Spiel

Boaters urged to put safety first May 15, 2008 / northernlife.ca As lakes and rivers become free of ice, many Ontarians are itching to venture out on boat, canoe or kayak trips. Whether planning a day of fishing or a week of back-country canoeing, the Ontario Conservation Officers Association (OCOA) is reminding the public to put safety first. North American Safe boating Awareness Week takes place from May 17 to 23 and the OCOA supports the efforts of the Canadian Safe Boating Council in promoting safe boating practices on Ontario waters. Conservation officers spend a lot of time on the water, conducting checks on thousands of anglers every summer. They also enforce Small Vessel Regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, and play an important role in the safety of boaters. “While our officers don’t focus primarily on boating safety enforcement, we do encounter many serious safety violations,” said OCOA president and conservation officer Dan VanExan, in a news release. “Many of these unsafe situations could be prevented by boaters taking the time to properly equip and safely operate their vessels.” OCOA tips for safe boating: Wear a life-jacket: - Life-jackets save lives, but they must be worn to work. - It is the law to have enough life-jackets or personal flotation devices on-board for each passenger. - Make sure personal flotation devices are in good condition and fit properly. Don’t drink and boat: - It is illegal and dangerous to drink alcohol on a vessel unless a boat is equipped with sleeping, cooking, and washroom facilities and the boat is anchored. - Never operate a vessel after consuming alcohol. Be prepared: - Be familiar with the operation of a boat and know its limitations for passengers and gear. - Check to ensure mandatory safety equipment is on-board and is in good condition. - Keep an eye on the weather. Know when it may not be safe to go out on the water and be aware of changing conditions. “By following this important advice, boaters will be able to safely enjoy their time on the water this summer,” said VanExan in the release. “Our officers look forward to an accident-free summer.” For more information about boating safety, visit the Canadian Safe Boating Council website at www.csbc.ca. For more information about natural resources regulations and enforcement, contact a local conservation officer or visit the OCOA website at www.ocoa.ca

