People focus too much on numbers. Given how much trout waters vary in size and access, numbers alone don't reflect fishing opportunities. |
People plan their marriages around it. The calls start coming in around the first of the year from people wanting to make plans. I've had brides-to-be tell me that that's why they're asking, because they don't want to plan their wedding the same weekend as the opener. And that's not something that's just happened once. It happens often enough every year that it sticks with you. |
Raising trout in the numbers that we do to the size we do is an extremely expensive proposition. We have an obligation to get the best return on that investment that we can. |
The average stocked trout goes to about a half pound in Pennsylvania. You really don't need a heavy line in the first place. When you see low, slow waters the fish are line shy. When it's high and cloudy, there's not as much of an issue. |
The bottom line is, any stream or lake we are stocking is going to provide a quality fishing experience, and the number is not the judge of that. If people are so focused on the numbers, they are missing out on some really good fishing opportunities right in their own backyards. |
The same features that make them easy to maneuver also make them unstable. They don't draught a lot of water. They just skim the surface. That makes them tippy and more dangerous. |
There's no cause and effect here, but it's a nice coincidence. Could we use some of that [DEP] money toward the work of the center? Sure. |
These fish cost a lot. So, we're trying to make sure we get the most bang for the buck. A fish that dies or gets eaten by a heron isn't a good use of our money. |
This is the first step. |
We didn't want to create another opening-day effect, especially for private landowners who might have been tempted to consider posting their ground if they were constantly bombarded with anglers. |
We don't have anything up our sleeve ready to go. There's a lot to flesh out. But we want to at least start the discussion. |
We kind of said, 'We need this whole area to be off limits,' but we didn't have the data to be site specific. Although we're not the permitting agency -- we're advisers -- if we're going to advise, we need good data. |
We'd like to have ownership of the canyon and feel we are in the best position to manage it. |
You're looking at 50 plus years of having a single, statewide opening day in mid-April. That means just about everyone who is out there trout fishing now has never known anything else. |