Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

Don,

Is F&G saying where they are stocking?

Thx,

Joe

    Looks like NH F&G is falling down the same destroy-the-habitat hole
    that MA F&W fell into. Now MA F&W is trying to climb out of that hole
    by killing all nursery/stocking programs other than the trout/salmon
    one (read "salmonid" stocking). I'm sorry to find out that NH F&G has
    so little respect for the habitat they use, though it's hardly a
    surprise.
    
    John H-C

	Don, could you post some subscription information for the newsletter?

thanks
Mike

    Joe, some stocking places are listed, some are not.  The summary list
    in this months newsletter didn't get into details, but the feature
    articles over the last couple of years may have.
    
    Mike, just call fish and game and they'll take care of you, it's only
    $10 a year, well worth it.  There is usually an order form for the
    newsletter in the fishing rules book as well.
    
    John, I'll respond to your reply shortly... I disagree with you
    completely...
    
    -donmac
    

    John, as I mentioned I disagree with you completely.  
    
    By introducing new species I do not feel they are destroying the
    habitat. I'm glad to see that F&G is trying to make the most out the
    habitat available by introducing new species to increase the
    sportsman's opportunity to pursue fish and game.
    
    There is no reason these species cannot do quite well in some of our NH
    waters.  Sure, this may disturb the natural balance, but face it,
    Mother Nature has been losing the battle against mankind for thousands
    of years.  The native species that are desirable to sportsman can no
    longer maintain themselves.  If fish and game did not intervene, us
    anglers would get pretty tired of catching stunted pickeral.
    
    I'm looking forward to Crappie being expanded.  These fish are
    currently only in a few NH waters.  They are fun to catch and GREAT
    eating.  The same goes for walleye.
    
    Nothern Pike will offer us the opportunity to catch some BIG freshwater
    fish. 
    
    Obviously when you introduce new species you have to do so very
    carefully. But it can be done quite successfully.  Bass are the prime
    example.  And inland stripers as well, these were lanlocked by accident
    and proved to be a terrific addition to many southern resevoirs.  Which
    reminds me, are you against resevoirs too??? 
    
    -donmac

    Don ---
    
    I am not opposed to reservoirs *per se* though I am opposed to the
    damming (or is that "damning?") of rivers.
    
    I'm walking a fine line here in this discussion, so I will back out
    now. Flames for the sake of flames are of no use whatsoever.
    
    John H-C

    
    
    
            Re: Don Mac
    
            I agree (what am I saying) Don.Alot of NH waters are overrun
            by white and yellow perch.I'm no JHC but don't they eat eggs
            of trout?? With the intro of such predators as Northern and
            if you're lucky Tiger Muskies these fish will be in check.
            Of course they do take there share of trout and smelt when
            they can catchem but this is minor compared to what they do
            to the panfish population.Also these stocked fish grow fast
            and will be nice wall hangers in 5 years.
    
    
    
       
                                                 The Keg

Here's some more info on the new species programs from f&g highlights:

Black Crappie
Prespawn black crappie into select lakes/ponds to establish new populations

Walleye
20,000 3-5" walleyes will be stocked this fall into:
Forest Lake, Winchester
Massabesic Lake, Manchester
Merrimack River
Contoocook River 
plus two unnamed lakes

Northern Pike
prespawn pike being transferred into select lakes/ponds, additionally 10,000
pike fingerlings are being stocked
(and from a year old newsletter:)
After illegal introductions Northern Pike are being managed in the following 
waters:
Jericho Lake, Berlin
Partidge Lake, Littleton
Lake Umbagog
expanding their range is under consideration

    JohnHC - I do want to hear - how does this "destroy-the-habitat"
    dynamic play out from the introduction of these species?  What are
    we missing here in NH?
    
    Thanks,
    Jack

    I am a little familiar with "Destroy the Habitat" in Maine. Seems F&G
    in Maine has a love affair, largely driven by tourism, with trout - so
    much so that a number of bodies of water have been literally poisoned to
    eradicate all species and then restocked with trout only. This to me
    seemed more than just a bit extreme.
    
    Conversely, I have spent many years on Newfound Lake in N.H., one of
    the toughest lakes around for fishing. For 17 years through my boyhood,
    no-one ever saw or heard of a bass coming out of that lake. 
    
    Then, a number of years ago, some half drunk pilot scheduled for an
    ariel drop of smallmouths in Spectacle Pond, mistook ???? Newfound for
    the target lake and dumped a load along Whittemore point. The locals
    went balistic, claiming that this would destroy the lake trout fishing. 
    (More on that later)
    
    Today, the smallmouths have flourished and so far, there is no
    indications that the lake trout have been bothered at all. In fact, I
    have seen, via snorkeling - certainly not on the end of my line - some
    blackbacked smallys that have to go better than 5lbs.
    
    So, how's Newfound for fishing?
    
    Not withstanding that the sate record laker at 28 1/2 lbs came out of
    the lake in the late 50's, this is one tough lake to work. The Newfound
    Lake Regional Association kept a fisherman's diary year before last.
    According to the entries, it takes an average of 3.5 hours of fishing
    per laker. Smallmouths are recommended as the action alternative at
    just under 2 hours each. (That ain't action in my book.)
    
    Problem?
    
    The water is so clear that the bass can see you packing your car! The
    lake is notoriously deep, 192' at the middle, but averaging better than
    100' most of the way around. That's why the trout and bass don't mix. 
    
    F&G loaded in some rainbows several years ago and a buddy of mine did
    pull out a 5lber a year back - so this might prove promising. Last
    year they stocked alewives in an effort to provide more trout feed and
    to control panfish - jury is still out on this experiment.
    
    Back to Destroy the Habitat - I believe that N.H F&G has a much broader
    agenda than their counterparts in Maine appear to have. However, we
    must stay vigilant so that one species interest group doesn't gain sway
    over state policy at the expense of other fisheries. 
    
    regards    

    
    
    I have to comment on the previous around the FG management of trout
    waters in Maine. Maine is one of, if not the last stronghold, of the 
    eastern brook trout, a species highly sensitive to competition for 
    food and spawing area's . The Maine F&G (Dept. Of Inland Fisheries) does
    poison ponds for reclaimation. These are typically places where brook
    trout either have been eradicated by the illegal introduction of
    compeating species such as bass, sunfish, crappie and a variety of
    lesser minnows dumped from careless bait pails. In other cases ponds
    which have been evaluated as appropriate habitate for Brook trout are
    reclaimed and stocked with brook trout. 
    
    I dont beleive any ponds are reclaimed for stocking of either brown, 
    rainbow or any other trout species. 
    
    There are plenty of ponds in Maine well suited to trash fish of all
    nature. The reclaimation of a limited number of waters to provide
    increased habitat or brook trout which are synonimous with MAINE...or 
    even give a few tourists a chance to catch a fish many will never see 
    anywhere else is simply good management of a limited resource. I
    certainly wouldn't consider this even a little bit extreme.
    
    Tight lines
    
      Ed

    Uh, doesn't the name "brook trout" imply something to you about its
    appropriateness for ponds?
    
    Yes, I'm aware that more than half of Maine's 5,779 lakes and ponds are
    the result of dammed rivers and streams.
    
    John H-C