Monthly Archives: August 2011

NJ DEP Green Acres Photo Contest

Still Time to Submit Favorite Green Acres Photos for Statewide It’s All Yours Contest

The dwindling days and weekends of summer and early autumn still offer time to explore the parks and open spaces nearest you, and what better way to celebrate your special place than by taking a photograph!

Nearly every community in New Jersey has been touched by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program. To help celebrate its 50th anniversary, DEP announced the photo contest in June, marking when the first Green Acres bond referendum was signed. The deadline for the photo contest is October 16.

The contest is open to anyone six years of age or older. The goal is to photograph a New Jersey park or open space property that is preserved with Green Acres funds, many of which are marked with distinctive green and white Green Acres signs emblazoned with a Mercer oak tree.

Participants are encouraged to enter up to 3 photos (one per category) in the following categories: People in Parks, Scenic, or Nature in New Jersey Close-Up. Prizes and certificates will be awarded to the winners at a public ceremony and the winning photos will be displayed online at the Green Acres website as well as at various parks throughout the state.

Additional photo contest details, rules, judging and submission forms are available online at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/ga50/50photo.htm.

If you need help finding the Green Acres properties nearest you, visit the program’s 50th anniversary website at http://www.NJGreenAcres.org. There you can search the program’s Open Space Database or search for properties by using a state map.

Help celebrate this anniversary by sharing what you enjoy most about the Green Acres sites near you.

Remember, It’s All Yours, New Jersey!

Pennsylvania Fishing Festivals – Labor Day

Spaces Still Available for Families at Fishing Festivals Over Labor Day Weekend

Harrisburg, PA – The Labor Day weekend is just around the corner, but there is still time for families to register for one of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) six Fishing Festivals to be held around the state. So far, more than 400 individuals have signed up for the events, which will be held at state parks in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of interest in the programs,” said Carl Richardson, PFBC manager of Education and Outreach. “Four of the regions have a lot of people signed up. The northwest region around Erie and Crawford counties and the northern tier area near Wellsboro still have a number of spaces open. We’re hopeful that more families will sign up this week for those two programs.”

On Saturday, Sept. 3, the PFBC will host Family Fishing Festivals at six locations in Pennsylvania. And on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 5, it’s the Commission’s second Fish-for-Free Day for 2011. This day allows anyone (resident or non-resident) to legally fish with no fishing license required on all Pennsylvania’s waterways on this day. All other fishing regulations still apply.

The festivals will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at six locations:

NW Region: Pymatuning State Park, Linesville, Crawford County
SW Region: Raccoon Creek State Park, Hookstown, Beaver County
NC Region: Hills Creek State Park, Wellsboro, Tioga County
SC Region: Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, Cumberland County
NE Region: Frances Slocum State Park, Wyoming, Luzerne County
SE Region: Marsh Creek State Park, Downingtown, Chester County

The fishing license requirement is waived for registered festival participants 16 and older. The program is open to all ages. However, the program is designed for children ages 5 and older. All equipment, bait and tackle will be provided.

Space is limited at the event, so pre-registration is required. Deadline for registration is Aug. 31, and there will be no registration taken the day of the event.

Visit www.fishandboat.com/fishforfree.htm to register and learn more about these events and Labor Day’s Fish-for-Free Day. Don’t forget that Monday Sept. 5, is Fish-for-Free Day on all Pennsylvania’s waterways.

Night Fishing Report

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Got out fishing Saturday night with a full boat. Chris D., Chris F. and Jay joined me for a night of fishing on Round Valley Reservoir. I was especially excited because I built a couple of night fishing lights and was eager to try them. The weather and moon phase were great too. 1/4 moon so our lights weren’t competing with the big light in the sky.

Night Fishing for Rainbow Trout

We fished from 9:30pm to 3:30am in 3 different locations throughout the night, the red x’s above indicate our approximate locations. The reason we moved the first two times was because we didn’t like our depth and bottom structure. The last time was just on a whim to shoot over to the other side of the lake.

Night fishing at Round Valley Using surface lights

It’s really peaceful at night on the valley.

We double anchored as best we could. I don’t have nearly enough anchor line to set the boat right so that was a challenge. We were using some lights I made from 12volt 55watt marine “deck” lights I got at West Marine for $29. A trip to home depot got me 2 extension cords, two dowels and some zip ties. The lights worked 5.5 hours and never killed my battery.

Chris from Hillsborough started strong with 2 Rainbows.

We were using cooked shrimp for bait and whole kernel corn for chum. The fishing was a slow pick all night but we all had fun and everyone caught fish, also the four rainbows we caught were taken home and eaten and they were delicious! If you’d like to learn more about the technique we used to catch these fish at night, check out our night fishing for Rainbow Trout article. If you’re looking for a way to beat the heat the next few weeks, I suggest a night fishing trip on Round Valley Reservoir.

Meetup Number 2 Announced – Fishing Topwater Lures at Dusk

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I’ve decided to hold the meetup so we can fish surface lures at dusk on Saturday, September 10, 2011, 5:00 PM. I’ll show you the basics of fishing the Zara Spook, Hula Popper, Jitterbug and the Rebel Pop-r.

Be sure to bring and share your own favorite topwater lures!

Sundown is at 7:15pm so if we meet up at 5:00pm or so we can fish into sundown that would be ideal.

Location is still a toss-up between Rainbow Point or Ranger’s Cove. Please RSVP or email me so I know who’s coming.