Lamprey killing program underway - Local fishermen cope with slimy predators May 14, 2008 SHANNON QUESNEL / elliotlakestandard.ca Sea lampreys are a pain for commercial fishermen and a literal thorn in the side of fish. The only weapon against the tube-shaped bloodsuckers is the Sea Lamprey Management Program (SLMP), which started its lampricide initiative last month. The program’s goal is to kill as many Great Lakes sea lampreys as possible. The payoff is the preservation of not only native fish, such as lake trout, but also the billion-dollar commercial and sport fishing industries operating in the Great Lakes. One fisherman who is benefiting from the program is Blind River’s David Carlson. The Carlson family has been making a living on Lake Huron since the early 1900s. The business is now called Carlson Brothers. Carlson says while Lake Huron’s lamprey population has been controlled for several years the lake still has high numbers of the predator compared to other Great Lakes. Tough pests SLMP division manager Robert Young says there are about 150,000 lamprey spawners living in Lake Huron. Young works out of the SLMP’s Sault Ste. Marie office. To keep the number at 150,000 or lower, lampricide has been applied every year to select rivers and streams. For Lake Huron in 2008, lampricide will be applied to Sauble River, Serpent River, Mississagi River, Lauzon Creek and Aux Sables River (Spanish River). The lampricides are applied to rivers and streams by one of two roving team of workers, from eight to 16 people in size. Young says the lampricide is dripped or pumped into the water through a spreader hose that stretches across the stream. These mobile labs will also monitor the lampricide’s concentration. A single river’s treatment will take a day or two at most. “We are trying to have a concentration to kill lampreys for nine to 12 hours,” Young explains. The lampricide chemical is lethal to lampreys, but harmless to other fish when applied properly. Some fish might be affected if they are weak from spawning activities or by disease or pollution. Baitfish or another species confined artificially can also be harmed because of stress caused by crowding or handling. There are drinking water concerns. Municipalities, individuals and farms that use the streams where the lampricide is applied will be notified to suspend stream use for a period of time. Young says this lampricide has been tested by Health Canada and by the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. Without the lampricide and techniques such as releasing sterile male lampreys and barriers, lampreys can cause great harm to Great Lakes fish stocks. “What we are really doing is preventing damage,” says Young. “Our program is preventing millions of larvae that (would) get out into Lake Huron.” Young says the Mississagi River alone produces five to six million lamprey larvae a year. Ancient predator Great Lakes sea lampreys are an invasive species. Before being introduced to the world’s largest collection of fresh water lakes, the lives of sea lampreys were similar to salmon. Lampreys are born in rivers and streams and when they are larger they migrate to the Atlantic Ocean to feed. The prey of ocean-bound sea lampreys are tunas, sharks and other very large fish. Lampreys are nothing more than a pest to these big predators, but to lake trout the 90-centimetre (36-inch) parasites are killing machines. “If they feed on a five-pound lake trout the lamprey is able to extract enough blood from that fish to actually kill it,” says Young. Pickerel and other fish do feed on lampreys, but only when the parasites are small and living in a stream. Young has not seen evidence this predation is cutting down sea lamprey numbers. Young says sea lampreys have four life stages, with the third being the most dangerous to Great Lakes fish. “The spawning lampreys are the terminal of the life cycle.” They produce eggs that hatch into larvae, which grow in streams for four to six years and they turn into juvenile lampreys. The animal is most dangerous at this stage. It will leave the river and swim out into Lake Huron. When a juvenile lamprey finds a target it applies its sucker-like mouth to the fish’s side. Most fish cannot shake the lamprey off or twist around to bite the predator. Using teeth and tongue the lamprey scrapes away scales and skin to get to the meat. It then drinks blood and other fluids when the host fish bleeds. A single feeding will either kill the host or leave it weak. Most fish will not survive multiple feedings. When the lamprey is full it detaches and looks for new prey. Young says a single lamprey can kill four to eight kilograms (nine to 18 pounds) of fish during its juvenile stage. After reaching maximum size a lamprey returns to the streams and rivers to lay eggs. Enlisting Carlson has seen the damage a lamprey does to a fish. Its bite can leave a hole the size of a quarter. These days though lamprey are not as bad as they were. “Their percentage changes. Some days you hardly see any markings (bites) and some days you see quite a bit.” Lampreys that are pulled off caught fish are not thrown back into the water, he says. “We keep ‘em. And that is where the sea lamprey Sault (office) will clue you in. They’ve had programs with us for years where we do some tagging and marking and the lamprey will go into solution. “At other times they ask us to bring in lampreys live and then we just put them into holding tanks. They will do different scientific experiments with them or use them for displays at conventions.” As for what a wounded fish is worth to him it depends on the damage and what the fish is used for. “It depends on where it goes. You get selective. If you were selling to somebody who was smoking it, well, then it is not as critical. “It (also) depends how lampreys have been attached. If they just latched themselves on and there is just surface discolouring that’s a lot different than a great big lamprey that stays on (and puts) a big hole through the side.”

