New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

fishing

New Chittning Pond Fishing Access in Oneida County

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Chittning Pond Fishing Access Site courtesy DECNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of work along Chittning Pond in the town of Sangerfield, Oneida County, including rehabilitation of the dam that impounds the pond and the official grand opening of an enhanced fishing access site.

The 70-acre pond located on DEC’s Albert J. Woodford Memorial State Forest is home to a warm water fishery and provides habitat for a multitude of bird, amphibian, reptile, and mammal species. [Read more…] about New Chittning Pond Fishing Access in Oneida County

Smallmouth Bass State Record Broken on Cayuga Lake

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NYS record smallmouth bass courtesy Thomas RussellA new state record for smallmouth bass was set on June 15th, opening day for bass season.

Thomas Russell Jr., of Albion reeled in an eight-pound, six-ounce smallmouth bass from Cayuga Lake, Seneca County. Russell’s bass surpassed the previous record by two ounces, a tie between fish caught on Lake Erie in 1995, and in the St. Lawrence River in 2016. [Read more…] about Smallmouth Bass State Record Broken on Cayuga Lake

2.4M Salmon & Trout Stocked in Lake Ontario

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stocking fish into net pens courtesy DECSalmon and trout stocking in Lake Ontario is complete for 2022 with 900,000 Chinook salmon, 505,200 rainbow trout, 480,000 brown trout, 320,000 lake trout, 121,000 coho salmon, and 125,000 Atlantic salmon to provide exceptional angling opportunities. [Read more…] about 2.4M Salmon & Trout Stocked in Lake Ontario

Coxsackie Boat Launch, Riverside Park Renovations Complete

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Coxsackie State Boat LaunchGovernor Kathy Hochul recently announced the completion of a $3.2 million project to revitalize the Coxsackie State Boat Launch and Riverside Park on the Hudson River in Greene County. [Read more…] about Coxsackie Boat Launch, Riverside Park Renovations Complete

Comments Sought on Herkimer County’s Three Lakes Easement

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Map of Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft recreation management plan (RMP) for the Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement in the town of Webb, Herkimer County.

The 3,350-acre Three Lakes Tract (TLT) is comprised of commercially managed forestland and is named for three waterbodies located on the property-Hitchcock, Grass, and Moose ponds. The RMP will address public recreational access and facilities consistent with the conservation easement. The public comment period is open until July 1st, 2022. [Read more…] about Comments Sought on Herkimer County’s Three Lakes Easement

Poetry: Electric Fence

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Electric Fence

This is my barbed wire dress. It protects the
property but doesn’t hide the view.

— Candy Darling

My concern for critters is by no means
mere sentiment. Not that I won’t swat
mosquitoes and house flies, do war
with ants in the kitchen area, or even,
in the past, trap the occasional mouse.
To such as these I confess and apologize.

But as a young kid I had a telescoping
flyrod made of metal. And once, as I
negotiated a barbed-wire fence along
Edwards Hill Road, I placed the rod, as
I held its metal part, on barbed wire
with current flowing through it — and
so through me, too. It was no pleasant
sensation, only smoothed-over somewhat
by my then catching a few brook trout.

Read More Poems From the New York Almanack HERE.

New Summer Flounder Fishing Regulations

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summer flounder courtesy DECDEC has announced new recreational saltwater fishing regulations for the summer flounder (fluke) season that began on May 1st. Changes will provide more opportunities for anglers by extending the season a total of 12 fishing days to end on October 9th, 2022, and decreasing the minimum size limit by half an inch. [Read more…] about New Summer Flounder Fishing Regulations

Logging the Adirondack Interior, Spurring Preservation (1840-60)

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One of the most satisfying pastimes for me at our summer home on Twitchell Lake in Big Moose in the Adirondacks in Northern Herkimer County), was taking the camp guide boat out for a spin. That privilege was earned by passing the family test, a solo swim across the lake, about the distance of a football field.

Weighing just over 30 pounds, this unique 14-foot wooden craft sped through the water powered by two oars. A cabin shelf still displays several awards for winning the annual guide boat race. I fondly remember the one-mile hikes to neighboring Oswego Pond, trailing my older brother Burt carrying that guide boat on his shoulders using a hand-carved yoke, my father in the lead bearing the oars and fishing gear. [Read more…] about Logging the Adirondack Interior, Spurring Preservation (1840-60)

35+ Pound Channel Catfish Breaks State Record

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New State Record Channel Catfish courtesy DECA New York State record for channel catfish was broken on May 8th, 2022. Using cut bait while bottom fishing, Bailey Williams of Watertown reeled in a 35-pound, 12-ounce channel catfish from the Black River in Jefferson County.

Bailey’s record-breaking catch surpassed the previous State record catfish, caught from Lake Ontario in 2017, by 9 ounces. [Read more…] about 35+ Pound Channel Catfish Breaks State Record

Spring Striped Bass Detail Nets Poachers

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Seized striped bassAccording to a press release issued by DEC, on the early morning hours of April 21st, NYS Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Pabes responded to a report of multiple anglers keeping excess and undersized striped bass in the village of Great Neck, Long Island. [Read more…] about Spring Striped Bass Detail Nets Poachers