Motions from the ASMFC at the May 2009 Meeting	5/17/2009
Please click here to read a PDF document containing motions made that the ASMFC meeting in May regarding shad and herring.
HELP STOCK SALMON FRY	4/11/2009
Volunteers from schools, sporting clubs, civic groups and individuals with a passion for rivers, fish or fishing are needed to assist MassWildlife in stocking 1.5 million salmon fry (juvenile fish) for the Atlantic salmon restoration program. According to Dr. Caleb Slater, MassWildlife's Anadromous Fish Project Leader, at least 20 stocking dates are planned from 8 April through 2 May to release salmon fry into dozens of Connecticut River tributaries. (Click Here for the schedule in the form of a word document.)
Reports of Shad at CT River Mouth	4/6/2009
I have a report that American Shad have been spotted at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook CT. Won't take them long to get up here!
Residents criticize reservoir hours at forum	1/2/2009
LUDLOW – Local sportsmen and residents had the opportunity to express their concerns regarding the Ludlow Reservoir’s decrease in public access hours during an open forum held last Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Ludlow Fish & Game Club. You can read more on page six of the following pdf from the Ludlow Register: (Click December 17th Register PDF)
Construction begins on Jones Ferry boathouse on Connecticut	11/20/2008
HOLYOKE - Construction of the $1.26 million public boating access center recently has started and is scheduled to be completed by April. \"This is very exciting for the city of Holyoke,\" Mayor Michael J. Sullivan said Tuesday. \"I hope everyone involved can appreciate how much work went into this.\" Sullivan and other officials gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the new Jones Ferry River Access Center Boathouse located off Main Street on the banks of the Connecticut River. (Click Here to read the full masslive/republican article.)
Ludlow Resevior Cuts Access	8/26/2008
The Springfield Water & Sewer Commission controls the Ludlow reservoir and has cut back on the amount of hours per week it is open to the public. Last year there were over 35 thousand visitors to area and spokeswoman Katherine D. Pederson stated part of the reason for the cut back is direclty related to the number of people the reservoir attracts. (Click Here to read the full masslive/republican article.)
Fishlift Begins Operations	5/7/2008
The Robert E. Barrett Fishway has begun lifiting operations at the Holyoke Dam. The fish counter will be updated as the numbers are made available.
Reminder The HGE Derby starts THIS WEEKEND!!	5/6/2008
Just a reminder for anyone who may not have realized that its that time of year again. The HGE Shad Derby will start this coming weekend barring and weather/water conditions that may cause a delay.
Shad Are Here!	4/26/2008
Reports are coming in that shad are being caught from most areas. If you fish the Westfield River please report in. I have not received any reports from that area. Thanks.
Where are the Shad?	4/16/2008
Your guess is as good as mine. I would have thought we would have heard something by now, specially from somewhere in CT like Barts on the Farmington. The fact that there are herring showing up mean there must be shad at the mouth of the river but none have proceeded upriver yet.
Westfield to sell reservoir land	3/26/2008
WESTFIELD - This city is preparing to sell its conservation rights to property in and around Montgomery Reservoir in Montgomery to the state. The measure, if approved, will bring $1 million to the city's general fund; better preserve the reservoir and watershed parcel; and open up the 2,100 acres to residents and sportsmen on a legal basis. (Click Here to read the full article.)
Shad are now Catch and Release Only in NY!!!	3/22/2008
ALBANY, N.Y. - Prompted by historic lows in the Hudson River's American shad population, state environmental officials have put new restrictions on the fishing season starting Saturday that will limit anglers to catch-and-release and curtail commercial harvests. (Click Here to read the full article.)
2008 Salmon Fry Stocking	3/14/2008
Volunteers from schools, sporting clubs, civic groups and individuals with a passion for rivers, fish or fishing are needed to assist MassWildlife in stocking 1.5 million salmon fry (juvenile fish) for the Atlantic salmon restoration program. According to Dr. Caleb Slater, MassWildlife's Anadromous Fish Project Leader, at least 20 stocking dates are planned from 12 April through 7 May to release salmon fry into dozens of Connecticut River tributaries. (Click Here for the schedule in the form of a word document.)
Save the Westfield River Fishery	2/28/2008
Please e-mail or fax 413 784-1149 or write James Bumgardner at Mass. DEP Regional Office Drinking Water Program and Water Management Act and ask him to not to allow 880,000 gallons of water to be taken out of the Westfield River on a daily basis to cool the Biomass Plant. Instead ask them to demand they install a dry air coolant systemin this new proppsed biomass plant. e-mail address is james.bumgardner@state.ma.us Help save our fishery.
We're Back!	2/19/2008
Hi Everyone! Well after a long break I have finally got around to spending some money on new computer equipment and I put the site back online. Not sure if there are any bugs yet but it looks pretty good so far. Enjoy!
Free Family Fish Day Bray Lake Mt Tom Holyoke	6/3/2007
From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM today June 3rd, 2007 there is a family fishing event at Bray Lake at Mt Tom in Holyoke Massachusetts.