Development freeze cuts into Mudcat donations; Six Nations land claims impacting town's favourite festival May 14, 2008 KAREN BEST / dunnvillechronicle.com Carolyn Chymko made the rounds to several businesses on Tuesday morning in an attempt to solicit donations for the 34th Mudcat Festival. Her pursuit has taken on a degree of urgency because so far only about $10,000 is on the books. Most cheques are for less than $1,000 and it will take between $35,000 and $40,000 to run the famous event from June 4 to June 8. Presented by Kerr Boom Pyrotechnics, Saturday's famous fireworks show will cost $10,000. "Without sponsorship, there's no festival," said Chymko. "Everything is booked. Hopefully we don't run in the red." This year's donation drought is directly related to a development freeze due to unresolved land claims, she noted. When she contacted some development and contracting corporations which made generous donations in previous years, owners expressed their regrets. "It's not their fault. Their hands are tied," said Chymko. They told her to thank Haldimand County and the natives. Wal-Mart property owner Calloway REIT provided a donation last year and planned to do the same this year but could not, she told The Chronicle. There's no TSC store and little or no income for many in the construction business. "So it's a huge loss for the festival," said Chymko. Determined to pay the bills, she will hold whatever fundraisers she can to compensate for the loss. "I'm counting on our community for their support," she continued. "I'm anticipating over the five-day festival that 50,000 people will be coming to our town and county. We have to pull this off." While finding this situation a little bit scary, she hoped for the best. "Dunnville always sticks together," Chymko said. People can show their support at the June 1 festival kickoff party at Johnny Rotten's. For the $5 cover charge, they can party to the tunes of Steel Country and The Bareback Riders between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Both bands will play at the Bavarian Gardens on June 7, the festival's Saturday. Another key annual fundraiser, the Mudcat Celebrity Golf Tournament, will be held on June 14 with tee off at 9 a.m. at Freedom Oaks Golf Club. Proceeds will go toward fireworks. As event coordinator and president of the Dunnville Chamber of Commerce she wanted to make the county aware that not just Caledonia is suffering. Her letter to council was discussed at the May 12 council meeting. In it, she reported a significant drop in financial support. Both a local construction company and commercial builder gave $1,000 last year but could provide nothing for the 2008 festival. Smaller businesses have cut back their donations or were unable to contribute, she reported. "Our community is now suffering directly and Dunnville has not received any offsetting funding as have other areas in Haldimand," she said. Chymko asked council to convey the chamber's concerns to appropriate provincial and federal agencies that might be able to provide financial support to the county and specifically to Dunnville. It's quite apparent there's been a negative fall-out of land claims issues impacting Dunnville," said Coun. Lorne Boyko. In Caledonia, business donations reduced significantly because of impacts related to land claim issues, he noted. "It's taken two years but it's hit Dunnville as well," he added. On Monday night, he wrote a motion that was seconded by Coun. Don Ricker and supported unanimously by their colleagues. As a result, the Chamber's letter will be sent to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Minister Chuck Strahl, Ontario chief negotiator Murray Coolican, federal negotiator Monique Dorin, and the Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Recreation and Tourism. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the festival can drop by the Chamber office on Chestnut Street from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday or by mail at P.O Box 124, Dunnville ON, N1A 2X1.

Releasing pearls May 14, 2008 Dan Schell / bancroftthisweek.com North Hastings Fish Hatchery release their first batch of jewels May 10 marked a large day in the history of the development of the North Hastings Jewel Trout project with the first batch of fish being released into the waters of L’Amable Lake. A total of 845 of these specially developed trout were part of the first group of this strain of fish to be released through the North Hastings Community Fish Hatchery. The project started in 2006 with small amount of eggs that were collected from Ashby Lake, then incubated and treated at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery until they could be released into the local waters. From there, the trout have grown up under extensive supervision and development at the Haliburton Highlands Fish Hatchery to get to the strength necessary for release. This project will soon be moving to the North Hastings area, with the development of the North Hastings Community Fish Hatchery located on Hysert Road in the Township of Dungannon. According to Dennis LeFeuvre, President of the North Hastings Community Fish Hatchery, the hatchery is nearing completion. “We are looking to have everything done by this summer,” said LeFeuvre, “We are just waiting to start pouring the concrete and getting the pump systems in right now.” According to LeFeuvre, due to this year’s harsh winter, the construction of the hatchery proved to be difficult, but he is looking forward to movement of the North Hastings Jewel Trout stock to the area. Though this was a big day for all of those involved with this project, it was also a day of celebration for the community. For the many in attendance, this marked a new day for the waters of the North Hastings area. Due to climate change and other environmental concerns that are restricting the amount of fish in the area’s lakes, projects like the Hatchery contribute to the strength of the community’s economy that relies in large part to attracting anglers from across the nation. “This is not only good for the fisherman,” said LeFeuvre, “But it is also good for the local economy with more people being attracted to the lakes again.” Mayor of Hastings Highlands and Warden of Hastings County Ron Emond said it was an important day for the North Hastings community. “We have all have been waiting for this release,” said Emond, “It is important for the future generations in the area.” Jim Anderton, a resident of L’Amable Lake, was thrilled to see the lake being replenished with fish. Since his arrival at the lake in 1974, Anderton has seen a drop in the traffic around the area, in particular anglers, and sees this project as being a benefit to the area. “Once you start stocking the lakes again, we will see more people on the lakes,” said Anderton. Dave Flowers from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has already seen the benefit of hatchery projects in the Haliburton community. Flowers has worked closely with the North Hastings hatchery project in the raising of these fish in Haliburton. Flowers said that the North Hastings Fish Hatchery project is a perfect example of the community getting behind a beneficial project. “When it’s the right thing to do, it’s the right thing to do,” said Flowers. This was part of the motivation for Jack Jackson, a member of the Haliburton Highlands Outdoor Association’s Lake Trout Project. Jackson sees projects like this as something a community can get behind, and important to the health of the local waters in the area. “I have grandchildren who like to fish,” said Jackson, “There could be huge disaster out there if we don’t do something.” The benefit of future generations of anglers was been a focal point for the day, as the children in attendance were encouraged to take part in the ceremonies by dumping the fish into the water with the help of those involved in the project. And this is just the beginning of the large replenishing project according to organizers of the hatchery. Currently, there are more fish in Haliburton getting ready move into their new homes in lakes in the North Hastings community. Flowers said that MNR Biologist Erin MacDonald carefully selects the lakes, in order to insure that the waters are ready for the increase in fish population. “We made the first big step today,” said an excited LeFeuvre who only had one word to describe this first release. “Great.”

