Category Archives: Trout fishing

Dennis Regan is retiring as HVA Berkshire Manager

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Dennis Regan took the job in 1999 because he had a strong interest in the management of water resources and loved to kayak. That was 20 years ago and he didn’t think he would be here that long. Now, he is glad he did, for he worked with some great people and was involved with some wonderful projects.
One of those wonderful projects was the Stream Team project, where HVA goes to various communities to get people involved in protecting the river. After some training volunteers then go to specific sections of the river and document what they see…. the good, bad and ugly. With the information obtained, they meet and report on what they saw and make recommendations on what they would like to see happen. “That’s the challenge”, said Regan, “getting all of that information and compiling it down with specific concrete recommendations”.
“People get excited about the environment when they know more about it,” he said, “In providing people an opportunity to know more about the Housatonic River, they get actively involved in it”. They begin by collecting data on river conditions and use, that may not be known about, and hopefully, doing something with it. He said that volunteers have been collecting data continually for 20 years and have followed up on a lot of recommendations.
Originally, five stream teams compiled a list of existing conditions, on the river. Ten years after these original assessments they went back and reassessed those sections with other stream teams and different people. The findings were then compared with what was recommended 10 years prior to see what had happened. They were very happy to see that most of their recommendations were followed up by them or other organizations. Even the State and EPA used some of that information. Data collection is still ongoing and now the stream teams are assessing the tributaries.
“When the stream team reports of the health and use of the rivers were given to the communities, they generated local interest, more people wanted to know more about the river” said Regan.
He feels that the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 was the beginning of restoring our rivers. A main focus was getting the communities to realize that the Housatonic River was an asset and that we should be able to utilize the river to stimulate local economics, community development and recreation. HVA feels that the best way to get people to care and get involved in protecting the river is to get them on or near it. This way they can see for themselves that it is not a negative thing and they don’t have to fear it.
“Many people knew that there was a Housatonic River out there somewhere” said Regan, “but they didn’t quite know where it was and whether or not they could go paddling on it. And if they wished to go paddling on it, where do they put in or take out. People didn’t know anything about the river”.
HVA saw that as a great opportunity for them to fill that niche. They updated a paddle guide and created new access spots. They were fortunate with the Natural Resources Damage (NRD) Trustees. Through a grant with them, they were able to get four new river access points in Pittsfield, Lenox, Lee and Sheffield. Since then two more were added in Stockbridge at the Glendale Dam, and a floating dock was installed in Stockbridge. They are presently developing 3 new sites on Division St in Great Barrington, on the Westside Riverway Park project in Pittsfield, and on Maple Avenue in Sheffield.
Dennis is quite proud of the Churchill Brook Culvert Replacement Project in Pittsfield where they utilized another NRD grant and, working with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), replaced an ineffective culvert on Churchill Road with a much improved one which allows fish to travel upstream to spawn.
He feels that perhaps one of his proudest projects was the creation of the Old Mill Trail where volunteers and a professional trail crew developed a mile and a half trail along the East Branch connecting Hinsdale and Dalton. “It was one of our biggest projects and we are very happy to see that it is well used. It took 10 years, involving the towns, state, volunteers and Peter Jensen’s trail crew”, he said.
Dennis remembers that when he first got here, he usually didn’t see anybody on the river. People had left it alone. “Because of that,” he said, “when you paddled the river, you felt that you were in upstate Maine, NH or VT. It was fairly isolated”. People were missing an opportunity then, but now it is different. It’s good to see so many fishermen, boaters, kayakers, ice fishermen and others are enjoying the river. Now there are even fishing and paddling guides.
He feels that people are much more knowledgeable about the river now than before. There seems to be much more respect for the river and there are many efforts to protect the river now and not to do anything to harm it. If paddlers see blowdown, yes, they take some stuff out but not everything. They clear the middle of the river to allow passage, but leave the sides alone. They know that fish require such structure
Dennis also feels that he was very lucky to be involved in two source-to-sound paddle trips on the Housatonic River. These trips put in at the Hinsdale Flats in Washington’s Mud Pond and 10 days later take out at Long Island Sound with salt water, salt air and sea gulls. On this trip you see the river gradually change from the start by pushing your kayak or canoe through bramble. The vegetation and the land use changes, and all of a sudden you are in a wide river with eagles and the smell of salt in the air and you are paddling in waves ending in Long Island Sound.
Dennis was the recipient of the 2014 Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s “Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award”. In addition to the above mentioned accomplishments, he was also acknowledged for his involvement in the FERC re-licensing of the Glendale Dam, the RIFLS Program dealing with observed and/or measured flow alterations in streams, for working with the grade schools focusing on biodiversity, both chemical and biological, water quality monitoring, mapping, storm drain awareness and understanding the PCB situation and cleanup.
He led macro-invertebrate studies on streams throughout the entire watershed, bank stabilization programs (planting native trees and shrubbery), dam removals, canoe rides, river clean-ups, oversight of ACEC’s, and was an active member of the CCC (Citizen’s Coordinating Council) dealing with the PCB clean up on the river.
Dennis plans to retire on April 30. His parting advice? You need to take some time to go out and attach yourselves to the river somehow. Either to paddle, walk along or sit by the river, relax and let yourselves subconsciously focus and you will see life everywhere in/on the river. “Go on the river”, he says, “and you will become a naturalist if you stay long enough. Appreciate the river!”
There is retirement party scheduled for him on Thursday, April 25. Contact Alison Dixon at the HVA office(adixon@hvatoday.org) for more information.
Spring Trout Stockings
The following was the anticipated stocking list for the week of April 8 through April 12. As always, the schedule was subject to change due to weather, river conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Rivers: Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Deerfield River in Florida, Buckland and Charlemont, Housatonic River in Hinsdale and Dalton, Konkapot River in Monterey and New Marlborough, Westfield River (Mainstem) in Huntington, Russell, Westfield and Montgomery; Westfield River (Middle Branch) in Worthington, Middlefield, Chester and Huntington. Lakes and Ponds: Ashfield Pond in Ashfield, Littleville Reservoir in Chester, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Mansfield Lake in Great Barrington, Littleville Reservoir and Norwich Pond in Huntington and Windsor Pond in Windsor.
Venison/Italian Buffet dinner
The Pittsfield Sportsmen’s Club will be having a Venison/Italian Buffet dinner on Saturday, April 20 at the American Legion Post 155 in Dalton. This dinner will benefit its Land Development efforts. Cocktails at 5:00 pm and Dinner at 6:00 pm. There will be a black powder gun raffle, 50/50 and kid’s raffle. Donation is $20 and children under 12 free. To reserve tickets, call Ed B. at (413)443-9371 or Stan B. at (413)841-8345.

School is out, help stock trout!
This Thursday, the public is invited to help MassWildlife stock trout during school vacation week. This is a chance to meet MassWildlife fisheries staff, view trout up close, and learn about places to fish near you. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Stockbridge Bowl Boat Ramp off Route 183 in Stockbridge. Bring some kids along.

