WATERBURY, VT – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department recently unveiled a new angler incentive program to encourage fishing participation among children and adults as well as gather information on big fish caught in Vermont. The new “Master Angler Program” recognizes the accomplishments of anglers who catch trophy-sized fish from Vermont waters and celebrates that these fish have survived and grown to such large size.

“Vermont has a wealth of waters with abundant fish populations that provide many opportunities to experience outstanding fishing,” said Shawn Good, one of the state fisheries biologists who helped design the program.

The program provides a list of 33 fish species that can be caught by hook and line. Minimum length benchmarks are established for each species. Fish exceeding those benchmarks are considered “trophy quality” and may be entered. There are two different length lists — one for adults and one with lower minimum lengths for youths.

Anglers catching one fish species exceeding the established minimum length will receive a certificate of achievement for catching a trophy fish. The names of these anglers and information about their fish will also be included in the annual Master Angler Program report on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website. An angler who catches five qualifying fish of different species within the same calendar year will be recognized as a Vermont Master Angler and will receive a lapel pin at the end of the year.
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SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. – A state record yellow perch was caught by Craig Hollandsworth of Cowen, W.Va., according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the Division of Natural Resources.

Mr. Hollandsworth caught the 15.44-inch, 1.20-pound fish at Summersville Lake in Nicholas County on May 9, 2010, using a live minnow for bait. His catch establishes a new West Virginia record for length. The previous length record for yellow perch was 15.25 inches caught by Joshua Carr from a private pond in Upshur County in 2008. The weight record for yellow perch of 1.83 pounds still stands and was caught by Charles Mayle from Tygart Lake in 1985.

Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the current West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Fishing Regulations brochure.  The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting a state record catch.  This information is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.

News release courtesy West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

WATERBURY, VT – Vermont’s “Trophy Trout” stocking program for 2010 will include seven river sections and 33 lakes and ponds receiving the two-year old trout, some over 18 inches long.

“The trophy rainbow and brown trout stocked in the Black, Winooski and Lamoille Rivers as well as Otter Creek have provided exciting fishing for many anglers of all ages and skill levels for many years,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche. “We recently added trophy trout in sections of East Creek in Rutland, the Missisquoi River in Enosburg and Sheldon, and the Passumpsic River in St Johnsbury. Two-year old brook trout as well as some large rainbows also will be stocked in selected lakes and ponds to provide excellent fishing opportunities.” Read the rest…

Anglers with cabin fever (and fishing licenses) who have been impatiently waiting for open water will be cheered to learn that trout stocking began in mid-March in the eastern part of the state and now is occurring throughout the Commonwealth. Because of high flood waters, Division staff are refraining from stocking streams and rivers. Weekly trout stocking reports are posted and updated each Friday at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/fishing/trout/trout_stocking_schedule.htm. All schedules are subject to alteration or cancellation due to equipment failure, inclement weather, high water, or other unforeseen circumstances. Anglers without Internet access may also call the nearest District office for information: Western (413) 684-1646; Valley (413) 323-7632; Central (508) 835-3607; Northeast (978) 772-2145; or Southeast (508) 759-3406. Don’t forget to try to “hook” a new angler of any age, especially a youngster; be sure to share the joys and challenges of fishing!

News release courtesy Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

WATERBURY, VT — Here’s a great opportunity for young people to give fishing a try. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has released a list of more than 60 upcoming fishing events, most of them intended just for kids.

The department has a “Children’s Fishing Program,” which provides kids with the opportunity for a successful fishing experience at locally organized fishing events. The program provides free trout to the children of the state. Organizers of these events often are charitable, community, or non-profit groups such as fire departments, fish and game clubs, Rotary, Lions, town recreation committees, 4-H clubs, and scouts.
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Bay State anglers can look forward to over 540,000 feisty brook, brown, rainbow and tiger trout being stocked this spring according to figures released by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife). Stocking will begin in the when ice, snow and mud conditions allow the stocking trucks access to the waterways. Anglers are advised to contact the District office for updates on when stocking will begin in the area.

“We’ll be putting out 320,000 rainbow trout that will average 12 inches or longer, and about 78% of these rainbows will be 14 inches or larger,” observes Chief Fish Culturist Dr. Ken Simmons. “They’ll be distributed statewide throughout the stocking season by our five regional Wildlife District offices.” 47,000 brown trout averaging more then 12 inches will be stocked along with another 115,000 browns in the 9 - 11 inch range. Read the rest…

WATERBURY, VT – Vermont’s opening day of trout fishing is a day that many anglers look forward to each spring. This year trout fishing begins Saturday, April 10; anglers are already gearing up for another year of great brook, brown and rainbow trout fishing.

“There are plenty of wild trout throughout the state, and many that were stocked earlier in lakes and streams to support spring fishing,” said Vermont Director of Fisheries Eric Palmer. “The Willoughby River steelhead provide a great spring fishery in the Northeast Kingdom around the Village of Orleans, and some of the largest brown trout caught each year are taken in April.”
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WATERBURY, Vt – Vermont has the best walleye fishing in New England, and Richard Levesque’s latest entry in Vermont’s fish record program underscores that point. Levesque shattered the previous state record for walleye on February 10, when he caught a walleye weighing 14.55 lbs. through the ice on Lake Champlain.

Levesque, who lives nearby in West Swanton, caught the big fish at 9:00 p.m., using a tipup baited with a golden shiner. The walleye measured 32 ½ inches long and had a 20-inch girth.

The previous Vermont state record walleye weighed 13.44 lbs and was caught in the Clyde River in 1997 by Doug Niles of Newport Center, Vt.

The fish was examined by State Fisheries Biologist Brian Chipman at Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s office in Essex.

News release courtesy Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

WATERBURY, VT – The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will be stocking about 800 two-year old “trophy” rainbow trout this week in Lake Champlain at Burlington Harbor and in Otter Creek below the Vergennes dam.

Fisheries biologists are considering the possibility of stocking trophy trout in Burlington and Vergennes annually in the future. “We have been discussing ideas to improve urban fishing opportunities, and these fish will provide an opportunity to determine if a trophy trout program is a viable option in these areas,” said State Fisheries Biologist Brian Chipman. “We want to assess how well the trout contribute to shore fishing catches in this area before we invest in a long-term program.”

Anglers are reminded that Lake Champlain regulations apply below the Vergennes Dam as well as in Burlington Harbor: There is a 12-inch minimum length limit and the daily creel limit is three trout.

News release courtesy Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is beginning work on a unit management plan (UMP) for five state forests, one fishing access site and conservation easement lands encompassing 8,951 acres along the Upper Salmon River.The UMP will also include a pending acquisition from National Grid that covers approximately 675 acres in Oswego, Oneida and Lewis counties.

DEC is seeking public input and will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 7-9 PM at its Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar, N.Y. The evening will begin with an “open house” to enable the public to interact with DEC staff and view displays, followed by a brief presentation by DEC staff, then a return to the open-house format. The public will be encouraged to complete comment cards that can be submitted at the meeting or mailed at a later date. Those unable to attend the meeting may submit comments to the contact person by mail or e-mail.

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