....Right click on the image, then select "properties".

....Things is looking "swell" TJ. It's come a long way from "bush lot".

Anglers, hunters mark 25 years Monday May 12, 2008 Dave Dale / nugget.ca Paul Perron has a hard time bragging about one of the most successful projects undertaken by the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters. As a founding member and longtime president, Perron was called upon Saturday to list the club's top achievements as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. Rehabilitation of the Lake Nosbonsing walleye spawning beds and bass transplants into area lakes easily make the Top 3. 'We've got a good core group and we've done well," he said while eating cake in the clubhouse, purchased a few years ago. The bathrooms were updated to handicap accessibility standards and there's more than four acres to expand. They're even looking at a kitchen to feed members when they gather for meetings. The club has about 90 members, although it grows to as many as 150 depending on the issues at hand. But it's the deer feeding stations that drew in and expanded a small Algonquin Park population that got out of hand. "Everybody is mad now," Perron said, referring to complaints about there being too many deer in East Ferris while many other residents continue to offer feed in their backyards. Many residents are now trying to protect their cedar hedges and gardens from the munching animals. Perron said there were no deer in the township in the 1960s and hard winters made it difficult for herds to make a comeback on their own. Two annual pike tournaments - the 12th annual June 8 offers $18,000 in prizes and the 23rd annual Family and Friends event Aug. 17 - raise thousands of dollars toward activities and projects. And the club has earned praise for its partnerships with police, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. Just a month ago, it donated about $2,000 to the ministry to buy a modern deer decoy to be used throughout the district to enforce safe hunting regulations and act on trespassing complaints. The club, however, doesn't shy away from lobbying for change. Perron said the new regulations for field management Unit 11 are going to make "unknowing poachers out of everybody . . . It's too much to absorb." Before, everything was closed at the same time so when you saw someone on the lake you could tell if they were doing something wrong, he said. The ministry says it was trying to "streamline and harmonize" regulations, but the enlarged zone now includes parts of old Division 15, south of North Bay, and old Division 18. Lake Nipissing, Lake Temagami, Lake Temiskaming and the Ottawa River have their own regulations. There is now a slot size for walleye and sauger with no fish permitted between 16.9 and 23.6 inches, with opening day for many fish sanctuaries pushed back to June 15. Any brook trout longer than 12.2 inches have to be thrown back. Northern pike anglers, particularly south of North Bay in old Division 15, are urged to review the new regulations. The limit is now six for the sportsmen licence, "with not more than two greater than 24 inches, of which not more than one is greater than 33.9 inches." Perron said he wishes the moose herds in Unit 48 can be "micro-managed" as well because the unit's east and west ends are vastly different.

