Spiel

Lake Erie walleye spawning woes the key to dwindling schools of fish February 12, 2010 D'Arcy Egan / www.cleveland.com The schools of Lake Erie walleye have been dwindling over the past decade, and many anglers are demanding closed spring seasons rather than lower daily bag limits. Fisheries expert Roger Knight says changes in the environment, not the fishing rules, will help rejuvenate Ohio's favorite game fish. The problem is not overfishing, said Knight, head of Lake Erie fishery management for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. It is the inability of walleye to successfully reproduce in today's version of Lake Erie. "We're learning what causes good hatches," said Knight. "But we can't explain it entirely. We do know Lake Erie is changing." Knight said pollution, especially phosphate, nitrogen and iron, hinders walleye reproduction. Lake Erie of the 1960s had high concentrations of phosphate, triggering massive blooms of toxic blue-green algae, or Microcystis. Walleye reproduction was poor, the population was low and walleye didn't have the legion of fans they do today. Scientists found while green algae supports rapidly-growing young fish, blue-green algae is a killer. There are many theories for the recent spike in phosphate and nitrogen, but phosphate-spewing invasive species like quagga mussels are considered a culprit. The Great Lakes states responded almost a half-century ago with changes under the Great Lakes Water Quality Act, including improved sewage treatment, a ban on phosphates in laundry detergent and better farming practices to reduce phosphate run-off. By the 1970s, blue-green algae disappeared. Despite fewer spawning walleye than exist today, Lake Erie walleye numbers blossomed in the 1980s. Fishing guides in Ohio grew from a handful to more than 1,400. Blue-green algae began to return in the mid-1990s, said Knight, with a corresponding decline in walleye spawning success over the last decade. In 2006, a new invasive algae, Lyngbya, was discovered in Lake Erie. Lake Erie walleye fishermen are grumbling, emails are flying and everyone seems to have a suggestion as to what Ohio wildlife officials should do to save the walleye. Some sport fishermen want to stop walleye fishing during the early spring spawning season. Others want to slam the door on fishing the spawning rivers, primarily the Sandusky and Maumee. A consensus among fishing guides is that dropping the daily bag limit for walleye to less than five fish could kill their industry. No matter how vociferously Ohio sport fishermen complain over the next month, the walleye limits for 2010 will be determined March 25-26 by consensus. Lake Erie fisheries experts from Ohio, the surrounding states and Ontario will gather at a meeting of the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Windsor, Ontario. They will determine how many walleye can prudently be caught in 2010 without putting the population at risk. If the estimated lakewide walleye population is more than 16 million, as in 2008, Ohio's share should be about 950,000 walleye. The Ohio daily bag limit would remain at six walleye, dipping to four fish during the spring spawning season. Surveys show walleye spawning success was below average in 2008 and 2009. The spectacular spawn of 2003 is almost a memory. If Ohio's allocation by the LEC next month is less than 950,000 walleye, as expected, the spring bag limit will remain at four, while the summer bag limit will be cut to five walleye. That is not what Ohio sport anglers and guides want to hear, but the Ohio Division of Wildlife formula is already in place. "Lake Erie is not behaving the way it once did under normal conditions," said Knight. "We have to learn what will bring about good hatches of walleye and make the needed changes."

Charter captains weigh in on VHS in Lake Superior February 9, 2010 News From 91.3 KUWS: Mike Simonson / www.businessnorth.com Some Lake Superior charter captains worry the DNR’s response to VHS in Lake Superior could be more detrimental than the virus itself. Joe Cadotte reports. VHS was detected in Lake Superior last month. Ashland Angler’s All charter Captain Roger Lapenter says he isn’t worried VHS will affect his business. “All the other Lakes that they’ve found it in are surviving just fine. I don’t hear of people going out of business over it, that’s a positive thing.” Star Kissed Charter Captain Charlie Maslanka believes Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia has been in Lake Superior for at least ten years. “I believe it was here before what they said it was. I’ve had fish with that a long time ago that I thought. They have these blisters, and red eyes.” Maslanka says if the virus was going to reap large fish kills it would have already. He believes the Department of Natural Resource’s effort to rid the great lakes of VHS does more harm than good. “Because of the VHS in Lake Michigan, they didn’t want to put anymore plantage species, our eggs come out of Lake Michigan for our salmon, they quit planting salmon now for a couple years. We have a fishery that’s going to hell out there like crazy so we need all the help planting we can get.” Bayfield On the Spot Charter Captain Jim Hudson says because of the presence of VHS in Lake Michigan, last year the DNR prohibited the stocking of brown trout in Lake Superior from Lake Michigan. “The availability of brown trout have shown to grow very well in Lake Superior, we see less catches. Your yield of stocking of fish will be decreased. If we can’t stock them fish, and the right fish…yea my business in going to suffer.” Hudson says inland lakes are more susceptible to VHS than Lake Superior. “Inland waters are so contained. Those fish species could be more readily susceptible to bigger die offs because the volume of water and volume of area is smaller than the great lakes.” Hudson says the best way to slow the spread of VHS is to regularly clean fishing equipment and boats with hot water or bleach.

