The Fishing Line - April 22nd Edition

Freshwater Fishing, Fisheries Management, and Fishing Access News

In This Issue:

• Mark Your Calendars for May 1
• Lake Champlain Open Water Creel Survey - Year 2
• Salmon River Fish Hatchery Closed to Visitors
• Doing Our Part for Future Generations of Anglers
• Fisheries Staff Spotlight- Charles Wlasniewski, Bath State Fish Hatchery

Mark Your Calendars for May 1

This year (and every year after) May 1st will mark the official statewide season opener for most of the coolwater sportfish species in New York. This includes walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel, and tiger muskellunge. (Muskellunge season opens on June 1).

These sportfish species provide fun, yet challenging, fishing opportunities across the state. If you're targeting members of the Pike Family- northern pike, chain pickerel and tiger muskellunge, you should consider using a steel-leader tied to the end of your line. This will prevent the sharp teeth of these species from slicing your line and ultimately save you some frustration. Knowing what the habitats are for sportfish will give you a better understanding of where you should fish for them. For example, chain pickerel are generally found year-round in shallow, weedy areas, whereas northern pike move from shallow water flats after spawning in the early spring to deeper, cooler water sections of lakes and rivers as temperatures rise through late spring and summer.

To learn more about fishing for these species in New York visit our website or see the links below.
How to Fish for Walleye
Walleye Fishing in New York
Pike, Pickerel and Tiger Musky Fishing in New York

Lake Champlain Open Water Creel Survey - Year 2

For the second year, our DEC Fisheries Staff will be conducting an open water creel survey (PDF) on the New York portion of Lake Champlain.

This survey, along with the ice fishing survey (PDF), will give our biologists a better understanding of what anglers are catching and targeting and will help us continue to best manage the Lake Champlain fishery as one of the top fishing destinations in the state.

The 2022 open-water fishing survey will take place at 12 boat launching sites:

• Rouse’s Point
• Great Chazy
• Point au Roche
• Wilcox Dock
• Plattsburgh
• Peru Dock
• Port Douglas
• Willsboro Bay
• Westport
• Port Henry
• Ticonderoga
• South Bay

Anglers coming off the water will be asked to voluntarily participate in the survey by providing information about their day of fishing. Collected data will include target species, number caught, and size. DEC creel agents will also be collecting biological data on fish caught.

Anglers that allow the creel agent to measure some of their catch will be entered into a raffle to receive one of two prize packages which includes a measuring board, lip grips, landing net and more.

A summary of the 2021 open-water survey will be available later this year. In the meantime, you can find out more details about the Lake Champlain Open-Water Access Point Creel Survey Plan (PDF) by visiting our website.

Salmon River Fish Hatchery Closed to Visitors

Just a quick reminder that the hatchery (including the grounds) remains closed to visitors due to ongoing construction. We'll be sure to let future visitors know when it opens back up!

Doing Our Part for Future Generations of Anglers

DEC reminds anglers to carry out what you carry in. Discarded bait containers, fishing line and tackle not only ruin our natural spaces, but can also negatively impact New York’s fish, wildlife, waterways and ultimately, the communities we live in. Plastic does not readily biodegrade in the environment, so it can stick around for a long time and may eventually become microplastic pollution. As anglers and environmental stewards, we can do our part to “Leave No Trace” and keep our waterways clean. For more information visit the Leave No Trace website.

Fisheries Staff Spotlight- Charles Wlasniewski, Bath Fish Hatchery

I’ve been with the DEC as a Fish Culturist for a little over 5 years now. Working with fish was a no brainer for me as I was immersed in the lifestyle from the start. So much so, I obtained multiple degrees in fisheries and aquaculture. While earning my degree, I bounced across the country to find incredible work opportunities and even better fishing opportunities. As fate would have it, fish brought me home to work for the state where it all started. Working for the state and the Bath Fish Hatchery has given me a chance to apply and hone a lot of the skills and knowledge I’ve accumulated in my career while benefiting a resource that I love. I assist in all aspects of fish culture, including remote egg takes, incubation, rearing, sampling, moving, stocking and everything in between. The work of a fish culturist is never really done as each job leads into another, a continual circulation to produce happy and healthy fish. We raise a variety of cold water fish such as lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and cisco. We have fish from both wild and domestic strains and they all come with their own set of challenges.

When we do get into our slower months, we often find work maintaining equipment or cleaning something in preparation for the following season. Spring is by far our busiest time as we roll out our trucks to transfer and stock fish across the state. It is my absolute favorite time of the year. I truly enjoy the educational and public interaction aspect of being “The Fish Man,” as some like to call us. It’s a great time of the year to get to know fellow anglers and the streams they grew up fishing. I always pick up a few new tricks from the people who help us out. Being so busy in the spring certainly puts a damper on fish and family time, but I make up for it in the off season. My family and I spend as much time as we can in the outdoors and I am ecstatic about passing on this way of life to my son. I’d like to say that I’m passionate about what I do, but I may be underselling it.