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Monday, December 22, 2008

Expanding Your Saltwater Fishing Potential

Often we are faced with fish that for a variety of reasons are extra spooky or that just won't hit a lure. Some of the causes include bright sunlight, clear water and small baits. When this happens the tendency is to downsize the lure and make longer casts to the fish. Many times this works. But there are the times when the fish still don't hit our lure, even after we've thrown everything we got at them. Remember, going smaller, hence lighter with a lure makes those longer casts harder. Sometimes to have greater success we need to use a lure made of materials that are extremely light and provide a more realistic look to the fish. A lure that isn't heavy enough to be cast in the conventional way.

An alternative way to present or cast the lure to these fish is to change the technique and instead of using the weight of the lure to carry the line, we use the weight of the line to carry a relatively weightless lure. To do this we need to change our tackle and the lure. Yes, I'm talking about fly fishing.

For years fly fishing was considered the domain of the freshwater angler, and it was. Early in the 1900's there was a very small group of fishermen who started pursuing saltwater fish with fly rods, but it wasn't until later on, during the middle of the 20th century that fly fishing pioneers like Joe Brooks began popularizing the technique. Since the 1970's and 80's the growth of saltwater fly fishing has been huge, led by fishing personalities like Left Kreh, Bob Popovics, Lou Tabory and others. The quality of the tackle has improved to the point that for many adventurous saltwater fly rodders, no fish is off limits. But, I'm not going to get into blue water fly fishing, but rather a quick and easy way how the inshore saltwater angler can add to his bag of tricks.

Remember, earlier I said we can use the weight of the line to carry the lure. That's all fly fishing basically is. What's needed is some basic equipment like a rod, reel, line and flies. The flies are nothing but lures, called flies more as a tradition stemming from the origins of fly fishing when the lure did indeed imitate an insect. In the salt the flies are used imitate bait fish, crustaceans, like crabs and shrimp, and sometimes worms like sand and cinder worms. The materials used in making, or rather tying, flies provide a translucency and realism unattainable with metal, plastic or wood. The motion and texture created can far surpass other artificials.

The most important part of fly fishing is learning to cast. Too often this is shrouded in a mysterious, jargon riddled explanation leaving the first timer to think it's some type of art form. It isn't. Fly casting is a skill for sure and just as spin casting and bait casting require different learned skill sets, so does fly casting. The best way, and perhaps the only way to learn how to cast is when you're not fishing. When you try to learn while you're fishing the focus always becomes trying to catch a fish and the learning curve becomes greatly lengthened. This is really no different in learning to use a bait caster, for example.

You can approach the learning phase in several ways. One is to use the services of a pro. Not a bad choice if you can afford it since this would jump start the whole process. Another way is to have someone you know, who you know what he's doing, teach you. This isn't as easy as it sounds. Many competent amateurs lack the teaching skills needed to convey the concepts. There are also the many fly fishing clubs that frequently offer clinics for free or at a minimal cost. On the higher priced end are the fly fishing schools like those run by The Orvis Company and LL Bean. But the most common way I see, are people who are self taught. Teaching yourself isn't a bad route to go as long as you have the space to do it. It has become much easier over the years with the number of excellent DVD's and books on the market by fishing celebrities like Lefty Kreh or the late Mel Krieger. These DVD's are easy to understand and illustrates how easy fly casting really is.

Rods and reels. These two items can cause a lot of debate among veteran fly fishermen, each who seems to have their own brand loyalty. In reality, all of the major fly tackle manufacturers make quality rods and reels. In the beginning I suggest keeping things inexpensive, simple and of very good quality. Rods in the $200 range can easily get you started and if need be, you can do okay around the $100 mark. Orvis, Sage, St. Croix and TFO all make rods in this category.

For the beginner the brand is not near as confusing rod sizes and actions. Simply, rods are sized by number, with the higher numbers given to the heavier rods. In other words, a 10 weight is a heavier rod than a an 8 weight. Actions can also be simplified to slow, medium and fast. Without getting into a lengthy discussion, a rod in the fast to medium-fast range is most useful and easy to learn with. Rod weights in 8, 9,or 10 will cover most fish, with the 8 weight being for the smaller fish, the 9 next and the 10 weight for the larger fish like big stripped bass and the small tunas. Companies like Orvis have some very good information on their website to help in choosing a rod for the species of fish you are most likely to encounter.

