Sad News For Lower Shenango River Outflow Fishing

The Good Old Days On Shenango River ! As you can see this stocking program was working and producing steady legal Walleye every year.......take a good look cause the Fish Commission killed it !
















 
 That's right I'm going to eat a bunch of fresh river deep fried Cajon Walleye , smoke a cigar, and have a shot of Captain Morgan's rum with a cold beer ! We'll probably sit around and talk about all the Walleye we use to catch in the river till the Fish Commission screwed it up !!!!

I hear that ..........   This is the man who shut it down. This was his  reply ..............." I decided that the large reservoirs were a better use for these fish.  We will not be stocking Walleye fingerlings in this area in the near future, unless new sampling from DEP shows a decline in the contaminants in fish flesh."

I'm sorry I don't have better news.  If you have further questions on this matter feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Timothy A. Wilson
Fisheries Biologist
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Fisheries Management Area 1
13240 Hartstown Road
Linesville, PA 16424
814-683-1036
tiwilson@pa.gov

Not likely repairs being made on anything (not designated flood control (Tamarack)) but the Susquehanna River as that is John Arway's pet project since he was rocketed into office.  
 
As for stocking fish in the rivers; John holds a masters in biology and belongs to and supports special interest groups that push their agendas like Bass and Trout.  Ya wanna catch walleye in the future you will have to go to Lake Erie!  
 
The Susquehanna is a great bass river but suddenly started producing 'crosseyed bass' having 'multiple anal vents' and 'no lips'!  I'm guessing, after the cost of 'resurrecting the Susquehanna' so it meets 'BASS MASTERS' requirements as a 'Trophy Bass' fishery, there won't be money to repair any dams.  New boat launches, fish habitat and fighting municipalities to upgrade their sewage/runoff systems along the river's banks cost a lottttttttttt of money!  

brock, did the state say what or who was the cause of the introduction of pcbs into the water?
are there any plans to try to clean it up?

BTDT you been attending the ZelieSam school of telling us how you feel?  TESTIFY!  
 
In my book, there are SO many places that are lacking any sort of fishery that you should never need to screw with one that HAS a good fishery.  And that place has never been a secret, but has a healthy amount of fishing pressure throughout the years.  Fish off the walleyes and everything else and replace with pelletheads and what happens?  Wall to wall troutiots slipping on rocks and drowning in the spring instead of guys that know enough about the river to wade safely.  That's just dumb.

python73
BTDT you been attending the ZelieSam school of telling us how you feel?  TESTIFY!  
 
In my book, there are SO many places that are lacking any sort of fishery that you should never need to screw with one that HAS a good fishery.  And that place has never been a secret, but has a healthy amount of fishing pressure throughout the years.  Fish off the walleyes and everything else and replace with pelletheads and what happens?  Wall to wall troutiots slipping on rocks and drowning in the spring instead of guys that know enough about the river to wade safely.  That's just dumb.

 
Now ya went and done it................
 
Rumor has it, new regulations will be submitted for recommendation at the next scheduled meeting of PFBC in Harrisburg, PA.  If approved, the new law is expected to go into effect early next Spring.
 
Personal Flotation Devices must be worn by all persons wading while........... fishing for trout or facsimiles thereof!
Since the rumor, there has been an addendum which would require anyone fishing for trout (or facsimiles)......  to wear PFD when close to any water.
 
As for attending "The School of ZeileSam"   
 
 

You can filter PCBs out of water quite easily with carbon.  But it builds up in critters via the food chain.  The smallest food eat/absorb it, and it concentrates on up the chain to the apex predators that live for years eating polluted smaller animals.  So if you catch a 24" walleye and fillet it, then test the center line for PCBs you'll get a number.  Doesn't really tell the story, because most guys I know don't eat the center line or red meat anyway.  Also doesn't tell you at what point the walleye are bad... if 15-20" aren't polluted and only the trophy size are, then that's fine.  Just tell us that.  
 
Unfortunately bait and fish move quite a way up and down the rivers, so it is hard to say what parts of the rivers are safe and what aren't.  We let businesses F up our rivers for too many years, and we're still paying for it.  Such is life.

