Trout Fishing Almost Heaven - 09

Hye everybody..

Looking for an excuse to visit West Virginia in the fall? Here are three good ones: Trout fishing, hunting and viewing fall's foliage.

If ever there was a time to head for the Mountain State, it's in October to do some trout fishing. This is also the time that several small game seasons, plus turkey and archery deer hunting are all open. Fall foliage is nearing its sunburst peak. And 70,000 trout are being stocked during the second and third weeks of October -- a time when the state truly lives up to its "wild, wonderful" slogan.

Combine trout fishing with hunting for fun
Saturday morning, grouse, squirrel, raccoon and woodcock seasons open; duck and dove seasons continue; turkeys become legal game; and the bow-and-arrow deer season begins. Prospects for hunting virtually all of these game animals should be excellent.

The state's deer herd is growing, a record spring gobbler harvest was posted this year, and grouse are in the midst of a modest upswing. West Virginia has always been a top woodcock state, and huge flights of these long-beaked birds drop into the Canaan Valley, near Davis during the fall.

And while the brightly painted leaves clinging to deciduous trees are a hindrance in viewing game, they add an esthetic value that few sportsmen would want to forego. The foliage usually reaches its peak of color intensity during the second and third week of October in the Eastern Panhandle, where most Washington-based visitors will spend their time.
While most cabins and lodge rooms at state parks and forests have been reserved well in advance, a few are still available. Phone 800/642-9058 toll-free in Charlestown for information on what's left.

Streams stocked with trout
If the foliage and opening of hunting seasons weren't enough to draw one to West Virginia, 30 of the state's best trout streams will receive some 70,000 new trout. While it's frowned upon by purists, stocking is often necessary in streams where the natural spawning isn't enough to establish a viable trout fishery. Such, sadly, is the case in manyWest Virginia streams where the waters are cold and clear enough to hold trout, but reproduction is poor.

If there must be stocking of adult trout, West Virginia does a good job of it, often raising fish to a husky 11 to 14 inches before releasing them. The trout are stocked on a weekly basis during spring in some of the more popular creeks. The state also has no closed-season and opening-day fiasco concentrating droves of anglers in a carnival-like atmosphere along the banks.

During October, the state's yearly effort concludes with a bang. Not only are 70,000 trout being placed in the streams, 5,000 of them are brood fish ranging from 15 to 22 inches.

All of the waters listed under the "F" code in the current fishing regulations (except the Summersville Lake tail waters) will receive fish. Some of the more popular streams within a day's driving distance of Washington include Edward's Run and Pond in Hampshire County; Opequon Creek in Berkeley and Jefferson counties; and Rock Cliff Lake, Lost River and Trout Pond in Hardy County. Slightly farther (three to six hours) are Shaver's Fork, Knapps Creek, Buffalo Fork Lake, Beaver Creek and the Cranberry River in Pocahontas County. The Buckhanon and Blackwater rivers in Tucker County and North Fork of the South Branch in Pendleton and Grant counties are also good streams. The locations of these waters are shown in theWest Virginia Stream Map, available from the Department of Natural Resources, 1800 Washington Street East, Charleston 25305.

With this immense quantity of naive hatchery trout in the streams, bait is the most potent offering. Salmon eggs, minnows, redworms and nightcrawlers all will fool their share of trout, but they'll fool a lot more when fished in a natural fashion, rather than being plunked down with a heavy weight so they hang unrealistically on the bottom.

A light spinning outfit and four-to six-pound line will handle all trout, even those big breeder fish over 20 inches, if the reel's drag works smoothly. For holding the bait and snatching the fish, use gold hooks in sizes 6 to 10. Depending on the depth of water and rate of current, attach one to three very small split shot on the line a foot above the bait.

Trout for dinner
Toss this offering out upstream and drift it through deep runs, pools and eddies. Rocks and log-jams that offer shelter from the flow for pot-gutted hatchery fish suddenly faced with the rigors of a wild stream are also worth casting to. A sharp tap-tapping should telegraph up the rod if you're fishing good water. Strike quickly to drive the barb home and there may be trout for dinner.

Artificials such as Panther Martins and Flatfish will also take stocked trout when cast upstream and across and retrieved down through the current. Small marabou jigs crawled along the bottom can fool whoppers at times when the flashy spinners don't produce.

The fly fisherman can take his share of trout at this time as well, since many holdover fish from earlier plantings will be accustomed to feeding on natural insects. Some of the newly stocked fish also learn quickly that a mayfly or beetle tastes every bit as good as the brown pellets they were fed throughout their lives in the concrete troughs of a hatchery.

Most West Virginia streams are on the acidic side and lack heavy aquatic insect hatches. This makes the fish particularly fond of land insects such as beetles, ants, grasshoppers and crickets. Toss imitations of these bugs along the banks with a light splat or softly to any rises you see in midstream. If no takers show, tie on a weighted nymph and float it "dead drift" through the fishy-looking runs and deep pools.