Residents clean up after dam collapse in Norfolk Monday May 12, 2008 Ashley House / brantfordexpositor.ca Residents and visitors of Normandale used to get joy out of walking along Potters Creek and up to Hatchery Pond, whether just observing nature or dropping a line into the water and coming out with a catch. But the walk Sunday morning was sombre. "This is a crime," said Gordon Loucks, who lives in Turkey Point. "It's such a shame." Last Monday, a 60-foot section of berm, just west of the Ministry of Natural Resources dam at the Normandale hatchery, collapsed after water in the reservoir flowed over it. The failure of the dam unleashed 15 feet of water that rushed from the 20-acre pond. With it came debris including trees, docks, culverts and lots of fish. The pond now looks barren, with tree stumps and a trickle of water running through it. The creek, which winds its way throughout Normandale, is littered with uprooted trees, broken docks and large culverts. A week after the berm collapse, residents are still trying to clean up the debris left by the flood waters. Grant Russell and wife, Lena Medin-Russell, are putting together before and after photos of their picturesque heritage-designated home and property damaged by the dam collapse. "The MNR told us they will accept full responsibility for the clean up," Russell said. "To what degree, I don't know yet." Russell guesses the MNR will at least restore the creek and manage the erosion that has taken place. "But it will never be restored to what it was," Medin-Russell said. "We spent 15 years building that backyard to what it was and we don't have another 15 years to do it again." The creek was a place of relaxation for Medin-Russell. The family built stairs down to the creek, with bridges crossing in various spots. "When I would get home from trips I would go out to the creek with my coffee, drop my feet in the water and just soak it all in," Medin-Russell said. The family had also hammered in esthetically pleasing wooden logs to stop erosion and secure the growth of many large trees that lined the banks. Now the trees have fallen as large chunks of embankment have broken away. The bridges are gone. "This is a great loss to the community," Medin-Russell said, adding she's had visitors from all over the country stopping by to see the yard. The property has also been a part of heritage and garden tours that have attracted hundreds of visitors. "People ooh and ahh, they just loved it," she said. "But it will never be the same." The Russells say they will give the MNR an opportunity to come up with a plan of action. "This wasn't an act of God," Medin-Russell said. "It was a dam that failed and somebody has to take responsibility for that. It's about maintaining the facilities we have."

UMD researchers find first known E. coli in fish Tuesday, May 06, 2008 Duluth News Tribune Researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth have found E. coli in bottom-feeding bullheads, the first known case of the organism surviving in fish. In a soon-to-be-published scientific paper, researchers under Randall Hicks, head of the school’s biology department, found E. coli survived in but probably wasn’t produced by the fish. “We believe benthic fish are a pathway, but not a source of E. coli,’’ Hicks said Monday. The fish probably were picking up E. coli in the sediment of the Duluth harbor. Until recently, scientists believed E. coli came only from mammals. But now that’s not as clear, and some E. coli can even reproduce on its own in sand and soil. Other recent UMD research found the single largest source of E. coli in samples taken near the Blatnik Bridge in the harbor, but the source is not what you might think. The answer is waterfowl. But there’s another surprise. Just a few hundreds yards downstream from a ring-billed gull nesting island, and near the outlet of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District sewage treatment plant, the largest source of E. coli is geese. “You have to be careful not to jump to conclusions with this stuff,’’ Hicks said. Scientists still are unable to trace the source of a considerable amount of E. coli samples for which they can find no DNA matches. E. coli is used as an indicator species to determine whether disease-causing organisms harmful to people may be present in the water and to warn people to stay out of the water at some beaches. Some E. coli strains also can cause sickness.

Virus linked to carp deaths May 9, 2008 JAMES NEELEY / thepeterboroughexaminer.com A fish virus new to Ontario has been identified as one cause of the carp die-off that littered area lakes with 12,000 to 24,000 fish last summer. John Cooper, of the Lake Erie fisheries management unit for the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), said extensive testing by the University of Guelph and the federal fish health labs confirmed finding a new fish virus to Ontario - the koi herpesvirus. The MNR previously identified a bacteria, columnaris, as the cause of the fish kill, but now say the new virus also killed fish. The koi herpesvirus, first found in North America in 1999, was discovered in two fish collected from Scugog and Pigeon lakes last year, Cooper said. It only affects carp, goldfish and koi, he said, and is not a danger to humans "because it can't live in a body as warm as a human." Carp infected with koi herpesvirus are safe to eat and handle, he said. Last year's die-off also will not threaten carp counts for this season, Cooper said. "Carp are a prolific fish that can quickly bounce back from a die-off," he said. There is no evidence the 2007 carp die-off was caused by a contaminant spill, Cooper said. Trying to determine what caused last summer's carp kill took extensive testing, he said, noting one of the difficulties was, unlike humans, autopsies don't work on fish. "Once they are dead the natural process may mask the cause," Cooper said. "We have to get the fish alive and transport to the lab as quickly as possible." The MNR released a new formalized protocol yesterday to better handle fish kills in the future. To speed the research to determine causes of die-offs, Cooper said the MNR will collect fish themselves instead of taking samples from the public. Cause of a koi herpesvirus disease outbreak: - The koi herpesvirus virus causes disease and death when water temperatures are between 18 to 28 C. Disease outbreaks are rare when water temperatures are lower than 13 C. - Fish are most susceptible when stressed as a result of fluctuating high water temperatures, crowding and spawning. - The virus is highly contagious and has been linked to large mortalities of carp and koi. - The virus is most likely passed from fish to fish in close contact, entering the body through the gills or possibly through the intestine. - The virus lives in fish, in water for short periods of time (possibly for at least four hours, probably less than a day), in feces, and possibly in the mud bottoms of lakes and rivers. - Fish infected with koi herpesvirus may survive a disease outbreak and become carriers of the virus, passing the virus to other fish.