Spring trout stocking has begun in Western District

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Since Thursday, March 28, DFW Western District personnel have been stocking trout into our local waters. Approximately 100,000 trout are expected to be stocked here this spring. Waters stocked to date are: Deerfield River in Florida, Charlemont and Buckland; West Branch of the Farmington River in Sandisfield, Tolland and Otis; Konkapot River in Monterey and New Marlborough, East Branch of Westfield River in Windsor, Cummington and Chesterfield; West Branch of the Westfield River in Becket, Middlefield, Chester and Huntington; Richmond Pond, Stockbridge Bowl, Lake Buel, Laurel Lake and Onota Lake.
All of the trout stocked were nice sized rainbows.
The pictures of the old man and kid? Well, that is my late Uncle Albert “Bert” Cummings from Glendale, MA. He was occasionally a model for Norman Rockwell and what you see is a copy of the photograph that Mr. Rockwell worked off of and the final drawing. The youngster is Keith Loveless. The picture was commissioned by the State of Maine and appeared on the cover of the Spring 1962 Maine Fish & Wildlife Magazine. Mr. Rockwell was rather talented, wouldn’t you say?
I thought this was an appropriate time to include it in the column, to coincide with the beginning of the spring fishing season.
Today is Acid Rain Collection Sunday
If you know Marc Hoechstetter of West Cummington, Lauren Gaherty of Pittsfield, Richard Green of Monterey, Cindy Delpapa of Becket or Andy Kawczak, you might want to thank them for volunteering to get out of bed early this morning and trudging to designated water bodies to collect water samples. One volunteer has to hike nearly a mile uphill to collect a sample out of a reservoir. The samples are then consolidated and transported to laboratories at Westfield State College or the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission for analysis for ph, alkalinity, major cations, anions and stable isotopes.
Similar collections and analyses are conducted by volunteers across the Commonwealth on the same day. It is part of the Acid Rain Monitoring (ARM) Program that was originally established by Dr. Paul Godfrey from UMASS 36 years ago. Since that time, dedicated volunteers have been gladly dipping their bottles into the frigid waters doing their part to help in this program.
Their work has not gone unnoticed for in in 2013 (30th anniversary of the ARM project) they all received formal Citations from Governor Deval Patrick, “In appreciation of their commitment to ecosystems of the Commonwealth.”
Fishing Derby
The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is having a free children’s fishing derby next Saturday, April 13 from 9 to 10:30 am at its lower pond. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. These fishing derbies will run once a month through September of this year.
Help our endangered critters
If you haven’t filed your State income taxes yet, there is still time to help support the recovery and protection of rare species and their habitats by contributing on Line 33A for Endangered Wildlife Conservation on the MA state income tax form. All funds go to MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp Contest
Congratulations to Tiffany Xiao, a student of the Apple-Leaf Studio in Boxborough, who won Best of Show in the 2019 Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) Contest. Her acrylic painting of a Barrow’s Goldeneye pair was selected from 232 entries. Xiao’s award-winning work will move on to the National JDS Contest to be held in Laurel, MD. Good luck, Tiffany!
Students from kindergarten through 12th grade from across the Commonwealth submitted original works of art depicting waterfowl in appropriate wetland habitat, demonstrating both artistic talent and a knowledge of the value of wetlands for wildlife. In March, MassWildlife hosted an awards ceremony for the top 100 winning artists at Field Headquarters. A combination of the top 100 artworks will be exhibited throughout Massachusetts in the coming year.
The Massachusetts JDS Program is sponsored by MassWildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with support from Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council. You can support the JDS Program and wetland conservation by purchasing Junior Duck Stamps featuring national winners from previous years. A limited number of Junior Duck Stamps is available for purchase at MassWildlife’s Westborough Office (cash or check only) or buy online at duckstamp.com.
Words of Wisdom
On Saturday evening, March 23, I had the distinct pleasure of being awarded the Worcester County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs “Words of Wisdom Award” at its Annual Appreciation Banquet at the Wachusett Country Club in West Boylston, MA. That award is presented to a person who is using the media to inform and educate about the contributions made by sportsmen and sportswomen and their clubs.
I was blown away by this honor. I knew that this column had a decent number of readers here in the Berkshires, but was unaware that so many sportsmen in Central MA knew of, much less read it. I thank the WCLS for considering me for this award. It means an awful lot to me and I shall never forget that evening.
It was also really cool that MA Fish & Game Commissioner Ron Amidon presented the plaque to me. You may recall that he was one of our group of eight flyfishermen who traveled up to Labrador in September of 2016 to fish the Minipi River system for large brook trout. (That was before he became a VIP!) To make that evening even more memorable, several of the flyfishermen who made that Labrador trip (and their spouses) were also there that evening. Seated at our table were Mike and Clair Shepard of Dalton, Mike and Diane Miller of Athol. Carl Racie from of Athol, who had fished with us in Quebec, was also there with Joan Starrett.
I also received citations from the State Senate and the House of Representatives.
Additional recipients that evening who you may recognize were Wayne MacCallum, who was named the WCLS Sportsman of the Year Award. He is the former Director of the MA DFW who served in that capacity for over 25 years. Another recipient was former DFW Youth Turkey Hunt Coordinator Astrid Huseby who recently was promoted to DFW Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) Coordinator. She received the Youth Mentor Award. Other award recipients were State Senator Donald F. Humason, Jr. who received the Legislator of the Year Award for his vigorous work on Beacon Hill supporting sportsmen’s causes. Will Rogers a central Massachusetts farmer received the Farmer of the Year Award. He was acknowledged for opening his farmland to hunters and fishermen. Rosemary Charon who has devoted countless hours to the WCLS, was inducted into its Hall of Fame.
I was also surprised to see how popular the outdoors sports are there. The WCLS represents over 25,000 sportsmen and women from over 50 clubs in Worcester County. According to Commissioner Amidon, that evening’s event drew approximately 275 people, a half dozen State Representatives, three State Senators, Lieutenant Governor Polito, EOEEA Secretary Matthew Beaton and many other dignitaries.
So, to the Central Massachusetts sportsmen/women and conservation minded readers who I previously did not know read this column, THANK YOU! And thanks for the wonderful work you are doing to conserve our environment and introduce our youth to it.
Incidentally, outdoor sports columnist Mark Blazis of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette wrote an excellent article covering that event in the Outdoors section of the March 26, 2019 issue entitled “State’s best sportsmen, women and outdoors advocates duly recognized”.
More Thanks
Last month marked my 15th year of writing the Berkshire Woods and Waters column and I also want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU, the local readers and contributors who have provided oodles of information and photographs for this column over the years. THANK YOU to the Berkshire Eagle for providing space for the column and to the sports editors who have cleaned up my messes and made me look good over the years. I also THANK my “in house” editor, (my wife Jan) who checks my copy before submitting and who has pretty much kept me out of trouble over the years.
It’s been my great pleasure to share our Sunday mornings together.

New regulations go into effect for Wildlife Management Areas

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The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) has a long tradition of welcoming dogs on its Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Dogs are still welcome, but dog handlers must comply with new leash and waste disposal regulations. The new regulations, which take effect on all WMAs on January 11, 2019, require the following:
Dogs and other domestic animals must be on a physical leash/tether while on WMAs. Leashing dogs decreases conflicts with people and other dogs, resulting in a safer and more positive experience for everyone.
Dogs may be off-leash only when hunting or hunt-training with licensed hunters under existing regulations, or if they are participating in retriever or bird dog trial events that have been permitted by MassWildlife.
Dog feces in the WMA must be picked up by dog handlers and disposed of offsite. Licensed hunters engaged in hunting or hunt training, and those participating in sanctioned field trials are exempt from this requirement.
Dog feces in WMA parking areas and within 100 feet of the parking area must be picked up by ALL dog handlers and disposed of off the WMA.
MassWildlife protects and manages its WMAs to sustain wildlife abundance and to provide wildlife-related recreation such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife-watching. At the same time MassWildlife strives to provide a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience for all visitors.
Over the years, MassWildlife had received numerous complaints from WMA users about negative and unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and issues with dog waste. The most common complaints included: dog attacks and bites on other dogs (both off- and on-leash) and people, and piles of accumulating dog waste: a nuisance and health concern for pets, people, and wildlife.
Other incidents and complaints from WMA users involved: user conflicts between loose dogs with hunters, birders, field trial dog participants, naturalists and hikers; observations of dogs harassing or chasing wildlife; dogs chasing or killing livestock on abutting property; chasing/harassing neighboring property owners and families; dogs spooking horses, resulting in injuries to riders or horses; dogs trampling through posted endangered species restoration projects or newly planted agricultural crops.
The new regulations were drafted after a staff review and presentation to the Fisheries and Wildlife Board. A public hearing was held in February 2018. After considering written and oral comments submitted during the public hearing process, amendments were made and the final regulation package was approved by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board March 14, 2018. The regulations will go into effect on January 11, 2019.
Though many municipalities have leash or animal control bylaws, they do not have legal standing on state lands; the new WMA regulations address this disparity. Enforcement of these regulations, as with all Wildlife Management Area Regulations, is carried out by the Massachusetts Environmental Police. State and municipal police departments also have authority to enforce Wildlife Management Area regulations.

