Spiel

That's absolutely beautiful Cliff. I've always wished I'd learned to play something other than the stereo.... A Merry Christmas to you and yours.

No worries Roy, it would seem most everyone else see the offer as generous.

and now back to our regular scheduled programming....

Thanks again everybody. Each day is a little less pain it seems but I find it easy to over do it with minimal exertion. So I'm relatively inactive and boooooored! Chuck you know it wasn't till after I was home and the hospital administered IV sedation had worn off that I realized I was staying right where you were. In fact I think it was the same room. Dr. Kachur was the surgeon who operated on me, do you recall who you had? Uh no, no rods till the new year guys, I've had a few inqueries but directed them to get back to me in Feb/Mar. TNT, when you gonna drop round for a beverage?

Stupendous news Cliff, I'm gald to hear of it.

BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH www3.interscience.wiley.com The contribution of newly established populations to the dynamics of range expansion in a one-dimensional fluvial-estuarine system: rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Eastern Quebec Isabel Thibault*, Louis Bernatchez and Julian J. Dodson Département de Biologie, Québec-Océan, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6 Correspondence to *Isabel Thibault, Département de Biologie, Québec-Océan, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6. E-mail: [email protected] Copyright Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing KEYWORDS Biological invasions • fluvial estuarine system • naturalized populations • population assignment • rainbow trout • stepping-stone dispersion model ABSTRACT Aim Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792) is an exotic salmonid invading eastern Canada. First introduced for recreational fishing in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces, the species is now spreading in salmon rivers located in Eastern Quebec, where its stocking is strictly forbidden. Newly established populations have been found along the St Lawrence Estuary. To effectively mitigate the potential threat the invasion poses to native salmonids, we aimed to document the invasion's origin and progress in the St Lawrence River and estuary. We first determined genetic origins among several potential wild and cultured source populations, found at the upstream and downstream extremities of the St Lawrence system. Thereafter, we studied the range expansion, predicting that the invasion process conforms to a one-dimensional stepping-stone dispersion model. Location Recently invaded salmon rivers that flow into the Estuary and Gulf of St Lawrence in Quebec, and watercourses supporting naturalized populations (Lake Ontario, Lake Memphremagog and Prince-Edward-Island rivers). Methods Rainbow trout from 10 potential source populations (wild and domestic strains) and 243 specimens captured in salmon rivers were genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Genetic origins of specimens and relationship between colonies were assessed using assignment analyses based on individuals and clusters. Results Invasion of rainbow trout in Eastern Quebec is directed downstream, driven by migrants from upstream naturalized populations, found in the Ganaraska River (Lake Ontario), and, to a lesser extent, in Lake Memphremagog. Populations from the Maritime provinces and domestic strains do not contribute to the colonisation process. A recently established population in Charlevoix (Eastern Quebec) supplies other downstream colonies. Main conclusions Rainbow trout is spreading from Lake Ontario downstream to Eastern Quebec using the St Lawrence River system as an invasion corridor. Range expansion in a downstream direction is driven by a more complex stepping-stone dispersion model than predicted. Management options to protect native salmonids include reducing the effective size of the Charlevoix population, impeding reproduction in recently colonized rivers, halting the upstream migration of anadromous spawners, and curtailing stocking events inside the stocking area.

Yep, I'd be on it. Properly dressed and prepared but I'd be on it.

