The TROUT TIMES

FEBRUARY 2014

DCAC NEWSLETTER \ A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT It is my hope that this newsletter finds everyone well and that you and your family had a great holiday season! Its’ time to dust off that tackle box and lube up that trout rod & reel because before you know it opening day will be upon us! The members here at Dauphin County Angler’s and Conservationist (DCAC) have been working hard in the off season in hopes of kicking off an enjoyable 2014 trout season for you and your family! From receiving and raising over 9000 trout fingerling to installing automatic feeders to making various improvements to the club facility. It’s been exciting times! Hello my name is Ken Miller and I have been elected as your Dauphin County Angler’s & Conservationist president for 2014. I came to know DCAC when I was 10 years old. I have been fishing in Clarks Valley for 45 years and in that time I’m sure I have caught / released thousands of trout of which many have been raised and released into Dauphin County streams by DCAC. In that time I have introduced my 3 children and my grandson to the sport of trout fishing. Nothing has been more satisfying then to know I have passed down a simple basic and fun value to family! One of my goals is to increase the number of our youth anglers here at DCAC by signing up more Brookie members. This program not only introduces our youngsters to the sport of trout fishing but moreover they are exposed to other environmental issues such as conservation concerns for both watersheds and land. But most of all the fun that last a life time! In order to achieve this goal we need your help. How you say?

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When you bring your son, daughter and or grandchildren to DCAC to trout fish I challenge you to bring their friends and family members with you. With the exciting fun that is sure to be had here at DCAC I’m sure they will be “Hooked” for life and so exist the opportunity to sign up young / new members. Enclosed please find your 2014 membership application and tickets for our annual raffle. I encourage you to renew your membership and either purchase or sell the tickets. The proceeds from both go to supporting the general fund for DCAC and all the events the club supports. In closing I am looking forward to the challenges and fun as your DCAC President this year. I encourage you to attend our monthly meetings which are held the 3rd Monday of each month here at the club. The meeting start time is 7:00. If nothing else please stop by and meet our board members who work so hard to make all your visits to DCAC memorable! --Ken Miller, DCAC President

Dauphin County Anglers E J Stackpole Memorial Nursery | 201 Clarks Valley Rd, Dauphin, PA 17018 | phone 717.921.8777

FEBRUARY 2014

The TheTROUT TROUTTIMES TIMES DCAC NEWSLETTER DCAC NEWSLETTER

NURSERY MANAGER’S MESSAGE

TROUT ARE THE STARS

I will be brief in reporting news from 2013 as I want to cover new or rededicated goals at our club. In 2013 we raised 8000 trout. This number has been consistent over my past few years in this position. My efforts can help the mortality rate of our fish, but I certainly realize Mother Nature can be the final decision maker when it comes to the health of our fish. We had good weather for growing and keeping our fish healthy for the 2013 season. Because their mortality rate was low, some diseases showed up in late May and I applied a salt treatment. The fish responded positively to that and most all were saved. In my third year as Nursery Manager to control feeding costs, by minimizing overfeeding, I experimented with old automated feeders that hadn’t been used in several years. I was happy to find that it cut waste or manual overfeeding while with the help of Mother Nature grew our fish to the largest size I’ve seen in my history if not before. Average size for the fish that were still in the raceway in June: Brookie-13inches, Brown-14 inches, Rainbow-14inches. Again I don’t deserve all the credit for 2013’s good fortune with low mortality rates and exceptional sizes. But we did make positive changes, stayed committed to their health and controlled one of our largest expenses in the club.

The trout have always been the stars of our club. Annually the DCAC receive approximately 8000 trout. The trout are given to us from the PA Fish & Boat Commission as part of a co-op agreement. This relationship was established at the club’s inception. We are responsible to raise the fingerlings in good health to the best of our ability under the watchful eye of PA Fish & Boat. The nursery manager must document feedings, stocking, mortality rate, disease, water temperature and much more. The stocking of the fish allow us to greatly improve the angling experience for all anglers in our region. The raising of our fish comes with great expense. Our club’s annual budget is greatly tied up in raising our fish. The nursery manager position at the club can be argued to be the most important position to the club. We’ve been fortunate to find a responsible and committed person to fill this very important role.

—Dicky Megonnell, Nursery Manager

Dauphin County Anglers E J Stackpole Memorial Nursery | 201 Clarks Valley Rd, Dauphin, PA 17018 | phone 717.921.8777

The TROUT TIMES DCAC NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2014

STOCKING PROGRAM One of our club’s focus’ for this season is to have the best stocking program possible. This goal will be met this season. Many objectives have been accomplished over the past 3 years to make this possible. Over the past few years equipment has been purchased with the aid of a grant from PA Fish & Boat. This grant has been matched and passed by monies generated for the club. We now can say we have tanks to haul fish, boxes to float stock, fish to put in the boxes, and now all we need is your help to finalize this goal. The 2014 Stocking Program will be simple and transparent. The DCAC will stock on Saturday starting in mid-April. Stockers will meet at 8:30am at the clubhouse. A stocker’s sign up list will be posted at the clubhouse in mid-March. Youth are welcome and encouraged to participate. All stockers must be DCAC members. The club hosted several wonderful events again this year. From our annual Kids Rodeo to our annual Veterans Rodeo. Many smiles and memories were created. The club hosted 6 events from May – Sept. Over 150 kids participated in our annual kids rodeo. We were fortunate to partner with State Representative Sue Helm again this year. She really helps to make the day so successful. Over a dozen kids caught their first fish and most all left with a prize.

Our Veterans Rodeo that we all cherish was wonderful. Enola Sportsman made a very generous donation to help make the event possible. The donation allowed us to prepare the ground and made sure our facility was welcoming and accessible for some of our Vets who are not as mobile. Over 60 vets from 3 different VA hospitals participated in the day. After some very successful fishing a wonderful meal was prepared for our vets. Thank you to all participants, sponsors, and volunteers in these events. IT takes all three to make them possible. We are all very lucky and blessed to have the change to do one of these three. Thank you all and God Bless.

Dauphin County Anglers E J Stackpole Memorial Nursery | 201 Clarks Valley Rd, Dauphin, PA 17018 | phone 717.921.8777

The TROUT TIMES DCAC NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2014

SAVE THE DATE! 2014 Fisherman’s AYCE Breakfast March 29 5am-NOON Dauphin Home Association .

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Dauphin County Anglers & Conservationists PO Box 33 | Dauphin, PA 17018 phone 717.921.8777

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Annual Dues: $30 Family $15 Active $11 Senior (Over 65)