Good read.

I totally agree..........................makes common sense !
“Historically, the goals of our walleye stocking program were to create diverse fishing opportunities and directed walleye fishing,” the report reads.Any stocking program is only successful if anglers catch a suitable proportion of fish stocked, though, it adds. Stockings are wasted otherwise.Hence, the new goal of the walleye program is to “create high-quality walleye fisheries that receive directed angler effort.”
Once again tell me how Shenango River hasn't proven to be exactly that ..............for years !

How or why would The River get these "extra" fish anyway? The whole reason for stopping the stockings are PCBs.

It was an informative read tho...jus say'IN.

Btw Capt.

Ya owe me 10cents royality fer da jus ask'IN..... jus say'IN lmao..

jus Fish'In talk..............nut'In else..     I like it....

Best cement barrel Walleye fishing around.....in it's day !







Historically, the goals of our walleye stocking program were to create diverse fishing opportunities and directed walleye fishing,” the report reads.Any stocking program is only successful if anglers catch a suitable proportion of fish stocked, though, it adds. Stockings are wasted otherwise.Hence, the new goal of the walleye program is to “create high-quality walleye fisheries that receive directed angler effort.”

Shenango is my local water. I live about 3 minutes from it and no one in the last 10 years has fished it more than I have.
 
The fish numbers have declined rapidly for every species over the last 5 years. We no longer have any hybrid stripers of good size at the dam. Blue gills and crappie are there but it is almost a joke. A few Walleye are still there even with the over harvesting and no stocking. There would be more but simply look at the first  page of pictures on your thread. You cant rope up a species every day that is no longer stocked and expect it to be "like it used to be."
 
People have been keeping walleye like this since they stopped stocking in 07. Wiped them out. I have watched Amish rope every single fish in that dam along with some of you who feel the need to fill your freezers to overflow with walleye fillets.
 
The trout in the river.... Small stockies? Shenango river produces crazy amounts of food. The stockies can easily reach 20 inches and are fat. The problem is they took a stocking out from the river recently and now numbers are not like they used to be. On top of that everyone knows when they stock.. I watch fisherman pull the fish out as they are putting them in. PFBC Laziness... Wont even spread the trout out they just dump them off the banks.
 
Did I mention one of those cut stockings contributed to the now stocked buhl park lake...Ridiculous...40 year old men roping trout out of a pond that should be for kids to fish only.
 
When the PFBC stops stocking fish it is simply for money not because of our health.
 
Shenango river is absolutely lifeless up towards the dam. Mismanagement and fisherman greed has cleaned the place out.
 
 

Very well said, Mike.

I agree with all you said Mike but the reality of the whole situation is I along with many local fishermen did not know that this Walleye program had stopped in 2007. I just found out on this site a few weeks ago ! We had been talking the past three years and wondering why all of a sudden the Walleye numbers were on the down side. Every fisherman that I talked to and my son talked with were all with out answers. Nobody knew this info and I bet most river fishermen still don't know ! That was the reason I wrote Mr. Wilson a few weeks ago to verify what was going on with Shenango. As I said after hearing the news and his reply I was totally ticked off with this poor decision. I think that if most fishermen got the word about this earlier they would never keep near as many Walleye. I know for a fact we wouldn't. The program was working very well over the years even with stringers of Walleye taken out the first few weeks. The next year would be just as good .That's actually the way it should work your harvesting the legal fish stocked years past. It's nothing more than a rotation of putting in and taking out but if they aren't restocking the chain is broken and it's mostly depleted. He also told me that the Fish Commission has never stocked Hybrid Bass in the lower river they all must be coming through the sluices into the river.  I don't know I'll take his word on that. I totally agree with your Buhl Park comments it should be handicapped and kids only ! I took my 2 year old grandson up opening day in the afternoon just to walk around and see some fishing. Is that the only place some adult guys can catch Trout ? Really pitiful ....and not even tossing them back for the kids to catch some other day!

Yea I was told the hybrids are shot through the dam as well. Would love to see a 30 inch fish shot through with that amount of force, hit the center pyramid in the sluice, and survive.
 
They migrate up stream to the dam. They are not shot through the dam. They are no longer there. This was the main fish I targeted on my fly rod. Each year got worse and worse starting in about 2011.. With the last few cold winters we have had the worst shad die offs ever. They have no bait fish to follow up and have no reason to come up to the dam. Reports of the shad population in Shenango lake are terrifying right now. Slim to none and now we have the issue of the hybrids wiping out big schools of smaller fish in the lake in search for food. The entire shenago lake/river system is in great need of help. I am no fish biologist but I have fished this river daily for the last 10 years.
 
The river truly is shot. It was nice being able to fish it in the glory days. 
 
White bass up by the dam are just as slim as the walleye now as well (river side). It is a true shame. I can not tell you how many times ive fished that dam the last 3 years and it just keeps getting worse.