At least one member was unhappy with new "no fishing" signs posted around Lakepoint event center. At the regular meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee on Lakes, member Bob McGrath used the open forum to tell the committee that he's been successfully fishing behind the building for 23 years.
POA general manager Tom Judson explained that the signs were installed to keep fishing boats away from the back lawn of the restaurant when weddings were scheduled there. He said one bride was upset to find a strange fishing boat in her wedding photos. Judson also said anglers fishing from the bank have left litter behind, including fish guts, in the wedding gazebo. Only the area directly behind the restaurant is affected, he said.
Fisheries and Parks superintendent Rick Echols showed the committee new guidelines for fishing tournaments. The existing regulations were written before kayak fishing became popular, he said. The update will allow kayak tournaments on the small lakes.
While many tournaments encourage participants to release their fish, some fish don't survive the experience, Echols said. The new regulations will ensure that fish spend a minimum amount of time out of the water.
The committee agreed to look at the new regulations and decide at its January meeting if committee members want to support the changes or ask for different changes.
Echols said he has decided to not publicize the date when trout are stocked in Lake Brittany. He will announce the first stocking of each year so members know when the season opens but, after that, no more announcements will be made. Committee members agreed that announcing when fish are stocked gives the trout fisherman an advantage they don't really need.
General News on 12/13/2017