'Lindner's Angling Edge' set to mark its 40th season on television December 8, 2009 DENNIS ANDERSON / www.startribune.com Ron Lindner says the past 40 years zipped by in a blink, one fishing show after another -- and soon, he and his brother, Al, along with others in the Lindner family, will be the hosts of one of TV's longest-running programs. And perhaps the longest-running television fishing show. The year was 1970, and Al Lindner was only three years removed from a stint in Vietnam, when the Lindners, of Brainerd, launched their first show. With his big smile and outsized enthusiasm, Al grew quickly comfortable in front of a camera, while his older brother Ron -- also a noted fisherman -- often did the filming, while running the business side of the enterprise. That combination has proven successful not only for Al and Ron, but for successive generations of the Lindner family, as well as their sponsors, among them Lund boats, Minn Kota, Rapala and Mercury. Each advertised on the Lindners' first show 40 years ago, and they'll also sponsor the 40th birthday episode of "Lindner's Angling Edge" in January. "When we started, we did everything on film, as opposed to the video we use now, and we did all of our post-production in Alexandria [Minn.]," Ron said. "The sound was particularly difficult to do. There was no such thing as a 'shotgun microphone,' as there is today. We had to do a lot of voice-overs." The Lindners' show began on five Minnesota TV stations, on which Al and Ron bought airtime and sold ads. Even as cable and satellite TV transmissions developed and 24-7 hunting and fishing networks debuted, that business model generally remained unchanged. Also unchanged has been the Lindners' belief that the show's success is fundamentally linked to their ability to teach people how to catch fish. "Over the years we would go through a lot of pain, using underwater cameras and other techniques, to show people how to catch fish," Ron said. "It's a formula that for us, works." The first show of the Lindners' 40th season airs Jan. 2 on Vs. at 10 a.m. "Lindner's Fishing Edge," a companion program, is on Fox Sports Net North.

Asian Carp Treatment update December 7, 2009 / www.great-lakes.org After shutting the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to all commercial and recreational traffic at 8 AM, biologists working with the Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup began applying Rotenone Wednesday evening, December 2, on a 5.7 mile stretch of the canal. This was after a small flotilla of electroshocking boats worked their way over that 5.7 mile stretch looking for desirable game fish. What they ultimately found was a small sampling of some largemouth bass, which were relocated to the Des Plaines River. It was estimated that less than 3% of the fish that were shocked were game fish; the remaining were shad, common carp, and a few catfish and bullheads. Officials then launched what’s believed to be the largest deliberate fish kill in state history Wednesday night. Crews had earlier dumped 2,200 gallons of the toxin rotenone into the canal. Dozens of boats combed the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal starting in the pre-dawn hours on December 3, ultimately finding a lone Asian carp among tens of thousands of poisoned fish, about 50,000 lbs of dead or dying carcasses. The one Bighead Asian carp was discovered nearly 500' above the Lockport Lock on Thursday afternoon, December 3. Biologists with the workgroup believe there is a high probability that additional Asian carp were killed during the toxicant application but may not be found. It is generally believed Asian Carp respond differently to Rotenone than other fish, dying land sinking to the bottom. If they do surface – in spite of the increasingly colder water, it won’t be till they get bloated and fill with gas. An important question biologists will try to answer is how large a population of Asian carp exists above and below the electric barriers. Researchers collected fish DNA indicating that the invasive carp are present in the canal and have advanced beyond the barriers, but there have been no actual sightings of the carp in those locations. Illinois DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said some of the data collected last week will help biologists figure out the reliability of those DNA samples. "We have to know where they are and how many there are," he said. “The cold water temperatures on the canal this week means far more fish are sinking to the bottom of the waterway than will float to the top. Over the next several weeks and months, some fish may float to the surface but the majority of fish will break down naturally below the surface,” said Illinois DNR Fish Chief Steve Pallo. The workgroup had collected thousands of fish, mostly common carp, from the canal since cleanup efforts began on December 3. The workgroup is now focused on efforts above the electrical barrier system near the O’Brien Lock in an attempt to find Asian carp in areas where positive eDNA tests have been found. Positive Asian carp DNA evidence exists over nearly 10 miles of the Cal-Sag Channel and Sanitary and Ship Canal above the barrier. Maintenance on the electric barrier, IIA, was completed and the barrier was returned to operation at 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. The workgroup has been using commercial fishermen, augmented with state and federal fisheries personnel, to deploy commercial fishing gear in a 5.5-mile stretch of the Cal-Sag Channel. Fishing operations used nearly 2,000 yards of fishing nets deployed for two overnight periods. Nets were deployed over portions of the reach since Dec. 1 and have been highly successful in collecting fish, although no Asian carp have been collected. Spokesmen for the workgroup say while the workgroup considered additional Rotenone application in specific areas above the barrier as a sampling option, there is no evidence to suggest Asian carp might be concentrated in any specific part of the 10-mile stretch of the canal where eDNA tests have been positive. Fishing nets would effectively sample the entire reach and provide the best evidence of the potential presence and abundance of Asian carp in this stretch of channel. It would also confirm the exact location of any fish collected. Any Asian carp collected will be removed from the system, providing a measure of population reduction. “The effort near the O’Brien Lock is fundamentally different from the action below the barrier. The purpose of applying Rotenone below the barrier was to ensure no Asian carp advanced up the channel while the barrier was powered down for scheduled maintenance. In addition, Rotenone would provide little if any information about the presence and abundance of carp in this reach upstream,” said IDNR Assistant Director John Rogner. Rogner added; "We are also looking at bubble curtains, a constant wall of live bubbles we've tested on some fish that repels them. We are also experimenting with steady streams of noise that bothers fish." "We also are studying methods that have been successful in controlling sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, such as capturing and sterilizing fish so they can’t reproduce" he said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers meanwhile, is reviewing all available data and may make a decision soon on closing down one or more of the Locks near Lake Michigan, to prevent potential or additional migration of Asian Carp into the lake. Many issues are being weighed including the impact to commercial barges and the movement of commodities such as raw building materials, coal and petroleum into the area. That decision could be made any day. The Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup includes the Illinois DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USEPA, USFWS, US Coast Guard, USDA, and Wisconsin Sea Grant. Many other agencies supplied support and expertise. Fisheries management agencies from all eight Great Lakes States, Ontario and Dept of Fisheries and Oceans Canada provided manpower and support to the operation. More than 350 people contributed to the efforts on the ground during the week’s operation Potential Distribution – Silver Carp Potential Distribution – Bighead Carp These maps were peer reviewed and published in the primary literature (Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences) and use more rigorous scientific methods than those produced in the 2005 Canadian risk assessment. Using the two (2005 risk assessment and these maps from the 2007 paper) provide a good view of the assessment of biological risk of Asian carps. According to DFO, all Canada Rivers are at risk. Dept of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2007

