It got really cold, in case you missed the news. Colder than forecast. My wife had -7 on her thermometer, leaving for work at 7:00 a.m. yesterday. That's Bedminster, not Sandyston in Sussex County, where it was colder. It explains ice all the way across Round Valley Reservoir to the right side of the photo, shot from the camper's boat launch.
Oliver Round was out fishing elsewhere, in Morris County, where he had five inches of ice last he was there. Friday last week? Nine inches today.
Also frozen is the corner to the left of the Main Boat Launch.
There's as much as two or three inches of ice--very suddenly, I was there when the snow began and not a trace--where they keep the park ranger boat.
I also checked out options for getting on the Swimming Pond, and I found there's a DEP No Trespassing sign where the short trail leads onto the ice from the back of the Main Launch Parking Lot. I asked about it at the office, and I was told that indeed they're not allowing access there. (Another case of denied access.) They have nothing against anyone ice fishing anywhere on the pond, except for along the swimming beach, perhaps, but you have to be off the ice and out of the park by 4:00 p.m.
My suggestion is to heed the law and access the pond only from the East Picnic area. Go ahead and enjoy the long walk in, packing to leave well before 4:00 p.m. I agree, it's not fair to us. Access should be reasonable, and we should be able to fish at least until dusk, but don't upset them. That's what happened in the first place with COVID. People broke rules. People took the power from their control. That's why we have no access near the dike.
As things are, we're allowed to ice fish on the reservoir and on the Pond.
That's plenty generous as it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments Encouraged and Answered