New stocking methods?

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C-Hawk
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New stocking methods?

Post by C-Hawk »

After listening to all the posts concerning the lack of cormorant control, and the apparent lack of being able to do anything about it, there seems to me one small and relatively inexpensive thing that us fisherman can advocate for is the methods that are used to stock fish. Why do they keep dumping fish in the same places all the time? Just because it's easy to back a truck down a boat ramp doesn't make it the best place to dump fish, especially when there is a flock of birds in the area. Now someone educate me if I'm wrong , but it would seem that night time stocking would at least give the fish 8 hours to disperse. Also why not put the trucks on the ferries at night and spread them out while the ferry is moving? A little overtime pay and a few ferry tickets could save a lot of fish. These might seem like foolish and unnecessary ideas, but someone tell me that it won't help.
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Hairbone
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by Hairbone »

Would love to see pen projects to boost the steelhead and browns.
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Thorny
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by Thorny »

I believe Vermont has made adjustments to stocking procedures to prevent cormorant carnage. I think most of the Salmon are stocked early in the spring prior to the Cormorants return. Not sure about NY and Brown Trout.
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fishy1
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by fishy1 »

ny stocks the browns in may or sometimes early june at least here in port henry. plattsburgh probably close to the same time but dont know where they stock the 10000 plus browns there. stocking the tributaries and streams that flow into champlain on the ny side is the same and i have even seen cormorants 10 miles from the lake in the streams feeding on the stocked trout along with blue herons mergansers and other birds. its not a sight i like seeing. wayne and i fished cascades lake up in the high peaks which there were 2 pairs of loons which is the norm but then we saw at least 10 cormorants and also some mergansers and this was in june and a long distance from champlain. stocking bigger size trout would be a start . im going to add a pic of some browns that will be stocked this fall from our county hatchery . hopefully we can keep this thread going as i think its an important one.Imagepic upload
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Captain Paul
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by Captain Paul »

I have been bitching about the way we stock Browns and Steelhead for a few years now and Vt is suppose to stock them out in the lake this year but only time will tell if they actually do it
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Captain Paul
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by Captain Paul »

Richard Greenough has been complaining about the way they stock fish for over 20 years and they haven't changed so I am not going to hold my breath while I wait to see if they stock out in the Lake
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keithm87
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by keithm87 »

They are an issue statewide. I fished Nelson pond a week after it was stocked this year, and to my surprise 30 of our cormorant friends were also fishing, 50 miles from champ. It sucks that they don't have an open season for blasting them. They are far more abundant than ducks, yet we can shoot them for 3 months.
riverrunner
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by riverrunner »

This year the fish from the grand isle hatchery were all stocked out by the first week of april. Mostly under the ice as soon as it seperates from the shore. As long as there's 2-3 feet of open water from the shore the trucks are able to stock fish in. Fish are also stocked across the ferries. Not browns, but steelhead are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry. Salmon are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry and Charlotte ferry
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C-Hawk
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by C-Hawk »

riverrunner wrote:This year the fish from the grand isle hatchery were all stocked out by the first week of april. Mostly under the ice as soon as it seperates from the shore. As long as there's 2-3 feet of open water from the shore the trucks are able to stock fish in. Fish are also stocked across the ferries. Not browns, but steelhead are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry. Salmon are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry and Charlotte ferry
Thanks riverrunner, I must apologize to Vermont Fish and Game, I didn't realize that they were so proactive. Fish need to be stocked outside the pinch points, the Cut, mouth of Shelburne Bay , these places hold Cormorants while the main lake is open and the bays still have floating ice.
I wonder if stocking mid lake in the summer would make the fish dive to deeper, colder, water , making them harder to catch right away. Maybe the shock of warmer water would be too much for them.
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fishy1
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by fishy1 »

keithm87 wrote:They are an issue statewide. I fished Nelson pond a week after it was stocked this year, and to my surprise 30 of our cormorant friends were also fishing, 50 miles from champ. It sucks that they don't have an open season for blasting them. They are far more abundant than ducks, yet we can shoot them for 3 months.
so i guess the cormorants arnt just on the ny side of the lake. i have even seen them in the bouquet river in may after stocking the river. 20 miles from the lake not at the mouth of the lake. i bet lots of fisherman encountered them away from the lake also.
mudchuck
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by mudchuck »

See them in Arrowhead Lake too
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fishfarmer
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Re: New stocking methods?

Post by fishfarmer »

C-Hawk wrote:
riverrunner wrote:This year the fish from the grand isle hatchery were all stocked out by the first week of april. Mostly under the ice as soon as it seperates from the shore. As long as there's 2-3 feet of open water from the shore the trucks are able to stock fish in. Fish are also stocked across the ferries. Not browns, but steelhead are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry. Salmon are stocked across the GI-Platts ferry and Charlotte ferry
Thanks riverrunner, I must apologize to Vermont Fish and Game, I didn't realize that they were so proactive. Fish need to be stocked outside the pinch points, the Cut, mouth of Shelburne Bay , these places hold Cormorants while the main lake is open and the bays still have floating ice.
I wonder if stocking mid lake in the summer would make the fish dive to deeper, colder, water , making them harder to catch right away. Maybe the shock of warmer water would be too much for them.
Another thing to point out regarding stocking times is space inside the hatchery. Some places may have space to hold fish thoughout the year...like Essex County FH or Bald Hill FCS(2yr salmon for inland lakes). Many hatcheries rely on that empty space in early summer to add next years crop to or they are directing resources to other programs like walleye production or summer trout egg collection.
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