Monitoring the Commonwealth’s lake trout
This fall, MassWildlife has been sampling the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs in an ongoing effort to monitor lake trout populations. Each year, with the help of DCR, MassWildlife collects lake trout from the Quabbin Reservoir to examine population characteristics. For the past few years, MassWildlife has also been sampling for lake trout at the Wachusett Reservoir.
To capture lake trout, field crews set nets on spawning areas starting at sunset and check them about every 20 minutes. Captured fish are removed from the nets and placed in a livewell. Next, biologists record length, weight, and sex and implant a small Passive Integrated Tag (PIT) in the fish. Prior to release, the adipose fin is clipped to provide an external mark indicating that the fish has been captured before. Data collected provide biologists with an understanding of the current condition of lake trout populations. If fish are recaptured from previous tagging efforts, biologists can calculate individual growth rates.
Lake trout are long lived and slow growing and it is not uncommon for a tagged fish to be recaptured 10 years later. In fact, the longest recapture interval recorded was 24 years! When other species like landlocked salmon, smallmouth bass, rock bass, and white perch are captured, biologists record information including length, weight, and sex but do not implant PIT tags.
Lake trout typically spawn in late October and November when the surface water temperatures are around or below 50°F. The spawning grounds are typically shallow, rocky waters on windy shores of the Reservoirs; spawning occurs mostly after dusk. Night sampling on big waters can be cold and icy in November, but the information it provides biologists is well worth the effort. Sampling efforts like this are just one way that MassWildlife monitors the health of the fish resources of the Commonwealth.
In 2018, sampling crews at Quabbin Reservoir captured and released 163 lake trout despite the frigid temperatures and rain experienced throughout November. Of note was a 26-pound male lake trout that was first captured and tagged in 2014 and recaptured this year. On Wachusett Reservoir, crews captured and released 65 lake trout including two 18-pound fish. An article with details about the lake trout sampling effort will be appearing in the next issue of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine, which will be in mailboxes in January. In addition, a scientific article has been composed and is currently in the peer–review process with publication expected in 2019.
Reminder to gamebird and archery deer hunters

If you completed a MassWildlife log while hunting game birds or during archery deer season, it’s time to send them in. If you complete and submit either an archery deer hunting log or a game bird hunting log before December 14, 2018 you will be entered into a drawing. Prizes include 1 stainless steel tabletop gas grill, donated by Cabela’s, 10 blaze orange MassWildlife caps, and 10 one-year subscriptions to Massachusetts Wildlife magazine. Winners will be randomly selected and notified in late December. If you complete both types of logs, your name will be entered twice. You can email scanned logs to mass.wildlife@state.ma.us or mail completed forms to MassWildlife, Attn: Game bird hunting log / Archery deer hunting log, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.
Information for the above three articles was obtained from MassWildlife’s November newsletter.

TU Holiday Party
The Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited is having its annual Holiday Party on Thursday, December 13 at the Crissey Farm @ Barrington Brewery, 420 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington. The party will be opened to the general public again this year. It will be a buffet dinner which costs $30 pp. Social Hour with hors d’oeuvres begins at 6:00 PM. The event features a door prize and donation bucket raffle. For more information Contact Henry Sweren at (413) 447-9429 or e-mail hsweren8@aol.com. Reservations must be made no later than tomorrow, December 10.
Incidentally, at its last meeting, the Taconic Chapter elected the following officers for the 2019 season: Henry Sweren of Lanesborough – President, John Burns of Cummington – VP, Fran Marzotto, of Pittsfield – Secretary and Bill Travis, of Pittsfield – Treasurer.
Primitive Firearms Deer Hunting Season opens tomorrow

Muzzleloader deer hunting

Shotgun deer hunting ended yesterday. If you haven’t gotten your deer yet, you still have an opportunity to get one during the Primitive Firearms deer hunting season. It opens tomorrow and runs through December 31. A Primitive Firearms stamp is required and there are special regulations governing this season. Archers can hunt during this season but must purchase the Primitive Firearms stamp. Here’s hoping you have a very enjoyable hunt trudging through our winter wonderland. Be careful and keep your powder dry.

Local waters welcome 12,000 trout; 2 local lakes add new boat ramps

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Local waters welcome 12,000 trout; 2 local lakes add new boat rampsl

And our Western District waters will receive about 12,000 of them. That’s according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. (MassWildlife). The rainbows will be 12 inches or longer. This brown trout that will be stocked state-wide will also be about 12 inches long. The stockings should begin this week and be completed by the second week of October depending on water temperatures. The following area waters are scheduled to be stocked this year: Ashfield Pond, Deerfield River, Goose Pond, Lake Buel, Laurel Lake, North Pond, Onota Lake, Otis Reservoir, Pontoosuc Lake, Richmond Pond, Stockbridge Bowl, Windsor Lake and Windsor Pond.

At the time of this writing, it was unclear as to whether the East Branch of the Westfield River would be stocked this fall. It was not stocked last fall because of warm water conditions and low flow. Anglers should be able find out by viewing the daily stocking reports on Mass.gov/Trout. Although Stockbridge Bowl is scheduled to be stocked, because of the toxic algae problem, anglers should probably check the web page anyway.

Incidentally, anglers can search for a specific waterbody or town by using the sortable list, or explore new fishing spots with the map feature.

Tight lines!

Lake boat ramp projects
Recently Department of Fish & Game (DFG) Commissioner Ronald Amidon, Office of Fishing & Boating (OFB) Director John Sheppard, and Assistant Director Douglas Cameron visited the Berkshires to celebrate the completion of two lake access projects: one on Lake Mansfield in Great Barrington and the other on Goose Pond in Lee/Tyringham.
The 40-acre Lake Mansfield is a half mile northwest of the center of Great Barrington. Its maximum depth is 16 feet with an average depth of approximately seven feet. Thanks to a previous donation from Carl Beling there is a boat access on the southeast side of the pond
Last Tuesday, there was a ribbon cutting celebrating the installation of a car top access ramp and adjacent parking area. The newly paved parking area holds about a half dozen cars. Because the lake is so small (40 acres), no motorized boats except electric motors are allowed.
The parking lot and ramp used to be a gravely and when it rained, the gravel and nearby road pollution got washed into the lake. But no longer thanks to the DFG and OFB technician Terry Smith.
During the winter months, Smith did all of the design and permitting work and during this summer he went to work helping to construct it. With help from The Great Barrington DPW, work was done on the nearby road to properly pitch it and the parking area runoff into retention basins and not directly into the lake, thus helping to resolve a non-point source of pollution there. He also was involved in paving the parking lot. By doing much of the work himself and/or in-house, it is estimated that he saved the OBF about 50% of the cost had it gone out to bid and outsourced.
Attending the ribbon cutting were of Great Barrington officials, DPW Chief Sean VanDeusen, AJ Enchill from State Senator Hind’s office, Town Conservation Agent Shep Evens, a representative of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Christine Ward of the Lake Mansfield Improvement Task Force and others.
All expressed gratitude for the support given by the Town, DFG, Senator Hinds and Representative Smitty Pignatelli. Christine Ward discussed additional long- term management plans for the lake.
Later that morning, DFG and OFB officials, viewed the newly designed and paved boat ramp access to Goose Pond ramp on Cooper Creek Road. Goose Pond is a popular 263-acre pond located off of Goose Pond Road on the Lee and Tyringham town lines. Upper Goose Pond is connected to Goose Pond via a small but navigable channel and is 61 acres in size. Goose Pond has an average depth of 23 feet with a maximum of 48 feet while Upper Goose Pond averages 15 feet in depth with a maximum of 33 feet.
In the 1960s, the Commonwealth secured an easement to ensure public access. Up until this year, the graveled road had been in poor condition with holes and erosion problems. Once again, Terry Smith came to the rescue designing plans for correcting the erosion issues. He rolled up his sleeves and built a runoff retention system The town’s DPW re-graded the roadway to the ramp and with DFG funds, paved the road and delineated parking areas along the side of it. Thanks to Smith’s efforts, the renovation of the boat ramp access costs approximately half of what it would have cost had the project gone out to bid. (I think he deserves a raise).
In attendance were Commissioner Amidon, Director Shepard, Assistant Director Cameron, Smith, Enchill, town officials, lake residents and others. “Tyringham officials recognize the importance of this access and have entered into an agreement with DFG to provide ongoing management of the public access areas. It is a fantastic recreational asset for the public. It is good for people who live here and good for the tourism business as well,” said Tyringham Board of Selectman Chairman James Consolati.

“Ecotourism, or the outdoor recreation economy, has grown to be a significant focus in Berkshire County”, said Commissioner Amidon, “and fixing up boat ramps is just one way to serve both residents and visitors alike”. The DFG has done a lot of that in recent years having done boat ramp work on ponds in Otis and Richmond Pond last year, and Lake Mansfield and Goose Pond this year.
Update on the Ashuwillticook moose
Recently MA DFW responded to a report of a young bull moose weighing approximately 700 pounds on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams. Due to the location of the moose, their biologists worked with the Massachusetts Environmental Police to successfully immobilize the animal and transport it to an undisclosed rural location, where it was closely monitored until it fully recovered from the effects of the immobilization agent. The DFW thanked the EPOs, DCR, Adams ACO, and Adams Fire and Highway Departments for their assistance.

 

Want a night out?
The Berkshire County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited is presenting “A Sportsman’s Night Out” on Friday evening, October 5 at the Stockbridge Sportsman’s Club from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
You are invited to come out for a night of fun with family and friends. This is not like their Spring event, no formal meal, no live auction, just plenty of fun for everyone. Hot dogs, burgers, sausage, beverages, general raffle, silent auction, and gun raffles
You are advised to wear a flannel shirt to be entered in for the door prize.
No tickets will be sold at the door. You can obtain your tickets online at www.ducks.org or through a Ducks Unlimited member. Tickets must be purchased by Saturday, September 29. Tickets are $30 each or $250 for a sponsorship. They are limited to the first 150 people and they suspect that tickets will go fast.
Chapter co-chairmen are: JP Murphy and Joe DelSoldato (berkshireducks@gmail.com), Chapter members: Andy Atutis, Rich Lincourt, Ken Recore, The Regional Director is Ray Ilg (rilg@ducks.org).