Reels don't need to break the bank either. Ross Reels, Orvis and a few others make quality reels at a reasonable price that will give you a lifetime of use. What you want to look for first in a reel is that it's saltwater proof. This means machined aluminum and high quality drags at the least. Try to stay away from cast aluminum reels as they tend to have less strength. Reels of this quality can be had from the low $110's to mid $200's. The only other thing you'll need is a fly line. Start with a floating or intermediate line matched to the rod. In other words, a 10 weight line for a 10 weight rod. Any of the major brands will do the trick. Here again, brand loyalty can run strong among veteran fly casters. Just keep in mind if it's sold by Scientific Angler, Rio, Orvis or Cortland it's not junk and will do the job.

Aside from the flies, which you're best buying locally if possible, the other tackle you'll need are leaders. The same line you use for conventional fishing will suffice as leader material, but if you want to seal the deal and maybe make things just a little easier on yourself spend the few extra bucks and pick up a couple of pre made leaders. The very end of the leader where you attach the fly is called the tippet. By having a few varying sizes of mono or fluorocarbon spools, you can keep the leader to its original length when it gets shorter from changing flies or a fish breaking off. The breaking strength of the tippet can also be changed without changing the whole leader to compensate for changing situations of conditions.

Learning this additional fishing method could give you opportunities you didn't have before. At worse, you'll experience greater enjoyment. It could become, like it has for many, your preferred fishing method. But whichever direction fly fishing takes you it's still nothing more than fishing, just with different tackle for different situations.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

GAME COMMISSION URGES PARTICIPATION IN CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT


HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are urging wildlife enthusiasts to join the tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the United States in the Audubon Society’s 109th Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which will take place Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.


“Bird enthusiasts, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists, will head out on an annual mission - often before dawn - to make a difference and to experience the beauty of creation,” said Dan Brauning, Game Commission Wildlife Diversity Section supervisor. “Each year, volunteers brave snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count, and they have made an enormous contribution to conservation to help guide conservation actions.


“The data collected through this effort – which is the longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations – allows researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.”


Local counts will occur on one day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. Volunteers can pick the most convenient circle, or participate in more than one count. There is a specific methodology to the CBC, but everyone can participate. The count takes place within “Count Circles,” which focus on specific geographical areas. Each circle is led by a “Count Compiler,” who is an experienced birdwatcher, enabling beginning birders to learn while they assist. Also, those who live within the boundaries of a Count Circle can even stay at home and report the birds that visit their backyard feeders, or join a group of birdwatchers in a local field.


“In either case, if you have never been on a CBC before your first step is to locate and contact your local Count Compiler to find out how you can volunteer,” Brauning said.

To view instructions on how to search for a circle and sign-up for an open count, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “Wildlife” in the left-hand column, and then choose the “Christmas Bird Count” icon in the center of the page. Information also can be obtained from Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count website (http://www.audubon.org/Bird/cbc/), or on the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology’s December newsletter (http://www.pabirds.org/Newsletter/PSO_Newsletter_2008_04.pdf).

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

DRBC EXPECTED TO WITHDRAW PROPOSED WATER CODE AMENDMENTS RELATED TO THE FLEXIBLE FLOW MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

November 25, 2008

(WEST TRENTON, N.J.) -- Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Executive Director Carol R. Collier today announced that the five-member agency comprised of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York State, and the Federal Government is expected to withdraw its proposed regulations to codify the Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP) at its public meeting on December 10, 2008.

The regulations were proposed in December 2007 to codify an agreement that was unanimously approved on September 26, 2007 by the Parties to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court Decree (Decree Parties) for operation of the three New York City (NYC) Delaware Basin reservoirs through May 31, 2011.

While no action to approve the Water Code amendments is scheduled for the December 10 public meeting, a discussion of future steps concerning the Water Code and a status report on the FFMP are on the agenda for the informal morning conference that precedes the Commission's afternoon business meeting. The conference session will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the DRBC's office building, located at 25 State Police Drive, in West Trenton, N.J. Both the morning session and the 1:30 p.m. business meeting are open to the public. In accordance with the Delaware River Basin Compact, the statute that created the Commission, the DRBC cannot take action except at a public meeting.

