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Fishing Insights from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Guest Blog by: Joe Lewandowski aka "wildlifePIO" - Guest Blogger
, CO 5/23/2012 (Return to blogs)

As the public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife I get to write and talk to people about Colorado's critters every day. I've been a resident of the state for 35 years and I feel honored to be in this position in which I can explain the ways of wildlife to the public. Wild lands and wildlife, in fact, are some of the major reasons I moved to Colorado back in the "Rocky Mountain High" days of the mid-1970s.

Last year, the owners of Fish Explorer kindly invited the agency to post on the website. We hope that contributing to FishExplorer will help us stay in better contact with anglers who ply Colorado's waters. But please, don’t expect to get much in the way of fishing tips from me. I do a lot of casting, but not much catching. Perhaps some of you will be able to teach me a bit more about catching.

Here's what I intend to provide to you in my posts: I'll update you on what's going on at the agency, provide the latest information about Colorado's aquatic issues, explain research and field work that's being done by our aquatic biologists and answer your questions.

We're very aware that there are a lot of anglers who don't always agree with some of the things we do or the regulations we set. Case in point: Blue Mesa Reservoir.

But I hope to explain some things that I can't always explain adequately in a news release. I don't expect to convince everyone to see the agency way all the time, but I will pass along information that I believe open-minded anglers will consider.

Here are some things I won't do: I won't engage in any drawn-out arguments; I'll state the facts and explain them as best I can. I won't let go unnoticed items that express false information about the agency, or rumors that are stated as facts. And I won't tolerate any personal attacks on the aquatic biologists or other members of the agency staff. They work their jobs because they care about the resource, about wildlife and about angling – just like the readers of FishExplorer.

I work in the Southwest Region, an area that extends from the San Luis Valley to the Four Corners, north to Delta, the North Fork country and the Gunnison Basin. Summer is field season for the biologists so they are sometimes difficult for me to track down.  So, some questions I'll be able to answer quickly, while others might take awhile. If you have questions or comments about other regions (Northwest, Northeast, Southeast) you can send them to me and I'll pass them along. 

You can also contact me personally at joe.lewandowski@state.co.us, or at 970-375-6708.

I look forward to offering some good fish stories, and to hear yours.

Joe Lewandowski is the public information officer for the southwest region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He worked for newspapers in Vail, Steamboat Springs, Fort Collins and Durango, and also worked as a freelance writer before joining the agency eight years ago.
Blog content © Joe Lewandowski
Comments
bronc
05.23.12 9:40 AM
Welcome to the site Joe.
Coloradomrg
05.23.12 9:45 AM
Welcome Joe!
alanlf5280
05.23.12 10:01 AM
Welcome to the site! What a great addition.
moosegoose
05.23.12 10:12 AM
I am excited to read your blogs. Should be some great information on what is going on. Welcome.
Browns Hunter
05.23.12 10:14 AM
Welcome Joe! Looking forward to your blogs!!
ChampionRookie
05.23.12 10:28 AM
Awesome to see you guys jumping aboard and helping out! This is going to be an awesome add on. I've only been on here for a bout 2 weeks and I'm loving how it just get better everyday!
FishSeal
05.23.12 11:13 AM
Awesome. Joe, it is privilege to have you hear and thank you for taking the time to be a part of FxR and our lives. I look forward to some of the information that you will be disseminating on the blogs and forums. FS
Coyute
05.23.12 12:21 PM
Right on.
Tiny Stevens
05.23.12 2:32 PM
Welcome to the site Joe! Please check out a thread on the free side titled " bucket biology". Several of us would welcome your insight and comments on this topic. Thank you!
thedude
05.23.12 4:30 PM
welcome to the site..I think this a great idea for education of our anglers since this information will be directly from the source
itchyreelfinger
05.23.12 6:38 PM
Hey Joe. Welcome! A lot of the comments on this and the free side are about common fishing courtesies. With the help of the members on this site, I compiled a list of what we call "Colorado Courtesies". These are not regulation but a list of things to think about when fishing or boating Colorado Waters. I submitted the compilation to the DOW to see if they would publish it in the regs booklet but I got zero response. Is that something you could help us get published?
oneeye
05.24.12 11:18 PM
Welcome, look forward to your posts.
JKaboom
05.26.12 7:42 PM
Great intro Joe thanks for setting clear expectations :) Welcome to FxR we will appreciate your info!!!
malty falcon
06.03.12 1:47 PM
I can't wait to see some insights. Fishing season is in high gear right now, so, get writing, Joe. I'd like to know why there aren't more programs to plant bugs, crustaceans into bodies of water. DOW recently planted 35,000 willowflies into the Arkansas River near Salida, and this seems a lot less expensive than planting trout into this body of water. Where scuds, mysis have been planted, the fish really grow bigger faster. Lets see more of this low-cost fisheries management!!! Malty Falcon
flymaster
07.20.12 12:32 PM
Hey Joe welcome. I have one question that has been bugging me lately. I was wondering why the state has stopped stocking Tiger Muskie in lakes near Denver? For example Quincy Reservoir holds the record for largest TM caught in Colorado which was caught in the 1990s. The last time the Reservoir was stocked with theses magnificent creatures was 2001. Thanks for listening and good fishing.
nickj
08.08.12 6:53 PM
When's Bear Creek below Evergreen going to be opened for fishing? The monsoon flow is back...

About the Author

Joe Lewandowski"wildlifePIO" - Guest Blogger

Joe Lewandowski is the public information officer for the southwest region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He worked for newspapers in Vail, Steamboat Springs, Fort Collins and Durango, and also worked as a freelance writer before joining the agency eight years ago.

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