For Release: Thursday, February 28, 2013

DEC Announces State of Lake Ontario Meetings

Biologists to Update Status of Lakes Fisheries

The annual State of Lake Ontario public meetings will be held in Oswego, Monroe and Niagara counties during March, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today.
"In recent years, Lake Ontario anglers have experienced outstanding fishing on Lake Ontario and its tributaries, based on DEC's science-based management of the fisheries," said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. "DEC's goal is to maintain Lake Ontario's high-quality angling opportunities and associated economic benefits. The State of Lake Ontario meetings provide an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in the lake to interact with the scientists who study its fisheries."
Lake Ontario and its embayments and tributaries support thriving populations of fish, including a variety of trout and salmon, bass, walleye, yellow perch and panfish. New York's Lake Ontario waters comprise more than 2.7 million acres. A 2007 statewide angler survey estimated more than 2.6 million angler days were spent on Lake Ontario and major tributaries. The estimated value of these fisheries exceeded $112 million to the local New York economy.
The meeting dates are as follows:
Wednesday, March 6, 2013: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the DEC Training Academy, 24 County Route 2A, Pulaski (the former Portly Angler Motel), Oswego County. The meeting is co-hosted by the Eastern Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Association.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the Carlson Auditorium, in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science building (76-1125) on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, Rochester, Monroe County. The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013: 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, Niagara County. The meeting is co-hosted by Niagara County Cooperative Extension and the Niagara County Sportfishery Development Board.
DEC, United States Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologists will make a number of presentations, including updates on the status of trout and salmon fisheries, forage fish, stocking programs, and fisheries management plans. Ample time will be provided at the end of the scheduled program for the audience to interact with the presenters. Information summaries for a host of Lake Ontario fisheries assessment programs will be posted on DEC's website prior to the public meetings. Previous annual reports can also be found at this site.
As part of the NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative, this year, Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget proposes that hunting and fishing licenses be simplified and fees be reduced. For more information, go to Governor's Press webpage (leaving DEC's website). For further information contact Steven Lapan, New York Great Lakes Section Leader at Cape Vincent Fisheries Research Station, (315) 654-2147.
 
L13

For the Rochester area, that is Tonight 7 PM RIT Carlson Imaging Center Auditorium.
 
L13

Tell us the bullet points afterwards.
Me I'll be in bed before it starts.
 
By the way this morning nada in about 45 minutes at the parking lot.
Back after bloodwork landed 1 5-5 pound male .
The only touch I had between 10 and 2.
Water colored up pretty good.
Fishable but real dirty.

And up over 400 cfs.  This is really helping with mking it to all the committments that are opreventing me from getting over there this week.  If it does not rain, it should be back down below 300 by the time I can again wet a line on Friday PM.  Gennie has blwon roght out though, over 7000 again and very muddy, with over 10,000 down at Portageville heading this way.
 
L13

Dropped a tad it seemed today. Still a bit dirtier than I would like but fishable.
Stopped after work.
Bad sign, noone fishing.
Went to the shaft and fished for twenty or so until the mini blizzard hit.
Five minutes from chilly(in my work duds of kackies and a short sleeve polo shirt, don't have the lining in my coat) to near whiteout with a steady 20 mph wind.
Not a bite, line rub,or bump.
didn't see a tail, fin or passing shadow.
 
Did I mention a few suckers have showed up.
Its over dude everybody stay home.

Most of the info from the SOL can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lou2012hilights.pdf.
 
Highlights:
Small size of fish measured in fall 2012 Altmar was more likely bias from overharvest of larger and female fish due to the low water conditions.  One suggestion from one of the Charter capains was to institute a one female limit in the streams.  My comment to another angler that we could probably leverage that for a one rainbow limit in the lake was greeted with enthusiasm-NOT!  The Charter Industry is quite happy to TAKE from anyone but totally unwilling to GIVE anything, feeling that their investment in boats and tackle gives them a greater right than the trib angler.  Last I looked we all pay the same for the NYS license (residents, that is), maybe they can get the Coast Guard to start paying for fish stocking.  The general consensus among the biologists now is that steelhead harvest is tied to success in finding salmon, the more kings they find and catch, the less they go after steelhead.  So tell a jughead a salmon secret and get them away from the Chrome!
 
It is not in the highlights of regulations changes but it is proposed to make jigs 1/8 ounce or less legal in the tributaries. I had thought you could make the case that a jig qualified as a fly in light of the line in the current regs that says no more than 1/8 ounce of additonal weight no matter how it is attached but apparently that won't sit well with some En Con officers and JP's.
 
Lakewide, 56% of the kings caught are wild, in most tribs it is 5 to 20% returning fish are wild, but in the SR, it is 70%. 
 
For those who can't follow the charts or read the DEC bullet points, bottom line is there are a **** load of fish out there, and some of them are huge!
 
L13

Dont know if ya meant small size of fish in Altmar or if that meant small numbers. Personally  felt  that Altmar had a average  season as most never went up that far. Likely because of temps and flows.
 First year in a LOOOOONG time I moved down to find that larger run they all talked about. Seemed they  never got up to my normal haunts in those big numbers.
   Fished  much more than normal early last year because of a nice schedule and the big runs.
 Ill say one thing for last year- when it was over it was OVER.  My up top later Nov fishing was pretty much a bust and thats a time I generally enjoy. Steel and Hos were sparce up there too cept for  early.
   Most early days were split between upstream with some here and there and downstream  with schools of them all over.
  That said it was indeed a banner year in mid to  lower sections and indications are of another upcoming.

Lucky13

Most of the info from the SOL can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lou2012hilights.pdf.


For those who can't follow the charts or read the DEC bullet points, bottom line is there are a **** load of fish out there, and some of them are huge!

L13

Thanks for at least not mentioning me by name.
 
PS --can't believe this site would censor the word ship.
Did I guess right?
What do I win?

Thanks for attending and voicing your opinion, even if we are the majority and it fell on deaf ears..
I read through the report and seeing the seining catch for YOY in late May, If I were to fish steel I sure know what fly Id be tossing ;)

No, 2B, I'm a well trained puppy so I hit the asterisks myself!  As Brother Weaze says, you can put anything you want in the blank and everyone knows what you intended anyway.
 
RG- They were talking size, fish measured were significantly smaller.  They ended up going to the Black to get enough eggs. I asked about taking eggs in the Lower river, but they said it would be too labor intensive, the hatchery or the ladders at the Black have to fill the bill.  They also siad that the LFZ closure and maintenance of lower flows were based on 2007, when they upped the flow on September 1st but then ran out of water and had to drop to 100, and had a serious deficit in fish reaching the Upper river.   This year, they thought there was a better chance of getting more fish up if they stayed at 185, and gave them a hassle free place to stage in the LFZ, but the rains did not materialize.  I would say there could be a chance of an emergency limited harvest in the future if these conditions occur again, but it will take a lot of L/E.   And while not as many Kings get put back as Steelhead, there is still signigficant release, and I don't recall there being huge numbers of carcasses anywhere.   I did see a U-tube video of the Ball Park area on 9/12/2012, and I would not have even stopped the car if I thought there were that many people, brook trout are still legal in September!  I think they said on one Saturday there were over 1200 cars in the DEC lots.   As to November, something happened all over the lake, as the runs died back heavily everywhere I checked, but there were solid runs into December, and the Spring run around Rochester has been as strong as I've seen in years, and some huge fish.
 
HT- You had to go and let the cat out of the bag on the Hot new fly pattern! Check out the prostitot patterns in the new Flyfisherman, then downsize!
 
L13