Brighton once had thriving fishing industry Feb 09, 2010 - 05:17 PM Guest column / John Martinello / www.northumberlandnews.com On a windless Jan. 11, under a slate dome of overcast, I saw something I have never seen before. While walking on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay, about midway between the line of ice-fishing huts and Salt Point, I heard a chainsaw buzzing in the west. I turned to the noise. As I approached, I saw a man cutting a hole through the ice and then shovelling water from the hole onto the ice. As I got closer, I recognized Glen Quick doing something he has done for 58 years; since he was eight years old. Pulling hoop nets through ice; working the Bay. Turns out he was shovelling water onto the ice to better see through the ice to find the trap end of the hoop net. After spotting the trap end, chainsaw in hand, he bent down to his knees and in the slushy, cold water, cut another four foot by three foot hole in the ice. He then hooked his pike pole to the hoop and pulled it above the ice. Four large pike slashed the clear green water in a netted pool of much smaller perch, bullheads, a mudpuppy and a bowfin. I held the hoop while Mr. Quick scooped the fish from the trap into a plastic tote. The total catch; 30 or 40 pounds. His job done, Mr. Quick lit a cigarette and told me of a time when there were three fish-houses, Quick's (at the end of Bay Street), Covell's (on the site of the Harbourview Cafe) and Snelgrove's (at the Ontario Street boat-launch), when 35, mostly Brighton-made, boats fished the waters of Presqu'ile Bay and Lake Ontario. This million-dollar local industry shipped fish, packed in ice cut from Brighton Bay, to New York City and Detroit and also shipped frozen eels to Europe. During the Depression, this same fishery put bread on the table of desperate Brightonians. In winter, Mr. Quick's uncle, Grant Quick, paid fellow non-fishing Brightonians, two cents per pound for yellow perch caught through the ice. In summer, he paid his fellow Brightonians three cents per pound for pike caught from double-ended rowing skiffs trolling a spoon. If they weren't in Presqu'ile Bay, people would row as far as Weller's Bay hunting for pike. Today, the Brighton commercial fishing industry is substantially dead; a slow death caused by a complex combination of factors, ranging from an inefficient sewage plant to cormorants, to invasions of zebra mussels and other non-native species. One or two boats work the Bay; the value of fish processed through Quick Fisheries reduced to, maybe, $120,000 per year. As gloomy as the current state of the Brighton commercial fishing industry is, it tells us what can be, and has been, done in Brighton and that a clean and healthy Presqu'ile Bay could be the foundation for the sustainable, low-impact economic redevelopment of Brighton.

