Who Pays for the Fish?

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Bughawk
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 08:38:00 (permalink)
BTW I am not necessarily advocating for any of these ideas.  I simply put them out there for discussion purposes, so let's discuss...

pax vobiscum +
#61
mohawksyd
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 10:58:58 (permalink)

ORIGINAL: Bughawk

BTW I am not necessarily advocating for any of these ideas.  I simply put them out there for discussion purposes, so let's discuss...


1. First thing that came to my mind was, "Isn't that what the Erie stamp is for, to fund the PFBC's purchase of land for public access?"

2. A cynic by nature, I'm of the belief that any time we add layers to an existing bureaucracy, we make it more complex.

3. Complexity begets loopholes. Loopholes breed corruption, disdain, and public outrage.

4. Public outrage turns into something political, and a PR nightmare for the PFBC.

In other words, less is more. Not saying that something couldn't/shouldn't be done, but whatever is done should be as efficient and unencumbered as possible.

My $.02...keep the change.


"For the supreme test of a fisherman is not how many fish he has caught...but what he has caught when he has caught no fish." - John H. Bradley

#62
Bughawk
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 12:00:26 (permalink)
There is stamp that does help pay for some access issues, but I believe some of the money goes to help maintain the marinas, or at least it should.
 
I agree that the simple solution is the best solution.  When it comes to access there are a couple of very simple solutions. 
 
1) have a wading law where anyone can wade a stream and fish it.  No stream can be posted, only land beyond the high water mark.  There would be no confusion here, no back door deals between guides/clubs for private leasing, everyone has access to the streams, end of problem.  In PA it will never happen.
 
2) declare all private land posted no trespassing unless it is specifically posted open to public fishing.  This is basically what we have now, but the difference is unless there is a sign saying you can fish, you cannot.  It would cut down on the ,"opps I stumbled onto private land" problem.  It would be abundantly clear where you can fish and everywhere else is off limits.
 
3) don't do anything, pretty much leave things the way they are now and quit complaining about it, just learn to live with it.
 
4) Don't steelhead fish.  My life has been a whole lot more peaceful since I quit.  Take up hunting, basket weaving, or knitting... Do something else and don't worry about who is or is not leasing land, making back door deals, ripping down signs, etc...  Let it go and move on.

pax vobiscum +
#63
mohawksyd
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 13:06:23 (permalink)
ORIGINAL: Bughawk

4) Don't steelhead fish. My life has been a whole lot more peaceful since I quit. Take up hunting, basket weaving, or knitting... Do something else and don't worry about who is or is not leasing land, making back door deals, ripping down signs, etc... Let it go and move on.


I still have the "new guy seeking thrill of catching big fish" mentality. But truth is, I don't get up there enough to get out of my comfort range, which is the public areas. Heck, I haven't even fished all the public access areas yet. So what I'm doing works for me. But I like to see things work out for all good sportsmen.

Curious to know if folks feel the problem is: (a), That the boon in the sport has outgrown the capacity of the publicly-accessible parts of the fishery, or (b), the slobs, scabs, and poachers are gradually ruining it for the rest of us, or (c), some hybrid of the two.


"For the supreme test of a fisherman is not how many fish he has caught...but what he has caught when he has caught no fish." - John H. Bradley

#64
spoonchucker
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 14:32:46 (permalink)
"There is stamp that does help pay for some access issues, but I believe some of the money goes to help maintain the marinas, or at least it should."

NONE of the stamp monies goes to maintain the marinas. Stamp monies can only be used for access, access improvement, and stream, or habitat improvement. Secondly it doesn't pay for "somee" access. It has paid for a considerable amount of access. Go to the PF&BC website, and look at the map. There are also two more Elk creek easements soon to be added. One of which is veryu large.

"3) don't do anything, pretty much leave things the way they are now and quit complaining about it, just learn to live with it."

I'll go along with this, and take it a step farther. Get, or copy the map(s), and fish the areas KNOWN to be open. Enjoy the 90+ percent of the streams that ARE open. And quit worrying about the less than 10 percent that aren't.




Get Informed, Get Involved, And Make A Difference.

Step Up, or Step Aside


The next time you say "Somebody should do something", remember that YOU are somebody.

GL
#65
Bughawk
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 15:17:27 (permalink)
I looked at the maps Spoon.  It is very clear all the areas in yellow are open and if the area is not in yellow it is posted?   I noticed in the instructions that you can only access some sites via the waterway with specific instructions as to stay on the south or north side of the creek.  I am wondering then if the areas that are not in yellow are posted and you are instructed to enter the easement via the waterway, are you allowed to cross the posted areas but not fish or somehow levitate over the waterway from the public access areas over the posted areas?  I am a bit confused here. 
 
I am glad to see the Fish Commission is using the stamp money for access, but I thought there was some talk about some of the money going to the marinas.  Was I just dreaming that?

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#66
Bughawk
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 18:56:19 (permalink)
As I have taken some time to reflect on this whole issue of access, I have come to the conclusion, I honestly don't care where you can or cannot fish.  I don't fish for steelies much any more, so why am I wasting my time talking about it?  I will leave that for those actually fish.  I guess the old war horse in me just could not let this go...  My bad.  I don't have a dog in this fight, so time to move on.

Good luck to all who fish.  Enjoy the resource.



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#67
Livinfishin
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RE: Who Pays for the Fish? 2010/12/09 20:20:49 (permalink)
Wouldn't we LIKE to think that only 10% of Elk Creek is posted.
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