Spiel

Boaters sue for damage from gasoline blend Judge allows ethanol suit move forward January 26, 2009 / www.great-lakes.org A District Court judge in southern Florida recently denied a request to dismiss a lawsuit regarding the damage that gasoline blended with ethanol does to boat engines and fuel tanks. The suit was filed last August by The Kopelowitz Ostrow law firm on behalf of clients Erick Kelesceny, John Egizi and Todd Jessup, all Florida residents. Defendants in the case are Exxon, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, BP and Shell. The suit alleges that the oil companies failed to warn boat owners that ethanol-blended gasoline may destroy fiberglass tanks and tends to absorb water and phase separate, which could cause damage to any boat, regardless of its fuel tank material. The next step following this week’s ruling is pursuing certification to become a class-action lawsuit, according to a report in the Naples News. If successful, the oil companies will be forced to place a warning label on pumps at all Florida gas stations. The plaintiffs also seek compensation for Florida boat owners whose boats have been damaged by the fuel. "Denial of the motion is a significant step toward redressing the wrong perpetrated on Florida's boating population," said TKO managing partner Jeffrey Ostrow, in a statement. "Florida is the boating capital of the world, and it is reprehensible for oil companies to enjoy significant profits while knowingly paralyzing Florida's boaters."

House glides across ice on White Bear Lake (inludes video)

Homeless man jailed for poaching protected steelhead Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 David Sneed / San Luis Obispo Tribune A 23-year-old transient was sentenced to 10 days in San Luis Obispo County Jail on Wednesday for catching and cooking a federally protected steelhead trout from San Luis Obispo Creek. Victor Manuel Silva was convicted of illegally taking and possessing wildlife. Wildlife officials said the poaching was a blow to the species because the fish was an egg-carrying female that was killed before she had a chance to spawn. Her eggs were strewn along the banks of the creek. Silva was arrested Sunday. State Department of Fish and Game Warden Teri Hickey had responded to the area as a result of a tip. When she arrived, she found a group of three or four homeless men camped out, cooking a large fish over a fire and getting ready to eat it. "They had slices of lemon and a loaf of sourdough bread," DFG Lt. Dean Hileman said. "It was almost a meal fit for a king." Silva admitted catching the fish from the creek. He had no identification and was arrested. Another man in the group, who had outstanding warrants, also was arrested. Central Coast steelhead trout are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Fishing of any kind is prohibited in the creek. Area streams teemed with steelhead a century ago, but habitat destruction, dams, pollution and low stream flows have reduced populations of the fish to a small fraction of their former numbers. Various government agencies and conservation groups have spent millions of dollars rehabilitating Central Coast creeks in an attempt to improve steelhead habitat. "Each fish really counts," Hileman said. "We are talking about a species that is so critical that some subspecies are in danger of going extinct." Steelhead populations in Southern California are listed as endangered. They spend most of their lives in the ocean but return to coastal streams to spawn. Recent rains opened up some creeks to direct access to the ocean and steelhead are now beginning to move upstream to spawn.

....and therein lies the truth.

....Been a while since I augered a hole through Belwood ice but the go to set was as follows.... Slip or clip float, large split shot, multi strand wire attached to a large single hook and a large lively shiner. Fished near the damn in the deepest water available, never failed.

....Top shelf Ric. No doubt in my mind as to their effectiveness.

....It tows, it stows and it has a bed, what more could I want.

....I like "generously proportioned'. We'll just leave it at that.

....They look as good as anything that falls out of my tying vise Brian, good job.

....I really need to get of me lazy ass and make the hike out there. Oh and Aaron you need to stand closer to the razor!

....Tarpon! Man I'm envious. All I can say Rob is go and have a great time and bring us back lots of pictures.

.... Thanks Wayne. Coupled with Joey's post a great weekend report. The new walleye hot zone....72 FOW

....That Somcoe "gold" sure has a nice silver sheen. WTG Paul, now tell me how did they taste?

So when do you start construction Bernie? It's a pretty sound looking concept.

....Even at 71.8 FOW Wayne I'm still somewhat surprised! Is it tomorrow yet?

....Yep, what Mike said. I had one many years ago, damn thing would never stay lit and everytime I went to use it after a few days of storage it would need refilling.

....Nice stuff guys and gals. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that walleye coming out of 90 f.o.w.

Monkey Goby Image

Public meeting for creek plans Jan 26, 2009 / The Hamilton Spectator Efforts to improve water quality in Hamilton Harbour are moving further upstream as the Hamilton Conservation Authority develops environmental action plans for Borer's, Logies's and Sydenham creeks. The creeks are within the watershed of Spencer Creek, which flows through Flamborough and Dundas before emptying into Cootes Paradise at the west end of the harbour. Draft plans to restore and protect the health of the creeks and their ecosystems will be presented at an open house from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at Rock Chapel United Church, 451 Rock Chapel Rd. Individuals, businesses and community associations are invited to share their thoughts, concerns and knowledge of the local landscape. Removing the harbour from an international list of Great Lakes pollution hot spots by 2015 still requires sewage treatment plant upgrades and better stewardship of streams feeding the harbour. The three creeks begin above the escarpment in Flamborough and include 41-metre Tews Falls.