Whip-poor-wills recovery and prescribed burning. Is there a connection?

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During the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen meeting in May, 2018, Fish &Wildlife Board Member from the Western District Steve Sears reported that the Board had received a great presentation on whip-poor-will birds. They appear to be showing a very slight recovery in Massachusetts.
Whip-poor-wills, wow! I haven’t heard that bird since I was a youngster, probably in the 1940’s, when my father pointed out the call at dusk. According to MassWildlife, they pretty much disappeared from the Berkshires in the early 1970’s. Currently, there are only a few populations in Ma, mainly in the eastern part.
Until now, I had always assumed that the widespread use of DDT pretty much did them in, similar to what happened to the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and other birds. (DDT caused the birds to lay eggs with soft shells). DFW WD Supervisor Andrew Madden felt that there was more to it than DDT. If that was the main reason for their demise, then why aren’t they recovering quicker now that DDT is banned, like the raptors? He felt that it probably had more to do with their loss of habitat. He and Steve felt that possibly the prescribed burning that the Division is doing had something to do with their slow but gradual recovery.
They may be right. According to MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program biologists, whip-poor-wills seek dry, open woodlands with little understory adjacent to meadows and shrublands. The open woodlands are used for nesting and the adjacent meadows and shrublands are used for foraging. That probably explains why they were around my neighborhood back then as there were several 100+ acre farms. The cows probably kept the understory in the nearby woods down. Cows weren’t necessarily fenced out of those woods so that they could get into the shade on hot days.

According to MassWildlife, prescribed fire is an essential tool for managing wildlife habitats and natural communities throughout MA. Despite early spring rain and snow this year, they had a record season, burning over 415 acres!

For many decades total fire exclusion from all natural lands was general policy throughout Massachusetts and the entire United States. But, fire exclusion has resulted in the decline of numerous species and degradation of entire ecosystems.
Historically, fire played a fundamental role in shaping certain portions of the Massachusetts landscape. In particular, glacial deposits of excessively well drained sand and gravel soils tend to be associated with relatively short fire intervals. These soil types occur primarily in coastal areas and in association with major river valleys. Lightning-caused fires and/or fires set by Native people in these areas historically maintained highly productive wildlife habitats including heath lands, pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, and open canopy oak-pine woodlands.
Decades of fire exclusion following European settlement resulted in the decline of numerous species and degradation of entire fire-associated ecosystems. In Massachusetts, some vegetation and habitats have evolved with fire and are best maintained with periodic burning, including some areas that are home to state and federally listed rare, endangered, or threatened species. Prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain these habitats.
The primary concerns for all prescribed burns involve human safety and protection of built infrastructure. Planning is critical for every burn. Fire behavior and weather are monitored throughout the burn, and if the prescription parameters are exceeded the fire is “shut down”. Permits are required from the town fire chief and the air quality staff at DEP’s regional offices. The local fire chief can of course stop the fire at any time. There is a public meeting in most areas before prescribed burning is introduced. Abutting landowners are notified of fire dates, reasons, and expectations
Approximately 30% of the MESA-listed (endangered) plant and animal species in Massachusetts benefit from the conditions created and maintained by fire. Natural Communities that benefit from prescribed burning include Sandplain Grassland, Sandplain Heathland, Scrub Oak Shrubland, Pitch pine-scrub oak, Ridgetop pitch pine-scrub oak, Calcareous fen, and Oak woodland.

In follow-up to last week’s Deerfield River article
MassWildlife has launched a project to study brown trout in the upper Deerfield River. This spring, all 1,000 hatchery-raised brown trout stocked in the upper Deerfield were marked by clipping their adipose fins. The adipose fin is a small fatty fin on the dorsal surface (back) of the trout. Research has shown that the removal of this fin is the least intrusive, detrimental, or painful compared to all other fins on the body, and this work is performed by trained biologists with a specific research need.
These marked fish were stocked in their usual locations from Buckland to the Fife Brook Dam. This is the first phase of the project that will eventually mark all hatchery-raised fish in that section of the river. Marking of hatchery fish, together with other elements of the Deerfield River Brown Trout Study, will continue for several years. Anglers should note that for the next few years, there may be holdover hatchery-raised browns in the system that have not been marked.
This project to learn more about both the hatchery-raised and wild brown trout populations took shape through a collaborative process involving MassWildlife and Trout Unlimited. It included input and assistance from a number of other interested parties and individuals from UMass Amherst, US Geological Survey, local Deerfield River fishing guides, and local watershed groups. The study will yield important population metrics including abundance, mortality, and growth rates of individual fish. MassWildlife will use this information to better manage the upper Deerfield River brown trout fishery.
So long Bill Byrne, thanks for the pictures
For over four decades, the spectacular photographs taken by MassWildlife Senior Photographer Bill Byrne have brought sportsmen and women and other conservationists up close and personal with countless wildlife species from across the Commonwealth. Bill’s stunning images ranging from breaching humpback whales, foraging black bears, and secretive piping plovers to urban peregrine falcons, majestic Quabbin moose, and elusive timber rattlesnakes.
Sadly, Bill’s life ended suddenly and unexpectedly in May while spending his last moments doing what he loved: being outdoors, honing his skills as a photographer, and talking photography and wildlife with colleagues and friends.
He is best known for his striking images of bald eagles, moose, black bears, shorebirds, waterfowl, deer, wild turkeys, and many other species, thousands of which have appeared on the cover of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine and other agency publications
He will be missed.
Back home
With luck my wife Jan and I returned home yesterday after a couple of weeks cruising around the British Isles (Ireland, Scotland, and England) and Normandy. There is some good fishing for brown trout and Atlantic Salmon over there but we were on a cruise with a tight schedule and there was no time for fishing. Plus, the possibility of getting a permit to fish there was probably rare and expensive.
One day, we sailed on Loch Ness. I seriously thought about trolling a flatfish off the stern of the cruise ship and catching the fabled monster, Nessie, thus putting to rest once and for all the speculation as to whether or not it exists. But I didn’t have a large enough net, and they probably wouldn’t let me keep it to mount anyway.