SWISS GOVERNMENT TO BAN ‘CATCH AND RELEASE’ FISHING eftta.com Catch and Release fishing will be banned in Switzerland from next year, it was revealed this week. And anglers in the country will have to demonstrate their expertise by taking a course on humane methods of catching fish, under new legislation outlined by the Bundesrat - the Swiss Federal Parliament. The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument. Under the new regulations, the use of livebait and barbed hooks is also prohibited except in certain situations. The laws come into effect in 2009 but while the Swiss government does not mention Catch and Release specifically, it does say that "it is not permitted to go fishing with the 'intention' to release the fish." EFTTA lobbyist Jan Kappel has been in contact with Martin Peter, Vice President of the Swiss Angling Federation, to see whether a joint approach to the Swiss government could persuade them to amend the legislation - which forms part of a much wider animal welfare programme. The law on the protection of animals was passed by the Swiss parliament in 2005 and officials have spent three years refining the details, taking into account the comments of interested parties. Said Jan: "Catch and Release is one of the most difficult issues we have to deal with, and one of the most important in my opinion. “The new Swiss law doesn't make use of the term 'Catch and Release', which is the same as in Germany – but I don't see how governments can enforce legislation which makes 'intent' illegal. “And demanding that people kill the fish they catch gives no thought to the conservation benefits from releasing them." Angling Codes of Conduct with regards to proper handling and releases can be found for practically any fish species caught by anglers in Switzerland and the rest of the world. The new Swiss law makes it obligatory for anglers to take lessons before being granted a fishing license. So there is absolutely no need for an outright ban on the release of fish in Switzerland.” It’s believed that the legislation could affect as many as 275,000 anglers in Switzerland, who generate around 30 million Euros in annual tackle sales. EFTTA acting president, Pierangelo Zanetta, said: "EFTTA does not believe that forcing anglers to kill their catches is either good for nature or for recreational sport fishing - which makes a significant financial contribution to the EU economy. “Making the killing of fish obligatory will simply reduce fish population and, at the same time, run the risk of having a negative impact on sport fishing. "Anglers and the sport of angling invest time and money to improve water quality and create larger and healthier fish populations. We believe is it far better for the fish if the fisherman decides, according to the situation, whether to keep and eat the fish or to release it."

Dixon's legendary big bass bites bullet May 9, 2008 Angela Lau / UNION-TRIBUNE JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune / A ranger checks the frozen remains. The fish with a worldwide reputation as one of the heaviest ever hooked was found floating Friday morning on the Lake by an angler who turned it over to a city ranger. Jed Dickerson of Oceanside and Mac Weakley of Carlsbad, who caught the bass two years ago, were called to the ranger's office to identify the renowned fish. The Florida strain largemouth bass found floating across from the boat dock had the same distinctive black birthmark below its jawline as the one the men released in 2006. “That's it, that's THE fish,” Weakley said Friday afternoon. “The fish has lived out its life cycle.” The bass is now in a freezer at the Dixon Lake ranger's office, waiting for California Fish and Game officials to come by Monday and take tissue samples to determine its age. The fish, christened Dottie by the City of Escondido, is estimated to be 15- to 17-years-old. The bass had apparently been dead for at least one day when it was found. Dottie measured 29½ inches long and weighed about 19 pounds, said Dickerson. That was a far cry from the hefty 25 pounds 1 ounce it weighed in 2006 when Weakley caught it – well above the 1932 world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces. But then it was fat with eggs; this time it apparently died shortly after spawning. Instead of submitting it for the record in 2006, Weakley released the bass because he had foul-hooked it on its side. Hooking a fish somewhere other than in the mouth is not allowed if done intentionally. The fish – and an accompanying photo – was an Internet sensation, attracting attention from around the world and luring many anglers to Dixon Lake in futile efforts to catch it again. A contract crew hired by National Geographic was on the lake this week filming a story about the fish and the people trying to capture it. In the world of bass fishing, holding the size title could bring lucrative endorsements. Since letting Dottie go, Weakley and Dickerson had spent lots of time trying to find the fish and hook it by the rules. As of Friday, Dickerson said he had been fishing on Dixon Lake for 70 straight days.

