Spiel

Husband, wife team sweep CIFC February 26, 2009 John Slykhuis / yorkregion.com The husband and wife team of Joe and Darlene Adragna finished Day 1 — perch day — win 36th place at the Canadian Ice Fishing Championship, but roared back Sunday to claim the title. The Beeton couple swept the CIFC in unprecedented fashion, winning the Georgina Cup and the $5,508 first prize, as well as the mixed doubles title and the individual top angler awards for the men (the Cliff Perry Award) and women (the Jean Power Memorial), plus the big fish honours. The Adragnas figured they were out of the running, then struck the day two piscatorial bonanza five miles out from Bonnie Boats. The couple, who fish together occasionally, weren’t even paired up for the CIFC, but Joe’s partner bowed out at the last minute and he was “stuck” with Darlene. “I had to give her a crash course,” he said laughing. She didn’t need the instruction, hauling out the biggest whitefish of the day — a monster 31-incher — to claim the John Redding Trophy, while Joe pulled out a lunker 35-inch lake trout to win the Dan Perry Trophy. Joe also won the Perry hardware in 2001, but he hadn’t fished the CIFC in three years before this past weekend. The couple hauled in four whities, two lakers and a ling on day two. The awards were handed out Sunday night at the Lionshead Resort in Jackson’s Point by CIFC organizer Rocky Madsen and Georgina Mayor Rob Grossi, who praised Madsen’s efforts and emphasized the importance of ice fishing to Georgina and Lake Simcoe. Madsen said he was delighted with how smoothly the event went this year, with 60 two-person teams taking to the ice. Georgina angler and CIFC alumni organizer Bill Hirstwood, with partner Ken Tamblyn from Stouffville, jumped into the lead Saturday with a limit of 15 perch weighing in at a hefty 11.02 pounds, well ahead of past champs Norm and Mike Burden, but day two in deep water saw two whities slip off the hook. The pair had to settle for fourth place overall. David Hamilton and Mike Levesque claimed second place, while last year’s champs, Jeff Bell and Mike Joyce, fished their way to third spot. Rules night Friday saw the prestigious Bill Bond Trophy awarded to long-time organizer Paul Nicholls for his outstanding contributions to the sport over the years. Past winner Ken Hackenbrook made the presentation. The annual CIFC is the second in the new Georgina Fishing Series organized by Madsen. The Great Georgina Fishing Derby, a two-week lake-wide tourney, finished up Feb. 15. Mike Riendeau won the $500 first prize in the lake trout category, with CIFC founding member Mike Burrows finishing second. Ron Josephson claimed the cash in the whitefish category, while Tom Shearer was top dog for perch. Next up is the Perch Attack March 8. For all the details and results, go to www.georginafishingseries.ca

Lorne closed up LG Custom Tackle a looooong time ago.

I've always had a fondenss for the Meaford / Thornbury area. South shore of beautiful Georgian Bay and central to most of the areas steelhead fishing.

Great looking wally and a terrific way to spend the day. I always enjoy spending a day out fishing with the GF, unfortunately it doesn't happen very often. Dishes, hell I have to do 'em everyday along with the laundry, the groceries, the vaccuming......etc, etc, etc......

I can also attest to being checked by CO's on a few occasions and they never said anything about beer in the boat. They do however carry radios and they can contact the QPP if they believe you to be impaired and I can tell you this, the QPP don't play games!

I used to make annual pilgramages through the 80"s in the first week of June. Walleye and laker fishing was great. Big eyes on shallow structure in the evenings and lakers all day using riggers. You might find more up to date info here. www.kipawa.net

You're killing me!

You could add the former Stelco to the list Cliff, they were paying the top execs "performance bonuses" for decades while they were losing tens of millions all the while steering the company towards bankruptcy!

Thank you and I hope your wife does indeed get her severance. "now they are bleeding more red than a floating fish factory." I like it, I'm sure I can find a use for that line someday.

I actually had to read "everyday news" yesterday while having my morning coffee and hated every minute of it.

Well I'm not hopefull of things improving in the auto sector anytime soon and that mostly all we cater to any more so this could be lengthy. In the mean time though I'm sure I'll be fine guys, thanks.