Lake Erie now frozen over 241-mile stretch all ice for 1st time since 1995-96 February 13. 2010 JOHN GUERRIERO / www.goerie.com Take a picture of Lake Erie now, and you'll get a freeze frame. For the first time in 14 years, the 241-mile-long lake is virtually frozen over from one end to the other. Earlier this week, the Erie Times-News reported that the lake was 90 to 95 percent frozen. The relentless cold completed the job. Gary Garnet, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Cleveland, said Friday that the lake is completely frozen over, for all intents and purposes. He qualified that by saying satellite images show a small patch off Dunkirk, N.Y., with water and chunks of floating ice. He said that's one of the deepest parts of the lake and would be one of the last places to freeze. The maximum depth of the lake is 210 feet, and the average depth is 62 feet, according to the Great Lakes Information Network, a project of the Great Lakes Commission. There are also some cracks in the ice, which shift due to high winds, he said. "But for general purposes, the lake is covered right now,'' Garnet said. The ice cover will mean fewer lake-effect snowstorms, or at least less intense ones. Lake- effect snowstorms occur when cold air passes over warmer bodies of water, building up clouds and dumping snow downwind. Edinboro and other snowbelt areas are typically hit the hardest. "It doesn't completely shut off the snow machine, but it does greatly reduce it,'' Garnet said. That's because there can be what Garnet called "minimum moisture transfer'' through the ice and the cracks. Another factor is that Lake Huron is mostly open and Erie can get dumped on from lake-effect storms generated by that lake, according to the weather service. The lake last completely froze over in February during the winter of 1995-96, said George Leshkevich, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich. Meanwhile, Lake Erie's ice should only thicken this season because the cold pattern will persist, Garnet said. Scattered light snow is predicted through next week. "But we don't see any monster lake-effect storms on the horizon,'' he said.

Something's fishy about federal plans to control Great Lakes invasion of carp: D'Arcy Egan analysis February 09, 2010, D'Arcy Egan / www.cleveland.com A federal subcommittee on water resources and environment welcomed two Asian carp as guest on a hearing Tuesday on preventing the induction of the invasive species into the Great Lakes. The Asian carp, which can grow up to 100 pounds, were caught in Havana, Ill. Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal plan designed to keep hordes of Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes includes catching and eating them, a sure sign the strategy is a recipe for disaster. For almost three decades, federal officials promised to deal with contaminated ballast from ocean freighters, yet invasive species are still arriving. Asian carp were purposely brought to America, but escaped into the country's major rivers. They now dominate the fish populations of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers, and threaten to invade the Great Lakes through a Chicago waterway. Federal officials won't agree with state managers that we must slam that door. Asian carp made it to America with the blessing of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They were introduced to control parasites in southern fish farm ponds. No one seemed to realize how prolific the carp would be, pushing aside native species, or that they would vault into the air and injure boaters when disturbed. The Obama administration wants to spend $78.5 million on the problem, but still allow the locks on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Chicago to remain open on a part-time basis for shipping and flood control. Federal officials are adamantly opposed to the solution favored by Great Lakes officials of shutting down the waterway after Asian carp DNA had been found on the Lake Michigan side of the locks. "The economic damage from these carp coming into the Great Lakes system would be irreparable," Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm told The Detroit News. Granholm said DNA evidence of Asian carp found on the Lake Michigan side of the locks should be enough to convince everyone. Those in favor of permanently closing the canal's locks say Asian carp threaten a $9 billion sportfishing and commercial fishing industry. No one can put a price on the effect of leaping Asian carp on the Great Lakes boating community, the largest in the country. Or the damage they could do to the recreational value of the Great Lakes shoreline economy and its restaurants, motels, gas stations, marinas and bait shops. Shippers say the closure would cost them about $200 million a year. An insult to the Great Lakes states is the $78.5 million earmarked for Asian carp management would come from funds for Great Lakes restoration, a $475 million promise that already had been reduced to $300 million. Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said the federal plan would use the best available science. Its goal is to stop Asian carp that do make it past the barriers from establishing a breeding population in Lake Michigan. How will this plan accomplish that? They have no idea. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox told reporters the federal plan sounds as logical as keeping criminals in jail four days a week, and hoping the other three days go well. The plan also calls for more chemical treatment of the Chicago canal and $3 million to expand the commercial market for Asian carp and raise funding for Asian carp control. Only $1.5 million would be spent on new research. Asian carp may be in the spotlight, but Great Lakes managers have struggled for years with dozens of other invasive species, such as zebra mussels, quagga mussels, round gobies, bloody red shrimp and even a virus, VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia), which was found recently in Lake Superior, the last of the Great Lakes to be invaded by the infectious disease. Federal officials have yet to solve the ballast water woes, with devastating results. Constructing a third electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, or finding new markets and a good recipe for Asian carp, is a neglectful plan as perilous as the present controls on invasive species.

