.

[Kierran]

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[Defeatist]

I dont want to be tyrant but Aaron, Nymphmeister and I can add some input to that story that might cause some controversy.....mainly about the brook trout and a few other points in the article. Good article though, and glad to see that some people have actually realized some things about the mighty housy and took the time to enjoy the river. Its only the beginning folks...

[TroutAholic]

Yeah, I was fishing that day with two of the guys quoted in the article; Tom Greiner and Gordon Davidson (Flash). Tom read the article, and said "I don't remember saying that", and someone from TU really believes that natural flow is keeping the temps hovering around 65 througout the summer? Gee, I wish!

[Defeatist]

Funny isnt it .....

[kmayland]

yeah - that was me from TU - that was a bad misquote - I never said (nor would ever believe) that temps on the river could be at 64 in the summer.....nor did I use the word "native" when referring to potential fish populations...oh well....what can you do...at least it was some good publicity for the river...

[TetonTrout]

[quote author=kmayland link=topic=668.msg3904#msg3904 date=1181603502]
yeah - that was me from TU - that was a bad misquote - I never said (nor would ever believe) that temps on the river could be at 64 in the summer.....nor did I use the word "native" when referring to potential fish populations...oh well....what can you do...at least it was some good publicity for the river...
[/quote]

Kirk, what is your opinion on wild or native fish in the Housatonic? Do you personally feel it should be stocked? How about as an official of TU? The whole stocking controversy really has my interest piqued and I like to know what other people think.

I found something interesting on the TU website:

Question
What is TU's position on hatchery fish that are released into streams? Do hatchery fish benefit the recovery of wild fish populations or do they harm wild fish?

Answer
TU policies have always placed the highest priority on protecting and restoring native and wild trout and salmon populations. Therefore, TU is opposed to any use of hatchery-reared trout and salmon that might harm native and wild trout and salmon. The federal or state agencies who are are comtemplating use of hatchery fish should first do enough research to detemine whether or not stocking will be harmful.

When used improperly, hatchery fish sometimes do harm wild fish. State stocking of whirling disease-infected trout, for example, has harmed wild trout populations in some rivers of the West.

Also this under the history of TU:

July 2009 will mark the 50th anniversary of TU’s founding, on the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling, Michigan. The 16 fishermen who gathered at the home of George Griffith were united by their love of trout fishing, and by their growing disgust with the state’s practice of stocking its waters with “cookie cutter trout”—catchable-sized hatchery fish. Convinced that Michigan’s trout streams could turn out a far superior fish if left to their own devices, the anglers formed a new organization: Trout, Unlimited (the comma was dropped a few years later).

From the beginning, TU was guided by the principle that if we “take care of the fish, then the fishing will take care of itself.” And that principle was grounded in science. “One of our most important objectives is to develop programs and recommendations based on the very best information and thinking available,” said TU’s first president, Dr. Casey E. Westell Jr. “In all matters of trout management, we want to know that we are substantially correct, both morally and biologically.”

In 1962-63, TU prepared its first policy statement on wild trout, and persuaded the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to discard “put-and-take” trout stocking and start managing for wild trout and healthy habitat. On the heels of that success, anglers quickly founded TU chapters in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, and Pennsylvania.

[SlowNDeep]

Teton,
Are you looking for a cease and desist on ALL stocking of the Housatonic?

I believe that most of the big holdovers we have been catching for many years were put there as 6-10 inch hatchery raised fish.

I'm not a fan of stocking big hatchery raised fish in the Hous, but without significant improvements to several feeders, I'm not sure the Hous would sustain a wild fishery.

[AaronJasper]

i wish they would stock triploid fish that grow to 30 pounds like that new potential rainbow caught in canada!!! at least then they could say that they dont interfere with wild populations!

[SlowNDeep]

Yeah - By the way, where can i get me one of them Golden Storm flies??

[AaronJasper]

yeah there are a few bad typos/misquotes in that article!!