"After considering the 1,900 comments received during the public comment period and in consultation with the Decree Parties, the Commission is expected to withdraw the proposed regulations published on December 3, 2007 and to direct staff to develop new proposed amendments to the Water Code aimed at facilitating adaptive water resources management within a regulatory framework," Collier said.

The proposed new amendments to the Water Code, which will not be released before the summer of 2009, will provide for flexibility in addressing additional data and information as it becomes available from a variety of sources, including:

  • the flood analysis model currently being developed for the Commission by the combined efforts of the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and National Weather Service;
  • the OASIS model (a water resources planning tool) updated with data through September 2006;
  • the results of ongoing studies scheduled to be concluded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the spring of 2009 on the habitat needs of the dwarf wedgemussel, a federally protected endangered species found in the Upper Delaware Basin;
  • experience gained over the past year of FFMP operation; and,
  • comments received on the proposed Water Code amendments during the public comment period which ended on March 3, 2008.

The Commission will conduct another full notice and comment rulemaking process, including a public hearing, on the proposed new Water Code amendments. The new amendments will contain standards for operation of the NYC Delaware Basin reservoirs but will be less prescriptive than previous proposals, which included detailed operational requirements. The amendments will allow for flexible, timely adjustments to reflect real-time conditions and new information, including the annual review of FFMP implementation, modeling simulations, and other sources. Such adjustments may include modifications to the release schedules to reflect climactic, river flow and temperature conditions, as well as short-term operating changes to accommodate maintenance and repair needs on a timely basis. The anticipated rule proposal will provide for public notice and comment with respect to any major modifications of the reservoir operating program.

The FFMP agreement reached by the Parties to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court Decree (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York State, and New York City) continues to be implemented on a temporary basis by the Decree Parties through May 2011 and can be viewed on the Delaware River Master’s web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/odrm/. The Decree Party's FFMP agreement was developed to provide a more adaptive means than the previous operating regime for managing the Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink reservoirs for competing uses, including: water supply; drought management; flood mitigation; protection of the tailwaters fishery; a diverse array of habitat needs in the main stem river, estuary, and bay; recreation; and salinity repulsion. The 1954 Supreme Court Decree, which resolved an interstate water dispute centering on the three NYC reservoirs, made no provision for spill mitigation, conservation or ecological releases.

The conceptual framework of the FFMP agreement largely eliminates the reservoir storage "banks" previously used for habitat protection purposes and instead bases releases on storage levels, resulting in larger releases when water is abundant and smaller releases when storage is at or below normal. Its spill mitigation component is intended to reduce the likelihood that the three reservoirs could be full and spilling coincident with a major storm or thaw.

The law creating the DRBC gives the Commission the power to allocate the waters of the basin, but prohibits it from adversely affecting any condition set forth in the 1954 Decree, including the New York City reservoir releases or diversions that the Decree established, without the unanimous consent of the five Decree Parties.

The DRBC was formed by compact in 1961 through legislation signed into law by President John F. Kennedy and the governors of the four basin states with land draining to the Delaware River. The passage of this compact marked the first time in our nation’s history that the Federal Government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency.

Additional information can be found on the Commission's web site at www.drbc.net.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Fall Striper Fishing

On the days that the wind cooperates we've been having some nice days fly fishing the New Jersey waters for striped bass. There have been lots of fish in the 24 to 27 inch range with some larger ones thrown in the mix. Most days we've been lucky enough to find surface action with the stripers. Big bluefish are also in the mix, with a couple up to 15lbs. landed on the fly rod.

Above is Dr. Bob Defilippis with a respectable 32 inch fall striper.

Pictured below is just one of a pair of doubles that Dr. Bob and Bruce Miller landed on November 4, 2008.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Angling For Charity

This is one of those organizations you run into that is purely grassroots and just doing a lot of good. Check them out: www.anglingforcharity.org

AFC originated from a 2007 Noreast.com sponsored charter fishing trip. It was the idea of the original chartermaster, Mike 'Obtuseangler' Dubroff, and Captain Phil Eastman to hold a fishing charter where all the fish caught on the charter be given to the NH Foodbank and so the Foodbank charter trip was born. This generous action led to the creation of Angling For Charity that now holds raffles, auctions and coordinates food drives to help not just the hungry but also aids The Make A Wish Foundation.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Nice End to the Delaware River Season


The last day of my scheduled guiding season on the Upper Delaware River was October 18, 2008...