Dogged perseverance by Deerfield River Trout Unlimited chapter pays off

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Last fall, members of the Deerfield Chapter of Trout Unlimited began a study of the Deerfield River because they were pretty sure that it had a sustaining population of wild brown trout. They wanted to find out for sure because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is in the process of re-licensing the Bear Swamp hydro-electric facilities which includes the Bear Swamp pump storage. The river system starts above Somerset Reservoir, then Harriman and then Sherman reservoirs to Bear Swamp and then to Fife Brook dam.
Water is pumped up to Bear Swamp Pond and then it is released to the turbines to generate electricity. That doesn’t impact water flows below Fife Brook Dam, but what does impact flows is amount of water which is coming from up above and then what is done with this water in the pump storage facility. How much can they manipulate the water to minimize the impact that is going on with the 17 miles down below? That’s what the FERC relicensing is addressing.
The Deerfield River Watershed is complicated, encompassing 73 miles of water with 10 dams. There are two different license holders involved, Great River who owns the operations above Fife Dam, and Brookfield who owns operations below Fife Brook Dam. The Deerfield River Chapter of TU is dealing primarily with Brookfield for FERC Relicensing. Brookfield receives its water from up above (Great River). The FERC relicensing study area is the 17 miles downstream from Fife Brook Dam down to Dam #4 in Buckland.
Every day there is a hydro event. The mandated minimum flow is 125cfs (cubic feet per second) and on a daily basis it pumps up to 800, 900 or 1000 cfs. During the winter months they run a lot of water (hydropeaking) which is considered bad for the environment and has a significant effect on fish. (There is no disagreement about that unless you are into white water sports).
Initially, the Deerfield River TU Chapter requested a trout spawning study. FERC denied it twice on the basis that there was no proof of adverse effect on the ecology on fish below the Fife dam. Brookfield maintained that this is a put-and-take fishery and that is what MassWildlife values. Fish are put it, taken out or are caught and released. They said that it is a vibrant trout area, so, what’s the problem?
Brookfield was also questioning why they should pay for this study when nothing that they were doing was harming the fish. It is not what Brookfield is doing at Fife Brook dam, they say, it’s what is happening up above that is having the significant impact. Blame it on Great River whose license comes up in 20 years for renewal. Consequently, the study became stalled.
Deerfield TU couldn’t answer the question of what the problem was and how it was impacting the fish. MassWildlife did not believe there was significant spawning in the Deerfield River and believed that any kind of spawning took place in the tributaries and not the mainstem. Well, the TU study proved otherwise.
A Deerfield TU board member read about what was going on at the Henry’s Fork River in Idaho dealing with the significant problems there because of winter flows. Brown trout spawn there in the fall, too. So, he brought information to his TU chapter and asked what they thought about that spawning study. They decided that they were going to go ahead with a similar study and pay for the $2,000 cost themselves.
They raised money on their own, approached the Mass/RI Council of TU as well as other TU chapters for financial assistance. (I’m proud that our local Taconic Chapter kicked in some money). Thomas & Thomas Fly Rod Company contributed $2,000. They hired Dr. Michael Cole, an aquatic scientist to lead the effort.
They didn’t know how much spawning was going on, but if they could prove what the power companies were doing was detrimental to spawning trout and quantify it, it would be a game changer. They had to partner up with USFWS, MassWildlife and the Connecticut Water Conservancy recognizing that they weren’t going to be able to deal with it alone.
About a dozen chapter members went out in late October looking for redds. (spawning nests made by trout). In one particular area, there were 40 redds! Each time they identified a redd, they measured its length, depth, sub-straight, the size of the rocks, GPS settings and marked it with a red flag. Once they found the egg locations, they went back and took samples in low waters. Due to water fluctuations, some of the redds were out of water.
They found 12 of the redds and 8 of them contained eggs. That indicated that there was a significant amount of spawning activity that was going on in shallow water. What the fish appeared to be doing was moving into these areas during high water to do their spawning and when the waters came down they abandoned them. They choose these spots, not because of sub-straight as believed, but also due to some upwelling of the water (40 redds were in one area). Many of the tail spills were completely out of water.
In the 7 ½ mile stretch of the river, volunteers found 101 redds, with 35 of them having eggs. (they only covered about 60-70% of the water so there could be other areas with redds). They took 35 samples of eggs and had DNA tests done, thanks to financing from Thomas & Thomas. All of them were brown trout eggs except for two which were rainbows.
Volunteers went out on a cold March day and found that some of those flags had moved and redds were lost. In one redd they found 80 eggs and 70% of them were alive, and they found eggs in various stages. They are now going to FERC with scientific evidence, and they need to know how much velocity is needed to cover these redds.
The Chapter proved what they wanted to prove and now agencies such as MassWildlife, USFWS, UMASS and others will take it from there. USFWS was “blown away” with the results. MassWildlife, which was originally of the opinion that this spawning was not going on, has gone back to FERC and there will be more extensive sampling by them.
They will be looking for more water releases during the winter months. In the summer months they have to have a certain amount of water to make mandated releases (for the rafters), but during the winter they have no need for them – but the trout do.
The Deerfield TU chapter definitely showed that hydropeaking has an adverse impact on trout. Their goal was to get the State and Federal resources to further study the Deerfield and its tributaries. They want to enhance the wild trout population, work with the state agencies for better management practices, and improve the wild trout population. They would like to see the Deerfield River develop its own surviving strains for stocking, rather than imports, and answer the question. “Can a substantial wild trout population exist exclusively in the upper stretches of the Deerfield River? Right now, they don’t know.
There will be updated information on this subject in next week’s column.

A classic fishing trip to the Adirondacks

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Fishing buddy Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and I recently returned from a 4-day fly fishing trip to New York’s Adirondacks region. Our intent was to fish the AuSable River in Wilmington, NY, a small town near Lake Placid. We were hoping for good weather, good fishing and no mosquitos or blackflies. (We should have also hoped for no “no-see-ums”).
On the way up the Northway, I was wondering if anything would happen on this trip which would warrant mentioning in this column. Hopefully, whatever happens would be positive.
Every time I fish there, thoughts of the late Francis Betters surface. For 47 years, as the owner of the Adirondack Sports Shop and renowned fishing expert, he was at his desk tying up flies and offering advice to customers and fellow fishermen. He once told me that he tied and sold nearly 30,000 flies a year. He is credited for creating several great trout flies, most notably the AuSable Wulff (my favorite fly), the Haystack, the Usual and several others. The AuSable Wulff was named one of the top 10 trout flies of all time by Field and Stream magazine, along with the Haystack. Fran also wrote several fly-fishing and fly-tying books. He was inducted into the Catskill Fly Fishing Hall of Fame in 2008 and passed beyond the riverbend in 2009.
Shortly after arriving and checking into our cabin (Wilderness Inn) Paul and I headed out to fish the river. Paul chose to head upstream and fish down to the car while I chose to go downstream and fish back. The river was on the low side this year so I kept walking downstream until I found good looking water, albeit on the wild and turbulent side.
Thinking of Francis, I chose to fish with one of his Haystacks. In fact, I believe it was one that he tied up for it was much better than the ones I tie. On the 3rd cast, the heavy current swung the fly immediately to the outlet rim of the hole and got snagged onto a rock ….or so I thought. When I tried to work it off of the rock, there was a serious pull that indicated that a big trout was on the other end of the line. After a serious battle, I was able to bring the fish to my feet and discovered that it was a beautiful brown trout of about 18 inches long.
Hoping to get a picture of it, I reached for my smart phone. Of course, it was in my pants pocket, way down deep in the chest waders. While the fish was resting at my feet in about 6 inches of water, I finally got the phone out to take a picture. I decided to lay the reel and rod next to the fish so that one could get a rough idea of the its size. But doing that caused the fish to dart away and snap the leader. It didn’t know it was free and lingered a while, allowing me to take pictures of it. After it swam away, I distinctly remember saying, “Here’s your fly back, Francis”.
Perhaps that’s the story for this column.
The following night, Paul was fishing with a Blue Winged Olive emerger fly when he hooked into a lunker. After a lengthy battle, with the fish swimming all around that pool, he finally landed it. It also was an 18-inch brown trout. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a camera with us, but I can attest to its size. It fought so hard that I thought I would have to step out of the pool so that it wouldn’t swim near and wrap the line around me. An 18-inch wild brown trout doesn’t come by frequently. In fact, I can probably count the number of them caught in my lifetime on one hand.
Perhaps that would be the story for this column.
On this trip, Paul and I decided to explore the North Branch of the Saranac River to see what the fishing was like there. Neither of us had ever fished the stretch near Clayburg, NY. We spent a day and a half there catching mainly small wild brook and brown trout.
On the second day there, we stopped for a lunch break in a fishing access area. While there, a young girl, approximately 13 years old rode by on a bike, and she had a fishing pole. After lunch, Paul and I separated, this time he headed downstream and I went upstream to a bridge. While approaching it, I saw a bike along the side of the road. It was that girl’s bike and she was fishing where I wanted to go.
From the bridge, I could see that she was fishing with an inexpensive spinning rod and a Zebco reel. After saying “hi” to her and finding out which direction she was going to fish (she was going to fish there under the bridge), I went downstream about 120 feet to give her space. What enfolded then was a scene reminiscent of an old Ed Zern caricature.
All of a sudden, I heard a terrific splash and looking toward the sound, saw the girl fighting a large brown trout which once again jumped a foot in the air. Her inexpensive rod was seriously bent, but she fought and subsequently beached that trout like a pro. I shouted congratulations and commended her for the great job of landing it. “What is it, about 15 inches?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said “It’s the biggest fish I ever caught”. Oh, how I wished I had the camera there.
Here I was fishing out in the middle of the river with thousands of dollars worth of equipment consisting of an expensive fly rod, reel, chest waders, wading staff, wooden net, a fishing vest with several hundred trout flies in it and a myriad of other gadgets hanging from it, and catching nothing. And there was this young girl who arrived by bicycle, dressed in shorts and sneakers, fishing from the bank with an inexpensive fishing pole, reel and worms and catching that big fish. How classic is that?
The girl showed up again later that day, this time with her boyfriend who also arrived by bike, a lad of about 14 years old. When Paul saw them, he conceded his fishing spot to them and commented on how she was now famous in the area, having caught that big brown trout (which ultimately measured out to be 14 ½ inches). She was beaming from ear to ear.
After lauding her great accomplishment, I commented to the boy that he was going to have to work hard to catch a bigger trout than her’s. “Well”, he said, “I taught her how to fish!” Paul, picked up on the lad’s wounded pride, immediately said, “You sure did a great job of teaching!
This true story is classic and deserves to be in this week’s column. Wouldn’t you agree?
Questions/comments: Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com. Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

Ronald R. Smith, Turkey Hunting History Maker1980

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Wild turkey hunting began in Massachusetts in 1980 and the following year, on the second day of the season, a little bit of Massachusetts turkey hunting history took place right here in the Berkshires. In the predawn darkness, Ron Smith, then of Lee, now of Pittsfield, MA, was carefully picking his way through thick brush and trees down a wooded mountainside to an area where he hoped to find a roosting tom turkey. He imitated the call of a barred owl (a turkey predator) and a tom responded with a loud gobble about 100 yards away.

