I spoke the the Game Ranger about this problem today Friday Oct 8, 1999 that handles this part of the state about the commercial activity going on and also about the use of these boats and the unsportsmanlike behavior associated with them and he's informed me that something can be done about it if we have enough people call in complaining about this sort of activity. I am not a believer in placing restrictions on any kind of hunting and fishing sports or anything associated with human exploitation of animals as this has been the way of life for everyone throughout history but there has to be something done about this or no one will be able to fish behind Keystone dam unless they themselves build a boat and add to the problem. I went fishing tonight after talking with Gary Smeltzer the head game ranger for this area, and when I got to the dam there wasn't one boat or two but three boats and the rod&reel fisherpersons were drivin out and had to fish way down on the east end of the sidewalk. One of the boat users was the guy that's taking fish out of there daily (100 to 200 lbs) and selling them for $2/lb. This is what prompted me to write this info piece and see if we couldn't get something done.
Here's what will have to be done to get any relief from this problem. If you've been pushed out of your fishing spot due to this type of situation or concerned about the amount of fish taken in this manner by these individuals using these boats on a daily basis give Gary Smeltzer a call at (918)865-7767 and also call the Corp of Engineers at (918)865-2621 and let them know about the fishing conditions these individuals are creating. Gary told me basically that "The squeaky wheel always gets the grease" So let's get our grease guns out and see if we can't get the fish population back up so that everyone can catch a fish behind Keystone dam instead of going fishing down there and get pushed around and/or having to literally threaten to whip someone's butt to be able to fish where we'd been fishing all day. My boat is retired after this last two weeks watching people get abused I'll not be associated with that sort of trash. These guys won't bother me in any way shape or form because they have known me a very long time and know I will throw them in the river without too much prompting but everyone else I've seen down there fishing trying to have a good pleasant day fishing whether they're catching anything or not it's relaxing and they aren't nearly as capable of protecting their rights to that little fishin spot as I am as some are very old and some just fragile people not wanting to get into any confrontation with someone over a fishing spot they've been nursing for hours. The Corp of Engineers man I spoke with did have one problem with the trolling motor boaters and that was a safety issue as the boaters would lose control of the boat or their control line would break and the owners of the boats would swim after them which is illegal and a violation of corp rules placed by the Corp ... I think these are the people to get in touch with mostly as they control all that stuff down there from parking to rules concerning boats beyond the buoy line etc.etc.
Help out and it'll make fishing better for everyone at Keystone Dam.
Gary Smeltzer (918)865-7767
Corp of Engineers at (918)865-2845