Any Idea What This Could Be?

[mt_flyfisher]

There is a small privately owned farm pond in my town (New Holland) that has been open to the public for fishing and other recreation activities for as long as I can remember. A local sportsman’s club that I’m a member of stocks trout in it early in the spring, and there’s a one day fishing derby for the kids. That was held a couple weeks ago. After that it’s always been open to fishing to anyone who wants to fish there. As the water warms up, all of the trout are either caught or die off, and there’s always some bluegill and a few small bass and a catfish or two left in the pond year round.

This morning when I drove by the pond I saw that a series of new signs had been put up all around the pond’s perimeter. I guess I could find out what’s going on by asking someone locally, but I was wondering if anyone knows what law/code gives the Pennsylvania Fish Commission the right to make a private pond a “cooperative nursery”, and close it to fishing?

Furthermore, now I’m even more confused. Someone also put up signs in the past day or 2 that say “catch and release fishing only”. Seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?

P.S. There is another private pond stocked with lots of trout about a mile south of New Holland that has catch and release for fly fishing only for $10 per hour, or $30 per day. A couple times I’ve been there I had the whole place to myself and got so tired catching and releasing trout that I didn’t even last for a full hour!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Maybe there is an upcoming youth derby?

 

[turkey]

It seems that the ducks are the real losers in this scenario.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Maybe there is an upcoming youth derby?

That could be, but they already had one, and I have no idea how that could relate to the PA Fish Comm, or a coop nursery. 🤔

 

[mt_flyfisher]

It seems that the ducks are the real losers in this scenario.

They’re a pain in the you-know-what, and I wish there’d be an open season on them.

 

[dudemanspecial]

That sign does not look like an offical PAFB document.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

That sign does not look like an offical PAFB document.

I wondered about that too. Thanks.

 

[poopdeck]

https://www.fishandboat.com/Fishing/Stocking/Documents/statement_policy.pdf

I didn’t read the entire document but I skimmed it enough to think an executive challenge is justified. I think it’s a good chance it’s a scam sign since cooperative nurseries are for moving water that can’t go above 65 degrees. Call them and find out.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Cooperative Nursery Unit
1735 Shiloh Road
State College, PA 16801
Fax: 814-355-8264Opens In A New Window

 

[Cznymph]

https://www.fishandboat.com/Fishing/Stocking/Documents/statement_policy.pdf

I didn’t read the entire document but I skimmed it enough to think an executive challenge is justified. I think it’s a good chance it’s a scam sign since cooperative nurseries are for moving water that can’t go above 65 degrees. Call them and find out.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Cooperative Nursery Unit
1735 Shiloh Road
State College, PA 16801
Fax: 814-355-8264Opens In A New Window

That’s incorrect. Cabelas in Hamburg was and may still be a cooperative nursery. I can think of a few co-op nursery’s that raise fish in ponds and even one that is complete recirculated indoors.

A family member just went through something similar just upstream aid his property. It was posted a few days before the season opener as a kids/disabled area. The PFBC signs had dates hand written on them and really didn’t look professional at all. There was no vote on making this a kids area at any commission meeting prior. Seemed a very sketchy way to do things.

 

[Mike]

That’s an interesting one. Usually ponds used in fish culture have drawdown capabilities. Is that true with this pond? Also, aside from the muskies mentioned earlier, the only pond culture cooperative nursery project that I ever saw in SE Pa was developed to raise Largemouth Bass from fry to fingerlings.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

That’s an interesting one. Usually ponds used in fish culture have drawdown capabilities. Is that true with this pond? Also, aside from the muskies mentioned earlier, the only pond culture cooperative nursery project that I ever saw in SE Pa was developed to raise Largemouth Bass from fry to fingerlings.

I think that this pond has removable wood slats at the outflow, but I’d have to check for sure. I don’t remember ever seeing it drawdown. I’ll have to drive by to take a looser look. It’s just 1/4 miles from my home.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I think I got the answer.

The local sportsman’s club stocked trout in the pond and they put those Cooperative Nursery signs out to keep people from fishing before a kids fish derby that is being held there now this morning. Those signs are down now.

The catch and release sign was put up by the pond’s owner. After the fish derby ends, anyone can fish in the pond and keep any trout that they catch, but must release any other fish that they catch.

I just walked around the pond and saw most everybody had a stringer or bucket of trout. Half of the people fishing were adults. One young boy was holding a duck and feeding it. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves.

All is clear as mud.

There are removable wood slats so that the pond could be drained. One of the sportsman’s club members who is at the pond this morning told me it was drawn down one time.

 

[Duriensbane]

IMO instead of the PFBC sign they should just state their true objective and say that fishing is closed till after the derby. Dont make things more convoluted then they need to be.

 

[Peter Ross]

Bottom line: Someone should feed the ducks.

 

[tomgamber]

IMO instead of the PFBC sign they should just state their true objective and say that fishing is closed till after the derby. Dont make things more convoluted then they need to be.

What PFBC sign? The sign only states what laws would be enforced. Not that the sign was from the PFBC. It would imagine ant sign by the PFBC would carry their badge/logo.

 

[jifigz]

Bottom line: Someone should feed the ducks.

No one should feed the ducks. Everyone, please allow the ducks to be wild animals and not get fed in every park across the country.

We duck hunters would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[poopdeck]

That’s incorrect. Cabelas in Hamburg was and may still be a cooperative nursery. I can think of a few co-op nursery’s that raise fish in ponds and even one that is complete recirculated indoors.

A family member just went through something similar just upstream aid his property. It was posted a few days before the season opener as a kids/disabled area. The PFBC signs had dates hand written on them and really didn’t look professional at all. There was no vote on making this a kids area at any commission meeting prior. Seemed a very sketchy way to do things.

It’s not incorrect. The document clearly states there has to be a minimum water flow and it can’t exceed 65 degrees.

 

[Peter Ross]

No one should feed the ducks. Everyone, please allow the ducks to be wild animals and not get fed in every park across the country.

We duck hunters would appreciate it. Thanks.

I was just joshin' about the sign. No one on this forum is a duck feeder.

 

[hendeylathe]

Click bait BS ?

 

[Cznymph]

It’s not incorrect. The document clearly states there has to be a minimum water flow and it can’t exceed 65 degrees.

You stated that the signs had a good chance of being a scam because co-ops have to have flowing water.

I pointed out that there are several co-ops that use recirculating systems, or raise their fish in ponds. The co-op right down the road from me uses a pond. There are exceptions to every rule.

I found this floating around the interwebs.

Co-op Nursery - Lehigh River Stocking Association

In the spring of 2015, the LRSA received funding from the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat commission to construct a retention cage at a private lake in Slatington, PA. The LRSA received 1,000 Rainbow Trout fingerlings in late June, and the LRSA co-op was born. These fish were released in the spring of...

www.lrsa.org