Lake Huron commercials want walleye Decmber 7, 2009 / www.great-lakes.org DETROIT (AP) — One of Michigan’s most successful commercial fishermen is suing the state to try to overcome a decades-old ban on catching walleye in the Great Lakes. Dana Serafin of Pinconning is forced to release thousands of walleye from his nets while catching other fish in Lake Huron. In 2008, he proposed a three-year study of the walleye population that included a provision for him to keep and sell some of his haul. No thanks, replied the state Department of Natural Resources. “They’re the bully in the lake, 2 to 3' long — we have pictures,” said Serafin’s lawyer, Anthony Calamunci. “In Saginaw Bay, there is cannibalization going on. It’s killing perch and whitefish at enormous rates. There’s not enough food.” Calamunci filed a lawsuit in April in federal court in Bay City, claiming the state’s ban on commercial walleye fishing is a constitutional violation that diminishes the value of Serafin’s license. The DNR is asking a judge to dismiss the case. “The restrictions on walleye fishing have been in place for at least 35 years, long before Serafin obtained his first commercial license,” Assistant Attorney General Louis Reinwasser said in a Nov. 13 court filing. Michigan law gives the DNR “complete discretion to limit the amount of fish taken by species and kind,” he wrote. The DNR describes Serafin, 42, as the largest commercial fisherman on Lake Huron, catching 990,000 pounds of whitefish worth approximately $1 million in 2008. His license is “indisputably” valuable, despite the walleye ban, Reinwasser said. A DNR official, James Dexter, suggested that the state does not want to change the policy because that could reduce the walleye population and disappoint recreational anglers. The fish can be found across the Great Lakes region, and Michigan’s neighbors have similar restrictions. “It is estimated that more than 2 million Michigan residents fish for sport in the state’s waters, and thousands more travel from all parts of the world,” Dexter, who oversees fishing regulations, said in an affidavit. “The economic impact is estimated to be $2-4 billion annually.” Calamunci accuses the DNR of treating walleye like a “sacred species.” He said Serafin at a minimum would like to keep some walleye as well as tag others and return them to the lake. “And then over a three-year period we could test the impact on other species. There’s a science to this,” the lawyer said. He noted that Canada allows commercial fishermen to keep walleye caught on its side of Lake Huron and sell them to stores and restaurants. U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 10.

