Spiel

....Ah very nice. Always good to see friends enjoying their holidays then making it home safely.

Sea lamprey chemical treatment on South Sandy Creek will go on THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008 NANCY MADSEN, watertowndailytimes.com Although about 1,500 walleye pike were found dead in Little Sandy Creek last week because of a chemical treatment for sea lampreys, plans for treatment of South Sandy Creek today will proceed. Paul Sullivan, the section head for control at the Sea Lamprey Control Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, said that the kill was "definitely very unusual." The nuisance species control program sees some fish kill in one out of every 200 to 300 treatments. But, he said, this one was unusual because it was only male walleyes as opposed to several species. And in other cases, higher temperatures or lower pH levels have increased the toxicity of the treatment. But those factors were not present in Little Sandy Creek. Treatment using the pesticide TFM has been done on Little Sandy Creek 14 times, frequently at the same time of the year as the fish kill. "We were scratching our heads over that one," Mr. Sullivan said. Because other walleye survived, Mr. Sullivan said, there may be other factors, such as disease, that made those fish more vulnerable. Daniel L. Bishop, Region 7 fisheries manager for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the department has sent fish to be tested at Cornell University, Ithaca. He expects results in a few days. Treatment with the pesticide TFM has been done in New York by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which runs the center, since 1972. Teams treat about 16 streams on the eastern side of Lake Ontario on a three-year cycle to control the nuisance lamprey. "Most of the streams with lamprey on the U.S. side are on the Tug Hill," Mr. Bishop said. The lampricide was applied during the day Thursday and dead fish were found that evening. Using pesticides to kill sea lamprey is a vital program, Mr. Bishop said. "There would be no trout and salmon in Lake Ontario without sea lamprey control," he said. Sea lampreys attach themselves to the bodies of fish and feed on the fish's body fluids, which often leads to death for the fish. But as larvae, the lampreys are vulnerable to TFM for three years before they become adults. Mr. Sullivan said the lamprey primarily target trout and salmon species, but will "almost feed on anything." The TFM treatments have been effective in bringing the sea lamprey numbers down, from an estimated 1.5 million in 1971 to a current target of 30,000. "We've had great success in Lake Ontario," Mr. Sullivan said. "Due to the treatments, we have a vibrant salmon fishery."

Builders urged to give Great Lakes some space Environmentalists cheer Ontario's support for varying water levels Apr 24, 2008 Peter Gorrie, Environment Reporter / thestar.com People are building homes and cottages too close to Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes, environmentalists say. The comments came yesterday after the province endorsed a control plan for Lake Ontario that would let water levels fluctuate more than they do now, in a way that mimics nature. In doing so, Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield said she disagreed with a plan recommended last month by the International Joint Commission that would keep lake levels more stable than their natural state. For the past half-century, dams have controlled the flow of water out of Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River and have been used to reduce fluctuations in water levels. Environmentalists say that destroys wetlands and other shoreline habitats for fish and birds, which require varying water levels. The commission – created by the Canadian and U.S. federal governments to deal with transborder water issues – said it was trying to balance environmental concerns with the need to protect shoreline property owners from being flooded out by high levels or left high and dry when the water goes down. But that plan "won't do enough to sustain the health of the lake and the river in the long term," Cansfield told a Toronto conference on energy and the Great Lakes. The province prefers an option that "takes steps toward emulating the natural pattern of water flow and level variability," she said. "We believe our choice would be better for the environment ... offering greater protection for wetland habitats that support many species, including some that are at risk." New York state already opposes the commission's plan and prefers the "greener" alternative that Cansfield endorsed. It would let levels vary about 200 centimetres more than the commission plan. Environmentalists welcomed Ontario's decision, and suggested it's time to stop, and possibly reverse, shoreline development. "We shouldn't be building that close to the water," said John Jackson, of Great Lakes United. "You respect the lake, so you stand back from it a little." "We need to move back from the edge," said Tony Maas, of World Wildlife Federation. Such a policy would be "challenging," Maas said. Some shoreline owners have called for water levels even more stable than they are now. But other means of shoreline protection, including breakwalls and boulder piles, are as bad for the environment as keeping the lake levels too stable, he said. Cansfield acknowledged that "there may be a need to consider mitigation measures to ensure effective shoreline management." But it's "premature to look at what mitigation would be" until the commission makes a final decision on the control plan later this year, she said in an interview.

