Laurel Hill

[Alphahawk]

Went kayaking on Laurel Hill Lake yesterday for over 5 hours. I caught one fish in that time. They had fertilized the lake about 5 days ago. Don't know if that messed up the fishing or not. To say I was surprised at just catching one fish is putting it mildly. Talked to the TWRA officer that lives there and takes care of all Region 2 TWRA lakes. He has had the biologist down there recently and they are looking into is there a problem of something washing into the lake or not. There has not been a fish kill but the fishing can be so slow for days at a time it is keeping the regulars away and they just may show up a day or two a week. There will be days people catch fish and then it may be 3 or 4 days before anyone gets into them again...not normal for this time of year. I will go back but will call and check with the concessionaire to get an update before I go. The fish I caught is 8 inches and the girth was 11 inches. Laurel Hill is full of Gills like this...and bigger......but yesterday they were hiding out.


Regards

[MNfisher]

That's a tall gill! I hope to get there when they are hitting!

It could be as simple as years and years of outdated regulations on bluegill, i.e. a creel limit that's about twenty fish higher than it should be, catching up with the lake. Said regulations certainly did a number on the bluegill fishing at Shellcracker Lake in Williamsport. That lake would have one of the best trophy-bluegill fisheries around now if better regulations had been put in place four years ago, when it started getting a population of big ones. I suggested a five-fish limit, along with a slot limit of 8-9", to the region head for TWRA, but he said they would have to do an angler survey to see if anyone was fishing for bluegill, and two months later the big ones had been fished out.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by tnpondmanager

It could be as simple as years and years of outdated regulations on bluegill, i.e. a creel limit that's about twenty fish higher than it should be, catching up with the lake. Said regulations certainly did a number on the bluegill fishing at Shellcracker Lake in Williamsport. That lake would have one of the best trophy-bluegill fisheries around now if better regulations had been put in place four years ago, when it started getting a population of big ones. I suggested a five-fish limit, along with a slot limit of 8-9", to the region head for TWRA, but he said they would have to do an angler survey to see if anyone was fishing for bluegill, and two months later the big ones had been fished out.

Yeah....I would like to see the limits on TWRA Lakes for Gills changed. Those small lakes can't take the pressure. We have sat around the table at Laurel Hill Bait and Deli and discussed just how many big Gills are hauled out of there. Some days it is a couple of thousand.


Regards

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

Yeah....I would like to see the limits on TWRA Lakes for Gills changed. Those small lakes can't take the pressure. We have sat around the table at Laurel Hill Bait and Deli and discussed just how many big Gills are hauled out of there. Some days it is a couple of thousand.


Regards

One day of a couple thousand is too many - that's more big bluegill than what should be taken out of that lake in a year. No wonder no one is catching any.

[ditz1]

Thanks for posting Alpha.....I was thinking about heading down that way.

I also wonder if there are some poachers taking more than thier limits.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by ditz1

Thanks for posting Alpha.....I was thinking about heading down that way.

I also wonder if there are some poachers taking more than thier limits.

I don't know but VFW is on fire right now. It does not get the pressure Laurel Hill does. But I would stay away from both places this weekend. The free fishing day brings them out from all over and it gets crowded down there. One of the reasons I will post even when not catching fish is maybe someone is thinking of hitting a spot and it is off....of course any body of water can turn on at anytime.



Regards