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| FishTails |
Letter to US Senator Robert C. Byrd
November 17, 2000
Honorable U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd
311 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Byrd,
I am writing to you as a voter and a bass fisherman. I am a member of the West Virginia Bass Federation. Collectively
the bass fishermen of the state are growing increasingly concerned with the possibility that locking on the Upper
Monongahela River may be further scaled back.
I have contacted your office by phone and learned that you have had correspondence with top officials with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I'm eager to hear what they had to say.
I realize the decline in coal mining in northern West Virginia has caused a drastic decline in the amount of barge
traffic utilizing the lock and dam system on the Monongahela. I also realize that commercial traffic justifies
the need for expanded locking hours. However, I would be remiss if I failed to point out that pleasure boaters
and fishing boaters utilize the locks regularly. All of these boaters are also taxpayers who have a stake in the
construction and operation of the nation's lock and dam systems.
In recent years the Monongahela River from its confluence south of Fairmont to the Pennsylvania line in Point Marion
has become the state's most productive river for bass fishing. West Virginia DNR statistics show it is the third
most productive water in the state behind Stonewall Jackson Lake and Cheat Lake. The handicap that tournament bass
fishermen must endure is parking for trailers. Presently the Prickett's Fort Ramp is the only suitable location
to hold a tournament with a large number of anglers. Tournaments start at 7am and generally the early morning and
late evening hours are the best times for fishing. Unfortunately because the Opekiska and Hildebrande locks are
operational only between the hours of 8am and 4am, we are virtually locked out of some of the more attractive water
during the best fishing times.
I don't believe it would be asking much to at least adjust the hours on the weekends to 7am to 5pm. This slight
adjustment between March and November would be a huge boost to fishing access.
I would also like to add that if my previous suggestion is too much to ask, perhaps you could convince the Corps
to allow extended operating hours on the weekend of October 20-21, 2001. The West Virginia Bass Federation State
tournament is scheduled for that weekend. This is an event that draws a large amount of revenue and attention to
an area. The Fairmont and Morgantown areas can anticipate a strong impact on the economy by way of motel room,
meals, and gasoline purchases.
I'm hopeful you'll be able to give these matters attention in the coming session of Congress.
Sincerely,
Member, West Virginia Bass Federation |
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