After waiting until it was light enough to find a good spot to stand, Ron selected an area where there was a large tree behind him to break his outline and disguise his presence. He was also fully camouflaged, including his face, hands and bow. He was somewhat familiar with the area as he had done some pre-season scouting there. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he called again, this time clucking quietly to imitate the soft “tree call” of a roosting hen. The tom responded immediately, rapidly gobbling several times. Ron cautioned himself not to call too frequently, which could cause the tom to become suspicious and disappear.

He said that he was “unusually calm”, probably because he had accepted the probability that any chance for bagging a wild turkey with a bow and arrow was just about nil. The fact that he had practiced for months did little to restore his confidence. A wild turkey is capable of spotting a slight finger movement at 80 yards, and if they do, they are out of there.

Several hundred yards further off, another roosting male started gobbling resulting in fierce competition. Each bird tried to outdo the other in his attempt to lure the hen by calling continuously. Ron’s concern mounted because other hunters might hear the birds, arrive at the scene and unintentionally ruin any chances that he may have at taking a tom.

He could hear the flapping of wings as the nearest tom left the tree and landed behind some thick brush about 80 yards away. The tom double and tripled gobbled and paraded back and forth waiting impatiently for the hen to come to him. Ron turned his head, covered his mouth and issued a few muffled yelps with the hope that the tom would think the hen was losing interest and was wandering off.

The tom stopped calling and Ron knew he was coming in. He raised his 57 pound draw Wing Impact compound bow to a shooting position and nocked the arrow. Seconds later, there was movement some 40 yards to his right. The bird had partially circled him and was proceeding cautiously, with head turning and stretching and eyes searching for the hen. He was heading for a nearby clearing. Ron had specifically chosen that opening right in front of him knowing that turkeys seldom venture into bushy areas where vision is limited.

Now the excitement suddenly his Ron, his mouth became dry and his chest started pounding and his arms started to shake. It appeared as though the bird’s piercing eyes were staring directly into his. About 12 yards away, off to the right, the bird stopped behind a large tree. That gave Ron the opportunity to adjust his shooting position and draw his bow. After a while, his head appeared, his black eyes penetrated Ron’s eyes and then withdrew his head and disappeared. There was silence. Then came a strange hissing and drumming sound and the tom stepped out strutting in full display. Ron let the arrow fly and it was over.

Then he sat down to control his shaking. He was a history maker for he had taken a turkey with a bow, the first turkey bagged with a bow and arrow in Massachusetts modern times.
The bird weighed 17.7 lbs, had 1 ½ inch spurs and a 9 ½ inch beard.

The late Ted Giddings, Editor for the Berkshire Eagle, covered the story and had the attached picture of Ron and the tom on the front page of the May 6, Berkshire Eagle, with the headline. “Lee man sets modern first by killing turkey with bow”. Ron also wrote about his experience and his story was featured in the May 1983 issue of Bowhunter, the National Magazine for the Hunting Archer.

Ron has always been an avid sportsman. Over the years he has served as President of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen and still is a delegate to the League. He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1995. He was secretary of the Lee Sportsmen’s Association for over 30 years and taught Bowhunting Eucation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for many years. He has served as President of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited. (In fact, he signed my diploma for passing a fly tying course back in 1982).

Now, at the age of 83, Ron is still an avid sportsman. He still bowhunts for deer and turkeys and goes out west to hunt elk in Montana, although lately, he hunts for elk with a camera. He is a member of several other sportsmen’s clubs, and, lest I forget, he is the elder statesman of the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out), a group which gathers for lunch weekly.

Father, daughter have great spring turkey hunting season

Say, remember my May 6, 2018 column wherein I mentioned the Youth Turkey Hunting results? In that article, I mentioned that Grace Krzanik of Adams, while being mentored by her dad Scott bagged an 18 lbs bird. Well guess what? On May 12 Grace and Scott went hunting again and she shot her second tom at 5:19 am. As they were heading back to the truck, she heard gobbles, so they went back to where she shot hers and set up again. Two more came in behind them and Scott shot his second bird of the season at 6:30am. Both father and daughter tagged out for turkey season.

Incidentally, Spring Turkey Hunting Season ended yesterday.

Trout stockings

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week: Clesson Brook and Upper Branch of Clesson Brook in Ashfield and Buckland, Greenwater Pond in Becket, Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Huntington, Montgomery, Middlefield, Russell, Savoy, Worthington, Cummington, Chesterfield and Windsor; Deerfield River in Buckland, Florida and Charlemont; Cold River in Savoy, Florida and Charlemont, Chickley River in Hawley and Charlemont, Littleville Reservoir in Chester and Huntington, North Pond in Florida, Pontoosuc Lake in Lanesborough, Laurel Lake in Lee, Housatonic River (C/R) in Lee and Stockbridge, Onota Lake in Pittsfield, Stockbridge Bowl in Stockbridge, Windsor Pond in Windsor, Lake Garfield in Monterey, Otis Reservoir in Otis, and Richmond Pond in Richmond.

Firearms Course
On Saturday, June 2, the Lee Sportsmen’s Association will hold a Multi-License Firearms Course from 9am until 4pm for a proprietary License-To-Carry course that qualifies for licenses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine, and Utah. (those not participating in the Utah class can expect to be completed at approximately 3pm) This comprehensive one-day course includes information for federal and state firearm laws, operation and safe handling of firearms, shooting fundamentals, care and cleaning, concealed carry methods, a live fire session on the pistol range, and much more.
Seating is limited to the first 25 students who register. Course fee is $150, or you can take only the MA & CT portion for $120 with live fire, or take only the Utah portion for $100 without live fire. State license application fees and processing are not included. Participants will receive a course certificate, application forms, an informative student resource CD, and supporting documents. All firearms, ammunition, and eye and ear protection will be provided, including lunch as well.
For more information, contact Robert McDermott at (413) 232-7700 or email robmcdermott@verizon.net.
Annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby
The 26th Annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby will take place on Saturday, June 2, at the Frank Controy Pavilion at Onota Lake in Pittsfield from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM. No fishing license is required because it is Free Fishing Weekend for the state of Massachusetts.

The derby’s purpose is to raise money for the Jimmy Fund – Dana Farber Cancer Institute For Children. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Jimmy Fund in memory of Harry A. Bateman a former member of Central Berkshire Bowmen and I.U.E. Local 255 who was well known throughout Berkshire County and who became a victim of cancer in 1992.

Many trophies and prizes will be given out to the adult and youth winners of the fishing derby. There is even a special category for those fishing with a bow & arrow. All fish must be weighed in at 12:00 PM and can be caught at Onota Lake from boat or shore. Everyone still needs to register before all fish can be weighed in. You must be wearing your wrist band provided at the registration desk in order to receive food and to weigh in your fish.
Fishing tackle is given with the trophy prizes and 2 prizes for heaviest trout. A sportsman award, which includes a tackle box with over $100 of tackle, is given out to a child

Fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children 14 years old and younger and it includes food and beverages. No alcohol is served at this event. All children receive a free gift and they get a chance at winning a mountain bike. The carp shoot is part of the fishing derby because that was something that Harry enjoyed. Advanced tickets may be purchased at Avid Sports, Dave’s Sporting Goods, Maces Marine and Onota Boat Livery.

Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club fishing derby
According to club spokesman Tim Minkler, some 64 fishermen and fisherwomen showed up for the SSC’s annual Fishing Derby on May 20 and fished from dawn to 3:00 pm at Stockbridge Bowl. Weather predictions were not good calling for rain most of the day with thunderstorms coming through mid-day and temperatures in the 60s. Well, the weather man was wrong. There were a few sprinkles throughout the day with a 10-minute cloud burst right around 2:30pm, but for the most part they stayed dry all day.
The $100 Winners were as follows: Largest Trout- Sheila L. Malumphy, Lee Ma., 1 lbs 12 oz., 16” long; Largest Bass- Tim Fogarty, Becket Ma., 3 lbs 8oz., 18” long, Largest Pickerel- Dawson Farina, West Stockbridge, Ma. 4 lbs, 2 oz., 26.5” long and Largest Bullhead – Seth Slemp, Lee Ma., 1 lb, 3oz, 12” long.
The Age 12 and Under Winner was Dylan Trumps of South Lee with a trout weighing 1 lb 2 oz and 13” long.

