Lucky13

I caught a king in the Salmon River that looked like it had run through a tackle shop it had so many broken off flies and sponges and rubber eggs, etc etc etc stuck all over its body. And I retrieved a fly I had broken off in a large Rainbow out by Sodus one spring morning when I caught the fish later the same day on a different fly.

You must be forgetting the literally hundreds of inland launches, all of which are free unless they are in a campground where you pay the day use fee. Yes, I know, many will only handle car toppers and canoes, but I don't envision little machines full of money being left out in remote spots. But I'm a big supporter of user fees, you will note that our former DECer indicated that the stumbling block to upgrading facilities is money, and user fees are a fair source of money. Just because I registered my car does not mean I get to ride on the roads for free, I also pay gasoline taxes, and for the quickway, tolls!

When it is open, you don't pay at Sandy Creek, or the majority of NYS DEC Launches. Just in the dense population centers, the state let the locals take over the operations.

IF it is DEC doing the project, the Article 15 and 24 would be a formality. Lots of mitigation around look at all the wetlands recently created in Braddock's.

As he gets older, if he is really into bass, you may want to invest in some kayaks or a canoe. The estuaries of all the Sandy's and all the ponds along the east end of the lake are great fishing, but limited shore access. Great birdwatching, wildlife watching, just paddling, too, for when he outgrows going with Mom!

A bit of a drive from Sandy, but the Refield Reservoir on the Salmon River has great shore fishing for bass up in Redfield around the County RT 17 bridge, always the chance for a walleye or a trout there as well.

I'll second the pfr maps for Jefferson,Oswego, and also Lewis County. Also check the DEC website for the state forests. Lots of small streams with wild brook trout, often driving the back roads and finding road crossings, generally east of Route 81 into the Tug Hill, Some stocked pfr water south of Watertown around Adams as well. Respect all posted signs, trespassing is treated seriously up there, but watch for the DEC lands signs. Bring the Deepwoods Off, and headnets

They got the contract from the Town of Greece to run the Launch and marina at Braddock Bay State Marine Park, as it is listed in the DEC Boat launch guide. My recollection is that they wanted $14 to launch. Yer NYS Tax dollars hard at work! In their defense they invested a lot of money into the marina, but this really does nothing for the weekend warrior who is getting nailed with the high daily price. Braddocks is definitely a place for a NYS Boat launch, but I would like one like Sandy that does not enrich a local businessman and a local municipality, as the Launch does here, and in Irondequoit. Boaters and fishermen pay lots of "user fees" and then get charged again to use what they payed to build to begin with.

All three " Public " launches are closed. The State list shows Braddock Marine Park, but this is hardly public with the pass through to the Town of Greece and their pass through to the Danielli family, and the exorbitant fees. I question the analysis that there is parking for 50 cars and trailers as well at that sight, especially if all the dock renters are using their boats.

The Danielli's were charging outrageous launch fees before the high water. I would think that if someone had advertised a price and then arbitrarily raised it, the Atty General might look into it.

Monroe County Planning sent a representative to the Fisheries Advisory Board meeting last night, and the board (or the few that were there, it is always hard to get a quorum in summer) and Matt Sanderson of NYSDEC all agreed that from the Fishing Community perspective, the number one needed improvement was to update the lake shore launch facilities so that they are adaptable not only to the "new Highs" but also to the possible lower lows we can see when the uplakes supply drops and we don't have record rains in the spring. It was noted that many of the private marina facilities are still doing a lot of launch business because they have invested in floating docks, while all the fixed docks at Public launches are virtually unusable and the launches are closed and off limits even if someone want to use their chest waders to access their boat. We'll see what happens.

A lot of people still smoke cigarettes, too. I have not seen data for ocean fish (and for Lake Ontario, I think we all have yet to see the most recent data DEC has gathered under a GLRI grant, and NYSDOH participated in a three state study that I have yet to see published, making me wonder if they didn't get " the right answer") but my understanding is that fish that stay littoral especially off population centers, are just as contaminated, but offshore and faster growing fish are way below lake fish in contaminants. I know what you mean about most waterbodies being " off limits" for children, basically the entire Adirondack region makes the list now, but mercury is well documented in its negative effects. And there are lots of studies about negative impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals on developing organisms including humans.

This is just so wrong. Salmon and trout are oily fish, high in Omega 3 fatty acids. They are an exceptional food fish. They are also mainly supported as a managed fishery, through stocking, so harvest is in no way a threat to the population if kept to the legal limits. If there were no issues with bioaccumulation of legacy contaminants, I'd be packing a freezer to whatever extent I could. This is not to deny that perch are wholesome protein and delicious, but they do not have the high levels of Omega 3's. They also contain similar concentrations of the same contaminants as trout and salmon at the same age, not size, so they pose the same health risks as Trout and salmon from the contaminated waterbody and should not be eaten by children and women of child bearing age. In the Adirondaks, perch over 12" are listed as contaminated with mercury in virtually all waterbodies, but the trout don't accumulate the mercury at the same rate as the perch, and are still somewhat safe (although the warning is the same, if ANY fish is listed for a waterbody, children and women of child bearing age should eat NONE from that waterbody.

Monocultural cattail stands are often "floating" on a slurry of bottom mud and bay water, and little islands of cattail were commonly encountered anywhere from just east of the bay mouth all the way to Ontario Beach prior to the wetlands project at Braddock. While the Headlands Breakwater is supposed to reduce the amount of wave action breaking off the cattail mats, it is likely that erosion is being exacerbated along the Salmon Creek channel by the higher water. Maybe you saw one of these. From discussion with a major birder in the area, a blind would not be necessary, the birds started coming to the headlands before they were even completed