Officials detail plan to handle Asian carp threat February 15, 2010 / www.great-lakes.org WASHINGTON -- After a White House meeting christened the "carp summit," federal and state officials February 8 announced a multi-pronged attack with a $78.5 million price tag to prevent Asian carp, an invasive species, from establishing populations in Lake Michigan. Nancy Sutley, the president's top environmental adviser, led the meeting at the request of the governors of Michigan and Wisconsin, who were on hand. Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois was scheduled to attend, but cancelled his travel plans because of the winter weather and planned to take part by teleconference, said Marlena Jentz, a spokeswoman. Officials this afternoon unveiled an Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, which they characterized as "aggressive" and "unparalleled." It features more than 25 short-term and long-term actions funded by major spending, some of which officials said already is in the pipeline. Asian carp are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes and its commercial and recreational fishing industry, which estimates call a $7 billion enterprise. The new strategy calls for a multi-tiered defense of the Great Lakes to keep carp out which scientists try to develop biological controls to prevent the prolific, non-native fish from developing self-sustaining populations. Officials said a priority is limiting the number of carp that enter Lake Michigan. Key containment measures include: ►Constructing and operating a third electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at the cost of $10.5 million; two existing barriers are near Romeoville, Ill, ►Awarding a $13.2 million contract next month to construct concrete and chain-link fencing between the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Des Plaines River. The aim is to prevent fish passing around electric barriers when flooding occurs. ►Opening Chicago's navigational locks less frequently to block carp movement and studying the feasibility and impact of permanent lock closure, ►Deploying larger field crews to conduct physical and sonar observation, electro-shocking and netting, ►Testing 120 water samples a week, twice the current number, for eDNA, which refers to environmental DNA showing trace amounts of carp, ►The feasibility study on potential closure of the locks will examine the effectiveness of lock operations in blocking carp movement, the risks and costs associated with closure, and alternative steps, officials said. Dick Lanyon, executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, said Monday that one aspect to the federal government's control plan could limit shipping and boating traffic through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to certain hours of the day or certain days of the week. Officials haven't yet announced a schedule, Lanyon said, and don't yet know what impact this would have on cargo shipping and recreational boating in the Chicago area. The locks and dams would still be able to be opened in emergency situations to prevent flooding, Lanyon said. Under normal operating conditions, Lanyon said, the navigational locks and dams remain closed until a ship or boat is approaching. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, whose bid for a court order forcing immediate closure of the locks was rejected while his lawsuit against the state of Illinois goes forward, released this statement regarding a possible partial closing. "We have yet to see an official proposal in response to our suit, but that sounds as logical as keeping criminals in jail four days a week and hoping the other three days go well," Cox said. "Michigan and the other states continue to demand an immediate, full-time closure of the locks and a plan to get to a permanent separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basin. We have not seen such a plan from Illinois or the federal government." In addition to Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the meeting also drew officials from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department and the Coast Guard. One participant, Tom Strickland, the Interior Department's assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, talking about Illinois, said in a statement: "We are providing immediate financial, technical and research assistance to the state for their Asian carp control efforts in South Chicago waterways, and will continue to do everything we can to keep carp out of Lake Michigan." The federal strategy also outlined longer-term management techniques to curb the Asian carp threat. Some $5 million will be spent on additional chemical treatments; $3 million to expand the commercial market for Asian carp in Illinois and elsewhere, with some proceeds from carp filets going to ecosystem restoration and invasive species prevention; and more than $1.5 million for new research.

Oh and while Mudhole has great inventory you'll pay dearly to get it in your door.

Lots and lots of good advice here Dan. Best suggestion, buy a low price rod kit to learn on (Cabelas has them), thus giving you some experience before investing on high end blanks. Is this going to save you money, not likely! There's definitely start up costs to consider. You're definitely going to need a slow RPM lathe of some sort to ensure a quality finish or the rod will end up looking like crap, no matter how nice the windings are. If at any point you need some advice, no matter how trivial it may seem, send me a PM. I'd be happy to help.

There's something missing in all those pictures. Oh wait, I know, it's me....."DANG!" Wish I could have been there, looks like I missed a great time. But honestly $9.00 beers, that's criminal!