MNR tuning in trout; Wildlife officials using radio transmitters to track spawning fish DOUG EDGAR / owensoundsuntimes.com About 30 rainbow trout are now swimming up the Saugeen River with tiny radios in their bellies. Local Ministry of Natural Resources officials will soon be tracking them from a helicopter to see where they end up spawning. "These fish will steer us to where we have to go and focus our efforts," said Jody Scheifley, with the Owen Sound MNR office. He, fellow fish and wildlife technician Luke Weber and MNR biologist Andy McKee were busy Thursday implanting the radios - about the size of the first two sections of a man's pinky finger - in the body cavities of rainbow that Ontario Steelheaders and Kitchener-Waterloo-based Golden Triangle Salmon and Steelheaders club members intercepted at Denny's Dam fish ladder. The project is intended to give fisheries managers a better idea where rainbow trout, or steelhead, from Lake Huron spawn in the Saugeen River and tributaries. It will also tell MNR officials how well fishways upstream at dams at Walkerton and Maple Hill work. "Most of the good water is above those two dams," Scheifley said. Perhaps more importantly, he said, the project will indicate which areas should be protected and rehabilitated. Denny's Dam, at Southampton, is intended to stop the invasive and parasitic sea lamprey from migrating up the Saugeen River to spawn. There is a fish ladder at the south end of the dam, where the steelheaders intercepted 92 rainbow that were candidates for the research project Thursday. They use the same facility to collect eggs for hatcheries and to catch fish that are transported upstream and released. The three MNR staffers had a small fish field hospital set up in a shelter at the dam. The fish, which had to be at least five pounds to take the transmitter, were put in a tub with anesthetic in the water, then measured. McKee then made a small incision in the fish's belly, stuffed the 30-day transmitter in and sewed the fish up with two quick stitches. The fish were held in another tub for awhile to make sure they would recover before they were released in a quiet area a little upstream of the dam. Each fish also received a yellow marker tag near its dorsal fin, which Scheifley said should be a backup to track the fish. He asked that anyone who catches one of the marked fish call the MNR with the tag information and the date and time the fish was caught. McKee, who implanted the same type of transmitters in some muskellunge in the Saugeen a few years ago, said the fish should be able to spawn normally and recover from their surgery. The next step in the project, which is funded with help from the MNR, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Bruce Resource Stewardship Network and the Sydenham Conservation Foundation, is to use an MNR helicopter to track the fish, each of which will transmit its own code. "Hopefully next Friday we'll start," said Scheifley. "We'll do several flights over a two-week period."

April 11, 2008 POSSESSING AND TRANSPORTING AN OVER-LIMIT OF WALLEYE A Minnesota man has been fined $1,250 after pleading guilty to possessing and transporting an over-limit of walleye. Dean L. Torgersen, 49, of Duluth, has been fined $1,000 for the walleye over-limit and $250 for transporting fish unlawfully taken. The fish have been forfeited to the Crown. Torgersen's fishing rods, depth sounder and other fishing gear will be returned when he has paid the fine. On February 19, 2008, a Ministry of Natural Resources Thunder Bay District Conservation Officer stopped two men on snowmobiles on the Sag Road near Saganagons Lake just outside of Quetico Provincial Park. When the men told the officer that they had been fishing, he asked to check their fish and discovered Torgersen had four walleye over 46 centimetres (cm) in length. Under the regulations in the area where he was fishing, Torgersen was allowed a daily catch limit of two walleye of which one could be greater than 46 cm. Justice of the Peace John Guthrie heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay on April 2, 2008. To report a natural resource violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). More O.C.O.A. Convictions

