The PA Boat & Fish Commission has a meeting scheduled for Monday February 26, 2018 6:30-8:00 PM in the Mifflinburg Are High School- Cafeteria to discuss new regulations for Section 05 witch is the section just below the FFA near Cherry Run to the bridge at Weikert and hear public in put. They are looking to change the rules to either of following, Catch & Release (very unlikely), Class A Wild Trout (very unlikely), Slot limit or Delayed harvest (I am betting on a slot limit- just as the Coburn area has)! The boys at the Fish Commission have got to come up with novel ideas to save money by decreasing the stocking of trout, wait till you hear the bitching and moaning at the meeting about not having trout for the grand kids to catch and the threats from some land owners to close off access if they do not get their way, in the end I an almost certain the Fish boys already have their mind made up, this is just another dog and pony show they seem to want to put on every time they need to save money. The could care less about the resource or the economic benefits that a strong catch and release or a totally wild trout stream has on the local and area economy. I still think that the idea Sherwin has is the best long term solution to the cost of raising trout, make the hatcheries private and just purchase the trout from them, thereby saving costs on health benefits and retirement coupled with no cost for general upkeep of the hatcheries. This ever changing of the rules for section of the stream has a adverse effect, no one reads the rule book or the signs posted on the trees or the people who just do not give a shit and do what they want. A case in point is the old guy that fishes the Coburn area and kills every big trout he catches (he uses minnows and is good at it) he will tell you that he will not get arrested because no one ever checks that section. This is a real problem on all the good trout water- no enforcement of the regulations takes place. I remember a few years ago I witnessed three guys taking fish on Spring Creek and I called the Regional office and it took "3" days for a call back and I was told next time try to get their license numbers-WTF- no have someone at least drive around and look rather that you guys patrolling in your boats on the lakes and rivers! We are going to see this kind more often than we care to think about just to save money, remember that they just has a hissey fit because they wanted to raise prices and were turned down, maybe they can do what the Game Commission has done, make a license for every species that you fish for!
In any event it is a meeting you need to attend but you to sit on your hands and just take in the focus and scope of the event.