I'll thow this out there for anyone who may be interested. U.S Steel (the former Stelco) has been doing some hiring as they prepare to ramp up production. Good money and benefits but the hours suck. Might be worth it for some to drop of a resume at the main office on Wilcox St.

This is a quote from the above pinned thread Fishing for Tyler. Hi everyone, it is Tyler's Mom here. After ironing out a few kinks with TJ, we will definitely be holding the 6th Annual Fishing for Tyler Fundraiser on February 20th! It will be held at the Innisfil Beach Boat Launch and registration is at 7am and measurements will end at 1pm. We are planning on having a BBQ lunch as well. It will be run the same way Maureen always has just with members of Tyler's family doing the organizing. Please know that we have never done this before, that is why there were some kinks, but we will do our best to have a great day for everyone! Maureen has done an amazing job over the past 5 years and we are very greatful to her. There is an issue, that the Town of Innisfil, is now charging an entry fee of $10 to get into the park this year for out of town vehicles. I have written to the Town Council requesting to have that fee waived for participates of the fundraiser. I have to wait for Town Council's decision on January 20 and will post hopefully good news that the fee will be waived. If anyone needs to get a hold of us with ideas, offers of help, donations of prizes etc., please don't hesitate to call us at 705-436-3607 or email us at [email protected]. I hope this clears up some of the questions that have come up and I will keep my eye on OFC for any further communication but please know that Terry and I are not very computer literate and are not too sure how to navigate around the OFC but I guess we can learn! Thank you to all of you again for your support. Elisa and Terry French

Well the pitch on the main roof looks self cleaning and judging by this picture.... ....someone has already been up ther shoveling. At least it's a low pitch and easy to walk on. None the less be careful and don't hurt your back.

I also have nothing to offer on Lawless Lake but we do have a fair number of members from La Belle Province, perhaps one of them will chime in. Best wishes on your return to Ontario and welcome to OFC.

Shouldn't you be up on the roof. Looks like a good time Joe, guess it sucks to come home to all that snow! I gotta ask if you know what this guy is? Looks like some sort of Grouper.

I expect you're all gonna have a great day.

So Gerritt, did you ever get away or is it still in the making?

I'd recommend you look at any of the operators in the Pefferlaw, Port Bolster and the Beaverton area. It's a solid area for perch and quite often whitefish. If you really want to see their faces light up find one that uses Bombardier transportation to the huts. Friends were out last weekend with Steve's Fish Huts located in Pefferlaw and were treated to a nice 6 mile ride across the lake in a Bombardier.

I'm glad to see you're finally home Joe. Too bad 'bout the roof, I'd I've thought Art would have taken care of that for you. At any rate you be careful up there!

Geeeeez, I haven't even had a coffee yet !

Fishing for $50,000 in prizes Feb 11, 2010 STAFF / www.simcoe.com Matt Pryce, founder and one of this year’s organizers, is ready to welcome a record 700 fishing enthusiasts to the annual tournament. / Stan Howe photo BARRIE - Kempenfelt Bay will be hopping Saturday with hundreds of people fishing for a chance to win over $50,000 in prizes. The Greater Barrie Home Builders Association is hosting its 5th Annual Ice Fishing Tournament on the bay. Matt Pryce, founder and one of this year’s organizers, is ready to welcome a record 700 fishing enthusiasts to the event. Entry fee is $80 and the event supports the Seasons Centre for Grieving Children. No fishing licence is required because the event takes place during the MNR’s annual Family Fishing Weekend. Register at 728-5030, online here, or in the Direct Energy trailer at the Southshore Community Centre on Saturday. The event runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Wow, all this over a few edited photos. Here's a tip Mike, before having your buddy snap the picture consider kneeling down on the ice (perhaps next to your auger hole) and have him take the picture from a standing position. Voila, no need to edit out the background. Moving on.....

Indeed that is a nice fatty.

Yep, great reels, simple in design and durable. I still have 4 of them that get frequent use but admittedly I have replaced the worn out leather drag washers in all of them, more than once. They're only true weakness was broken bail springs! Fortunately I still have a couple of sets left. But hey they still work.

To the best of my knowledge rear drag designs typically incorporate smaller drag washers thus making them less efficient and less durable than the larger washers of front drag reels.

Well if this is just a day trip I'd think Quinte would be your best bet.