Posts Tagged ‘Fisheries’

Thursday, January 14, 2021

DEC launches ice fishing survey on Lake Champlain


The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced an ice fishing creel survey, conducted on the waters of Lake Champlain until March 2021. The survey is part of a two-year effort to gather data from both ice and open water anglers to server as a foundation to help DEC Fisheries to better understand their expectations. The survey’s will also benefit management actions on Lake Champlain.

The DEC will survey 4 access points: The Plattsburgh Boat Launch on Cumberland Bay; Willsboro Bay Boat Launch; Bulwagga Bay Campground; and South Bay Boat Launch. As anglers finish off a day of fishing, they will be asked to participate by providing information about that day and allowing for creel agents to collect biological data about their catches, including target species, the number caught, and the size. Participation is voluntary and gives those who choose to engage a chance to help Lake Champlain make more informed management decisions.

Follow this link to access the Lake Champlain Ice Fishing Creel Survey


Monday, December 7, 2020

DEC reports successful trout and salmon egg collection


Despite social distancing limitations due to COVID-19 and irregular weather patterns, fall wild fish egg collection quotas have been met in the Adirondack Region.

Over the past two weeks, DEC Fisheries staff have been working to collect brook trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, and lake trout eggs to rear in hatcheries across the region. Every fall, staff from DEC Regions 5 & 6 and associated fish hatcheries venture out to certain waters to collect fish to be used for spawning.

Live fish are collected using trap nets set along the shorelines of waterbodies known to contain the desired fish species and strains. Collection of mature fish from the wild alleviates the need to raise and hold adult fish in the hatchery system and also has some genetic benefits.

Fish are released back into the water where they were collected once eggs and milt (sperm) are obtained.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, February 23, 2020

Rome Fish Hatchery Contaminated With Zebra Mussels

Zebra Mussel courtesy USGS Archive, USGS, Bugwood.orgThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that invasive zebra mussels were discovered in late January 2020 in Delta Lake, which supplies water to DEC’s Rome Fish Hatchery. Subsequent water testing at the hatchery confirmed the presence of zebra mussel veligers (larvae) in an outdoor raceway.

The Rome Hatchery is one of DEC’s largest hatcheries with annual production totaling nearly 160,000 pounds of brook, rainbow, and brown trout. » Continue Reading.


Friday, February 14, 2020

Featured Spot: Ice Fishing on Chazy Lake

Chazy Lake courtesy Adirondack AtlasChazy Lake is approximately 1,800 acres in size, runs 3.5 miles in length, and has a maximum depth of 72 feet. Chazy Lake is managed under the Chazy Highlands Wild Forest and is set in the valley between Lyon and Ellenburg Mountain providing excellent mountain views and great fishing opportunities.

Ice fishing is permitted on Chazy Lake which holds lake trout and landlocked salmon. The best fishing is said to be concentrated in the center of the lake over the deepest water. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, January 30, 2020

Long Lake – Lake Eaton Ice Fishing Derby Feb 8th

Justin Stephenson pictured with his prize winning fish from 2019The Long Lake Fish and Game Club with the support of the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department has announced their annual Ice Fishing Derby has been set for Saturday, February 8th, 2020.

Anglers are invited to fish the waters of Lake Eaton and Long Lake. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, January 19, 2020

Champlain Valley Salmon: A Free Teacher Workshop

Don Lee lands a salmon in the Saranac RiverThe Champlain Basin Education Initiative has announced a free International Year of the Salmon Workshop for K-12 teachers, set for Saturday, January 25, 2020 in Grand Isle, Vermont.

Teachers will work with a fisheries biologist to learn about salmon life cycle, habitat needs, and restoration efforts in the Champlain watershed, with a Trout Unlimited angler to learn about Salmon and Trout in the classroom programs, and have a chance to dissect fish as well. The history of salmon and their importance as a food source to early inhabitants of the Champlain Valley will also be featured. » Continue Reading.


Monday, December 30, 2019

DEC Encourages Anglers to Try Ice Fishing

ice fishermanNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has encouraged anglers to get out and safely enjoy ice fishing, a great way to spend time with family and friends outdoors during the winter months.

