I thought you guys were done talking? I catch trophy fish everywhere I go, ya just gotta think like a big fish.
Without knowing the exact lakes you are referencing, I can only respond to the basics of what you are saying here…but, I can’t help but say a few things:
- For many of the boulder mountain lakes, there is no such thing as a quick survey–population surveys can be very time consuming when access to a lake is not possible via truck or atv. With the number of biologists and number of fisheries and work that is needed to be done, quick yearly surveys of all fisheries simply is not feasible.
- The word "ruined"is probably not only excessive but also incorrect…your beef is that the trophy quality of some of your favorite fisheries has declined because fish densities are up and quality is down. Since you understand the basic concept of growth and density, you should also understand that these trophy fisheries can be easily returned to trophy status via decreased stocking…so nothing has really been “ruined”!
- You mentioned that the DWR “blindly” stocks lake at 50 fish per acre on the Boulder…again, I believe your word choice is excessively harsh. Stocking rates on the mountain were established by a lot of trial and error. And, for many years these rates worked fabulously for much if not all of the mountain. So, what has changed to make those rates no longer successful in creating trophy fisheries now when they were in the past? In my eyes, the big change over the years was the regulation change that disallowed winter fishing in some lakes and the slot limit. Is it possible that the reduced harvest and fishing pressure has actually adversely affected these trophy lakes…I think it has! To fix this problem it is probably time to revisit the stocking rates…
- The last comment I would like to make deals with the idea of expectations…the reality is that fishermen fit into a lot of different hat sizes. Some want to just catch a few fish for dinner, some want to catch a few nice ones, and some want the chance at a trophy. Because we all have different expectations, it is important, in my opinion, that some lakes are managed for casual anglers that just want to catch a few and some lakes are managed for trophy anglers. I think the DWR recognizes this too and will try to accommodate all types of anglers as best they can with both stocking rates and regulations…
I have a list of 15 lakes on the boulder mountain that I feel are currently being overplanted by the DWR but I feel it would not be appropriate to share them on a public forum. I have been trying to contact the fisheries biologist for the Southern region, Mr. Hepworth, and voice my concerns to him, but he seems to spend a lot of time out of the office and out of cell phone range.
I am very passionate about the fishing on the boulder mountain, fishing those lakes is my livelihood. I have fished 40 different lakes on that mountain this year.
I apologize if I have personally offended you with my harsh words but I do believe the DWR could contact the local fishing guides and a few passionate anglers that fish the mountain regularly and get a decent “survey” of the fish in most lakes without actually throwing a net in the water.
I also believe that some of the lakes are currently “ruined” but I agree with proper management they can be restored to quality fisheries within a few short years.
I will have to agree with your point that the slot limit and special regulations has hurt the quality of fishing and I would like to see them done away with.
I also acknowledge that anglers have different opinions on what they want in a fishery, but from what I have seen in the surveys and from talking to people here in Wayne County, we would like to see more trophy brook trout on the Boulder.
Hmmm… Maybe he spends too much time posting on an internet forum!!!
Hmmm… Maybe he spends too much time posting on an internet forum!!!
Richard???
I think he’s confused.
I have a list of 15 lakes on the boulder mountain that I feel are currently being overplanted by the DWR but I feel it would not be appropriate to share them on a public forum. I have been trying to contact the fisheries biologist for the Southern region, Mr. Hepworth, and voice my concerns to him, but he seems to spend a lot of time out of the office and out of cell phone range.
I am very passionate about the fishing on the boulder mountain, fishing those lakes is my livelihood. I have fished 40 different lakes on that mountain this year.
I apologize if I have personally offended you with my harsh words but I do believe the DWR could contact the local fishing guides and a few passionate anglers that fish the mountain regularly and get a decent “survey” of the fish in most lakes without actually throwing a net in the water.
I also believe that some of the lakes are currently “ruined” but I agree with proper management they can be restored to quality fisheries within a few short years.
I will have to agree with your point that the slot limit and special regulations has hurt the quality of fishing and I would like to see them done away with.
I also acknowledge that anglers have different opinions on what they want in a fishery, but from what I have seen in the surveys and from talking to people here in Wayne County, we would like to see more trophy brook trout on the Boulder.
I am willing to bet that many of those 15 lakes that you feel are overstocked, I would not. I would also bet that many fishermen can go into some/many of those lakes, catch fish, and feel like they have caught some of Boulder Mountain’s famous trophy brook trout even though those fish are only 15-16 inches long and not over 2 pounds. Many a time have I been fishing on the mountain or seen pictures of fish people proudly talked about as 4 pounders when they were really only 2. This summer I was able to fish some lakes that I had not in many years…I had an absolute ball catching healthy 15-16 inch brookies in these lakes. I would be absolutely disappointed if any of them were stocked with fewer fish…but, I have never seen “trophy” brook trout come out of these lakes in the past either. My point is that what is trash to you is treasure to someone else. The one thing I do NOT want is for every brook trout lake to be treated as a “trophy” fishery. This concerns me because I know that throughout the summer brook trout in such lakes can be very difficult to catch. I would imagine that many of the lakes you deem as “overstocked” I would say are perfectly stocked. But, again, I am speculating because I don’t know for sure which lakes you are talking about. For example, I know that when the DWR first started talking about poisoning lakes on the Boulder however many years ago that was, Donkey Lake was one that people threw a fit over. It shocks me to this day that people didn’t want that lake poisoned…I have never regarded it as anything more than a lake full of little dink brookies. But, people love it that way…maybe attitudes have changed, but I know that people do like some brook trout lakes where fish are readily caught and the sizes aren’t “trophy”!
Also, I get an email every week from the southern region basically begging me for fishing reports. I also know that I talk directly to Richard every time I fish the mountain and let him know what I have found. I am sure that the southern region and Richard particularly would love to get detailed reports from you on individual lakes after you fish them. I am sure he would listen to your reports and consider them when making management plans. I would suggest that all you have to do is email him and he will get them.
Last thing, I personally do not want the slot limit totally done away with or the winter regulation removed. I still feel like these regulations have their place because big brook trout are very vulnerable to harvest during winter months and they could potentially be very easily overharvested. I feel like the stocking numbers could be adjusted to correct any problems that have come up with fewer fish being harvested.
I personally release small wipers because they all will grow to three pounds or more if allowed to live long enough. Those that weigh three pounds or more are big enough to fight like crazy and provide enough meat that they’re well worth filleting. What drives me nuts are the shorebound bicyclists who bring their families to the dike and catch everybody’s limit, even the 1-year-old. A family of eight can take home 24 fish, which is better than last year, when they could take home 48, but still way too many.
As for tiger muskies, I hope the DWR considers raising the minimum size if they reopen harvest at Pineview. A 40-inch tiger muskie isn’t usually a truly mature fish. I would like to see a 45-inch minimum with fishermen limited to one per person per year.
A fish between 40 and 45 inches is a great trophy that will usually put up a wonderful battle, and I would like to see more fishermen experience that.