Registration for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) 26th annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop opens Monday, June 17.
The BOW workshop will be held from Sept. 13-15, 2019, at the Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center on Lake George in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
The annual Hendrickson Hatch Fly Fishing Tournament has been set for Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2 in Malone.
Tournament registration will run from 8 to 9:45 am at North Country Community College in Malone. Fishing will begin at 10 am on Saturday, and ends at 1 pm on Sunday. » Continue Reading.
It’s tempting to simply view fish scales as armor, but there’s more to them than that. They provide camouflage; they also play a role in locomotion. For scientists working on the recovery of American Shad in the Connecticut River, scales provide a record of a fish’s life history and a way to measure the success of restoration efforts.
American shad is our largest river herring. The males, called bucks, run up to six pounds. The females, or row shad, up to four. Like their cousins alewife and blue-backed herring, shad are anadromous, spending most of the year in the ocean, then running up fresh water rivers like the Connecticut in spring to spawn. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Council is urging the NYS Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to protect the park’s priceless rivers and lakes from harmful invasive species by renewing the law that forbids the spread of non-native plants and animals from one lake or river to another.
The Council is also urging lawmakers to add a provision requiring that all boats be decontaminated before they are launched in Adirondack waters. » Continue Reading.
Fly fishermen from across the country and Canada are set to convene in Wilmington on May 16 – 18 for the Ausable Two-Fly Challenge.
This year’s catch and release tournament is celebrating twenty years of fishing, storytelling and raising money to preserve the West Branch of the Ausable River. Proceeds go to regional preservation non-profit groups and to stock the river. » Continue Reading.
Monday, April 1st, is opening day for trout fishing. Currently, rivers and brooks in much of the Adirondacks are dangerous or difficult or impossible to access due to deep snow and ice. Rivers and brooks in the Southern Adirondacks and eastern valleys are open but there remains some patches of ice and snow along the banks, and water temperatures are extremely cold.
Water levels will rise as snow melts this weekend. There remains deep snow in the mountains, 6 to 8 feet on some summits, so expect waters to rise significantly from morning to afternoon during the warm days of spring. Monitor water levels to ensure your safety.
According to a press release issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation, on February 15, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Jason Hilliard and Robert Higgins conducted a night patrol prior to the start of the Great Sacandaga Lake (GSL) Fisheries derby and the Walleye Challenge.
The ECOs reported that they located tip-ups that had been left out overnight unoccupied, a violation of Environmental Conservation Law. The officers say they also found a 32-inch northern pike being kept alive and stored in the ice next to an unoccupied fishing shanty. » Continue Reading.
My advice to nine-year-old wanna-be trout anglers is: “Do not wear a sweater.” Repeat: “Do not wear a sweater.”
My earliest trout fishing days in and around Bakers Mills in today’s Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area were frustrating because my own fishhook invariably caught mainly my sweater. And we mostly used night crawlers not artificial flies then. Better to wear something less adept at snagging stray hooks. Try thick vinyl, maybe. » Continue Reading.
DEC reminds anglers that February 16-17, 2019 is a free fishing weekend in New York. During this period, anyone can fish without the requirement to obtain a New York State fishing license. » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding anglers to be cautious when ice fishing.
After 1 to 2 feet of snow fell over most of the Adirondacks Saturday and Sunday, on Thursday temperatures reached near 40 in some areas melting ice and leaving slushy ice conditions with large puddles of water on many frozen waterbodies. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is encouraging anglers to put safety first when ice fishing. Four inches of solid ice is usually safe for anglers accessing ice on foot. However, ice thickness can vary on waterbodies and even within the same waterbody.
Anglers should be particularly wary of areas of moving water and around boat docks and houses where bubblers may be installed to reduce ice buildup. The presence of snowmobile tracks or footprints on the ice should not be taken as evidence of safe ice conditions. DEC strongly encourages individuals to check ice conditions and avoid situations that appear to present even a remote risk. Testing the thickness of ice can easily be done with an auger or ice spud at various spots as you cross. » Continue Reading.
Clements Pond, part of the Wilmington Wild Forest, can be reached on a 1.5-mile lightly trafficked trail which ascends about 650 feet before dropping down to this scenic pond with nearby Clement Mountain rising 900 feet above it. The pond is stocked with brook trout and has a surface area of 2.6 acres. » Continue Reading.
Each year the New York State (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) offers four opportunities to test New York’s fishing waters for free. No fishing license is required and it’s a wonderful opportunity to give the sport of fishing a chance.
Fishing is a spiritual journey for some and an obsession for others. My husband grew up fishing and shares that love with both our children. My son likes the competition while my daughter likes any opportunity to best her brother. Keep in mind that children always fish for free in New York State until fifteen years of age. » Continue Reading.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reminded anglers that in celebration of Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2018 residents and non-residents can enjoy a day of freshwater fishing in New York without the requirement of a fishing license. » Continue Reading.
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