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2017 Lake Champlain Waterfowl Season Public Hearings

2017 Lake Champlain Waterfowl Season Public Hearings

March 14, Whitehall, NY- March 15, Essex, VT-March 16, Newport, VT

2017 Lake Champlain Waterfowl Season Public Hearings

Public hearings on the status of waterfowl populations and proposed waterfowl hunting seasons for the State of Vermont and Lake Champlain zone in New York will be held Tuesday, March 14, in Whitehall, New York, Wednesday, March 15 in Essex, Vermont and Thursday, March 16 in Newport, Vermont.

The annual hearings are being held by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and Board.

Hearing Locations:

The March 14 meeting will be held at the Skenesborough Rescue Squad building, 37 Skenesborough Drive, Whitehall, New York 12887. The March 15 meeting will be held at Memorial Hall, 5 Towers Road, Essex, Vermont 05452. The March 16 meeting will be held at the Emory Hebord State Office Building, CCV Conference Room, 100 Main Street, Newport, VT 05855.

The hearings will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

 

2017 Lake Champlain Waterfowl Season Public HearingsWaterfowl hunters are encouraged to attend one of the hearings and share their preferences and opinions about the proposed seasons.

Under Federal regulations, waterfowl seasons, bag limits, and shooting hours in the Lake Champlain Zone must be uniform throughout the entire zone. Waterfowl seasons in New York’s part of the Lake Champlain Zone must be identical to the waterfowl season in Vermont’s part of the Zone.

Comments received, as well as recommendations from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, will be reviewed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board.

The proposed 2017 migratory bird hunting seasons are on the Fish & Wildlife website (vtfishandwildlife.com). Comments can be sent to ANR.FWPublicComment@Vermont.Gov.

Reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities are available upon request at the Vermont meeting. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. Individuals making such requests must include their contact information. Requests should be made as early as possible, such as an interpreter must be requested at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please send an e-mail to: David.Sausville@Vermont.Gov or call the office staff at 802-878-1564 (voice), 1-800-253-0191 (TTY).

Ghosts and Legends of Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is located between New York’s majestic Adirondacks and Vermont’s famed Green Mountains. Yet despite the beauty of this region, it has been the site of dark and mysterious events; it is not surprising that some spirits linger in this otherwise tranquil place. Fort Ticonderoga saw some of early America’s bloodiest battles, and American, French and British ghosts still stand guard.
Champlain’s islands–Stave, Crab, Valcour and Garden–all host otherworldly inhabitants, and unidentified creatures and objects have made appearances on the water, in the sky and in the forests surrounding the lake.
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Free Fishing Weekend February 18-19

Free Fishing Weekend February 18-19

Free Fishing Weekend February 18-19

The first of New York’s free fishing days for 2017 will be next weekend on Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19.
On these days, New York residents and non-residents are allowed to fish for free without a fishing license.

Please note that fishing regulations remain in effect during these days.

Free fishing days provide an opportunity for new anglers who want to learn more about fishing, as well as, those interested in getting back into the sport.

Additional free fishing days in New York for 2017 include:

  • June 24-25
  • September 23 (National Hunting and Fishing Day)
  • November 11 (Veterans Day)

If you’re new to ice fishing, download the Introduction to Ice Fishing chapter of NY DEC’s new I FISH NY Beginners’ Guide to Freshwater Fishing for information on how to get started with ice fishing. Additional information, including tips on ice fishing safety and a list of waters open to ice fishing, can be found at DEC’s ice fishing web page.

For Governor Cuomo’s press release on the upcoming Free Ice Fishing Weekend visit https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-free-fishing-days-new-york

 

Other Lake Champlain Ice Fishing Articles:

Ice Fishing: Tightlining

Ice Fishing: Tightlining

One ice fishing technique you can try is called tightlining. Tightlining is a technique where you don’t move the line and lure once you’ve dropped them in the water. Instead you watch the line for movement. When the line becomes “tight” you know you have a fish on the line.

When tightlining, you’ll need to use a lure that is heavy enough to let  your line to drop straight down to your desired depth, but not so heavy that your line won’t move when a fish  strikes. This usually requires trial and error to find the right lure.