New state-record brown trout is big, but bigger ones might still swim in Lake Taneycomo The world record is more than 10 pounds heavier than Missouri's current record. Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Jim Low / mdc.mo.gov Scott Sandusky caught this 28-pound, 12-ounce brown trout at Lake Taneycomo Nov. 20, setting a new Missouri state record for the species. The Missouri Department of Conservation says chances are good that larger brown trout prowl the lake's clear, productive waters. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) BRANSON–For Scott Sandusky, the most exciting fish in the world is the Missouri state-record brown trout he landed Nov. 20. For the rest of us, the most exciting fish are the even bigger brown trout that might still be prowling the depths of Lake Taneycomo. Sandusky, a 49-year-old resident of Arnold, caught his 28-pound, 12-ounce fish on Berkley Power Bait and 4-pound-test line on a spinning rod and reel. The fish – which bore some resemblance to a football – bested the previous record – another Taneycomo fish – by more than a pound. It measured 37 inches from nose to tail. Sandusky's catch is dwarfed by the world record brown trout, caught from Michigan's Big Manistee River Sept. 9. That fish weighed 41 pounds, 7 ounces. However, the Missouri Department of Conservation says Lake Taneycomo could harbor even bigger brown trout. In September 1997, a Lake Taneycomo angler found a monster brown trout dead near the lake's 18-mile marker. The fish measured 41.75 inches long. Some estimated its live weight at 45 pounds. Mike Kruse, now fisheries administrative manager for the Conservation Department in Jefferson City, was the agency's trout research biologist in 1997. At the time, he noted that the dead fish could have been a world record. Conservation Agent Quenten Fronterhouse said he has seen larger fish in the Trout Hollow area. Fisheries Management Biologist Shane Bush said Conservation Department fisheries workers have found a number of brown trout weighing more than 30 pounds when conducting electrofishing samples. "With our annual stocking rate of around 10,000 brown trout a year, Taneycomo should have no problem producing additional world-class brown trout in the future," said Bush. "There is no telling how many world-class brown trout are swimming around in Lake Taneycomo," said Kruse. "The lake's natural food base is phenomenal, and it has an abundance of deep-water habitat that can hide big fish." Furthermore, said Kruse, Lake Taneycomo's slow-moving current allows big trout to grow rapidly, because they don't have to expend much energy. In contrast, anglers are likely to expend lots of energy looking for big browns at Lake Taneycomo, spurred on by Sandusky's success.

Yep, Trilene XL is definitely a line to avoid on a float reel. I'm currently spooled up with Maxima Ultra Green (6lb), it's okay but I think I'll be looking for something a little stiffer next season.

Glad to hear you are home and getting about. Just take her slow and easy, assuming of course that's how she likes it.

Nice work Drew. Looks like you're well organized for the upcoming ice season and I've no doubt it'll be put through the paces, many times.

I'm disappointed. Nothing here in Hamilton short of a few flakes on the grass. I had big plans of watching the GF run the snowblower for the first time.

Hey now we're talking. I'd like to make that happen too Bernie.

True, species is under genus but under the term "species" I can still say trout.

It's been a long time for me too but now that you've mentioned it you could be right. I'm gonna have to look it up.

Those are sweet, I'm gonna have to get me some (or make some).

Well we'll just have to make it happen. Hopefully I'll be up to it before the ice is gone.

Kids and water (minnow pails) can only mean one thing, wet hands. I always have a few kitchen type towels with me for drying hands on.

That could very well be the case Mike. I never side cast and hence that may be the reason I prefer stiffer lines and why I never use a swivel, above or below the float. Less terminal tackle and fewer knots. But hey, I'm old school and not likely to change my habits. But then again I am playing around with a new baitcast set-up.

Well since you asked for just one "species" I'll choose trout. Just don't ask me to choose only one genus.

Really? In over 30 years of using a center pin a LIMP line is exactly what I avoid, go figure.

LMAO....yep, stick with what works for you.