ramblings of a catskill fly fisher

Concerns re extended trout fishing 

By TONY BONAVIST
Posted 1/8/25

In April 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), through the bureau of fisheries, implemented a number of significant changes to the state’s trout stream …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in
ramblings of a catskill fly fisher

Concerns re extended trout fishing 

Posted

In April 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), through the bureau of fisheries, implemented a number of significant changes to the state’s trout stream fishing regulations. Beginning that year, anglers would be allowed to harvest trout in accordance with current size bag limits from April 1 until September 30. Then from October 1 until March 31 the following year, trout fishermen would be permitted to fish, but not take trout, from the state’s rivers unless specified otherwise. So in essence, regulations were put into effect that allowed anglers to fish throughout the year.

Prior to those regulations’ being implemented, there were public hearings with a lot of input from interested parties. One of the issues many of us had, and made the bureau of fisheries aware of, was that we did not want the small tributaries where trout spawned to be opened to fishing, period. Unfortunately, those tributaries, along with the main feeders to the Catskill reservoirs of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) remain open.

Most recently, I learned through some emails that there are those who would like the trout rivers in the Upper Delaware River watershed closed during the extended season. At this time they are basing that recommendation on the fact that releases from NYCDEP’s Delaware reservoirs have been reduced dramatically, and are well below normal. 

That is due in part to lack of rainfall, but also because the NYCDEP has begun repair of the water supply tunnel that runs from Rondout Reservoir to West Branch Reservoir in Putnam County. In order to begin that project, the DEP found it necessary to de-water the Pepacton, Cannonsville and Neversink reservoirs to 70 percent of capacity. That was done as a safety precaution, so there would be enough void should a significant amount of rainfall occur during the repair process. As a result, the release from Pepacton, which is normally about 100 CFS, has been reduced to 50 CFS; and the release from Cannonsville has been reduced to 45 CFS from about 400 CFS.

The folks that are opposed to year-round fishing are concerned that the reduced releases are not favorable to the trout fisheries and angling at the same time. They profess that trout populations need a rest from angling pressure during the fall spawning season, especially now that flows have been reduced so dramatically. Despite their claims, I’ve seen no reference that fishing pressure during the new, no-kill extended season will have a negative impact on the trout fisheries of the upper Delaware River Watershed, including the tailwaters. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no angler use study to determine how many people are actually fishing these rivers during the extended season. I’m guessing that they are not receiving a lot of pressure after October, once the weather starts to cool, especially with the current low flows. The guides and their boats certainly won’t be able to navigate the West Branch of the Delaware during the current conditions. 

Folks need to keep in mind that before the water releases legislation went into effect in 1976, summer flow from Pepacton was 19 CFS in summer, 6 CFS during winter. At the same time, releases from Cannonsville were 23 CFS in summer, 18 CFS in winter. And even after the implementation of the legislation, the summer releases from Pepacton were only 70 CFS, winter 45 CFS. The releases from Cannosville, 160 CFS in summer, 45 in winter. During this period, the flows were much lower than before implementation of the Flexible Flow Management Plan. The hatches and fishing were excellent; the trout survived the pressure and relatively low flows just fine.

In addition, the folks expressing opposition to the extended season need to keep in mind that the New York City water supply system in the Catskill mountains comprises approximately 20,000 surface acres of fishable water. That includes: Pepacton, Cannonsville, Rondout and Neversink reservoirs. Collectively, those four reservoirs are stocked with about 20,000 yearling brown trout. Besides stocked trout, every one of those reservoirs has a significant population of wild brown trout that are spawned in the tributaries. 

Because access to these reservoirs is limited, and the NYCDEP does not allow motors, all four reservoirs—with the exception of Rondout—are very lightly fished. So here we have thousands of acres of ponded water, supporting significant populations of both hatchery and wild brown trout some of which reach 10 pounds, which are very lightly fished. 

By allowing an extended no-harvest season, the DEC is providing anglers with an opportunity to take very large, lake run brown trout on the fly. Those fisheries include the East and West Branch of the Delaware, Rondout Creek and Neversink River, upstream of their respective reservoirs.

So based on what I know, as a fisheries biologist, and an angler, I can see no justification, biological or otherwise, for any changes to be made to the current regulations. 

These fisheries resources are significant, with good populations of wild and stocked trout, and are lightly fished in the late fall and winter. As such, they provide those anglers willing to brave the elements with an opportunity to extend their season—and  depending where they fish, to catch some very large brown trout.

Changing those regulations would be a disservice to all those anglers who wish to take advantage of fishing opportunity they provide.

new york state, department of environmental conservation, NYCDEP

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here