Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates?

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jug
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2014/03/22 07:45:31 (permalink)

Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates?

Took a walk around Twin Lakes this morning and was surprised to see a few guys fishing the lower lake. Arent trout approved waters closed from March 1st to opening day?

I'M ON A MISSION
IM GOING FISHING
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    FishinGuy
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/22 09:43:28 (permalink)
    Twin lakes falls under approved trout waters open to year round fishing. The list of these newly designated waters is in the book you get with your license, and online.
    #2
    Accountant
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/22 10:04:35 (permalink)
    Yes they started the approved trout waters open year round program last year.  I dont believe you are permitted to keep fish in march though. 
    #3
    TheBlueLagoon
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/22 11:10:00 (permalink)
    Accountant
    Yes they started the approved trout waters open year round program last year.  I dont believe you are permitted to keep fish in march though. 


    You are correct, from March 1st until 8:00 a.m. opening day all trout must be returned immediately unharmed. 

    Got Walleye???
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    jug
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/24 02:08:31 (permalink)
    Wow, I didn't know about this new legislation. Thanks for the replies. Btw Fishinguy, I like the new avatar. Musky or pike? Sorry I failed at getting you your winter carp pic. Maybe next year.

    I'M ON A MISSION
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    FishinGuy
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/24 07:03:54 (permalink)
    Its a musky. Pics and a little detail here. http://forums.fishusa.com...-hitting-the-3-rivers/
    #6
    troutguy
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/25 21:32:33 (permalink)
    I believe most, if not all of the new additions to the "ATW Open to year round fishing" waters used to fall under the old Early Season Trout Program regs or something like that.  Before they weren't closed for as long as the regular ATWs if I remember correctly, only a couple weeks I think. As said, you can fish them year round now.
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    jug
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/27 00:03:56 (permalink)
    What's everyone's thoughts on this new program? Without giving it to much thought, it seems to me like it's a good idea. Although I don't fish for trout often, I think I'd like to see it eventually spread to all the trout approved waters so that maybe we can eliminate the opening day circus.

    I'M ON A MISSION
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    FishinGuy
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/27 09:16:55 (permalink)
    The circus brings the pfbc too much money to eliminate it. I do like the program though. There's more than just trout in those waters.
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    TheBlueLagoon
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/27 09:46:14 (permalink)
    I agree with FishinGuy, the PFBC relies on the circus that is opening day, to boost license sales. IMO if trout approved waters were open year long those sales would diminish, for a lot of people it's a point in the spring that you can point to and say OK fishin' is finally back and the weather is ready to start improving.
     
    Personally, I like the idea of having a few lakes open to year round trout fishing, after lakes start to thaw I'm usually itching to get out, even if it is to catch a few trout. Just a reminder trout must be released unharmed from March 1st - 8:00 AM opening day.

    Got Walleye???
    #10
    JEB
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/27 13:47:04 (permalink)
    I don't like like it, the early season was better. You could fish all through March with only two weeks of a closed season. Too many people,including me fish a lot of paste baits, Powerbait, Nitro etc when lake fishing from shore...  Trout tend to swallow these and if you can't keep them all you can do is cut the line. The "early" season allowed you to keep three a day, now you can't. I think there will be a lot of dead trout. I tend not to keep trout all year except in the old "early" season I would keep a few for my dad if the swallowed the hook. Now I probably won't fish it unless I throw some spinners. 
    I do like that the fact that it will eliminate the opening day circus at some of these lakes. Most people won't even bother to read the regs and will still probaly camp out and have no clue that the lake hasn't been stocked in a month. I saw that this year while ice fishing these new lakes, people were keeping fish and there was no WCO in sight on two different lakes on multiple days of fishing. You would think with the new changes they would be patroling on the weekends at least.
    I thought the old "early season was nice, but PA always wants to change things. Not always for the better in my mind.
     
     
    #11
    BIG WAGS
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/27 20:00:30 (permalink)
    I agree with Jeb's post
     
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    fisherofmen376
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/28 22:29:53 (permalink)
    More access to local trout water is fine by me, I love taking the kids to the local lake. We will use more jigs this year to prevent gut hooking.

    "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
    Matthew 4:19
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    FishinGuy
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/29 09:27:57 (permalink)
    Upon rereading the new reg, the only thing I see very wrong with it is that it does not state that its unlawful to kill trout in this timeframe. When it first came out and I read it, and I thought OK, everything but trout is fine to fish for. I see that others did not read it that way and many people will gut hook and kill trout with power bait and think that's aok because that's how the regulations are written. Whether its legal or not, a responsible Fisher person should not use tactics to catch trout with high gut hooking/mortality rate. Ie power bait.
    #14
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/03/29 15:28:44 (permalink)
    Kind of along those lines FishinGuy I would think such a program might be a little more feasible in streams rather than lakes.  In terms of the new program in SWPA, I can't really see any new bodies of water that have been added that weren't under the old regs.  I know there are still anglers that'll throw a blob of powerbait or other live bait into a hole on a trout stream like they would on a lake, but the nature of stream fishing for trout in general lends itself much more to a catch and release program than much of what goes on at trout lakes.
     
    I personally don't fish for trout on state stocked waterways very often anymore, so I really couldn't care less.   Back when it was something I did more often, I thought that the old early season regulations were just fine and allowed taking 3 fish for the high probability of trout mortality given the way most fishermen target them in lakes.  Then the opening day crowd, which is the backbone of PFBC revenue, got a fresh stocking.  I think it's just a convenient way for the PFBC to fool fishermen into thinking they're getting more opportunities while they continue to reduce stocking numbers and quality.  
    post edited by rsquared - 2014/03/29 15:32:17
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    JEB
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/03 15:21:45 (permalink)
    R2: Erie is stocked, lol....
    I agree I like stream fishing better cause I practice C n R. But I like to lake fish in the early season caus ethe streams are mostly closed.
    The rule was fine the way it was.
    I guess you don't have to have a trout stamp unless your going to kill one ! That's the only "No KILL" rule I could see listed. Stupid, stupid
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/03 17:14:41 (permalink)
    ha, ya got me on the steelhead.  I do like to fish for those slimy buggers.
     
     
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    JEB
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/15 22:53:51 (permalink)
    R2: Me too, love the steelies......
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    bcain
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/16 16:42:12 (permalink)
    Can someone tell me why when you look I the book under Approved Trout Waters, Laurel Hill Lake and Virgin Run are not listed yet, they got stocked. Am I missing something?
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    mr.crappie
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/16 20:16:52 (permalink)
    bcain
    Can someone tell me why when you look I the book under Approved Trout Waters, Laurel Hill Lake and Virgin Run are not listed yet, they got stocked. Am I missing something?


    bcain,look on page 19,under approved trout waters open to year round fishing,under Somerset cnty,& Fayette cnty.   sam
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    bcain
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    Re: Trout Approved Waters: Closed Season Dates? 2014/04/18 02:25:55 (permalink)
    I must have just missed it or I was looking under the wrong section. Thanks.
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