 

 

 

Small fry are liberated into Windsor Brook

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In January brook trout eggs were received from the Sunderland State Fish Hatchery and placed in an aquarium at Taconic High School in Pittsfield. This was part of the Trout-in-the- Classroom program which MassWildlife sponsors. The eggs hatched about two weeks later and they were raised by some 80 or so Taconic High School students from grades 9 through 12. They have been attended to by the students, under the watchful eyes of teachers Michelle Potash and Tonya Michaud. They were fed pellets and remained there until last Thursday when they were set free.

I had hoped to get pictures of the kids releasing them but due to transportation issues (funding to provide bussing to bring the kids to Windsor) and other issues, none of the kids were able to make it. It’s a shame that after all of the attention and care that the kids gave to raise these fish, they could not be there to watch their liberation. Thanks to the above-mentioned dedicated teachers, who took the time to drive the brook trout to the release location. And thanks to teacher Ron Wojcik who coordinated the release site and time.

Youngsters take note! The unnamed stream where they were released runs across property owned by Tom Garvey (Maybe we should name it Tom’s Brook?) One could not choose a better place to release these fish, for it is a cold, clean little brook that doesn’t dry up in the summer and is a tributary to nearby Windsor Brook in Windsor. All of the little fry (perhaps 1 ¼ inches in length) appeared happy in their new home. They immediately acclimated to the currents, and back currents so that they constantly faced into them. Care was taken to not put them in pools where larger trout were likely to live and, given the opportunity, would gobble them up.

Those fish are not forgotten once released, for Tom keeps a close eye on them and feeds them daily. He even covers the stream with wire mesh in order to keep the blue herons from getting at them and eating them up. (herons love small brook trout, they can’t get enough of them). Tom has been through this routine before for this marks the 4th year that they have been released on his property. He observes them until the fall when the fish by that time are perhaps 3 inches long. That is when they disappear up or downstream and find new territories in which to reside.

Trout Stockings

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with bigger trout last week, subject to change. Please note that Onota Lake in Pittsfield and Windsor Pond in Windsor have also been stocked with tiger trout. In addition to those waters, the following waters have been stocked: Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont, and Florida; East Branch of the Westfield River in Chesterfield, Cummington, Savoy and Windsor; Littleville Reservoir in Chester and Huntington, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Housatonic River C&R in Lee and Stockbridge, Farmington River in Otis and Sandisfield and Laurel Lake in Lee.

Northern Pike Stocking

The DFW stocked more than 16,000 fingerling-sized northern pike into Cheshire Reservoir on Friday, April 27. These 4″ fish, which will take about 3 years to reach the 28″ minimum harvest size, were obtained from New Jersey DFW as part of a cooperative exchange program.
Northern Pike naturally reproduce in several waterbodies in the state. In the Berkshires, the natural reproduction is able to sustain the fishery in the Housatonic River (including Woods Pond) and in Pontoosuc, Onota, Buel, and Cheshire lakes.
MassWildlife also stocks some locations with sterile Tiger Muskellunge, which is a cross between a northern pike and muskellunge, and is a member of the esocid family. MassWildlife does not have a warm water hatchery in which to rear esocids but usually obtains a small number of 3–12 ” fish each year from the NJ DFW. They are stocked in selected Massachusetts waters with sufficient habitat to support them. It takes 5 or more years for them to attain the 28″ minimum legal length.
Training Range Safety Officers
The Lee Sportsmen’s Association will be conducting Range Safety Officer (RSO) Training on May 19 at 9 am. The minimum age to become a credentialed NRA RSO is 21, and one must provide a valid and current NRA membership number on the day of the course. After the instructor submits the training report, applicants will be able to complete credentialing process online (nrainstructors.org). The Cost of this course is $100, and the Cost of a 2-year credential for NRA members is $30 ($50 for non-NRA members). If you are not already an NRA member, and would like to become one prior to taking this course, it is recommended you call the NRA rather than join online.

Registration is required, and the registration form can be downloaded and printed from nrainstructors.org website, RSO Course Registration Form. Contact Rob McDermott for questions, concerns, and registration at 413-232-7700 or email robmcdermott@verizon.net

International Defensive Pistol Association

The IDPA will be having a Steel Action Shoot on Sunday, May 20 at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association. For information, contact Shawn Sullivan at ssullee@icloud.com.
Endangered Species Day

This year, Endangered Species Day is observed on May 18. The United States Congress appointed this day to recognize efforts in conserving rare species. Through the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, Massachusetts also protects local native species that may or may not be federally protected. Over 425 endangered, threatened, or special concern animals and plants live in Massachusetts. Species from the majestic bald eagle to the unusual mountain cranberry need protection. Even though many, like the peregrine falcon, have come a long way, our native species still need help.
MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program implements the state’s Endangered Species Act. This happens through field surveys and research, regulations, habitat management, land protection, and education. But the Program needs you to help monitor rare species by telling MassWildlife when you see them. You can also help by donating directly to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Find out more by visiting mass.gov/supportnhesp.
Fishing Derbies

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club is having its Spring Fishing Derby at the boat ramp on Stockbridge Bowl next Sunday, May 20 from dawn until 3:00pm. Prizes of $100 will go the heaviest trout, pickerel, bass and bullhead. There will be free lures for all kids 12 and under. Hot breakfast and lunch will be available. Pre-registration fee is $10 and post registration is $15. Tickets are available at the Minkler Insurance Agency, 31 Main Street, Stockbridge, (W)413-644-3590, (H)413-298-4630 or from any club member.

DFW Director Jack Buckley retires
After 30 years of service with the DFW (MassWildlife), Director Jack Buckley retired on April 30, 2018. Appointed as Director by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board in 2015, Buckley supported new outreach initiatives such as social media and agency re-branding; focused efforts on hunter and angler recruitment, retention, and reactivation; accelerated habitat management activities on MassWildlife lands; procured habitat management grant funding for private landowners and municipalities; and partnered with the Massachusetts Water Resources Agency for a pipeline to supply the McLaughlin Hatchery in Belchertown with gravity-fed water from Quabbin Reservoir. During this time, MassWildlife celebrated its 150th Anniversary, opened its new LEED Platinum certified Field Headquarters in Westborough for meetings and events to a wide variety of state agencies and conservation groups, and continued to protect and manage over 200,000 acres of important fish and wildlife habitat to benefit both wildlife and people.
The majority of Buckley’s career with MassWildlife was spent as Deputy Director of Administration and Personnel. He was responsible for personnel, fiscal, and budgetary management, legislative and external affairs, federal aid, information and education, licensing and permits, land acquisition, and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. In 1998–2002, he also served as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Environmental Affairs Robert Durand for Forest Policy and Land Protection. Probably his most important contribution to the agency was his work on the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) legislation, the creation of MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, and his involvement with a lawsuit that went before the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The Court ultimately affirmed the agency’s authority and actions relative to enforcement of MESA.
Buckley was MassWildlife’s representative on the Public Access Board and the Pesticide Board. In addition, Buckley represented the Division on several committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, including Legislative Affairs, Federal Budget, and International Affairs. He was the regional representative of the northeastern states to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Technical Work Group.
Jack Buckley earned a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree in Fisheries Biology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he studied the endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Connecticut River. He worked at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts as a Research Assistant and was promoted to Project Leader. Buckley then performed a stint as first Chief of Fisheries Management in Washington D. C. where he was responsible for developing the fisheries management program for the District of Columbia. His work in advancing fish and wildlife conservation has been recognized on local, regional, and national levels. Buckley was honored by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies with a Special Recognition Award in 2011 for his outstanding commitment to the work of the Association and with the Ernest Thompson Seton Award in 2013, honoring his leadership in scientific wildlife management as a CITES representative. The Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council recently honored Buckley with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Fisheries and Wildlife Board has appointed previous Deputy Director Mark Tisa as Acting Director of the DFW.

Local youth turkey hunting results were low, but enthusiasm was high

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The special mentored youth turkey hunting day took place on Saturday, April 28. The combined turkey harvest for the Lee and Stockbridge Sportsmen’s clubs was only 4 birds. Its hard to figure out why as the weather wasn’t bad, the mentors are eminently qualified, the kids are decent shots and there appears to be a lot of turkeys strutting their stuff out there. Maybe the toms detected an accent in the turkey calls this year and became leery. Well, that’s the way it goes…..no excuses were offered.

This year, I covered the Lee Sportsmen’s Association which had 9 participants in the program and two birds were taken. Alex Navin, while hunting with mentor Doug LaPlante managed to bag a 15 lbs. bird around 6:00am with one clean shot to the head. They called in 5 or 6 other gobblers, too. He is very pleased with his new 20-gauge Mossberg Shotgun.

