Fishermen find "good spots" In an odd twist on the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) phenomena, some local anglers are on a rant about "outsiders" who have discovered the excellent stream fishing found in this area this time of year. On a recent stop at Sandy Creek in Hamlin, along Route 19, over a dozen fishermen - and fisherwomen - were wading in the shallow water casting flies for trophy fish as they make their annual trek upstream from Lake Ontario to spawn. Aside from local fishermen, there were tourists from Pennsylvania, Colorado and New York City. So renowned has this area's fishing become, it has attracted anglers from England, France, Germany and Bogota, Colombia. Locals, including one frustrated and angry man, who refused to be identified, said "There's too many people coming here. It's getting too crowded. Have you been to Oak Orchard recently? I don't want anyone else to know about this place." Oak Orchard Creek, in nearby Waterport, has in recent years become a Mecca for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout fishermen. It's true that during the height of the season, especially on weekends, roads leading down to the creek are lined with parked cars, vans and pickups. The word is out about the superb fishing in the tributaries of southern Lake Ontario, to the credit of international efforts in the past three decades to clean up the polluted water of the Great Lakes. Besides the fishermen who hook life-time trophy-sized fish, the local economy reaps the benefits of sport-fishing tourists even if some local fishermen resent the crowds. Local Bed and Breakfasts, hotels and restaurants are full, shops and charter and tour providers are busy - business is good for the sport-fishing industry in Monroe and Orleans counties. Jerry Senecal, former fly shop owner, represents Orleans County Tourism and Parks, where he is a sport-fishing specialist. He says, "In my opinion people here need to think globally. We think nothing about going to England and dining in a crowded pub. Why shouldn't we welcome tourists who come here to fish?" According to Bill Abraham, Regional Fisheries Manager for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the economic impact to the region this year is "substantial." The most recent study for which statistics are available shows sport-fishing contributes $2.5 million annually to the local economy. With the Clean Water Act of 1970, and increased awareness of protecting the environment and the economic benefits of preventing and cleaning up pollution, things have turned around. Since 1972, when revenue from sport-fishing was near zero, $130 million has been earned from sport-fishing activities. In order to extend the fishing season this year, some 280,000 gallons of canal water is being drained into local streams which, it is hoped, will allow for another of good fishing. In nearby Point Breeze, Orleans County, Sharon Narburgh, proprietor of Narby's, a bait and tackle landmark, sells between 15 and 20,000 fishing licenses a year, an estimated 75 percent of those are out-of-state permits. A group of fly-fishing women from Colorado on a guided tour had nothing but praise for the conditions along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. At Sandy Creek in Hamlin, they cited the relatively pristine environmental conditions, the clear, clean water in the streams, the size of the fish, the rural character and lack of sprawl that makes this area a first-class vacation spot for fishing. Note: For more information on the area sport-fishing go to: http://www.orleans.com/Tourism/guides.htm |
These 15 pound Brown Trout were landed at Sandy Creek, just off Route 19 Tuesday, November 7, by Bob Cazile and Dave Holland of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The two inveterate anglers have been making the 440-mile trek to Lake Ontario's tributaries for a two week fishing vacation every year for the past several years.