Andrew Cirigliano put a fine touch to the day with this 18" wild rainbow taken on a rusty spinner.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Friends of the Upper Delaware River

FUDR PRESS RELEASE 9/7/08

The Upper Delaware River trout fishery is again under serious threat despite high reservoir storage levels which are currently at 80% of capacity, with the Cannonsville reservoir over 70% capacity. The lack of adequate releases this summer for the fishery has resulted in a nearly full reservoir placing the entire upper Delaware River in eminent danger of floods, especially during this current hurricane season. On average, the Cannonsville reservoir has less than 50% capacity this time of the year.

The current Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP), introduced on an interim basis on October 1st, 2007, has been a complete failure protecting the trout fishery. Temperatures rose to lethal proportions at the Lordville, NY USGS gage as early as June 11, 2008. The readings at Lordville often exceeded 75F degree instantaneous and 72F degree continuous, deadly for
trout. Continuous hot water temperatures continued through the summer due to the insufficient FFMP releases despite an abnormally cool summer temperature.

The situation more recent September is even worse. Releases on September 5th at Cannonsville went from 900 cfs to 100 cfs in a matter of hours (see chart attached). The FFMP schedule calls for a low 115 cfs release out of Cannonsville (400 - 600cfs constant flow is needed for a healthy fishery environment) in September and will further drop releases to 80 cfs in the West Branch October 1st, devastating for the spawning brown trout runs in the West Branch. Releases were also lowered for the Pepacton and Neversink Reservoirs with similar results.

These low releases come at a time when mandated releases directed out of Cannonsville can no longer be relied upon as new downriver power generating operations and recreational releases are counted toward the Montague flow requirements. FFMP is a dismal failure and will further deteriorate the mainstem of the river and further contribute to the disappearing rainbow trout population as well as endanger the entire area from floods.

FFMP is currently a temporary plan put in place by the Decree Parties on October 1st, 2007. This plan has the full support of NYC and will be made permanent pending approval of changes to the Water Code at the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) meeting September 24th, 2008. The approval to change the Water Code that legalizes FFMP will need a unanimous vote by all decree parties from NY, NJ, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Please let your voices be heard before September 24th to all state and local Agencies (below) that include NJDEP; NYDEC, NYCDEP: PADEP; PA Fish & Boat Commission and the DRBC and tell them NO to any Water Code changes and NO to FFMP!

Friday, August 08, 2008

NOAA Proposes Rule to Require Saltwater Angler Registration


NOAA’s Fisheries Service is seeking comment on a proposed rule that requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be registered before fishing in 2009.

The rule would also require registration by those who may catch anadromous species anywhere, including striped bass, salmon and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their adult lives in estuaries and the ocean.

The proposed rule satisfies the National Academy of Science National Research Council recommendations to establish a national database of saltwater anglers, and meets the requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The proposed rule is a part of a larger initiative of NOAA’s Fisheries Service to improve the quality and accuracy of data on marine recreational fishing and catches. The registry will also help measure the economic effects of recreational fishing on the national and local economies.

“The national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing a major gap in information on recreational fishing,” said Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “It will help us conduct surveys to get a more complete picture of how recreational fishing by an estimated 14 million people is affecting fish stocks. This will lead to better stock assessments and more effective regulations to rebuild and manage these valuable fish.”

NOAA may exempt anglers from registration if they already have a state-issued saltwater fishing license or registration, and the state provides sufficiently complete information to place in the national registry. In certain instances, anglers in states participating in regional surveys of marine recreational fishing may also be exempted. The new rule allows states to apply for exemptions.

States on the West Coast (including Alaska), the Gulf Coast, and the South Atlantic offer saltwater fishing licenses. Hawaii and the states from New Jersey to Maine do not.

“States without saltwater licenses have a strong incentive to adopt licenses,” said Balsiger. “Any fee that a state collects through a license can be used for restoration and fishery management in the state. By law, the registry fee taken by NOAA will offset the cost of issuing the registration. It can not be specifically directed to fisheries management.”