Bush veto bad news for Great Lakes 05/11/08 / COMMENTARY Eric Sharp - DETROIT FREE PRESS President George W. Bush has threatened to veto a House-passed bill that would make saltwater ships install systems that kill all living organisms in their tanks before dumping ballast in U. S. waters, including the Great Lakes. There’s no question this administration has one of the worst environmental records in history, drawing fire from conservative hunting and fishing groups as well as the usual ecological lefties, and that the bill the president threatens to veto is no more than a step in the right direction. Yet anyone who fishes or goes boating in the region should contact both of their senators and tell them that the Senate needs to adopt the House bill quickly and send it to the White House with a veto-proof majority, because if nothing else, it’s a start. Jordan Lubetkin, a spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office in Ann Arbor, Mich., said this bill is “a step in the right direction to stop what has been a plague on the Great Lakes. We really need to get the Senate to pass this. We can’t let the momentum stop or we’ll be back to square one.” The administration’s objections to the bill center on provisions that would require the Coast Guard to provide security for natural gas terminals and ships and make changes in the organization’s top command structure. The validity of those objections is belied by the fact that the bill passed the House, 395-7, with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. The White House has also floated a specious argument that the new law would force recreational boats to meet the same standards as commercial ships. But that would require a ludicrously narrow interpretation of the law, and even if that were remotely possible, Congress already is working on legislation that would clearly exempt small boats. The provision to protect the Great Lakes and other waters from continued invasions by damaging exotic species is included in a U. S. Coast Guard reauthorization bill. Zebra mussels alone have cost the United States several hundred million dollars in damages since they arrived from the Baltic Sea about 25 years ago. When you add up the damage caused by other species, such as the sea lampreys that have decimated lake trout and other game fish, viral hemorrhagic septicemia that has infected the three lower Great Lakes, and algae blooms caused by the invaders, the total cost has to be in the billions of dollars. But that’s small potatoes compared with what the Bush administration has borrowed for the war in Iraq; many economists project that the total war costs will exceed $1 trillion. This is the administration that in 2004 announced a major initiative to protect the Great Lakes and then failed to finance that program. Mary Gade, the Midwest administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, recently told the Chicago Tribune that the Bush administration forced her to resign because she was aggressively investigating Dow Corp.’s role in dioxin pollution of the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers and Saginaw Bay, all of which feed into the Great Lakes. And dozens of scientists in the EPA have said they have been pressured by superiors to water down data that might be detrimental to friends of the administration or have had their scientific findings ignored by administration rule makers. This is an administration that doesn’t think that protecting an ecosystem that holds 95 percent of the surface water in North America is as important as protecting the profits of its powerful friends in industries such as oil and chemicals. But if you hunt or fish, you know better, and there should be little that’s more important to you than protecting our lands and waters.

