Trout Fishing Ethics
By Jim Zoschg, Outdoor Writer

For most of us, trout fishing is a time to relax. Unfortunately, sometimes transgressions committed by other anglers on the stream take away from trout fishing's enjoyment.

Perhaps the greatest offense a fisherman can commit is to intentionally keep illegal fish. This could mean keeping more than a limit, keeping fish out of season, or keeping individual fish that are too small. Snagging or foul hooking trout to keep for the dinner table also falls under this category. Such actions are not only illegal, but unethical.

Another serious offense is littering. This seems to be a much larger plague on the easily accessed portions of stocked trout streams. Almost never is litter found on a wild trout stream or along sections of stocked trout streams that are difficult to access. Perhaps this is because the same slobs who are too lazy to pack out their own trash are also too lazy to walk more than one or two minutes from their car to go fishing.

Regardless, this is a show of blatant disrespect for the natural resource and for others. If you carried it in, carry it out. There is no excuse for the countless spinner packages, white plastic foam worm containers, monofilament line and countless other forms of garbage that appear on our streams.

Crowding is another serious offense. By crowding another fisherman, you may ruin his outing without you even knowing.

Once trout season enters into May and the crowds thin, fellow anglers should be given even larger buffers. On large trout streams, a buffer of 100 feet is appropriate. Other than on the largest, most popular pools on the stream, if you want to fish in the same hole as someone else, you really should ask permission.

During this time of the year there is plenty of open fishable water available. If someone is fishing in your desired spot, just give him his space and move upstream or downstream to the next good stretch.

On small wild trout streams, a buffer of a half-mile or more is appropriate no matter what time of the year it is. If the wild trout stream is real small and only accessible from one point at the bottom, move on to another stream. To hike up above someone who is fishing the stream and cut him off simply is not very nice.

We should all strive to fish ethically, keeping what is best for the natural resource and for fellow anglers in mind. This will not only improve the fishing experience of others, it will also come back to make our experience more enjoyable when the kindness is reciprocated.

In light of last summer's large pollution, even within the Driftwood Branch watershed, conservationists in Cameron County have recently been given one reason to be happy.

During last month's Fish and Boat Commission meeting, Tannery Hollow Run, a tributary of Sterling Run in Cameron County, was named to the state's list of Class A Wild Trout streams.

Previously, Tannery Hollow hadn't even been on the list of streams containing populations of wild trout. As a result of a surface mine application, the commission electro-surveyed the stream last summer. It contained enough trout biomass to qualify for the special stream designation for wild brook trout.

Thus, there will be no strip mining within the drainage of Tannery Hollow Run.