LongLine

I realize that. However, what happens if in freshwater for a few months then get "hit" with a slug of salt? This appears to be a recent thing & didn't happen last year which was a much milder winter. Did the fishermen become a bunch of "thugs" all of a sudden?

Food for thought: Given the high snowfall, cold temperatures and then more snow...Have the towns/residents around the SR been using more road salt this year? Is the SR tested for salinity? DEC has been advocating less road salt usage for a couple years. Why? The runoff is detrimental to freshwater fish. They're more stressed when salinity changes. If already stressed, chances of survival is reduced no matter who catches them. Additionally, studies have shown that gill lice require some salinity to survive.

DEC wants input. DEC Proposes Changes to Coolwater Sportfish Regulations Public Input Sought Through April 13, 2026 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the release of proposed changes to coolwater sportfish regulations that will help protect fish while spawning, increase the reproductive capacity of walleye in Lake Ontario’s eastern basin, and eliminate unnecessary special regulations. “The proposed regulation changes for walleye, pike, pickerel, and tiger musky reflect DEC’s commitment to adaptively manage New York’s fisheries resources and to simplify regulations wherever possible,” said Commissioner Lefton. “We encourage the public to review the proposal and provide feedback.” Highlights of the proposed regulations include: Changing the closing date for walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel, and tiger musky from March 15 to March 1 for both statewide and special regulations; Changing the start date of fishing-prohibited regulations to protect spawning walleye on sections of select streams from March 16 to March 2; Eliminating unnecessary special harvest regulations for walleye in 33 waters; and Changing the size limit and daily creel limit for walleye in Jefferson County waters of Lake Ontario to two fish per day with no more than one longer than 24 inches. The proposed regulations are responsive to fisheries managers’ and anglers’ concerns that the current fishing season closing date may not adequately protect spawning walleye and northern pike into the future, as a warming climate changes water temperatures and shifts spawning times. Establishing an earlier fishing season closure will help ensure that spawning aggregations of these species are protected. There are also several walleye waters currently managed under special harvest regulation (18-inch minimum size limit, three-per-day possession limit) to help establish, restore, or improve walleye fisheries. A subset of those waters does not meet that objective and the draft regulations propose to convert back to statewide regulations and a 15-inch minimum size, five-per-day possession limit. In addition, the walleye fishery in Lake Ontario’s eastern basin (Jefferson County) has declined, and DEC is proposing a more protective harvest regulation intended to increase spawning stock biomass and increase the capacity for natural reproduction. The full text and a summary of the proposed regulatory changes are available on DEC’s website. DEC is interested in anglers’ viewpoints and encourages public feedback on these proposals. Comments will be accepted through April 13, 2026, and should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “Coolwater Sportfish Regulations,” or sent by standard mail to: Inland Fisheries Section NYSDEC 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233-4753

The recent high wind and large wave storm will affect the offshore water and the nearshore water differently. Hydrologically, large turbulent waves introduce more dissolved oxygen into the water. However, theory holds in the open water that water is only affected to a depth of 1/2 of the crest to crest distance of the waves. I.e. if there is 50 feet between crests then only the top 25 feet of water will be affected by waves & wind. When those large waves break in the nearshore area, all hell breaks loose. I.E. major erosion, rocks are moved, shoreline damage, vegetation uprooted, etc. Shoreline ice formations can somewhat protect from wave action but if broken up, cause more damage. A seiche will form where the strong wind pushes water east. (Cape Vincent water gage depth increased 18 inches on Monday and the water level on the west end dropped.) Water seeks its own level therefore water on the bottom is pushed back west to level things out. This results in water sloshing back and forth and may last a few days. Things to remember are that this was an early winter storm and Ontario is a big deep body of water. I doubt anyone is out there fishing now. Disturbed water will stabilize in a few days and have no effect on this upcoming seasons fishing. However, another storm like this in mid-late March will be a different story.

I found AI to be wrong about a few things. I'm not aware of Kings traveling too far up the St Lawrence but it's possible as Atlantics have been accused of doing it. As to the Atlantic Ocean, Kings have been caught in the southern half of Argentina but I highly doubt any have come up to the Northern hemisphere. Atlantic Ocean too different than Pacific. I.E. Temp, salinity, current etc in North not hospitable for Kings.