And if all else fails, pick up the scattergun and go chase a grouse or woodcock through the bright autumn woods. That's sure to take the sting out of a poor trout fishing day.

See u all guys in next post..

Fish Conservation

The Freshwater Fish Keystone focuses on species and habitats species that occur in the U.S. or its territories and that have been identified as high priorities for the nation. Freshwater fish (anadromous and catadromous) and associated aquatic life such as mussels, crayfish, and other invertebrates are included in this Keystone. Our goal in the Freshwater Fish Keystone is to find the best conservation investments, fund the best solutions, and deliver measurable results for fish conservation. Under this mission statement we have selected Initiatives that focus on making a measurable impact on the status of specific species and their habitats. Individual Initiatives are listed to the right and are focused under the three themes below that we believe are critical for conserving freshwater fish, aquatic organisms, and their habitats.

Water Flows
Climate Change and Adaptation
Imperiled Fish: Apache Trout and Upper Klamath Basin

Goldfish and Snails Is it Worth the Risk?

Hello readers, happy weekend..

Over the past few days, there has been much discussion over the sustainability of keeping goldfish and various species of snails together in an aquarium setting. Though it is certainly a combination that can work, there are many reasons why caution is necessary. The purpose of this article is not to dissuade one from trying to attempt such a combination, but to explore the risks present to the health and well being of both animals when such a mix is being considered.

Very often, when this topic is discussed, it is framed only in terms of the danger snails face in the presence of goldfish. Generally ignored however, is the fact that goldfish also face debilitating, even mortal injury at the hands of their snail tankmates. A quick google search with the words goldfish, stuck, and mouth, will return all sorts of hits, involving everything from pebbles to cory cats, even otocinclus. The simple fact is, if it fits in your goldfish’s mouth, there is a very real possibility that it will at some point, end up in there. The problems occur when something is small enough to get in, but just big enough not to be easily extricated. Often in these cases, if the fish is unable to free the object itself, keeper intervention becomes necessary. Pulling the object out via tweezers is usually the only solution, and items can sometimes cause even greater damage on the way out. It is not uncommon for fish who have been through such traumas to die, even after the blockages have been removed. Thus, for the safety of your goldfish, they should only be kept with snails small and smooth enough not to pose a threat (read: no MTS), or entirely too large to feasibly fit into their mouths. Additionally, one must be just as cognizant of spreading disease when adding new snails to a system as with new fish. The same quarantine rules must apply. Though snails bred and raised by responsible hobbyists are safer than pond raised snails, one must always be cautious when adding new stock.

So one can see that keeping goldfish safe in the company of snails is a relatively easy task. Unfortunately, keeping snails safe in the company of goldfish can be significantly more complicated. The danger that goldfish present to snails is not one borne of a desire to eat them, but rather a desire to find out if they are indeed edible. Goldfish explore their worlds through their mouths, and new or unfamiliar things are often nipped at. This does not equate to aggression on the goldfish’s part, but it is difficult to picture a snail rationalizing why it is being bitten. Beyond that, and perhaps more importantly, is the issue of ensuring that both parties get enough to eat. Goldfish are notoriously greedy, powerful, and efficient feeders. This might equate to an abundance of food for obligate algae eaters, but for the pomacea type snails, who have pretty serious metabolic needs, this can be a double edged sword. Beyond being unable to compete effectively against the goldfish for the same food resources, their stress reactions to rough treatment can also come into play. “Stress in general, especially for bridgesii snails really limits their quality of life. I would be concerned the boisterous and energetic qualities of goldfish as well as their tendency to explore with their mouths would make cohabitating a more beneficial experience for the goldfish than the snail. I don't even really recommend keeping snails with boisterous tankmates like barbs, danios, etc, because the snails tend to be less outgoing (MsJinkzd).” Most importantly, stressed snails are also much less likely to be able/willing to feed properly, even further exacerbating concerns over getting them the proper nutrition they require.

As you can see, the issues involved in keeping goldfish and snails together are a bit more complicated than they might seem to the novice. One cannot simply throw a few snails in with a few goldfish, wait a couple weeks, and proclaim that all is well and will always be as such. “But I watch my tank all the time, and have never seen my goldies harass their snaily friends!” It’s important to remember that most of the time we are near our goldfish tanks, their attention is quite fixated on us, and the possibility of an impending meal. Just because one does not witness goldfish on snail harassment, does not mean it does not happen. A fish that has just been fed may have little to no interest in his snail tankmates, but the same fish after a day or two of fasting might have a very different reaction to a brig’s waving antennae. Though it is quite unlikely that a goldfish would simply predate on a snail beyond a given size, the possibility for harassment is very much there, and considering the quality of life issues that snails face when housed with goldfish, as well as the danger issues goldfish face when housed with snails, one really has to ask themselves: Is it worth the risk?

This is a CARP...we saw two just like this in the Charles River at the Esplanade Fireworks....Wita and Walphie! OK, Maybe that's a bit of a fish tale...my first eva!

Hmmmm...what are the fish think about that man?owhhh, that not my fish tale,help me get out from here!!!!