The king of fish is back on our doorstep Wednesday, January 21, 2009 John Macfie / North Star The Big Sound winter fishery for lake trout is both an old and a new tradition. The ancestors of the Wausauksing people chopped holes in the ice to lure trout within spearing distance with imitation minnows. European settlers adapted the practice to their own use by employing a baited hook and line in place of the spear, and ice fishing on the Big Sound gradually blossomed into a premier recreational pursuit among Parry Sounders. In Georgian Bay proper, lake trout, coupled with whitefish, once supported a robust commercial fishery. Large-scale fishing began in the 1860s, when railways reached Georgian Bay, providing access to markets. In the early decades of the 20th century, annual harvest of Georgian Bay trout averaged around two million pounds. Then, from the early 1940s to the late 1950s, it plunged from 1.5 million pounds to zero. The blood-sucking sea lamprey, a new arrival in the upper Great Lakes, got, and probably deserved, most of the blame. Even within the confines of the Big Sound, off-limits to commercial fishing and seemingly less exposed to the parasitic sea lamprey, the trout population collapsed to the point where trying to catch one on hook and line, summer or winter, became a largely futile proposition. Now, the Big Sound lake trout sport fishery is back — hedged in by stringent harvesting regulations, but back. Along the way, the king of Georgian Bay fish got more than a little help from its friends in environmental agencies. Early on the scene were federal fisheries scientists, who developed and instituted an effective sea lamprey control program throughout the upper Great Lakes. In 1978, in a last-ditch effort to save a vanishing strain of lake trout, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources started live trapping some of the handful of trout remaining in the Big Sound, in order to collect and culture their eggs. The objective was two-pronged: to “archive” the threatened Georgian Bay gene pool by introducing progeny into a northern lake for future reference, if necessary, and secondly, to hatchery-raise fingerlings and release them back into the Big Sound. As it turned out, that northern refugium of Georgian Bay genetic stock eventually did need to be tapped - when eggs from that source were employed after a viral disease turned up in Lake Huron fish, to develop a disease-free strain of Big Sound stock. Annual plantings of hatchery-raised native stock, coupled with a clampdown on exploitation, worked. Over time, the Big Sound trout population became self-sustaining, and stocking of hatchery-cultured fish was discontinued. A dog’s breakfast of finely tuned regulations — catch-and-release-seasons, harvest seasons, catch and size limits, and zones of year-round closure — control the fishery, but that’s what it has taken to restore it. And today’s sport fisherman is happy to pay the price for his pleasure. One of the photographs (n/a) shown here, and taken in 1938, is symbolic of a Georgian Bay trout fishery that was about to collapse. Although George McDevitt was working for the Stalker commercial fishery at the time, he caught the 62-pound monster he is holding while trolling a homemade lure cut from a tobacco tin. According to George’s nephew Jamie Thornton, they sometimes trolled with hook and line as the tug steamed back to the Mink Islands from lifting nets. When the fish bit, George thought he was hooked on a sunken log. Rather than lose his gear he towed it all the way to the dock before discovering what he really had.

It's time for ice fishing, but be careful Friday, January 23, 2009 Steve Pollick / toledoblade.com The western Lake Erie ice fishing season has gotten under way in a limited way as continued cold and light-wind conditions allow ice to build. So far activity has focused one to three miles off Catawba Island State Park, northeast of Port Clinton, and near Green Island off the west side of South Bass Island. As always, anglers are warned to beware of treacherous conditions because of isolated areas of poor ice. The Ohio Division of Wildlife recommends checking with local ice fishing guides and bait shops before heading out on any given day because conditions can change with little notice. Winds can open or widen cracks in ice sheets and current below can eat away at the thickness of ice, causing thin sections that may not seem so from the surface. At mid week ice did not appear fishable off Crane Creek near Davis-Besse, according to Travis Hartman, a biologist at the state's Lake Erie station at Sandusky. He said that an airboat party reported taking fish west of A-Can this week, but it broke through in some areas. A list of licensed ice guides is available at the Sandusky station by calling 419-625-8062, or visit on-line at ohiodnr.com. Rick Ferguson has opened Al Szuch Live Bait on Corduroy Road for the ice season, and reports anglers off Catawba taking walleye on Do-Jiggers and Swedish Pimples, dressed with minnows. He said that airboats tried working off Cooley Canal earlier this week but found the ice unstable with too many breakthroughs. Dick Knitz has taken over operation of the former Zunk's Bait on State Rt. 2, having moved the operation next door from the Zunk shop. For now Dick's Bait will be open weekends. Call 419-972-4002. Big-water ice fishing action for yellow perch, panfish and walleye also is under way at Mitchell's Bay on the Ontario side of Lake St. Clair, according to the folks at Bass Haven there. Call 519-354-4242 or visit on-line at basshavencanada.com.