I quit worring about PCB 's,clordane and the like a long time ago since ive smoked a couple million cigarettes,drank a few thousand gallons of beer,ate enough hormone antiboiotic beef and sausage,and dairy products not to mentionmy share of Agent Orange. I do feel bad about the discontinued stocking of walleye

 
I hear these are the new signs for Shenango River Outflow !

Alrighty, here we go....     Gonna try to keep this short and sweet
 
The PFBC has no idea how to manage their money and our fisheries.
 
First I'll start with current stocked trout program: As my username suggests, I love trout fishing. I do a crap ton of fishing for both stocked and wild trout(which I prefer, but there's more stockies where I live). They're my favorite species for a few reasons.....just the way it is. BUT the PFBC's world revolves around hatchery trout. They dump them everywhere, and many places where they shouldn't. There are lots of streams that get stocked but SHOULDN'T get stocked because they already have trout on their own!! (wild, naturally reproducing populations). So, quit stocking these places. This will save a lot of money.
 
At the same time, they are cutting trout stockings at places that NEED stocked in order to support a trout fishery(for example, they're no longer stocking Shenango in the winter, and they got rid of a lot of fall stockings around the state). Quit stocking the places that HAVE TROUT ON THEIR OWN and use that money/fish to stock places that NEED stocked. OR use that money towards warmwater species..........such as Shenango River walleye!!!!
 
Unfortunately the vast majority of "trout fishermen" are the opening day catch 'em and rope 'em type that don't give a darn about our fisheries or anything(they litter too). These are the people that keep the PFBC in business. Without the opening day crowd and the white truck chasers.........license sales and trout stamp sales will drop drastically. Many people would agree that trout don't taste that great compared to other species.........so why not have more special regulations encouraging C&R? The more fish that are released, the less fish are needed to be stocked.........which SAVES MONEY!!!! BUT, if these opening day fishermen can't keep their precious pelletheads for dinner or to hang that "trophy" 14in golden rainbow above the fireplace the PFBC will lose money. We need more serious fishermen who care about the sport. Bragging about a stringer of 5 trout fresh out of the truck on opening day with worm and powerbait containers on the ground is silly and sad.
 
If anyone saw the latest DHALO regulation proposal(which was dropped thankfully), the PFBC wanted to allow bait and move up the harvest date in these areas. They said it was to "get more kids into fishing" but in reality they wanted those fish harvested. If a hatchery trout isn't put on a stringer, it isn't properly "utilized." The PFBC only cares about the catch 'em and rope 'em crowd and wants the fish kept. More opportunities to keep pelletheads = more trout stamps/licenses. It's sad but true
 
Now onto the walleye. As of now, it looks like most of the walleye we'll be catching in the lower Shenango will be fish that wash out of the lake. And yeah, fish seem to make it through the dam just fine. How else do the hybrids make it into the river? The river doesn't get stocked with them and never has.....so they must wash down from the lake.
 
The thing about the PCBs is just an excuse. Plain and simple
 
Short duration of the fishery? Only lasts a couple weeks after the opener? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Yet another excuse. Walleye are caught there every month of the year(of course you can't keep them during the closed season). As you can tell from Captain Hook's photos, the fishing used to be great. "Wow lots of anglers are catching walleye out of the Shenango River! Time to quit stocking it because we need to stock some good wild trout streams to please the white truck chasers!!"
 
As for the lake.....I know some people that do really good with the walleye there. Just a big body of water, and it probably takes a while to learn. Not easy. With the river, it is/was fairly easy since they're concentrated in smaller areas. Great fishery...........and they had to go ahead and mess it up. So low angler usage was another excuse? How much ya wanna bet that more people target walleye in the outflow than hybrids or muskies in the lake. So why don't they quit stocking hybrids or skis? Of course I would never want them to quit stocking those fish.....but why quit stocking the river. Just stupid
 
Another thing...  Occasionally I see PFBC Officers crusing around Shenango and other places. Sometimes they just "drive by" and other times they get out and take a little walk. They need to spend more time and EFFORT trying to bust poachers and whatnot. This will bring in more money. Heck, set up camp at the Geneva Swamp, Woodcock Outflow, French Creek, etc. at night and bust all the bowfin and bullhead killer idiots. That'll bring in some bucks. Bust the litterbugs at the Shenango outflow too. Make sure the place is nice and clean first.....set up shop somewhere with binoculars, and once a group of "fishermen" leave with trash behind start writing tickets!! They'd make boatloads of money.
 
