When the DEC’s fisheries bureau proposed extended no-kill fishing for stream trout, there was a great deal of controversy and many questions. Historically, with some exceptions, the trout season on New York State rivers closed no later than October 15; many closed on September 30. The new regulations would allow anglers to fish from October 1 to March 31, using artificial lures and flies only, with all trout to be returned to the water unharmed. 

Some folks, myself included, supported and promoted extended-season trout fishing for a number of years. Other anglers did not, because they did not believe fishing should be allowed for lake-run trout on their journey to the spawning grounds. While many anglers supported extending the season, I believe most did not support fishing in the small tributaries where trout actually spawned. In fact, I made that 

recommendation to the fisheries bureau during the comment period prior to implementation of the new regulations; instead I suggested that fishing during brown and rainbow trout spawning be limited to the main tributaries that feed the reservoirs, not in the actual spawning areas. That recommendation was not implemented. 

Although significant changes in fishing regulations were made that allow fishing during wild-trout spawning, there are anglers who believe those fish should not be disturbed during this critical time period. While that philosophy is completely understandable, biologists evaluate the strength of the resource along with potential angler pressure before implementing liberalized, statewide changes. Upon review of the the vast DEP West Delaware Reservoir system—which includes Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink and Rondout—I found that collectively, those four lakes covered a little over 14,000 surface acres, and are annually stocked with a total of 19,180 brown trout yearlings. 

In addition to all of those stocked trout, each reservoir supports a substantial population of wild brown trout, and in the case of Pepacton Reservoir, populations of both wild brown and rainbow trout. Each year, those wild trout enter the tributaries, where they spawn, and in a year or so, add another generation of young trout to their respective fisheries. 

From a strictly fishing standpoint, all four reservoirs provide excellent fisheries for trout and smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, access to those reservoirs is limited. There are few access points and access sites, and motors, electric or otherwise, are not permitted by the DEP. As a result, fishing pressure on all four reservoirs is extremely light. I drive by Pepacton Reservoir along Route 30 at least once a week during the fishing season. If there are five cars along that road and four boats on the water, that’s a lot. So we’re talking fewer than 20 or so anglers fishing on over 5,500 surface acres of water.

With so much ponded water, so many wild and hatchery trout available, and so little fishing pressure, my rationale has always been that anglers who do not fish those reservoirs should have the opportunity to fish for lake-run trout when the fish enter the main tributaries on their way to the spawning grounds. Allowing fishing during this period would provide anglers—fly fishers in particular—an opportunity to hook a trout well over five pounds on the fly, a feat not possible when fishing rivers like the Beaverkill, Willowemoc or the East Branch of the Delaware. 

For some anglers, fishing for spawning trout is an ethical issue, in that they believe those fish should be not be infringed upon during the spawning process. Those sentiments need to be honored and supported by others. On the other hand, anglers like myself, who believe that if the fishery can support the pressure from a biological standpoint, fishing should be allowed provided that no-kill regulations are in effect. From a historic standpoint, anglers need to keep in mind that a number of New York’s streams, including the Esopus Creek along with tributaries to the Great Lakes, have been open for extended fishing for many years. In addition, fishing for Atlantic salmon, in the Canadian Maritimes, England, Scotland and other countries, has been going on for centuries. Why? It’s the only time those fish are available to anglers. And while those stocks are not what they once were, our Catskill reservoir trout are more than abundant, and easily capable of supporting additional fishing pressure, even during spawning runs. 

Those are the reasons I’ve supported fishing for trout while on the way to their spawning grounds, both as a fisheries biologist and an angler. Yet for some, fishing for these trout during spawning season is not acceptable. In their minds, it’s just not ethical to do that. So, when it comes to fishing for trout on their way to spawn, we each have to examine our own conscience, and then proceed accordingly.