Four inches of solid clear ice is usually safe for anglers accessing ice on foot. Ice thickness can vary on waterbodies and even within the same waterbody. Anglers should be particularly cautious of areas of moving water and around boat docks and houses where bubblers may be installed to reduce ice from forming. Testing the ice can easily be done with an auger or spud bar at various spots. Fishing with a family member or a friend is also encouraged for safety. » Continue Reading.


Monday, December 23, 2019

The Longest Adirondack Rivers

Hudson River near the Blue Ledges by Paul Schaefer, c. 1968How many times have we seen the Adirondack mountains ranked by height, the tallest 46 separated into a revered category of their own?

There’s a club and way of life dedicated to hiking the 46, and a Lake Placid restaurant offers 46 different sandwiches named for the peaks.

For a change, today we list the largest streams in the Adirondack region.* » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Take A Veteran Fishing On Veterans Day

Each year the New York State (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation offers four opportunities to fish Adirondack waters without a fishing license. The free opportunities throughout the calendar year provide a sampling of fishing experiences.

The days are meant to allow people to test new waters or introduce someone to a new sport. Since 1991 these reoccurring events have allowed visitors and residents alike the opportunity to get outside and cast a line. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, October 26, 2019

Winners of ‘WomenHuntFishNY’ Fishing Photo Contest

Brianna Cook provided by DECNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the winners of the angling segment of the WomenHuntFishNY photo contest, held this summer. After sifting through almost 4,000 photo entries, DEC staff chose 14 winners and runners-up. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, October 24, 2019

New Invasive Intercepted at Lake Champlain Boat Launch

Hydrilla verticillataIn early September, The Lake Champlain Basin Program’s boat launch steward Matthew Gorton was conducting routine boat inspections at the South Hero John Guilmette. There to help prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, Gorton noticed an unusual looking plant hanging off a trailer backing into the Lake.

While Lake Champlain is host to 51 known nonnative and invasive aquatic species, Hydrilla verticillata has not yet been found there. The watercraft carrying the plant was last in the Connecticut River, a system in which the highly invasive plant hydrilla is well established. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Club Camp on Big Moose Lake: A Short History

The Old Club Camp courtesy Roger and Nancy PrattThe Club Camp is often mentioned as the first permanent structure built on Big Moose Lake. The word permanent is rather ironic because this hunting and fishing establishment had a relatively short history of just 28 years. Today the camp’s origins, visitors, and sad end seem largely forgotten.

According to Joseph F. Grady’s The Adirondacks: Fulton Chain-Big Moose Region (1933), the Club Camp was constructed in 1878 at the request of several sportsmen from New York City who had been spending summers on the lake in previous years.

At the time, Big Moose, near Old Forge, NY, was difficult to reach — the railroad would not arrive in the area until 1892. Before 1878, only lean-tos or shanties were available on Big Moose, notably that of businessman William “Billy” Dutton, which was built in 1876, and that of guide Jack Sheppard which was set up around the same time. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Brook Trout Found In ‘Fishless’ Lake Colden

Brook Trout by Greg DowerThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation (ALSC) have announced the confirmation of brook trout in Lake Colden in the Adirondack High Peaks.

Considered fishless for decades due to the negative effects of acid rain, the discovery of the brook trout population in Lake Colden is being attributed to improved water quality directly resulting from state and national standards to prevent the airborne pollutants that cause acid rain, notably sulfur dioxide. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, October 6, 2019

Atlantic Salmon Returning to Boquet River

Atlantic Salmon courtesy NOAA FisheriesThe Whallonsburg Grange Lyceum has announced “Beneath the Surface: Salmon in the Boquet River,” a program on the return of landlocked Atlantic salmon to the Boquet River, set for Tuesday, October 15th, at 7:30 pm. This program is part of the Grange’s fall series “Hidden in Plain Sight.” » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Salmon Festival Saturday in Richmond VT

2019 salmon festivalThe 2019 Salmon Festival has been set for Saturday, October 5th, at multiple locations in Richmond, Vermont. Family friendly, salmon based events will take place throughout the community from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. » Continue Reading.



Wait! Before you go:

Catch up on all your Adirondack
news, delivered weekly to your inbox