanks for the link.

I commented in support of making this section All-Tackle C&R. There's no reason to discriminate against bait anglers on yet another section of stream when there is no basis in science.

I also suggested the PFBC review all other waters where non-fly anglers are currently being discriminated against and suggested they open them to bait anglers. In particular, I used the 8.7 section of Slate Run/Francis Branch as an example of PFBC-sanctioned Fly Fishing Only club water that should be eliminated immediately. Ditto the wooded section of Fly Fishermen's Paradise, probably the most under-utilized sections of arguably the most popular trout stream in Pennsylvania.

 

[outsider]

Quite Frankly, boo-hoo.

 

[afishinado]

FrankTroutAngler wrote:
Thanks for the link.

I commented in support of making this section All-Tackle C&R. ]There's no reason to discriminate against bait anglers on yet another section of stream when there is no basis in science.

I also suggested the PFBC review all other waters where non-fly anglers are currently being discriminated against and suggested they open them to bait anglers. In particular, I used the 8.7 section of Slate Run/Francis Branch as an example of PFBC-sanctioned Fly Fishing Only club water that should be eliminated immediately. Ditto the wooded section of Fly Fishermen's Paradise, probably the most under-utilized sections of arguably the most popular trout stream in Pennsylvania.

Scientific study on trout Mortality >

Fish were landed using flies, artificial baits fished passively (ABP), andartificial baits fished actively (ABA).

Mortality for fish caught using ABP averaged 32.1% ranging from 19 to 45% over five experiments performed at different water temperatures.

For fish caught using ABA, mortality averaged 21.6% and ranged from 9% to 29%.

Mortality for fish caught using flies averaged 3.9% and ranged from 1% to 14%.

Fish caught on artificial baits were more likely to be hooked in critical areas and thus more likely to die.

Across the five experiments, less than 5% of fish caught on flies were critically hooked.

For ABA, the range was 19-59% with an average of 45.7%, and the range was 70-86% for ABP with an average of 78.3%

Link to source > https://henrysfork.org/files/Rob%20Blog/C%26R%20mortality%20review.pdf

 

[rrt]

Regular posters to this FLY FISHING site: franktroutangler's puerile posts are designed to antagonize fly-fishermen. Otherwise, he would post his comments about Slate Run and Fishermen's Paradise on a non-fly-fishing site, not here. Don't let this non-fly-fisherman get "under your skin."

 

[Mwheaps32]

He's not getting under my skin at all he prefers to spin fish what's the big deal!!

 

[afishinado]

Mwheaps32 wrote:
He's not getting under my skin at all he prefers to spin fish what's the big deal!!

PA Flyfish is here for those that enjoy fly fishing and wish to post about the sport.

There are plenty of spin fishing and general fishing sites out there to access.

Someone posting on a fly-fishing site about closing fly-fishing areas is really classless and a bit childish.

It shows little respect for the many PAFF members that do an awful lot to help protect and enhance the streams and fish in PA.

I wish Frank would finally grow up to outgrow the "them" or "us" mentality so we can all work together to make PA a better place to fish for all anglers, regardless of the tackle they choose to fish.

 

[Mwheaps32]

He's a member of this site so I guess if he wants to antigonize us he can but I won't be bothered for even a second. I don't know him personally but I've read and heard good things about him in respect to wild trout so I'll leave it at that.

 

[afishinado]

Mwheaps32 wrote:
He's a member of this site so I guess if he wants to antigonize us he can but I won't be bothered for even a second. I don't know him personally but I've read and heard good things about him in respect to wild trout so I'll leave it at that.

Understood ^

But, Frank has a long history of coming on here to troll our members. Taking the time to antagonize other anglers seems so childish and petty. Instead why not come up with more positive things that we can work on together to make things better for wild trout. I don't believe Frank's proposal to open up bait fishing on wild trout streams will gain much traction on here or is one of the "good things about him with respect to wild trout."

 

[JackM]

This change will not attract more FrankTroutAnglers, but will encourage, rather, less responsible TroutAnglers. That's my take on it and I am a TroutAngler, who uses flies.