Daniel Epe, who was mentored by Mark Bartini, heard at least 6 toms all around them. The trouble was that some were in back yards and obviously he couldn’t go there to hunt them. He had one bird interested in Mark’s call, but he got busted (bird detected them and took off).

A similar situation occurred to Will Loring who was mentored by Isaac Winters. They had a bunch of gobblers nearby but couldn’t call them in. One bird had the nerve to strut nearby, but it got away. Matt Ranzoni was mentoring Will’s brother Charlie Loring and he bagged a 17 lbs. bird. No luck for Taylor Salice, who was mentored by Josh Hurlihey, but she had a good time hunting never-the-less.

John Ranzoni mentored Hunter Briggs, and he took a shot but didn’t drop the bird.

After having a burger or two excellently prepared by Tom and Virginia Dubois, the youngsters learned how to dress out the birds. In addition to the meat, they were shown how to save the tail feathers, beards, spurs, other feathers, etc.

Meanwhile, the folks at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club also bagged two birds. Some 18 youths went out turkey hunting this year. Thanks to information provided by spokesman Mike Buffoni, here is how they did:
Two youths got birds and Mike reported that at least 3 other youths had shots but missed. Every kid had great action and heard birds gobbling. Colby Carlson (Mike’s nephew) who was mentored by Brian Korte went on his first hunt ever and got a jake. Brady Donald also got a nice bird. Pretty sure it was his first also. “Very cool to see the excitement in these youth hunters” said Mike.

As usual they had a really nice lunch put on by Chef Peter Delgrande at the club. After eating, they also learned how to tend to the birds. Quite a few of the kids didn’t come for lunch and most were in shorts so they didn’t get a group photo this year. We did get a picture of young Colby Carlson with his turkey. The expression of joy and pride says it all, hey?
Few details came from North County except that Scott Krzanik of Adams, MA was mentoring his daughter Grace when she bagged an 18-pound bird with a 9 inch beard and 3/4″ spurs. She did this at 6:35 a.m. I believe I interviewed her back in 2016 when she got her first bird on youth day as well. Scott said that Matthew Tassone also got a nice tom North county.
According to Astrid Huseby, DFW Youth Turkey Hunt Coordinator, they don’t have exact numbers of how many youths participated. They do know that 270 youth ages 12-17 obtained the required permits/authorizations to hunt on the youth day, but not how many of those 270 actually went out hunting.
As for how many turkeys were harvested, they have a preliminary number of 52 birds reported online. More birds may have been harvested and taken to a check station that doesn’t use online reporting so they won’t have total numbers until the end of the season when all harvest reports are collected from check stations.

Free Fishing Days

In order to plan your fishing trips, here is a listing of free fishing days, where no freshwater license is needed: In Massachusetts, the dates are June 2 and 3. (You can also take advantage of free saltwater fishing on Father’s Day weekend – June 16 and 17). While you can fish for free on June 2-3, a license is required at all other times if you’re 15 or older. If you’re aged 15-17, your license is free.

In New York the free fishing days are June 23-24. They also have two additional free fishing dates in 2018 which are September 22 and November 11. In Vermont it is June 9. (Be sure to verify that date as I am receiving conflicting dates for Vermont). In New Hampshire the day is June 2; in Maine, the dates are June 2 and 3; the Connecticut Free Fishing date is May 12 and in Rhode Island they are May 6 and May 7. Now’s your chance to “test the waters” in our neighboring states free.

Pistol Shoots
The Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, 310 Curran Rd., Cheshire, MA, will be having outdoor pistol shoots this year. The monthly shoots take place on Saturdays starting at 10:00 am. The entry fee for the first shoot is $10.00 and $5.00 for the second shoot. The winners will split ½ the first shoot take and all of the second shoot take. On May 12, there will be “Wood Blocks Standin’ on a Log” centerfire. 5 shots at 5 blocks at 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards.

Rules: For Rimfire – .22 Caliber, Semi-Automatic Pistols or Revolvers. For Centerfire – Semi-Automatic Pistols or Revolvers, no caliber over .45, red dot scopes are allowed, 1 or 2- handed allowed.

Also, on Sunday, May 20, they will be having a Steel Action Shoot, and on Thursday, May 24 they will be having their first Thursday Night Steel Match.

For more information contact: Martha Lee (413) 212-4154, Evelyn Jones (413) 684-3391.

Trout Stocking

The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week: Hoosic River in Adams. Cheshire and Clarksburg; Greenwater Pond in Becket, West Branch of the Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Huntington and Middlefield; Westfield River Mainstem in Russell, Potash Brook in Blandford and Russell, Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Hudson Brook in Clarksburg, Pontoosuc Lake in Lanesborough and Big Pond in Otis.

Fishing Derby
The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is having its next free children’s fishing derby next Saturday, May 12, from 9 to 10:30 am at its lower pond. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Bass Fishing Tournament

The bass fishermen have started their 2018 tournaments and the first event was at the Congamond Lakes in Southwick, MA on April 29. The results are as follows: 1st place went to Ricky Terzak with 16.4 lbs. of bass. In 2nd place was Paul Procopio with 12.13 lbs. Dave Benham took 3rd with 12.4lbs, 4th place went to Bill Gates with 11 lbs. and in 5th place was Bill Pigott with 8.7 lbs. These are 5 fish totals weights. All were caught, weighed in and released.

The lunker (largemouth) bass was taken by Bill Gates, one weighing 4.1 lbs. Paul Procopio caught a 3.3 lbs. smallmouth. Both are currently leading in the Lunker of the Year contests.

Registration is open for the next tournament which takes place on May 13.

HVA to conduct Stream Assessments of the Konkapot and Williams Rivers

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) invites interested individuals to help form “Stream Teams” to complete Stream Assessments this spring and summer. “Stream Team” volunteers will walk, sometimes in the river, or paddle along an assigned segment of the river and record information along the way. All of the information collected will be compiled into a final Stream Assessment Report which will include conditions and use of the river sections plus possible recommendations for future projects. Assessments are to be completed from May to July and can be scheduled according to the volunteers’ availability.

HVA has scheduled a Stream Assessment volunteer training on Tuesday, May 15 from 5 to7pm in the Community Room of the Mason Library, Great Barrington. Registration is required, space is limited. They will also conduct an on-stream training practice review with date and time to be determined.

These surveys help HVA assess the health of the river and work with the community to improve that part of the watershed. All of the information collected will be compiled into a final Stream Assessment Report which will include conditions and use of the river sections, plus possible recommendations for future projects. These reports should be available in October 2018 on HVA’s website (hvatoday.org). Copies of the report, both digital or hard copy can be requested.

Funding for the Stream Assessments is provided by The Berkshire Environmental Endowment Fund, a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The Green River and Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River Stream Assessments were completed in 2017. Copies of these reports and other previous reports are available at hvatoday.org or you can call and request a copy. If you are interested in participating in this project, call HVA at 413-298-7024 or email Alison at adixon@hvatoday.org.

The two Stream Assessments that are to be completed this year are the Williams and Konkapot Rivers. Both of these rivers are tributaries of the Housatonic River. The Williams River flows south and southeast through West Stockbridge and Great Barrington where it joins the Housatonic River while the Konkapot River begins in Monterey and continues south through New Marlborough and, after a dip into Canaan, Connecticut, flows into the Housatonic River in Sheffield.
“Stream Teams” for each of the rivers will be made up of small groups of 2 – 3 volunteers and the teams are typically assigned a 1 – 2 mile section of the river. HVA will train “Stream Team” volunteers on how to conduct the survey, what information to record, and safety protocols. Volunteers will be asked to record things of note such as: pipes that are seen, invasive plants or wildlife observations, and general river conditions and usage. Following the surveys, the “Stream Team” volunteers will come together to share their findings and discuss suitable recommendations. The information gathered will be compiled into final Stream Assessment reports – one for each of the tributaries.
Not all “Stream Team” members need to be involved in conducting a survey. If you have an interest or expertise in either the Williams or Konkapot Rivers, HVA welcomes your input. Trainings are expected to be scheduled in May. Surveys will be completed from May – July weather and water levels permitting. The final reports, which are expected to be compiled in late summer, will be submitted to the local municipalities and state government and should also be available to the public by October 2018. The assessment will be placed on the HVA website along with their past reports. Feel free to check out these past reports to help understand more about this program. Contact HVA at 413-298-7024 for more information about volunteering for a “Stream Team.”
Fisheries and Wildlife Board Meeting
The May meeting of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the Stationery Factory ,63 Flansburg Avenue, Dalton, MA.