The underhand fling.......

[sped]

Is this the recommended method of stocking trout into MA state waters?? This is the pic on the MA trout stocking web page......

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwtrout.htm

Sped

[DRYFLY]

stocking sucks. period.

[NatickDave]

Indeed, it does suck, Dryfly. Definitely messes up the resident fish. I have always been amazed that they use that picture of the guy hucking fish like they were already dead. I guess the put-and-take mentality is just overwhelming....

[tsheehy]

I think you guys have it backwards and he is actually catching the fish.

Sorry.. long day. ;)

-- Tom

[dudley]

I did stocking here in Connecticut this past spring. That is exactly the way we were instructed to fling the fish.
It gives them a bit of a jump start, just like releasing a bonito or little tunny head first.
It is also extremly importantly to keep the net from touching the water.
Any cross contamination can bring deadly (and costly) desease in to the hatchery.
The stocking method that shocked me was when we tossed the trout in to a river from a bridge, sometimes as high as 40-50 feet. :eek:
One day we watched a 10# breeder for about 10 minutes is see if she was alright, but we never lost a single fish all season doing this!

You would be amazed how much hatchery workers care about the trout.

[DRYFLY]

no offense but if hatchery workers cared about the trout they would stop stocking them and revamp the fisheries laws so people arent allowed to kill wild trout for a couple of calories

i hear you though- im not trying to besmirch folks doing there jobs, or anyone who takes the time to volunteer to help. i just wish people would get away from the take mentality- lee wullff had it right- a fish (esp a wild trout) is too precious to be caught once.

[dudley]

Dryfly,
First of all, hatchery employees are only doing thier jobs. If you have a problem with your state stocking program, bring it up with your state enviromential dept.(what ever it's called)

I too would like to see the end of the stocked trout .
Unfortunately it's unlikely to ever happen.
Take what happened this summer.
Heat, low water,...cooked trout.
If there was no stocking program, large stretches of water would be devoid of the trout you care so much about.
It would take years for these areas to repopulate.
I read recently that there was complaints as eary as the late 1600's that the quality of trout fishing was down in Mass. That's why game laws were inacted in the first place.
Here in Connecticut we still have a closed season and "opening day".
Opening day is loaded with tradition and the state looks at it as a day to educate people on the enviroment. They also sell a lot of licences that are only used once.
Some "anglers" feel it is thier right as "hunter/gathers" to catch and keep thier limit.
This is why states provide catch and release and fly fishing only areas, for people that feel as ypu do.
States work hard through special regulations to please everyone and things get better all the time.
If you feel so strongly about this join a club like TU so that you have an opportunity to help instead of criticize

[DRYFLY]

Dudley

im not sure why you felt that i was being unnecessarily critical, when to quote i said

"im not trying to besmirch folks doing there jobs, or anyone who takes the time to volunteer to help"

and i am a member of TU, nature conservancy, CCA, and in my own way do what i can to improve stream habitat on waters i fish in vermont- rip rap and vegatation on exposed banks, channeling for more consistent summer flows, making sure no silt on gravel beds for spawning brookies, etc.

and to address your point about warm water, kill, etc- sure this happens, as it has happened since receding glaciers first stranded brookies and landlockeds in the east- i dont recall any stocking programs 5000 years ago. yet the fish survived and thrived- im not sure this would result in any less amount of fish in the rivers that occurs today do to johhny six-pack getting himself a meal of fried 6 inch brookies- EVERY DAY. lets face it, the fisheries laws suck (everywhere- fresh, salt, we are all fighting against the same catch and kill mindset)

on another note, though, i dont think it is impossible- look at bass and redfish- 20 years ago all the good old boys would catch a basket and never even think about releasing- today its gospel. You mean to tell me that with a similar effort between anglers and F&W workers the same thing couldnt be done for trout??

i dont mean to be an arse but you seem to agree with me, yet call me out for saying it. whattup wid dat.

[fleshfly]

Too hot of a topic for a "chat room" for me.

Yeah Native/Wild....Boo Stocked.

What is worse live lining a rainbow for stripers, or free falling a 10# breeder from a 50 foot bridge?

[dudley]

stocking sucks. period.
Seems critical to me.

I don't know about Mass., but here in Ct. we have wild trout management areas. If you chose, you can fish to wild trout only or a mix of wild and stock.
I'm fortunate that there is a non stocked stream across my steet that contains wild brookies. This time of year they make redds in the feeder brook in my back yard
.
But in general, to do away with the stocking program , and have enough stream room for everyone, changes will have to be made.

One way would be to go the a "pay to fish" system like they have in europe and the spring creeks of the west. Not what I want to do.

Other wise, dams will have to be removed that restrict movement to spawning areas.
Water quality will need to be vastly improved, brook trout need the cleanest water.
This means lawn and farm fertilizing and other pollutive run offs will need to be banned.
Acid rain will need to be wiped out.
Water treatment plants will need to be moved.
Streets and bridges will need to be bermed , storm drains removed.

You get the idea.

The way to help is to act locally. Supporting orginizations like TU and FFF, and working withl local clubs to improve stream habitat is the only way to get anything close to what you guys (and I ) want.