tmag

Yeah, I get that a lot yet in so many other activities, if you don't have certain equipment you get fined and it's accepted. Should a weekend angler fishing for bass be expected to have a life jacket? Somehow, they manage to have those. And how many bass waters have pickerel and how many times have we seen someone struggle to just unhook a pickerel? It's ridiculous that some level of release tools aren't required. I actually had to 'unhook' a father at the Waneta Lake boat launch one day. Early October & brought his son to the channel to try out his new lure. He caught a small pickerel. Son struggled to unhook it and when his father grabbed the fish, it rolled and put a hook through his finger. After telling me he was "OK" but watching him struggle for a couple of minutes, I came over, cut the barb off & set both father & fish free Just sayin'...

well, I dunno... at least a hookout or long-nose pliers. It's not unreasonable easpecially if they're knowingly fishing waters with toothy critters. By the way, that same kinda "weekend angler"? I ran into a father and young son at the Waneta Launch on a late October afternoon once. His son had asked him to take him there so that he could "test his new lure". He caught a small pickerel. Couldn't unhook it. So, as his dad tried to help, a barb went through one of his fingers. I asked if he needed help to which he replied, "No. I think I'm good." Several minutes later, the fish still attached to his finger, I came over and got 'im unhooked. Just sayin'...

Yep. And in my response to the "Coolwater Sportfish Regulations" through the DEC website, I suggested the following: Slot limit for pike on all mesotrophic and oligotrophic lakes. 26"-34" (i.e. above the 18" or 22" minimum) 3 fish per day vs. 5 Fish over 44" can be kept (personally, would like it at 46") I also wish there some regulations regarding release tools. Even with pickerel, if you don't have long-nosed pliers or a hookup, it can be problematic and, similarly, if the fish is deeply hooked, bolt cutters factor in.

Look to the saltwater guys. The high-end spinning rods & reels along with pendulum casts would be the way to go.

While it may be true that environments will continue to change, when the changes are brought about through human activities which includes invasive species the problem is that the changes happen so quickly that the environment can't respond fast enough. With zebra & quagga mussels, they cleared the water. This led to a much deeper weed line. This favored some warm water species. Interestingly, walleyes, which tend to lay their eggs along rocky shoals, have apparently benefited from zebra mussels in that some of the eggs get down in between the mussels. Go figure. Similarly, more weeds & clearer water was advantageous for pike which whose eggs have a natural adhesive that cling to the weeds. The mussels out-competed smelt which have disappeared. But the smelt were introduced anyway albeit delicious and a great prey source for the trout fishery. I believe that alewife were introduced as well. Rainbow trout, brown trout, and salmon are all introduced species. Personally, I think alligator gar, Argentine golden dorado, goliath tiger fish, wels catfish, and payara would all be fabulous introductions

I will respond separately to the muskies of the St. Lawrence also mentioned above: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2021/09/alarming-muskie-decline-in-the-st-lawrence-river-invasive-fish-species-could-be-contributing.html https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/st-lawrence-muskies-in-trouble/ https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/st-lawrence-musky-population-threatened-by-invasive-gobies some good news: https://www.nny360.com/news/jeffersoncounty/battling-muskie-decline-researchers-release-tens-of-thousands-of-young-fish-into-st-lawrence-river/article_f7becb63-3419-5c86-8646-6ba890ec1de7.html https://www.savetheriver.org/latest-news/a-win-for-st-lawrence-river-muskie-spawning-habitat/ Nonetheless, invasive species have put tremendous pressure on NY / Great Lakes fisheries.

Some years back, I know there was a fungus affecting the smallmouth in the Susquehanna. Further upstream on the Chemung and Tioga, the DEC told me that there were a lot of fish but few of any size. They weren't sure why. Meanwhile, in the late 80s / early 90s, PA stock millions of walleye fry in the reservoir(s) near the PA border. They did not take. So, PA stopped stocking. Some local fishermen began to blame the muskies: "They're eatin' everything!" The reality is, many of these guys, fishing small rivers, would repeatedly limit out; even bragging how they had bagged over a hundred walleye in a season. Nonetheless, PA told me that after PA stocked stocking fry and fingerlings, fishermen downstream would probably notice this. Back/earlier issues affecting the Susqy and note the reference to climate change, too: https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/reports/2013bio/gsSusqR_smb_2010.pdf https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2013/06/the_susquehanna_river_-_too_big_to_ail_editorial.html https://www.usgs.gov/programs/environmental-health-program/science/new-virus-identified-melanistic-skin-lesions https://www.ydr.com/in-depth/news/2021/02/03/3-iconic-susquehanna-river-aquatic-species-struggle-survive/5853999002/ https://apnews.com/general-news-b58ca60d6e1f41c49cbbb7a1a4172dd9 https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsh.10491