As for the catfish, after looking at the stocking lists I noticed they skipped some years here and there. Maybe they'll stock them again next year.....idk. Or maybe there's a good wild population?? I'm not sure. They don't stock the lake with them and there's still a bunch....so they're doing well there on their own. The river was always a fairly easy place to catch a pile of channels. I'm not sure how it's been this year.....haven't really targeted them yet
 
Done for now....

Exactly. Any agency of ANY level of government that is funded by involuntary means has NO...and I mean NO regard for those that they are supposed to be serving. Its astonishing that those who, by the very nature of their existence, are to SERVE the public seem to have nothing but contempt and indignation for those that shoulder the burden of funding them/provide their income. NO accountability, NO checks or balances, NO urgency to be even the slightest bit compliant or even courteous. And what will their reaction be? They will charge you more to act contrary to your very reasonable/logical wishes.

I didn't even know they stocked the river but it makes sense, I remember years ago walleye fishing there and catching 20-100 fish a night no problem and some real toads at that it seemed like I could always catch them winter thru spring with an honest effort that really sucks they dropped the stocking that's bad buissnes on there part

I don't know about the outflow but come Wednesday I'll be back on the lake with my food cooler packed for a full day (evening too) of jigging and spoon-chucking!  Lunch and dinner menu will include baloney sandwiches, baloney sandwiches with cheese and , a side of garlic dill pickles.  Maybe even get a little camp set-up on shore and toast a couple of sandwiches over an open fire........ errr grill.    
 
Just checked the gauges at the dam and the water is up again.  Hopefully by Wednesday the fish will be cruising the shoreline wood and rip rap once more.  Maybe catch one of them there 'striper hybrids' that's legal size so, I can try it on a grill.  Will be targeting the infamous crappie too, hoping to catch some of them slabbers to stock the freezer for winter.
 
Got a real good tip where I can catch some 'hybrid' but, I can't say cause I don't 'spot burn'. (everytime) 
 
Be safe around the water everyone............... drowning will ruin someones day!

Thanks Sam.............  Just lookin' at the radar and I see we're about to get whacked with a another 'bigun' in a few minutes.  Dang thing's truckin' to the North East which means all the lakes around me along with the Allegheny, Little Shenango,  and French Creek are gonna git stirred-up pretty good.  Got my fingers crossed the Shenango River won't be real crazy and does not rile the lake where she enters.  I'm gonna find out!
 
Multi tasking; typing on the 'puter', watching hockey (at the same time if ya can imagine that) and, watching the last of daylight fading in the west.  Sporadic flashes in the sky telling me the storm ain't to far off  as "flood warnings" are once again posted on the T.V. screen.
 
Just lost our Direct T.V (they never lose their signal (til it rains)) which tells me my little piece of Penn's Woods is about to get wet.
 
Hearing the thunder roll now, T.V. is back on and I think the proverbial 'cow' is outside.............  I gotta go.

Just think of the fish eating advisories of the shrimp and fish seafood you buy at giant eagle or any other of the supermarkets.Notice the signs Product of Vietnam, Thailland or bangaledesh!!!!!!!!! Do u think really a govm agency is ctually checking these!!!! They cant keep a terrorist from checking in on an airplane and anyone thinks they can tell u whats in seafood!!!!!!!!!!!!. The fish commission should should just stock fish and let us decide if we want to poison ourselves. I know this is a little off subject sorry guys. A friend of mine wont eat any fish we catch but when we go fishing he will smoke 2 packs cigs,eat 2 bigmacs on way home and then drink beer.Kinda silly worrying about it all.
 
                                        Bill