Multi-Species Fishing Derby this Saturday, June 2nd	5/30/2007
Chicopee Water Front Association is holding their first annual Multi-Species Fishing Derby this Saturday, June 2nd 2007 from 12:01AM to 2:00PM at the Medina Street Boat launch in Chicopee, MA. For the rules and a registration form please click Rules-And-Regs. For more information you can click Info Doc
Final Weekend for the 2007 Derby	5/19/2007
The rain has not ruined everything yet! The water has come up but all ALL AREAS ARE STILL FISHABLE as of Friday night. ALL boat launches, right now, are still usable and there is still parking at all launches. River conditions are not that bad at the moment but we will have to wait an see what happens with the rain.
Reminder The Shad Derby Starts This Weekend!	5/9/2007
I just wanted to remind everyone that the HG&E Shad Derby will start this weekend! Thats right, it doesn't seem like its already here but it is.
Shad are starting to show up!	4/28/2007
I have a few reports that shad have been caught in MA waters! Finally they start to show up.
One eager beaver!	4/7/2007
Looks like we have a report of 1 shad up at the Holyoke Dam. We are in the process of trying to confirm that this is not a typographical error. In the mean time it came from an official source so I posted it for now.
CT Herring Ban Extended!	4/2/2007
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that the prohibition on the taking of alewives and blueback herring from most inland and marine waters of the State of Connecticut has been extended for another year. This action was initially taken in April of 2002, and then extended each successive year through 2006 with an expiration date of March 31, 2007. The current action by DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy extends the prohibition through March 31, 2008. (Click Here to go to the CT DEP web site.)
HELP STOCK SALMON FRY	3/5/2007
Volunteers from schools, sporting clubs, civic groups and individuals with a passion for rivers, fish or fishing are needed to assist MassWildlife in stocking 1.7 million salmon fry (juvenile fish) for the Atlantic salmon restoration program. According to Dr. Caleb Slater, MassWildlife's Anadromous Fish Project Leader, at least 20 stocking dates are planned from 9 April through 5 May to release salmon fry into dozens of Connecticut River tributaries. (Click Here for the schedule in the form of a word document.)
Very important numbers for you to keep available	2/18/2007
If you ever spot hazardous waste in our open spaces or in our waterways please immediately call the D.E. P (Department of Environmental Protection for Mass.) THE NUMBER IS 1 888 304 1133 . Also another very important number to keep on hand is 1 800 632 8075 This number is the hotline to get an Envronmental Officer dipatched out to investigate a violation of our fish and wildlife regualtions . Remember we need to work hand in hand with our Environmental Officers to protect our privilege of hunting and fishing. Recently I read a post in another forum where an individual noticed that the Chicopee River was rust colored and he wanted to know if anybody else had noticed this. He did not state whether or not he had notified any authorities about the situation Help police
Springfield Sportsmens Show Feb. 22-25 2007	2/12/2007
The 25th annual Springfield Sportsmen's Show, OUTDOORS NORTHEAST, will be Feb. 22 to 25 at the "Big E," the Eastern States Exposition , West Springfield, MA. As the largest 'pure' hunting and fishing show in the Northeast it covers more than a half million square feet of booths, exhibits, seminars and action areas. Here is the link Sportsmen's Show
"Listen to the River" Citizen Hearings	1/21/2007
Trust for Public Land is hosting a series of "Listen to the River" hearings to bring groups who care about land conservation in the watershed together with citizens, public officials, and the media. This public process will help identify important lands for conservation in the Connecticut River valley and watershed and build support for this critical work. ( click here to go to their website for meeting locations and information)
Springfield "Streamlines" the Clerk's Office	1/14/2007
Well what does that mean to sports people? It means you cannot purchase a hunting or fishing license at Springfield City Hall. NESA President Jack Coughlin spoke out about this along with Frank Sousa in Frank's article in the Jan 14th edition ( click here to be take to that part of the article)
We are back!	1/6/2007
Good to be back! I just finished installing all the new parts in the server case and it looks like everything is ok. I don't know what to say about what caused the problem. It's rare that you would see a cd rom, floppy, video card, motherboard, and power supply all fail while leaving the hard drives, CPU, and memory intact. You would think what ever eletrical problem occurred that caused so much damage would have killed everything. Oh well. Let's see how we do now!
Clean living gives Charles a shot at new life.	12/4/2006
For the past century, dams and pollution made the Charles River more burial ground than breeding ground for herring, shad, and salmon -- fish whose life cycles once revolved around the waterway. (Read the full article here)
Power Outage in East Longmeadow	6/1/2006
Sorry everyone! The power went out for longer than my back up power supply could last. The whole town lost power for a few hours.
2006 SHAD DERBY POSTPONED!!!	5/19/2006
The 2006 shad derby has been postponed until next weekend! The derby will continue on May 27th and May 28th, 2006 To be perfectly clear.. The shad derby will not be running on May 20th and 21st 2006, it has been MOVED/POSTPONED until May 27th and 28th, 2006 !!!!!
