Warren County Fish Hatchery

[ADK Rock Farmer]

An open letter to concerned anglers and local businesses on the Warren County Hatchery’s Commitment to fishery maintenance & improvement.

Dear fellow anglers and businesses that do commerce with the visiting & local angling population:

First, I feel it is necessary to establish my own credibility here. I have no personal financial interest in this issue; my only interest is in the well being of my local fishery. Fishing is my deeply loved past time and it has significant personal value to me.

If you are a local or visiting angler, please contact one of the town supervisors who comprise the county board and ask:

Are the current practices of the Hatchery and the interest of attracting tourism to Warren County in alignment?

If you live in or come to Warren County to fish, please consider contacting the following and express your concerns as well:

http://www.co.warren.ny.us/contact.php

http://www.northwarren.com/contact_form.html

[chairrock]

What are the issues?

[AlSara]

I'd like to read more in the form of investigative journalism. If anyone here has a connection to DenPubs, the Chronicle, or The Post-Star, it'd be cool to read something about this issue in public print.

As a fly-fishing guide on the Schroon River, I did notice significantly smaller fish. The majority of small trout weren't even 8 inches. The first dozen little guys got me jazzed about the possibility of natives. But then quickly began to hear the complaints of other fisherman, spin and fly, about how small, few and physically weak the fish were this past season. My findings agree with the other fishermen's observations...OH and these observations are from the beginning of the season--before the low warm water!

My concern is this inquiry not be a witch-hunt:

"Early in the year 1692, in the small Massachusetts village of Salem, a collection of girls fell ill, falling victim to hallucinations and seizures. In extremely religious Puritan New England, frightening or surprising occurrences were often attributed to the devil or his cohorts. The unfathomable sickness spurred fears of witchcraft, and it was not long before the girls, and then many other residents of Salem, began to accuse other villagers of consorting with devils and casting spells. Old grudges and jealousies spilled out into the open, fueling the atmosphere of hysteria. The Massachusetts government and judicial system, heavily influenced by religion, rolled into action. Within a few weeks, dozens of people were in jail on charges of witchcraft. By the time the fever had run its course, in late August 1692, nineteen people (and two dogs) had been convicted and hanged for witchcraft." (from: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/context.html , 11/5/07)

I teach Arthur Miller's Crucible and want to make sure I am not part of a mass-hysteria compaign.

[redhawk]

What seems to be the problem Rock farmer? You don't really say.

Without the facts, no one should act on anything so perhaps you could reference or provide some links to reports about the purported problem?

Hawk

[ADK Rock Farmer]

Smaller fish by design is the new method to attract anglers to Warren County?


I don't post links from forum to forum however, as the administrator asked for more information, here it is:

http://www.fish307forum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3296

[ripple]

Farmer:
i'm quite sure you remember the pre-96 years when the dinks (real dinks i might add) were stocked in the area streams & rivers
then with the help of friend and Commissioner Mike Z the 2 year olds were born & raised
granted holdovers and wild fish are the game but i was told of drastic cutbacks in 2 year old stocking last year due to , you guess $$
so my take would be the holdover rate was low last year, as what i seen from anchor ice (which is an ADK) problem .... (i think i remember saying that last march ?? in troutslayers forum for predictions)

[redhawk]

Smaller fish by design is the new method to attract anglers to Warren County?


I don't post links from forum to forum however, as the administrator asked for more information, here it is:

http://www.fish307forum.com/forum/to...?TOPIC_ID=3296

Er, I'm not the administrator, not even a moderator. no chief here (well retired), just an Indian.

Hawk

[ADK Rock Farmer]

Ripple,
I'm not sure where you are going with this one my friend? Anchor ice is only a Schroon issue in the most extreme of winters. Lake George (just over the mountain) almost didn't freeze 2 years ago. I think you may have your rivers crossed. Plenty of fish will hold over in the Schroon IF they are there after labor day to spend the winter, Which brings up a good point-

Why dump all 10K in the spring and keep the Put & Take management mentallity?

Why not stock 8k in May & keep 2K at the hatchery over the summer? Give those 2k trout a chance to grow big enough so that they don't wind up to be chub chum & bass bait. Stock those 2k trout on Labor Day Weekend. There is plenty of feed (bait) in the river to winter over & they would stand a better chance against the predatory fish if they were 12" rather than 6" when they hit the water.

Musings on fish management

[aft paddle]

[QUOTE=ADK Rock Farmer;80870]Ripple,
Why not stock 8k in May & keep 2K at the hatchery over the summer? Give those 2k trout a chance to grow big enough so that they don't wind up to be chub chum & bass bait. Stock those 2k trout on Labor Day Weekend. There is plenty of feed (bait) in the river to winter over & they would stand a better chance against the predatory fish if they were 12" rather than 6" when they hit the water.

Good Grief! Why not save 1K of those bigger ones and just put them in a barrel?

[bigbryan]

ahh hahahaahahahahahahahaha

[ripple]

i'm writing off the cuff since i just walked in and sat down
but here goes:
i know you know about your home town
Anchor ice, it's way more prevalent when less snow fall happens and then cold temps set in and anchor the bottom up.
i.e. . last year
personally i do not know the whole story behind Schroon, but i do know the upper elevations of the "park"
winter kill due to anchor ice has been the major factor why the holdover rate is so low

now as for stocking methods:
in most NYS all fish are stocked in spring, why?
talking streams here:
because that is when most tourists visit the park, supply & demand
usually the 2 year olds are stocked in mid- late may
so if you catch a lunker "trophy" in april early may it will most likely be a holdover
the state does not stock trout streams in the fall due to the above( study showed anchor ice means a low mortality rate)
so what do you think ?
i like the idea of fishing early for holdovers (before stocking) than stocking fish that may die.. i think that is also the reasoning behind when & why.
also to answer as to holding fish in the tank:
it all boils down to $$$
raising 2 year olds is costly and with the cuts made in 2007 the DEC was forced to cut the stocking program

now Ponds are a different animal

i know i threw a bunch of things out and hopefully some may sort it all out.......

[ripple]

Ripple,
I'm not sure where you are going with this one my friend ?

i was not setting a snare or pit fall bro...