Some anglers add a spring bobber to their line to help with strike indication. A spring bobber is a piece of metal or wire that extends off the rod tip. Any movement in the line will cause the spring bobber to move alerting them  of a bite.

Check the regulations for the specific body of water that you fish at the sites below!

 

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Ice Fishing: Tip Ups

Ice Fishing: Tip Ups

Tip-ups is an ice fishing technique as well as a piece of ice fishing equipment. Tip ups are devices that are set on the ice above your hole that dangle bait beneath it. They feature a flag attached that acts as a strike indicator. When a fish takes the bait, the reel turns and releases the line and flag at the same time. The flag “tips up” alerting the angler that a fish is on the line. Tip ups work best with heavier braided line and a larger lure, and typically attract larger game fish.

How to Ice Fish Using Tip Ups

  • Set your tip-up on the surface of the ice above your hole, drop your line in the water until it hits the lake bottom.
  • Raise the line slightly above the lake-bed.
  • The line can  remain still or if you are not in a shelter, you can use the wind to provide a natural jigging-type of movement.

 

Many ice-anglers try all of these techniques at the same time to see which works best for that particular body of water, the species available and the conditions that season. If you use multiple fishing rods or tip-ups, be sure to check the regulations as there may be limits on the numbers of rods an ice angler can use.

Both New York State and Vermont regulations for Lake Champlain allow no more than 15 lines per angler. Be aware that limits on other bodies of water in each state may restrict the number of lines significantly. Check the regulations for the specific body of water that you fish at the sites below!

 

Vexilar FL-8SE Ice ProPack II Locator with 19 Degree Ice Ducer

Vexilar FL-8SE Ice ProPack II Locator with 19 Degree Ice Ducer

The worlds most popular three-color sonar flasher, the FL-8se is still one of the best all-around flasher/sonar designs. The hallmark three-color display shows weak targets in green, medium strength targets in orange and strong bottom targets in red. 525 segments of resolution, super bright LEDs and 10 interference rejection settings make the FL-8se a great year-round flasher/fish finder. Vexilars most economic winter fishing system is the Ice Pack. This system offers great performance features in a super durable case with a built-in gimbal bracket to support your flasher. Standard features include a rod holder, tackle box, universal transducer holder, cable holding cleats and a 12 Volt, 7 amp-hour battery with charger. The Ice Pack has been designed to fit into a five gallon bucket, and has an optional soft pack carrying case available. The Ice Pack comes completely assembled, individually tested and ready to fish with. It also includes an instructional DVD.
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Vermont Free Ice Fishing Day 2017

Vermont Free Ice Fishing Day 2017

vermont-free-ice-fishing-day 2017

 

If you’ve always wanted to try ice fishing but never got around to it, Vermont Fish & Wildlife is offering a “FREE ICE FISHING DAY” on the last Saturday in January.

Saturday, January 28, 2017 is Vermont’s free ice fishing day – a day when anyone, resident or nonresident, may go fishing in Vermont without a fishing license.

Vermont Ice Fishing Festival

To celebrate the Vermont Free Ice Fishing Day the Department is holding a FREE Ice Fishing Festival! Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff will be there to help everyone, young and old, learn how to enjoy this unique and popular type of fishing.

WHERE: Hoyts Landing, Springfield, VT get directions

WHEN: Saturday, January 28, 2017 – 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

EVENT SCHEDULE:

11:00 am – Registration Opens

11:00 am to 3:00 pm – Fun Family Activities

This year, Fish & Wildlife staff and Let’s Go Fishing volunteers will help new ice anglers learn the basics of winter ice fishing with stations including:

 

Ice Fishing Gear Explained
Tip-up Techniques
Using a Rod and Jig
Fish Identification Game
Knot-tying Know-how and tackle craft

Plus enjoy a fish fry and cocoa (bring your own mug if you can)! Warming huts will be available to keep you comfortable.

Bring your own ice fishing equipment or you can borrow ours.

Pre-register now to avoid long lines at registration and get in the “fast pass” lane for ice fishing!​

pre-register now

For more information, contact Nicole Meier (Nicole.Meier@vermont.gov) by email or call 802-318-1347.

 

Other Lake Champlain Ice Fishing Articles: