Spiel

I remember that "big move" Bernie. Ice is indeed very strong and of course it's buoyant. I remember an ole hut operator on Simcoe telling me (years ago) that the ice at 30 odd inches one year could support trains if'n they wanted to lay the tracks.

....I'm at a total loss for words here.

Lew, please accept my sincerest condolences. I know that the loss of one's mother is not easy, perhaps you can find some comfort in knowing she had wonderful children.

U.S. and New York Claim Damages to Buffalo River January 29, 2009 / ENS WASHINGTON, DC, - The federal government and New York State have notified some of the nation's largest companies that they indend to pursue a claim for natural resource damages caused by a history of contamination of the Buffalo River. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, together as trustees of the natural resources of the Buffalo River, say they have studied the river's resources, concluded that "significant harm has occurred" and determined that further assessment is needed to decide what restoration is necessary. The notice was issued to ExxonMobil Corporation, Honeywell Corporation, and PVS Chemicals, companies that owned and operated industrial facilities along the Buffalo River. The companies are alleged to have each discharged toxic chemicals or oil into the waterway, harming fish, wildlife, biota, water quality, sediments and cultural resources. The Buffalo River empties into the eastern end of Lake Erie, by the city of Buffalo, New York. The river is listed as a Great Lakes Areas of Concern in The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. Buffalo River enters Lake Erie (Photo credit unknown) "Today's action is an important step in holding polluters accountable for the damage to the Buffalo River's ecosystem," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. "With this action, we are serving notice that the public is due compensation for the losses resulting from the historical contamination of this river." "Too often in the past, urban waterways were used for the dumping of toxic chemicals. It is now time to reclaim these natural resources so they can serve the interests of their surrounding communities," Grannis said. "Common terns, belted kingfishers, shorebirds, herons, rails and other marsh birds living along the river in wetlands and mudflats will benefit from restoration of the Buffalo River," said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast Regional Director Marvin Moriarty. "We want to work cooperatively to develop a restoration plan and to put that plan into action." Natural resource damages claims seek to hold parties responsible for the injuries to the state's natural resources, measured by the value of projects needed to restore the resources to their condition before the injury occurred. These claims differ from actions to recover costs of cleaning up contaminated sites which are limited to the investigation, removal or treatment of the contaminants. "2009 marks Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper's 20th year of working to clean up industrial contamination and restore the Buffalo River," said Riverkeeper Executive Director Julie Barrett O'Neill. "Riverkeeper hopes that the prosecution of this natural resources damages claim helps to both expedite the current remediation efforts and to encourage all of the companies to participate in the river's restoration." The action to address damages to the natural resources is just one of DEC's initiatives to help restore the Buffalo River ecosystem. The state agency also has addressed the 44 known hazardous waste sites within the Buffalo River watershed by completing cleanups at 40 and pursuing remediation at the remaining four, where activities are nearing completion. The DEC has funded and conducted a broad sampling effort of the river sediments. The agency is participating with Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes National Program Office, and others, to undertake a remediation feasibility study scheduled to be completed in 2009. The DEC also is providing $1 million to fund two Brownfield Opportunity Area planning grants along the river that address environmental, ecological, economical and environmental justice issues by creating a strategic plan for land use and redevelopment.

Record Musky on the Fly Tuesday January 20 2009 / Wisconsin DNR Brad Bohen now owns the world catch and release record for musky caught on a 36-pound tippet, confirmed in January 2009 by the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Hayward. Bohen, who guides and currently caretakes at the Winneboujou Club on the Brule River, joins a sizeable and storied group of Wisconsin anglers who have hauled in record fish. Here's Bohen's story of how he landed the 51.25 inch monster from the Chippewa River below the Winter Dam and above Lake Holcombe. Brad Bohen (background) and Derek Kuehl (foreground) display their "musky double". Here is how I recall it: That fish was taken as part of a very unusual double musky on the fly catch...fellow angler Derek Kuehl and I were fly fishing with guide Tom Greenup of Ashegon Lake Resort on Oct. 16, 2008 out of his driftboat. I am also a fly fishing guide and Derek invited me along on the trip after his original angling partner cancelled out. It was a difficult day of fishing. We started out the float at around 9 a.m. and had only one small northern pike to our credit by 2 p.m. All three of us are avid river anglers and we knew that we had an opportunity at a really nice fish if we kept at it all day long. Musky are like that: they make you pay for the privilege of playing with them. Many, many float trips are defined by a slogan we use, "Zero to Hero," meaning that one never knows when the stars will align and that one brief moment will turn a seemingly fruitless day into one that will stay with you for all your remaining days. Tom kept a nice fishing pace on the oars and continually directed us to work different spots with our presentations. Derek was in the front of the boat and I worked out of the rear. Two seasoned fly rod anglers can cover a tremendous amount of water if they work in tandem. We had moved a couple of decent musky that day and I will admit to having two really good strikes that I kind of farmed out! Let's just say that even a professional fly fishing guide can get a bit rusty if he puts in too much time on the oars in lieu of the rod... All of us understood that the stakes were high. October 16 is a magic day on the calendar of any serious musky man or woman. It was a rare privilege for the three of us to share such good water on a prime day together and we all wanted to make something really special happen. I recall making a long backhanded cast to a very average-looking piece of water just on the top side of a long rapids. I was using a big orange fly I tie specifically for river musky called a Beauford. Beauford was doing its thing...darting, flashing, shaking out there in the current when I caught a glimpse of a huge fish behind it. I exhaled slowly, "Oh boy fellas! There's a big one out there behind my fly!" Derek had just made a cast of his own downriver ahead of the boat and looked over with Tom at where my fly was. No doubt about it: a really big musky was back there hunting my offering. There were a tense few moments as the mighty fish made first one passing swipe at the fly and then a second as I kept the retrieve alive and steadily moving towards the boat. Our hearts were in our throats as we all watched spellbound at the event unfolding. I know all of us will keep the memory alive in our anglers' minds until the day we die. I have witnessed hundreds of musky attacks in my days guiding and fishing for them. This was one of the largest fish I have seen follow a fly that hot but I was running out of room to make something happen. This is where Beauford took center stage. That fly is just a killer in many situations but it really earned its keep that day as I was able to really slow down the retrieve and stall that fish out. Brad uses an orange, Beauford fly when fishing for river musky. It was like a high stakes poker game and the bluff was on...just outside of the end of the right oar I let that big orange fly kinda hang out there in the current. Fluff, glitter, glitter...that big ole musky coiled up and I just gave one last twitch...then she reared back and pounded it! That fly just disappeared into her massive head like a piece of popcorn getting sucked up by a super powered vacuum cleaner. Gone! Fish On! We all knew it was a good hookup as the big fish came up and did a violent headshake on the surface and then stayed on as she made a powerful run away from the boat. We all came together knowing full well we had a world class fish on and each one of us would have to play a role in bringing her to the net. Little did we know...As I stated earlier, we were in a pretty bland piece of water just above a rapids and just after I had made the fateful cast Derek had thrown one out of his own. Derek would be the net man now and as he went back to the task of getting his line and fly in the boat he made a couple of strips when all of a sudden - WHAM! The water just exploded downstream of the boat as another giant musky clobbered Derek's fly. "Musky Double!" he hollered. I thought it was some kind of twisted joke he was pulling until I looked up and saw that he was indeed struggling with what appeared to be something the size and mass of a pit bull terrier. If that was not enough to witness -- the fish made quite a disturbance in the river just as the water fell over the edge of the flat into the rapids. I still to this day admire the oarsmanship and gunfighter cool of Tom Greenup in that extraordinary moment. Tom made all of the right moves and like a true pro, kept the entire situation from going down the rapids and possibly down the drain. He heaved on the oars and rowed us up out of harm's way...all the while making merry-go-round moves with the boat to keep the two angry game fish from crossing paths. I'll bet there were at least a thousand things that could have fouled us up, but it was just our day. Derek has landed more big fish in the past four seasons than any other single fly angler alive I wager. He did a yeoman's job on his fish -- it was a prime hot musky and under normal circumstances would have been the trophy of the season. But we all knew the caliber of the fish that had struck first and we were all in this one together. Derek just conjured up his fish fighting mojo and made short work of a really game beast. The first pass that the fish made that was nettable Greenup slipped the mesh under it and hauled it twisting mad onboard. All the while I had been fighting the big gal and was just playing a conservative card -- keeping her in check and attempting not to panic her into some sort of wild run. It worked, and again, taking my hat off to Tom Greenup for his world class display of cunning and cool, we still had a shot at her and a better than average shot I judged as Derek alligator wrestled that mad one of his up in the front of the boat. In seemingly no time, Derek was up and proclaimed himself ready to net the old toad I was messing around with. "O.K. Chief, I'll bring her about..." The big old musky had a bit of fight left in her but most of the theatrics were over by this point. We all had adrenaline in our veins and I firmly believe that if she had gotten free, one or all of us would have jumped in and been able to swim her down. It did not come to that, thankfully. She was beat fair and square and once Derek slipped the net under her and hoisted her heft aboard, we all let out a sigh of relief followed shortly by a series of war whoops! Brad takes time for a quick picture with his world-class fish before releasing her. Nearly 100 inches of river musky in the boat at the same time! Derek's fish taped at just a hair under 45 inches and mine went 51.25 inches. Now that is just a thrill of a lifetime. Getting recognized as the official catch and release world record for the 36-pound tippet class by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame was an honor but really was anticlimactic to such a memorable and lasting experience. I will always cherish that time out with two wonderful fishing buddies on a supreme Wisconsin river chasing those incredible creatures we know and love as the musky.

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.