That Hudson slot is extreme and useless without enforcement and J hooks. As you said out on the ice, HT, just a parade of the half-dead going back in until a keeper is boated.  Considering that the Hudson stocks are relatively healthy compared to the Chesapeake, I wonder why the extreme?  It's harshest limit on the whole seaboard. I have no doubt Daisy Mae released fish will go back unhurt and live to spawn. Not so for  lots of others. I'm sure people night fishing  from the bank  in Troy will practice catch and release to the letter. Yeah. From what I saw a few weeks ago, the Cand R was doing more damage than those keeping one and heading home.   That I saw indeed, as the unemployment hole was pretty well populated with fish. Above, the stonefly experts were releasing half-dead after half-dead fish.  Hey, why revive a fish when your hands are cold already from taking pics? Besides the odds go up considerably on killing fish in the cold. Only a drastic reduction in the numbers of fish will cull the fisherman. Eventually, they may have to close the LFZ in winter.  I'd be all for it, at this point.  That'd at least give the fishery a shot  to have some consistent large fish returning to the river from the lake. If you think about the numbers, it's hard to not come up with many thousands in lost revenue from the visiting fly fishers showing up in the winter to herd the steel. They will not stomach fishing all day for a  single take or a fish lined because the fish aren't podded up and easy. So, there'd be some loud voices from local business that'd close up (Malinda's would be dead if the lower closed) , and the likelihood of closure is pretty slim.  I'm about as dedicated a C&R fisherman as you'll find, but even I find grave fault with how it's practiced on the SR. You aren't talking nonsense in my opinion, RG.

The most helpful regulation change for eliminating a lot of the additional stress, INMO, would be to change the interpretation of a limit and require that once an angler has caught and kept a limit, he or she has to stop fishing.  The person who takes a fish to the car, returns and does not reduce a caught fish to possession has broken no law currently.
 
Also, they don't inject thiamin into eggs.  They do add thiamin to the water in which they are being hardened and kept for eye up and hatch, and it absorbs into the eggs by process of osmosis.  And they have been giving B injections to adult fish holding for egg take, which produces a noticeable recovery.   As the DEC Pathologist said, these fish got hit with a double whammy, high stress alewives containing higher than normal Thiaminase levels, and the predators had to eat more because each alewife was in poor condition and had a lower nutrient level. AND it as the Canadians who pointed out the angling rates at SR as an explanation as to why they did not see this in their large return streams.  Another thing reported at SOL was the loss of about 20% of the quota fo eggs taken in Spring 2014, which means redux in stocking in 2015.  All of these factors may add up to the old one fish on is a great day that we got used to in the 90's and the crowds thinned then.  But this is  a put, grow and take fishery, so unless the hatchery operation is predicted to be impacted by angling, I think closures are unlikely (or maybe the LFZ goes away permanently, purely my speculation, but it is a zoo now anyway).  Ya pays yer ticket and ya takes yer chances, as TB likes to say. AAAR!
 
 

They should improve the access and make it handicap and under 16 only. Hel I fish there a lot, but something has to give

Maybe the answer to the dead C&R Steel is NO cameras allowed on the LFZ.I like to look at pictures but do you have to take a hero shot of every fish?Or somehow teach these snaggers/anglers the proper way to handle a fish that will be released.
I thought spring was here but now we're going to get 3-6 inches tomorrow ending with freezing drizzle.

dimebrite2
Most ice on the lake since 1977 could be playing a part somewhere in there too... I've heard opinions expressed towards the thick freeze on the lake can take a toll on baitfish... I'm sure it can take a toll on less than yearling salmonoids as well... I'd be shocked if lake Ontario collapsed completely in regards to salmonoids... Some lean years "could" be coming though....

A post of mine from December... Question is now another freeze over this year. Could we see even a larger collapse in bait possibly lucky??? I still stand by my belief of the lake "NOT" collapsing completely... But lean years like middle to late 90s ate probably inevitable. Bring it on... Less people..less fish... I'm fine with that. Snagging ettiquette for steelhead must be done away with though. Fish are currently taking a pretty hard beating up in a-town right now

Lucky the egg loss was around 400 k I heard
And yes youre right it was the Canadian who answered the question and pointed out how swirlers are not as prevalent in their streams.

Lot more swirlers the past few days.

Not just our lake- Michigan too

Michigan had a Chinook collapse a few years back after banner years in a row like we had. My eyes are eager to see this years Chinook return. Another lousy season like last year will definitely put a poor taste in a lot of peoples mouths who spend a lot of money coming up for them. Local tackle shops I've spoke with did see the effects of last seasons lousy run. Another one would put a big hurting on them.

Also interested to see/hear/read about Atlantic returns. To my knowledge catch rates on the lake have been up the past few years for them. An odd coincidence it would be to see Atlantic's flourishing with Pacific's diminishing. As we do know the b1 deficiency was first noticed in Atlantic's due to over indulgence of alewives. With the Atlantic's it has been said that the thiaminisine effects their spawning ability. Studies have shown steelhead and Atlantic's are closely related genetically. It really bothers me that the conga lines are still present in altmar with so many fish still dying. Yet in 2007 the fly zones were shutdown for near 3 months for salmon. I really think enough is enough and close the river from lower fly zone to Ellis cove. Let these fish rest and spawn and get to the hatchery without being bothered!!!

Andy,closing that stretch will not happen and the reason is MONEY!The whole fishery,except for the Salmon natural reproduction,is put and take and I bet plenty get to the hatchery to contribute their eggs to the effort.