Sutdent Prince Now Serving Shad	5/15/2006
The Student Prince is now serving Old Saybrook American Shad for a limited time only! They are located on Fort Street just off Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Mohawk Trout Hatchery Owner Arrested!!	5/13/2006
Federal agents allegedly discovered more than 250 Great Blue Heron carcasses, as well as carcasses of Ospreys and an Eagle, at the Mohawk Trout Hatchery in Sunderland. The criminal complaint alleged that the birds were killed by rifle shot. U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan announced that 58-year-old Michael Zak Junior of Sunderland and 29-year-old Timothy Lloyd of Easthampton face charges of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by killing migratory birds.
World Record Holder Seriously Injured!!!	5/11/2006
Very sad news to report today. The holder of the World Record for an American Shad, Bob Thibodo has been seriously injured. Bob took a bad fall from a roof on April 28th. He has a broken back(will require spinal fussion) and neck(luckely no paralysis) a shattered hip(will need hip replacement) , pelvis, elbow,facial bones will also require surgery, and the list goes on. Bob is 68 years old and still loves to shad fish. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he has not regained conciousness after attempts to revive him from his medically induced coma.
Conflicting Reports	5/5/2006
I am getting conflicting reports for down at the mouth. I have got solid reports that there are quite a few shad at the mouth but at the same time I am getting reports from very trustworthy commercial fishermen that they are getting very little shad in the nets. I am at a loss over what to do with the fish locator.
Boating Shad Derby Anglers Be Advised!	4/29/2006
If you launch from the Medina Street boat launch please be aware that there will be a bass tourney on the same day as the first day of the shad derby. If I had to guess, there will be aprrox 20-25 boats launching just for the bass tourney.
Sani-Cans In Place!	4/28/2006
Sani-Cans have been put in place Stan B boat launch as well as the Medina Street boat launch. A big thanks goes to Terry Smith from public access in being very helpful in getting these in place before the first weekend of the Shad Derby.
Free CT River and Nitanic River Fishing Seminar	4/17/2006
Thursday April 20th at 7:15PM New England Shad Association will be holding a fishing seminar given by host Captain Eric WIlder of E J Charters on striper and shad fishing in the CT River and Niantic River. The seminar will be held at American Legion on New Ludlow Road off Memoral Dr (rt 33) in Chicopee MA. The meeting is free and open to the public so feel free to bring some friends and spread the word.
Small Numbers of Shad Showing Up Locally	4/14/2006
I have reports of shad showing up a little more now in the Chicopee Area
Shad Starting to Show at Mouth	4/7/2006
I just received word that shad are starting to show at the mouth of the Connecticut River, and so the season begins!
Early Bird Shad!	4/5/2006
Listen to this everyone, a single lone shad was lifted over the Holyoke Dam! We have no reports of any other shad anywhere on the river so don't run down to the river expecting to hook into any shad yet.
Berchulski State Boat Ramp Opened	4/4/2006
The gate to the Stan Berchulski State Boat ramp has been opened for the 2006 season.
No Reports of Shad Yet!	4/4/2006
We have talked with quite a few people near the southern portion of the CT river and they have all stated that no one has seen any shad yet. There have been a couple reports (and pictures) of striped bass being caught. As soon as I get any reports of shad I will update the fish locator.
2006 Atlantic Salmon Fry Stocking Program	3/15/2006
The Atlantic Salmon fry stocking program schedule has been released. (Click Here) Please help if you can it's a lot of fun and they are in great need of volunteers!!
2006 MSBA Sportfishing Expo	3/9/2006
The Massachusetts Striped Bass Association will be holding their annual fishin expo at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough MA. For more information click on the title of this news article and you will be brought to their web page.
The Spring Running Augusta Maine	3/8/2006
On May 20th, 2006, The Spring Running will take place in downtown Augusta. The event will highlight the Kennebec River as a valuable resource in our lives, communities and businesses, and will celebrate the return of fish such as shad and alewives. Please visit the Tournaments/Derbies link on the left for more information.
New Messageboard	2/25/2006
Getting ready for this season, I decided, finally, to begin using a new message board. I thought the old one just didn't look good enough for the site. Unfortunately this means re-registering your username and password on the new board. Please check out the new message board and be sure to cast your vote on the poll in the Announcements section!
Ice Fishing Seminar Thursday January 19th 2006	1/11/2006
Dan Mancini, member of West Springfield Sportsman's Club will give a Seminar on \"The Basics of Ice Fishing\" Thursday January 19th 7:p.m. at the American Legion Post 438 located on New Ludlow Road in Chicopee Mass. Dan will bring in some of his ice fishing equipment and give you some tips he has learned in his 35 years experience ice fishing.
Herring Banned in Masschusetts	1/10/2006
Three-Year River Herring Moratorium on Harvest, Possession, & Sale (322 CMR 6.17): In response to recent drastic declines of many river herring spawning runs, the harvest, possessionor sale of river herring in the Commonwealth or in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth by any person is prohibited through 2008.