If you've been around the lake this weekend, you might have noticed several dead fish floating...mostly trout. This is a regular occurance during holiday weekends and this Memorial Day weekend was no exception. Fishing is an activity enjoyed by many families during the early morning hours and evenings. While we ask that you don't use aggressive bait, like a lure with a treble hook, they always find their way out there. Trout are very sensitive fish and when caught with bait like this, they will usually die. You can help lower the death rate by following these rules:
1. Use the appropriate bait with a single hook.
2. Corn is NOT acceptable bait. A trout cannot digest corn and if the corn makes it to the trout's stomach, the fish is sure to die.
3. Don't allow the fish to exhaust itself when reeling it in.
4. Finally, if you really want to take it a step farther to protect our trout population, consider using barbless hooks. You can also use plyers to bend the barb down so it is flush with the hook.
While getting some shots for Sunday's State of the Club Meeting, I covered some ground with my drone. Here are a handful of those photographs I thought you might enjoy.
