Natives versus Stocked

[Batroun]

I've noticed in the past years of fishing Kensico that the fish caught "at depth"--around 80 to 110 feet--tend to be natives. The mid-column trout tend to be stocked.

[pbd]

How can you tell ?

[Batroun]

the stocked trout have clipped fins, with each year a different fin clipped to differentiate a stocked 2202 from a stocked 2001.

[KenH]

Is a clipped fin the only way to tell if stocked or native?
I've caught Lakers with clipped adipose fins, clipped pectoral fin,
clipped ventral fin...and losts with no clipped fin at all.
Almost all caught from shore.

[joel137]

im pretty sure they clip the fins at the hatchery and the diffrent setups are to tell the year the fish was released

[Batroun]

Yup, the clipped fins are as sign that the fish is stocked, clippped at the hatchery. Ron Pierce, the state fishing scientist, has a sheet that shows the years that the clippped fins represent. Very interesting.

[KenH]

Is that sheet info available anywhere to the public?

[oilgorg]

haven't noticed a single clipped fin this year and I'm not fishing that deep

[Batroun]

Ken, when I contacted Mr. Pierce he sent me a photocopy of the clips and I'm sure if you track him down--in Kingston--he'd gladly send you one. I'll try and remember to bring in his mailnig address and post it for you and others.

[Batroun]

Mr. Ron Pierce
N.Y.S.D.E.C.
21 south Putt Corners Road
New Paltz, NY. 12561

He's a good guy. Send him a stamped, self-addressed envelope and he'll send you a copy of the "fin clip" system. With it in hand you can tell how old the fish is. Sorry it took so long to post this. also, as long as you are writing to him, mention that we want NY to stock salmon in Kensico. Why not?

[KenH]

Batroun;

Thanks alot. I'll send Ron Pierce a letter.
I'll mention the Landlocked Salmon too, although
I'll probably get a "the Lakers would eat all the stockies"
as a reply.

Ken

[Batroun]

Lakers are mean but Salmon can hold their own, like Browns. I'd like to see a few thousand put in Kensico with a moratorium on keeping any until a year later.

[Batroun]

Ron wrote to me and said what you suspected--the lakers will eat the salmon. The NY hatchery has only 6 to 7 inch salmon. I'd like to see a program in place where we see stocking of larger (9 inch?) salmon. I know we do not catch that many Brownies on Kensico but we catch enough to know stocking works and the lake trout sharks don't get 'em all!

[KenH]

Despite the Laker/Brown stocking ratio being something like a 1:10 ratio since 2004
seems the Lakers are still reproducing well and increasing. I'd like to to see the Laker
stockings put on hold for a few years and the Brown stockings doubled. At least
they still have a foot in the door. LL Salmon stocking in Kensico seems unlikely as
long as the "Laker threat" exists.
 

[yonkers26]

Ken, I was under the impression that lake trout haven't been stocked locally for some time now since they are holding their own.

I looked on the DEC site (for 2009 at least) and did not see any listed lake trout stockings in westchester. Are there other large scale unlisted stockings executed?