Fishermen would be required to be registered annually and NOAA will not charge a registration fee in the first two years. Beginning in 2011, the annual fee will be an estimated $15 to $25 per angler. Anglers under the age of 16 would be exempt from registering and fees would be waived for indigenous people, such as members of federally recognized tribes. NOAA’s Fisheries Service recognizes that many indigenous people fish for food as part of ancient cultural traditions.

Anglers who fish only on licensed party, charter, or guide boats would also be exempt, since these vessels are surveyed separately from the angler surveys. Also, persons who hold commercial fishing licenses or permits, and are legally fishing under them, will be exempt from the registration requirement.

Registrations will include an angler’s name, address, telephone number, and the regions where fishing is conducted. This information will not be made public; it will be used only by NOAA to conduct surveys.

The National Academy of Science’s National Research Council advised NOAA’s Fisheries Service in 2006 to redesign its surveys of recreational fishermen for more accuracy, precision, and transparency. The NRC’s independent scientific review resulted in more than 200 recommendations for improving marine recreational surveys, including the recommendation to establish a national database of saltwater anglers. This recommendation became law in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary fisheries law for U.S. ocean waters, which was reauthorized in 2007. Please see http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip for additional information on this effort, the Marine Recreational Information Program.

For the last 28 years, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has conducted recreational fishing surveys through random telephone interviews with residents living in coastal counties. NOAA and its regional and state partners conduct an extensive program of dockside interviews of anglers to obtain data on their catch.

The national saltwater registry will enable surveyors to interview only those people who fish, and will reach all anglers, not only those who live near the coast. To read the proposed rule, go to http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.
Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until Aug. 11. They can be mailed to:

John Boreman
Director, Office of Science and Technology
NMFS
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Attn.: Gordon Colvin
Comments can also be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

2008 Mid-Summer Fishing Report & Update

The West Branch of the Delaware is still fishing at its technical finest with sulfurs, blue wing olives, isonychias, Cahills and some terrestrials.. The water has been mostly on the low side, except for most Fridays and Saturdays when there have been water releases, with the best fishing concentrated on the upper section of the river. Light tippets are the norm and landing a jumbo brown on 7 or 8X is a very cool experience.

I've added a Dave Scadden Three Man Pontoon Boat to my fleet which has been allowing me to float the West Branch even with the low water flows we've been having. The way this whole water release game goes is that we've been seeing water released on Fridays and Saturdays for reasons too complicated to get into here. So mostly on Friday and Saturday there's been enough water to use a drift boat. On other days the pontoon comes into play.

The Main Stem smallmouth bass fishing has been pretty sweet the past couple of weeks and should stay that way well into October. We've been seeing big numbers of fish and a good number of big ones. As always, the spin rod produces the most fish, while the fly rod produces the most challenge. Either way, it's just plain fun!

Saltwater fishing off Northern New Jersey has been very good with big bluefish leading the way. Fluke fishing has been good too with enough keepers mixed in with the shorts to make for some tasty dining. Stripers are mostly done for the summer, although fish are still hitting baits from time to time. Striper fishing should pick back up again in the fall.

Bluefish on the fly are savage fighters and a great fish for the fly fisherman new to the saltwater. Looking forward to the albies...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Orvis Saltwater Helios 10 wt.

Last Fall I fished a Helios 10 weight in the salt for stripers, bluefish and false albacore. The rod performed beautifully. It's light weight, lighter than many five weights, made casting all day long very easy. Casting this rod is distance made easy.

The wind didn't matter as this rod generated tight loops and line speed to slice through the up to twenty knot winds we encountered. I have to admit that initially I had some reservations about the fish fighting ability of such a light rod. That concern was put to rest after the first fish was hooked. This rod is no light weight, it just doesn't weigh much. With the drag cranked down the rods backbone and muscle were put to the test on big North Carolina false albacore and New Jersey's chopper blues and striped bass.

The five weight Helios spent a whole season with me on trout and smallmouth bass. Scroll down to read about that rod.

Smallmouth Bass

From late June through October the smallmouth bass fishing really turns on in parts of the Upper Delaware. Last July this fishery was placed on Field & Stream magazine's top five list of smallmouth rivers. The section of river I fish is not just loaded with bass, but it's among the most scenic in the system.

