Freshwater Fishing News

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has certified Dan Germain as the new holder of the state record for brook trout.

Mr. Germain reeled in the record-breaking fish on June 15 while fishing at South Lake in Herkimer County in the southwest corner of the Adirondack Park.

The new record brook trout, caught on a Lake Clear Wabbler and worm, measured 22 inches and weighed in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces, surpassing the previous state record set in 2009 by 3.5 ounces.

Mr. Germain submitted details of his winning fish as part of DEC’s Angler Achievement Awards Program. Through this program, anglers enter freshwater fish that meet specific qualifying criteria and receive official recognition of their catch and a distinctive lapel pin commemorating their achievement. The three categories that make up the program are: Catch & Release, Annual Award and State Record.

Information about the Angler Achievement Awards Program, including past winners and a downloadable application form, can be found on DEC’s website.

source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Throughout Kentucky, spring rains raised water levels in Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Nolin River Lake, Rough River Lake, Cave Run Lake and Taylorsville Lake. Some lakes are experiencing water levels never before witnessed.

Lake Cumberland rose quickly as well, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release a great deal of water through Wolf Creek Dam, creating strong currents in the Cumberland River below it. The high water created miserable fishing conditions, but now the Cumberland River is rounding into great fishing shape.

Due to ongoing repairs on Wolf Creek Dam, the Corps must keep the Lake Cumberland 40 feet lower than normal summer pool. Once the lake reaches that level, they only release enough water to keep the water temperatures cool enough to support the world class trout fishery in Cumberland River.

Cumberland River still produces excellent fishing, although size and growth diminished slightly from stress created by warm water temperatures over the last couple of summers.

“The numbers of trout are good,” said Ron Brooks, director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

“I think there are plenty of fish. . .  I saw people using spinning gear and doing well.”

Anglers using spinning gear should catch rainbow trout with small in-line spinners and spoons fished over flowing shoals. Spinning anglers after brown trout should target pockets near woody cover and deeper rocky banks with small suspending jerkbaits worked erratically.

Dreves said fly anglers should cast nymphs and streamers right now, but vary their retrieves to find what works.

Anglers fishing Cumberland River also have a healthy chance to set a new state record. The fisheries division stocked about 12,000 brook trout in the Cumberland River earlier this year, giving anglers a chance to break the 15-inch long, 1-pound, 5-ounce brook trout state record. Louisville’s R. James Augustus caught the record fish from Martin’s Fork in 1982.

“As soon as the brookies get to the 15-inch minimum size limit, they’ll have a potential state record,” Dreves said. “It could happen soon.”

source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar have announced joint scientific research projects that address the effects of climate change on freshwater systems and sensitive aquatic species in the northwestern and southeastern United States.

“Addressing the challenges of climate change will require new tools that enable our leaders to develop successful strategies,” said Vilsack. “This research will provide tools and information to help ensure that aquatic ecosystems in the Northwest and Southeast remain healthy in the face of climate change.”

“Conserving our nation’s fisheries and aquatic ecosystems will be a challenge as climate change continues,” said Salazar. “These collaborative research projects will provide the science and technology needed by the Interior Department and other natural resource managers to plan for coping with these challenges, especially in sensitive aquatic environments.”

Salazar noted that these projects are an early indication of the kind of science and management support that will be generated by the Interior Department’s regional climate science centers, which will be established in the Northwest and Southeast later this year. “Collaborative science targeted at managers needs is our agenda,” Salazar said.

The multi-year $500,000 joint USDA-DOI projects, which will be carried out by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) scientists, will make use of existing data, field studies and modeling to better understand the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Information from the project will help guide science-based land-use decisions by federal agencies and others engaged in long-term planning for climate adaptation.

In the Northwest, a region known for its abundant supply of cold and clean fresh water, the project’s goal is to identify how climate change will affect water temperature, quality and quantity, as well as the likely effects of increasing and more fluctuating water temperatures on coldwater-dependent fish such as trout and salmon.

Regional climate change will likely cause altered hydrology and water temperatures, vital components of water quality and healthy life cycles for species such as Pacific salmon, trout and chars, which depend on coldwater habitats. At the same time, little is known about existing and potential impacts of climate change for stream temperature in the Pacific Northwest. With a better understanding these factors – temperature and altered water flows – experts will be able to help guide land-use decisions by federal and state agencies planning for climate adaptation in the area.

In the Southeast, the project’s goal is to develop tools managers can use to minimize the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and the coldwater-dependent species in them, as well as on related ecosystem service such as drinking water quality and wildlife-based recreation. The scientists will refine and combine climate and hydrologic models for the region that will help resource professionals assess how land-use and water-management decisions will affect coldwater fish species such as brook trout, and the transition from coldwater fisheries in the mountains to warm water fisheries in the lower-lying Piedmont area.

source: USDA