Perch haul on Lake Erie is cat’s meow 05/11/08 Will Elliott / buffalonews.com Perch measuring 12 inches can be caught on Lake Erie as a rule. Lake Erie may not be the perch factory it was 25 to 50 years ago, but some days on Erie can still be bountiful and beautiful. Native Americans named Erie “The Cat,” which aptly describes what often goes on while anglers strive to bring in buckets of larger-sized ringbacks. Like a cat, this fishery can be sneaky, disappearing and then showing up when and where least expected. Erie’s erratic perch production would make T. S. Eliot proud. That’s what fishing partner Ken “Mach” Maciejewski and I faced one afternoon in late April when we headed out from Cattaraugus Creek in search of perch schools that Rick Miller at Miller’s Bait & Tackle told us were hitting out in deep waters off Evangola State Park. Years ago, say some time in the 1950s to ’80s, we would have been cruising the shoreline as pre-spawn perch gathered in 5-to 10-foot shallows as they cruised around to feed and find good spawning beds. Today, in waters much more clear, the perch school in deeper waters, making the search more widespread, and much more challenging. Our search continued for more than two hours before we happened upon a white-knight good guy in a camo-colored boat. Perch anglers tend to be a bit reluctant to share on-the- water hot spots, especially when they are over the fish and steadily hauling in hefty numbers. But Eden angler Bruce Curvin not only told us he was into them, he suggested that we anchor closer to the center of the school to get more and better hits. Curvin, a Southtowns Walleye Association member and regular on the Erie perch circuit, had logged seven boat trips before this Friday afternoon outing. He was approaching his 50-fish limit and stayed in the area for about another hour to finish the count. Biting and catching action such as this was the norm some 30 to 50 years ago, and this afternoon outing brought back memories of some of those fruitful days of fishing — with a few techno alterations. Perch, as with all other desirable game fish species, move to various depths throughout the year. Predominantly a bottom-relating fish, the chase is mainly to get over the right depths at the right time of the year to maximize the catch count. Typically, boaters got out to a desired depth, one where schools were gathered, anchored their boat and soon, if not immediately, perch schools would move under their boat and the fun would begin. While that approach still works today, a highly successful perch pursuer moves more like a fly rodder or a bass boater in finding and hooking into good sizes and numbers of ringbacks. Mach and I had a bucket of fathead minnows and a pack of emerald shiners Ricky Miller suggested as best baits. Live emeralds were not available from bait dealers, because a bait restriction requires certification before these shiners can be sold. Anglers can net their own emeralds and use them on site without transporting them via motor vehicle. That means the bait has to be there and available for netting just before each outing. As is the plight of most other anglers, we didn’t have time to find or access to these “native” Lake Erie baits. Ricky mentioned that the salted emeralds often work as well or better than the hearty fatheads. He was right. But the presentation out there became even more crucial than the bait offerings. Curvin was running, basically back trolling on this dead-calm afternoon, with a rear-mounted electric trolling motor. My rear-mount, safely stored in the pole barn, could have been useful, because it became clear that Curvin was not only continually placing his transom directly over the fish school that would scatter with the sound of a powerful outboard motor, he also was offering a slightly moving target for these perch. Other boaters saw us reeling in fat perch and began anchoring nearby, dropping their rigs to the bottom. Few had steady hits; fishing was just so-so. The trick? Movement. Every time I would cast as far as possible and let the sinker and two hooks hit bottom and then begin a slow lift-and- drop, a perch or two would hit, immediately upon hitting bottom or on one of the lifts or drops. It took less than two hours for Mach and me to boat close to 50 perch and keep about 35 in the 10-to 13-inch range. It’s not the 200-300 daily perch pile that we often cleaned decades ago. Baits, boats, gas, tackle, and all other angling essentials cost so much more than we spent a year ago, but the pure fun of both catching and eating these feisty food fish make fishing for yellow perch golden.

....Ah man if I'd only known sooner I'd have........................On second thought I probably wouldn't have. Happy Birthday Art.

....Ah, you are but a young lass Joey. All the best on your big day.

....Doh, my bad Tigerfish it is. Jamie wins.

....I'm glad to hear it's all good Lew. Nothing better than having Mom there for Mother's day.

Payara! ....What I win?

.....Good on you ranger520vx, I need a whitie fix myself. Hoping Friday will be good for me and Fishfarmer to go. Glad you made it back BigChev, with fish no less. I've canceled my last two outings due to those nasty easterlies!

....Five posts , one thread and I'm thinking.... But you knew that didn't Wayne.

....Let me guess.........You work there? Of course I may be wrong.

....Well done Steve.

....I'd love to be out there, somewhere. But alas yesterday was a working day, the one that pays the bills. Today I'm assembling rod handles and wrapping rod guides (pays for my fishing gear & trips, sort'a). Three more shifts and I'll be on holidays, should be able to get out fishing then.

....Been brewing my own in the basement on and off for 20 plus years. At the height of things I was brewing as many as a dozen different types. Usually had two double batches going at a time and a cold room stuffed full of beer. Many friends would have chosen to by from me over the brewers retail generic tasteless swill because they favored mine. Problem was I was drinking it as fast as I could make it! So I gave it up and the consumption of beer for the most part (had to) and I'm giving all my equipment to some young fella that keeps asking when I'll deliver it.