Imagine how I feel, just being a few years short of being able to collect my pension.

Sometimes I close my eyes and with a little luck the whole day has gone by.

BINGO....Nice brookie!

Well, belated anniversary guys. Congrats on two succesful trips out on the ice, I know I could sure use some time out there. Little tip for you Joey, learn to use that shiny new sonar with the "fish ID" feature turned off! Good to see you up and about Paul.

Ditto, though I don't shop Walmart. I actually have a $25 Timmies gift card in my wallet (Christmas gift) that I haven't used and Lord knows if I ever will? Praps on some wayward trip to Nipigon or something.

That's "totally awesome" Wayne. I could easily enjoy a day (or lifetime) of doing stuff like that! Could I get started with a few hundred.

Sweet jump'n Jesus, that's one big ling. I've only seen one comparable in my life, a buddy caught it off the mouth of the Bighead river and it was as long as his leg. It sure looked old with all sorts of battle scars (possibly from gill nets encounters?), anyhow we realeased it without any measurements taken. Congrats, it's truly a hog!

All the best my friend. I was going to send you a package but Brook wouldn't let me seal her up in the box.

Did anybody notice where I said the $600.00 repair for a five minute job was a Toyota dealer?

Welcome.

This is not good and may have an impact on many other harbours around the lake. Story in the OFC News

Ice fishing to get the hook February 26, 2009 PETE FISHER / northumberlandtoday.com Ice fishing in Cobourg harbour will likely be outlawed in the next few weeks by Cobourg council, and could be on the agenda as soon as Monday, chief administrative officer Steve Robinson says. On Sunday, two fishermen were seen augering holes at various locations in the middle of the inner harbour. The two men also set up a portable ice hut. Robinson said marina manager Phil Fardella told him the same two fishermen had been fishing on the ice a few weeks earlier. They were told at least twice it wasn't safe to be on the ice in the harbour, Robinson said, but they ignored the warnings. Fardella gave the anglers Cobourg's current fishing bylaw passed in June, 1991 stating: "No person shall engage in the activity of fishing in the areas of the Cobourg Harbour describes as follows: "· the centre pier of the harbour "· the marina berthing slips located in the harbour east basin "· the marina fuel dock extending from the north wall of the harbour to the centre pier "· the pedestrian walk way along the north wall of the harbour between Division Street and Third Street." Robinson said the fishing bylaw was not written with ice fishing in mind, as people have rarely, if ever, done it in the harbour. "The story in the newspaper obviously raised the profile and staff is looking at how we can incorporate into the fishing bylaw something that would cover ice fishing in the inner harbour," he said. Robinson said the proposed bylaw would be to ban ice fishing in the harbour. "We're concerned how there are creeks and storm drains entering into the inner harbour and we're really concerned about safety (of the ice fishermen). We're not only concerned about the safety, but then there is liability for the town as well," he said. He expects the amended bylaw would be presented to council in the next few weeks.