Each year this fishery is becoming more and more popular with my clients, so if you've never done it and would like to give it a try call or email me. I'm sure you'll get hooked just like the fish! FlyFishTheDelaware.com

Summer Trout Fishing

Last year we saw some excellent sulfur hatches. With the higher flows this past winter there should be some excellent summer hatches again this season. No anchor ice and bank to bank water in the river means high nymph survival rates not just for the Spring hatches, but for the Summer hatches too.

Now is the time to make plans for this coming season. Drop me an email at crosscurrent@optonline.net or visit www.FlyFishTheDelaware.com

Upper Delaware Current Conditions & Forecast

Upper Delaware Current Conditions & Forecast

The Upper Delaware reservoirs are currently at more than 100% of capacity. Couple that with the remaining snow pack in the higher elevations and the typical spring rains that have yet to come and we should be looking at some normal to above normal river flows for this Spring. The river remained higher than normal all winter due to scheduled water releases form NYC and rain and snow fall. With no anchor ice, it should mean some better than decent bug hatches and a high fish survival rate. The brown trout also had to have had an excellent spawning season with a higher than usual redd survival rate.

Monday, March 03, 2008

America's Sportsmen Take Aim at Congress:

Global Warming Threatens Hunting, Fishing Traditions

More than 670 Groups From All 50 States Call for Cap-and-Trade Climate Legislation To Protect America's Wildlife Legacy


Washington, DC (February 12) – More than 670 hunting and fishing organizations from all 50 states, representing the millions of Americans who share America's sporting tradition, are urging their U.S. Senators and Representatives to target global warming with strong climate legislation.

Read the rest of the article: Click here

Learn more about global warming at targetglobalwarming.org

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Walnut Creek Fishing Hours

Erie County, PA, 2/6/08—Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Dr. Douglas Austen, acting under the authority of the Commission, has ordered the immediate closure of fishing on Walnut Creek from Route 5 north to Manchester Road Bridge between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The Executive Director has found that this action is necessary and appropriate to conserve and preserve fishing opportunities in the area. The action reflects the concern of some property owners about the noise levels and unnecessary neighborhood disturbances caused by anglers fishing Walnut Creek during the time period of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Prior to this action, from the day after Labor Day until the opening day of trout season in April, all Lake Erie tributary streams were closed to fishing from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for Walnut Creek and Elk Creek north of Route 5. The amendment now prohibits fishing on Walnut Creek from Route 5 north to Manchester Road Bridge between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The modified regulation has been posted and is now fully effective and enforceable. This temporary modification will remain in effect until January 1, 2009, unless the Commission, by appropriate action, adopts the amendment. The Commission, under a separate notice of proposed rulemaking, will seek public comments on a permanent change to the Commission’s fishing regulations.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Fish Factoid

Just a little tid bit of information I find interesting...

In 1883, seven smallmouth bass were traded to Germany in exchange for the first brown trout eggs to be introduced in North America.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Upper Delaware River Gas Exploration

It seems like all the nice places left in this country are continuously under attacks that threaten to degrade the environment.

With on going water, or rather de-watering issues almost a daily threat throughout the early and mid summer, to the eyesore of a proposed high power line along its bank, the Delaware river, the longest un-dammed river in the Eastern US is no stranger to these assaults.

Now add in natural gas exploration. In its January 17, 2008 issue, the Delaware River Reporter reveals the quiet maneuverings of natural gas drilling companies in the Upper Delaware River Basin. Read the whole story at:

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Fishing’s Broad Economic and Conservation Impact

Report Highlights Fishing’s Broad Economic and Conservation Impact
by Mary Jane Williamson

January 8, 2008 — Alexandria, VA — Recreational fishing is more than just a getaway for millions of Americans. As an industry, it provides a living for countless people in businesses ranging from fishing tackle and accessories manufacturing to travel and hospitality to boat manufacturing. According to a new report on fishing statistics, published by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), when expenditures are multiplied by America’s nearly 40 million anglers, their dollars have a significant impact on our nation’s economy. Read the rest of the report HERE

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Off Season Reading

Here are two recent books on the Delaware and Catskills that should be mandatory reading for any serious fly fisherman of this historic region.

The first is Fly-Fishing Guide to the Upper Delaware River
by Paul Weamer.

The second book is Ed Van Put's Trout Fishing in the Catskills