Year round trout season?

C

CRB

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
1,609
Location
Around the bend.
Apparently the commissioners are pondering that before the summer meeting. The trout summit, particularly the trout movement study has made some points. SW PA may be getting an early opener in 2009 also.
Any thoughts?
I fear the commissioner's view on trout stockings as many believe the best use of the fish are lakes and not streams.
CRB
 
I know at least a few on here would be fine with stocking only lakes and of streams. Of course those same people may not like the idea, if the fish do well, of people harvesting those fish.

The year round proposal I read said lakes would be open all year but the streams would still be close or have less harvest leading to a "sort of" opening day.

Personally I hate the idea of an opening day and while its apple and oranges liked it when Idaho didn't really have an opening day when I lived there.

With that said I like the event of opening day. Going up to camp and all...not so crazy about the fishing but the trip is an annual event. With the the extended season many lakes are only closed for two weeks as it is...if they move up the opener, they will be, and in the east I assume, are already open all year.

There is good and bad. Not sure why its always all or nothing. Probably because the bait and keep crowd still contains more votes than the rest of us.
 
If it passes it will not go into effect until 2010. Also, they will look into the pros and cons of allowing trout fishing year-round on lakes, while maintaining a traditional opening day scenario for streams. Reason being trout stocked in lakes can't swim away like those put in streams.
 
I have been an advocate for getting rid of the opening day for almost as long as I've been fishing. Having said that I would suggest a C & R period for the approximately 6 weeks from March 1 to the traditional opening day. I'd make all wild trout streams no harvest from Labor Day until the traditional opening day with AOL regulations in place until the traditional opening day. Change the limit on wild trout streams to 2 fish a day on Limestone streams and some freestone streams, the rest get no kill at least for several years to see what happens with the populations, particularly on freestone streams.
 
Chaz wrote:
I would suggest a C & R period for the approximately 6 weeks from March 1 to the traditional opening day. I'd make all wild trout streams no harvest from Labor Day until the traditional opening day with AOL regulations in place until the traditional opening day. Change the limit on wild trout streams to 2 fish a day on Limestone streams and some freestone streams, the rest get no kill at least for several years to see what happens with the populations, particularly on freestone streams.
Click to expand...

Ok, Chaz you are forgetting two important things...

1) we learned a couple years ago that people are too stupid to remember (or actually read) all those rules so they had to simplify the ones we have.

2) Many of the people out there don't care how many you are ALLOWED to keep.

Perhaps toughening up the punishment for poaching would be a better idea.
 
If I remember correctly, Virginia does not have a closed season/opening day. In order to simulate an opening day they plan their stockings around a particular week/weekend. Of course they do not have as many trout streams as Penns.

Personnally, I don't know if I would be in favor of a year round trout season. There are enough wild and special reg streams around to meet my needs anytime of the year. It also helps to concentrate the put and take crowd to a few weeks in the spring.
 
Chaz wrote:
I have been an advocate for getting rid of the opening day for almost as long as I've been fishing. Having said that I would suggest a C & R period for the approximately 6 weeks from March 1 to the traditional opening day. I'd make all wild trout streams no harvest from Labor Day until the traditional opening day with AOL regulations in place until the traditional opening day. Change the limit on wild trout streams to 2 fish a day on Limestone streams and some freestone streams, the rest get no kill at least for several years to see what happens with the populations, particularly on freestone streams.
Click to expand...

Chaz, the wild streams are already no harvest from Labor Day to opening day.

I agree with your ALO idea and most of the other stuff in your message.

I would be fine with stocking mostly in lakes, and even bumping up the creel limit in the lakes. no problem with harvesting them from lakes. This would give the freezer fillers even more incentive to go there instead of the streams, especially the wild streams.

Wouldn't bother me a bit to get rid of "opening day entirely," but i feel it won't happen. Opening day sells licenses. Look how many people only fish opening day, and maybe only the first week or two.
 
I don't know the regs. in Pa. anymore but it seems to me you would lower the quality of your fishing if people were scuffling around in the spawning beds and taking spawners just so you can have a year around season.
The Eastern streams are too small and there are too many people for that.
Even in Montana they closed the smaller waters and upper reaches during spawning time even though few fished that time of year.
Also of course the fish will leave lakes to spawn if they can so you would hurt the lake fishing by having streams open.
 