Existing protocols not halting invasive species spread into Great Lakes February 25, 2009 Jim Moodie / www.manitoulin.ca CHICAGO-A recent report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that the current regime in place to catch invasive species won't prevent dozens of new exotic pests from entering the Great Lakes. The study, titled Predicting Future Introductions of Nonindigenous Species to the Great Lakes, identifies 30 non-native species that pose a medium or high risk of reaching the lakes and 28 others that have already gained a toehold and could proliferate more widely. They include such ominous-sounding critters as the monkey goby, the fishhook waterflea, and the doctor fish (technically called a tench fish). These 58 newcomers would join the 185 invaders that are known to have already found a niche in the Great Lakes. Not all, it should be noted, are wreaking utter havoc: according to the EPA, only 13 of the existing intruders, such as the zebra mussel and sea lamprey, have done extensive harm to the aquatic environment and the regional economy. Still, the report recommends prompt action to nip the ingress of more unwanted species, and points to a number of high-traffic ports as areas where tougher monitoring should be implemented. These include Duluth, Minnesota; Superior, Wisconsin; and Toledo, Ohio. Each is a site that receives a high concentration of discharged ballast water, a medium that accounts for over two-thirds of the invasive species that have entered the lakes. Both Canada and the US now require ocean-going vessels to flush their ballast at sea, and have recently enacted requirements for ships to rinse empty tanks with saltwater in hopes of killing organisms that can lurk in residual pools at the bottom. Still, even with such measures in place, "it is likely that nonindigenous species will continue to arrive in the Great Lakes," the report predicts, as some saltwater-tolerant species may survive ballast-water exchange and tank flushing. "Despite these ballast-water regulations, at least 13 new (invasive species) are believed to have entered the Great Lakes from ballast water since 1993," the report notes. Hugh MacIsaac, a University of Windsor biologist and director of the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network, believes the ballast regulations are quite effective, however, and that the picture painted by the EPA is unreasonably alarmist. Flushing and ballast-water exchange should kill 99 percent of organisms, he told the Associated Press, adding, "I would be very surprised if their prediction comes true." Canada implemented voluntary ballast-water guidelines to stem the spread of invaders in 1990, with tougher rules introduced in 2006 that now require all ships entering Canada's waters to manage their ballast water. The law, through the Canada Shipping Act, states that cargo ships must: exchange their ballast water in open ocean; treat their ballast water while in transit; discharge their ballast water to a reception facility; and retain their ballast water on board ship. According to Environment Canada, a mid-ocean exchange of freshwater for seawater in a ship's ballast tanks will take care of most invaders, as the high salt content of the latter tends to kill off the freshwater organisms, while the number of salt-tolerant creatures are relatively few. When this ballast is discharged at the port of destination, "the very small number of organisms that would be taken in from the high seas would not survive in the port's waters," the department states in an article at EnviroZine, its online newsmagazine. However, there is growing evidence that this approach is far from foolproof, and a more effective way to stem the alien tide is to treat the ballast water during a ship's voyage with organism-zapping agents or by depriving these aquatic nasties of oxygen. There are about 30 treatment systems being developed around the world, four of which are being tested in Canada. Two of the more promising methods that Environment Canada has been studying are The Peraclean Ocean treatment, which uses peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide to eliminate aquatic hitchhikers; and Ballaclean, which employs deoxygenation technology to choke the life out of the little stowaways. Neither is perfect: the former leaves toxic residues in the treated water that may take up to a week or more to dissipate; the latter requires a long period of time for the process to be effective, and can cause increases in ammonia and other byproducts that render the discharged water hazardous for the environment. While ballast-water discharge is the most prevalent pathway for invaders, the EPA report notes that a high rate of this activity in one area of the basin does not necessarily translate to more species invasions. It points to the example of Lake Superior, which counts the most discharges of ballast water in the Great Lakes, yet has fewer invasive species than the other lakes. "The low nonindigenous species colonization rate in Lake Superior may be due to any of several factors including cooler temperatures, a high ratio of deeper waters, low food availability due to low productivity, and low calcium concentrations," the report states. The US environmental agency attributes 65 percent of invasive species in the Great Lakes to shipping and ballast water. The remainder come through a variety of conduits, including canals, bait transfers, fish farms and aquarium releases. The study employs a type of ecological modelling, combined with remote sensing data, in order to predict which areas of the Great Lakes would become suitable habitats for the next round of invasive species. Lake Huron, for instance, is considered an area of "high suitability" for the blueback herring, a medium-sized fish very similar to an alewife. Indeed, most of the Great Lakes, save for the deeper parts of Lake Superior and all of Lake St. Clair, are considered a promising habitat for this newcomer. By contrast, Lake Huron is an unlikely home for the rudd, whereas circumstances on Lakes Erie and Ontario are ripe to receive these hardy, thick-bodied fish. We're also, thankfully, a zone of "low suitability" for the roach, a member of the carp family. (Again, Erie and Ontario are most apt to host this type of invader.) According to Jennifer Nalbone, invasive species director for the advocacy group Great Lakes United, the EPA report acts as a wake-up call for tougher legislation and monitoring. She told the Associated Press that it "reinforces the need for further measures to keep foreign species out, including requiring onboard technology to sterilize ballast tanks."