The Stockie Report

[salmonrebel]

So much for the stockie report!
I think we should be blabbin about this on the Rebel Chat.

[eyecejunky]

Me and Rebelfisher have talked a bit about that. He's been going to Del. for years. It all comes down to the dollar, and only so many things you can financially be able to do. It sucks. Because you want to do it all!
When the time comes, you can count on us deciding on someone knowledgable. With our experiences on Lake Ontario, we know all about being on some REAL water, and how quick those storms can turn a calm day, into one you'll never forget. You don't even need the storm to be above you, if it's blowing in from the right direction, LOOK OUT!

Buddy you don't have to tell me about the storms....We lost 6 of 12 guys that make to run to the outer banks over a storm a couple years ago...they didn't stop pukin and shakin till a couple days after we were home.  These guys weren't panseys either...even the first mate was sick.......The only thing that save my $ss was I OD'D on prescription motion sickness pills and coffee just before we launched, and I was still quesy..   The capt. really new his boat though.

[eyecejunky]

So much for the stockie report!
I think we should be blabbin about this on the Rebel Chat.

Oh thats right this is the stocky report...kinda off subject... ::)Apologies to the Mods........

[geothefisher]

Planning on being at Hunters lake for opening day of stockie season!  We did well last year, and it's a great place to use the fish tv.  I can hardly wait until 4-18!  I might go south for the early season, if my bro-in-law is going out.  He lives down in southeast and knows the streams real well down that way. 

[salmonrebel]

I have no idea where I'll be goin. Maybe Lily in Luzerne co.
I like watchin' the mayhem of everyone trying to get out at the launch, and the fish commish. tying everyone up searching everyone's boats for all their proper equipment on board. In the meantime, I just toss the rowboat in the water, and sit back and get amused by watching it all.

I've gone to Moon for most of the years on the first day though.

Maybe, I'll take out the 'Belly Boat'! ...and do some trollin' at Harvey's.

[Rebelfisher]

if ya wanna hit up harveys in my boat...thats a possibility. I like the idea of landing a 5lb+ brownie while everyone else is concentrating on the stockies.

[salmonrebel]

I think I'm gonna put a couple of my downriggers on my belly boat.

[eyecejunky]

My brother is going out for the first time since our father passed in 93.  Stockie season first day was a ritual for us every year in Fulton County previous to  that time starting in 1966.  There is a delayed harvest, artificial area of the stream that will entertain us, after we hit above and below that area for the State stockies.  Should be fun...

[geothefisher]

if ya wanna hit up harveys in my boat...thats a possibility. I like the idea of landing a 5lb+ brownie while everyone else is concentrating on the stockies.

  This is why we take the boat to Hunters on opening day!  Last year we did real well with 3 fish over 20"  When we came in, everyone fishing at the boat launch stood there with dropping jaws.  They were catching 7-8" fish all day, and the smallest one we had in the livewell was 15.  REAL SWEET!  Best opening day of stockie season we ever had!

[eyecejunky]

Yep...99.90% of the trout are stockies...where we go...every once in while you will catch an obviously wild brooky, but you have to seek them out in some of the smaller colder tribs, although Cove Cr does hold trout over.  The local sportsmans club stocks the creek pretty well...their smallest is usually larger than the medium to larger fish from the State.  I did catch some bows in that water 25+ years ago that I wasn't sure if they were wild or not...they didn't look at all like anything that anyone stocked... They weren't but 6 to 9 inches, and fought like any two stockies. 

[salmonrebel]

All joking aside. It is nice to get out on Harvey's for the bigg'ns.

Years past, I've caught some really large stockies out of Moon Lake, every year, 20+ inchers(4-5+ pounders). This was the norm for a lot of fishin holes. They just don't put them in there like that anymore, they might put a couple nice ones in. But nowhere near the numbers of big ones anymore, for at least the last half a dozen years or so.
All the years goin for these things, it's been about trying to get the slammers. But, if you want to get a slammer, you got to go where they are.
It seems like it went downhill when they started getting those fish from N.Carolina, and they started telling the public that the average size was going to be bigger!, by 2 inches! BIG FREAKIN DEAL!...WOW!
If they're going to just keep pumping these things into every water hole, I'd rather see the good old days back. At least there were numbers of quality fish.

[eyecejunky]

There ya go SR...now I understand why you feel and refer to the stockie situation as you do.  And from my observation in the streams that I fish consistently (now that you mentioned it) I see the same thing.  Another thing I don't understand is why trout are stocked in waters where the predator fish will gorge themselves on them.   Not that ...that is totally bad, but those stockies sure are expensive fish food!

[salmonrebel]

There ya go SR...now I understand why you feel and refer to the stockie situation as you do.  And from my observation in the streams that I fish consistently (now that you mentioned it) I see the same thing.  Another thing I don't understand is why trout are stocked in waters where the predator fish will gorge themselves on them.   Not that ...that is totally bad, but those stockies sure are expensive fish food!

Yep.
And like a conversation I had on the Iceshanty with someone else. In the warmwater, it would be nice to see the introduction of some hybrid bluegill and channel cats into some of these warmwater places instead of the mass stocking of the stockies! The hybrid bluegill don't reproduce so they wouldn't take over a lake. And the channels would be a more logical warmwater choice in some lakes, especially those with stunted panfish from over population. In time, they would bring the population of all the small panfish in check, resulting in better quality panfish, and another species of fish to catch. The channels get large, and they are really fun to catch. They along with the hybrids taste really good too.

[eyecejunky]

I don't know that I've seen Hybrid Gills...What fish do they do they use to breed them?  Now Channel cats I know from the Ohio and Allegheny rivers...when we are targeting walleyes on those rivers, you know when ya get hit by a C Cat...and they are usually over 20 inches.  After about 5 seconds into the fight, you know you have one on....Some days out while we are jiggin for walleyes..or sauger..we get into smallies, LM, whities or strippers..........it's an unprictable fishery............

[salmonrebel]

I don't know that I've seen Hybrid Gills...What fish do they do they use to breed them?  Now Channel cats I know from the Ohio and Allegheny rivers...when we are targeting walleyes on those rivers, you know when ya get hit by a C Cat...and they are usually over 20 inches.  After about 5 seconds into the fight, you know you have one on....Some days out while we are jiggin for walleyes..or sauger..we get into smallies, LM, whities or strippers..........it's an unprictable fishery............

I actually can't remember what the hybrid gills are combined with. If someone knows, could ya' let us know?