Pete, I would guess that an April 1st opener already has people walking thru spawning areas as well as fishing in the fall does.

Idaho was similar to what you described in that many streams were closed for a few weeks in late June and early July for spawning. The lakes are pretty much put and take and the idea is to stock them even more because the fish can't go anywhere.

I would be in favor of some kind of wild trout regs re-vamp though...but again, if its not simple enough for the PA simpletons, we'll just have to do it again in a few years...
 
Im trying to figure out why we think a re-vamp of wild trout regs couldnt be understood by the common fisherman. We obey traffic laws and program VCRs, and they can be quiet complicated.

I think its that people dont care what the regs are. Make it 2 trout per day and we will still have people taking over their limit. Its not that they dont know they just dont care.

We wanna simplify the regs here is an easy way......

Wild trout stream not stocked - C&R AFLO

Wild trout streams stocked - Wild Brook Trout Enhancement Program *keep the stockers let the wilds go*

Stocked streams and Lakes with NO wild trout - whatever the limit is....2-3-4-5 a day. What ever the case maybe.

Whats so hard about that?

Truthfully the problem is not enough WCO's watching the streams to enforce laws. Its not their fault either just they way it is with not enough help or money.

Im in favor of stopping the stockings of most streams. It would only help our natural wild trout resource.
 
90% of trout anglers can't distinguish a brown trout from a brookie and you want to base harvest regs on wild vs. stocked?
 
how is that hard Jack if its a brown trout in a wild brook trout stream?

the 5 inch trout is wild lol


we can distinguish between a variety of regs right now......i only mentioned 3 LOL

p.s. where did you get that statistic of 90 percent? thought you were a man of cold hard factual numbers? heck now that i think about it....if 90 percent cant distinguish between a brook trout and a brown trout then i guess i dont have to accept any of the Wlid brook trout enhancement data......they been keeping all the wrong trout anyways.
 
Maybe along with the "FISH HERE" signs PFBC is going to have made at the state prisons, they can send the stocking truck past for a quick tattooing of the words "TAKE ME HOME TO YOUR FREEZER" on the side of all hatchery trout.
 
So I see you wont answer my question and now have gone past ridiculous to hilarious. Is this another one of those times, by your own admission, that you would rather argue than think? Is it possible that the 90 percent of fisherman that you have run into that cant distinguish between wild brook trout and brown trout are just a 90 percent of a 10 percent of the total angling base?

If we are that bad at distinguishing between fish species then why have a big bass program. Im sure they just thought they were keeping bluegills :roll:

why would they have to make signs? its an easy concept, if its not stocked the its C&R all trout. Lmfao i think you are maybe part of that 10 percent over complicating things.
 
JackM wrote:
90% of trout anglers can't distinguish a brown trout from a brookie and you want to base harvest regs on wild vs. stocked?
Click to expand...

Maybe so Jack, but surely most of those 90 percent can distinguish a stocked stream from an unstocked (wild) stream. Or more specifically, "approved trout waters" from all others. We already have that list, and it seems to work.
 
Did you both forget or ignore this part of sal's "simplified" regulations:

"Wild trout streams stocked - Wild Brook Trout Enhancement Program *keep the stockers let the wilds go*"

This is what I am commenting upon.

What is "ridiculous" and "hilarious" is the way people in such a small minority niche of the angling public think the regulations should be designed to serve their interest and be understandable at their level of sophistication. To answer the question about 90%, it was merely an estimate, and a conservative one at that.
 
Jack,

that is the way the wild brook trout enhancement program works. seems anglers are doing it just fine.

hey when did you meet the entire angling public or did the fish commission do an "Angler Idiot Survey."?

What i find ridiculous and hilarious, jack, is that such a large majority of the angling public has ignored the resource to , as you say, serve their own interest. The PFBC is starting to get it, when are you?
 
''What is "ridiculous" and "hilarious" is the way people in such a small minority niche of the angling public think the regulations should be designed to serve their interest and be understandable at their level of sophistication. To answer the question about 90%, it was merely an estimate, and a conservative one at that.''
Jack M. quote
I have noted the same for 60+ of fishing,Jack.
Same on the Delaware forum-lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top