Walleye fans keep organizations afloat January 25, 2009 Will Elliott / buffalonews.com Lake Erie’s walleye fishing was good and getting better when Bud Riser of Walleye International chartered the New York Walleye Association (NYWA) in 1980. Three years later, the Southtowns Walleye Association formed. For more than a quarter century, the efforts of dedicated members of these two clubs have made the Western New York walleye fishery an ’eye-catching enjoyment. The history of the two clubs shows how hard work — on and off the water — results in continued fishery success, fellowship and just plain fun. NY Walleye Association Walleye Magazine and Walleye International editor-founder Riser, a Cleveland-area angler and charter boater, knew the potential for walleye clubs along the Lake Erie shoreline. While an exhibitor at outdoors shows in the Buffalo Convention Center each spring during the 1970s, Riser often chatted with local fishing experts. Area anglers such as Doug Hurtubise, Herb Schultz, Joe Fischer and legions of other regulars shared their interests and concerns such as tackle tips and tricks, fishery management issues, and public service programs to promote and sustain the ’eye fishery. “The first club met at various locations around North Buffalo and on Grand Island, but the group we now know as New York Walleye Association (NYWA) got into high gear when it began meeting at the George Washington [Fishing and Camping] Club on Niagara Street,” recalls Fischer, founding member of the NYWA and currently serving on the Erie County Fisheries Advisory Board. The George Washington club recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and members of both clubs shared their expertise with both fish-catching techniques and group organizational skills. NYWA members began setting up tournaments, kids and family fishing events, and fundraising programs to further their functions. Hurtubise led lively discussions and brought to meetings area fishing experts and political leaders. Like fishing outcomes from year to year, NYWA had its ups, downs and so-so results over the years, but the contests, kids events, social gatherings and fishery issues remain core concerns for its current membership. During the NYWA monthly meeting Jan. 6, new leaders were elected and two long-standing officers stepped down after more than a decade of service. Jim Borucki, an active member for nearly 20 years, served as NYWA president for 14 years. During his tenure, club activities and accounting records improved. The club, which now meets at the American Legion Post on Amherst Street on the first Tuesday of each month, holds its Amara-Can Tournament, Kids Fishing Days, fundraisers and in-club tournaments efficiently and successfully. Much of the success of those events was the result of continuous effort from George and Betty Boice. Throughout Borucki’s 14 leadership years, the Boices were there for planning, set-ups, event service, and often did the take-down, cleanup and record- keeping chores. Borucki also thanked MaryAnn Filsinger for her organized and accurate record-keeping throughout the years. Newly elected President Bob Zoeller looks forward to restoring the membership base and public involvements of NYWA to its earlier years when he and his late father, Gordon Zoeller, first joined the club. Southtowns Walleye Assn. Well-strung nets work to bring together schools of worthwhile fish. To many observers, gill nets were the issue that strung together a school of worthy workers and friends who eventually became the Southtowns Walleye Association (SWA). While Hurtubise, Fischer, Jack Tessier, Mel Buttici, Hamilton “Skip” Earnst and other NYWA officers worked on issues in general and other “Northtowns” concerns, a core of anglers such as Schultz, Ed Soda and others from Hamburg and the south side of Buffalo began looking at immediate issues for that area. Of greatest concern was the issue of commercial gill netting, especially walleye stocks, which could be depleted and irreparably harmed if gill netting continued in eastern basin waters of Lake Erie. Shultz, Soda and scores of other anglers in the Southtowns formed a committee and began meeting around town and eventually in the offices of Assemblyman Fran Pordum. Pordum had a hard time explaining gill nets to legislators in Albany. “I sometimes had to explain to colleagues what a walleye is,” Pordum said years after the state finally passed gill-net ban legislation. As a result of this single-issue effort, and the fantastic walleye fishing found from Buffalo to Barcelona along the New York shoreline, the Southtowns Walleye Association formally chartered in 1983. Over the years, distinguished members such as Soda, Schultz, Jim Leonard, Joe Jemiolo and Tom Marks served as SWA president. David “Woody” Woodworth holds the office now. Woodworth promises big things in SWA’s Annual Tournament to celebrate the club’s 25th anniversary. To check out this tourney and all club activities, make a visit to southtownswalleye.org.

....I would help you if I could, except I'm not familiar with the east side of Simcoe. I'm sure someone here can steer you in the right direction.

....Looks like I missed another great weekend. We'll get it done yet Gerritt, next year!