Zebra mussels put snag in walleye fishing April 24, 2008 / intelligencer.ca Where have all the walleye gone? Ron Skevington has some theories. As a lifelong angler, he believes populations are still abundant in the Bay of Quinte, even 15 years after habitat-killing zebra mussels were first spotted in the area. They're now just harder to find. "When I first moved here, everybody was saying there were no walleye," said Skevington, a Lake Erie-bred angler who moved to Belleville seven years ago to open Skevy's Outdoor Specialties, a fishing supply store. "But I took the methods I was taught and applied them on the Bay of Quinte and I had no problem catching walleye. Guys who were fishing their old ways weren't catching walleye and said there was no fish here." Anglers and researchers agree that zebra mussels, an invasive species that first came to North America 20 years ago, have altered fish populations across the continent, including in the Bay of Quinte. Most fish populations have shrunk due to the mussels consuming plankton - tiny organisms living in the water that fish need to eat. But when plankton levels are reduced, water becomes more clear, allowing more light to penetrate to a lake's floor. That leads to more plant growth in water. Skevington advises anglers to look for weed beds and that's where you'll find walleye. It's a lesson he learned on Lake Erie, one of the first Great Lakes to be infested with zebra mussels. "When we got more weed beds, walleye and bass populations started to come back and we found we had to fish for walleye in a different method," he said. "Walleye are predator fish, so they were tucking themselves in weed beds and chasing minnows where they were going to hide." Although Skevington believes walleye are making a comeback, Ministry of Natural Resources researchers aren't so sure. Beth Brownson, an MNR invasive species biologist based in Peterborough, said the overall environmental harm zebra mussels cause overrides any temporary rise in population for a particular species. The most troubling thing about them, she said, is they cause already-contaminated environments to get worse. "They concentrate (contaminates) in their bodies," she said. "If I'm a fish or a bird and I eat a zebra mussel I'll get way more contamination in my system than from eating other food sources." This is the 20th anniversary of zebra mussels' arrival to North America, but Brownson said it's nothing to celebrate. Since first appearing in Lake St. Clair in 1988, apparently from ocean-going commercial vessels, they have spread across the Great Lakes, complicating environmental clean up efforts. It didn't take long for zebra mussels, known to multiply quickly, to find their way to the Bay of Quinte where shallow conditions are ideal for their growth. A Department of Fisheries and Oceans report said they were first spotted in the bay in 1993. Jeff Borisko, implementation manager for the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan, an organization in charge of cleaning up the bay, said a Department of Fisheries and Oceans program to monitor zebra mussel growth seems to indicate it's stable. But he also said it's important not to jump to conclusions. Researchers have made the conclusion by counting zebra mussels at four different checkpoints year after year. But the number of zebra mussels in other parts of the bay could be quite different, he said. "The bottom line is the ecosystem has changed and it has to be managed differently," he said. "They're here to stay." And now that scientists have pinpointed the problems of zebra mussels, the more challenging task of curtailing them has begun. "Unfortunately we don't have a silver bullet to eradicate them and we probably never will," Brownson said. "But we hope to come up with some management solutions." She said the ministry is studying programs that helped reduce other invasive species such as sea lamprey, an eel-like fish. In this case, barriers were put in streams to prevent the species from travelling in order to spawn. Other invasive species have been reduced through biological control agents - in other words, chemicals that kill a particular species but cause no other ill effects on the ecosystem. But such things are tough to invent. "A biological control agent may be found for zebra mussels," Brownson said. "But at this point, we don't have it." In the meantime, the ministry hopes the public will do its part. Brownson said education programs to teach people to wash their boats after coming out of the water are on the go. Zebra mussels get around by attaching to the bottom of boats and can even grow on seaweed. She also advises anglers to not dump bait buckets in water. Though few people realize it, zebra mussels can reproduce in small pools. By dumping your bait bucket back in the water, you may be releasing zebra mussel eggs that you can't even see. If more people follow these instructions, zebra mussel growth will level off, she said. Skevington believes that levelling off is already happening on the bay. He said a boat at a local dock used to have a problem with zebra mussels. A rope attached to the vessel would always be covered with them. "Last year we noticed that rope had none on it," he said. "And the docks that normally have zebra mussels all over the legs had none on it," he said. "The comments from a lot of fishers was, 'zebra mussels seem to be decreasing.'"

IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fame announces 10th induction class International event honors contributions of five to the sport of fishing Pete Johnson / fishingworld.com (Apr. 24, 2008 - Dania Beach, FL)... Four men and a lady, all who have made significant contributions to the sport of recreational fishing, will be inducted as the 10th class into the International Game Fish Association International Fishing Hall of Fame this fall. The announcement of the class of 2008 includes Henry Chee, Dr. Roy Dean, Jimmy Houston, Kay Rybovich and Karl Wickstrom. The 10th annual star-studded enshrinement ceremony and dinner will be held Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 6 p.m. at the IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach, Fla. The public is invited. Each year the honorees are selected for the significant contributions through angling achievements, literature, the arts, science, education, invention, communication or administration of fishery resources. The five inductees and their contributions are: - Henry Chee was one of the original two charter skippers in Kona, Hawaii. In the 1940s he was responsible for the advent of trolling lures, making his first "tube" lure out of fiberglass resin, using a drinking glass as a mold, and went on to perfect the use of brass for leader tubes and strips of pearl shell for inserts. Chee died in 1965. - Dr. Roy Dean dedicated his life to light-tackle fishing. Recognized for his extensive exploration of the coastlines of Mexico and Costa Rica, research on billfish migration, and promotion of catch-and-release, he is best known as the founder of the International Light Tackle Tournament Association (ILTTA) more than 60 years ago. Dean died in 1990. - Jimmy Houston won his first professional bass tournament in 1966, his first B.A.S.S. "Angler of the Year" title in 1976, and has produced and hosted the popular TV show Jimmy Houston Outdoors for more than 30 years. He was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2002. Houston lives in Cookson, Okla. - One of three founders of the International Women’s Fishing Association (IWFA) in 1955, Kay Rybovich remains one of the grand ladies of sport fishing. An early proponent of catch-and-release fishing, she is a long-time supporter of fisheries research programs and numerous conservation organizations. Kay was married to the late John Rybovich Jr. who was inducted into the IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fame’s first class in 1998. - Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Florida Sportsman magazine, Karl Wickstrom initiated and chaired the Save Our Sealife constitutional amendment campaign that banned gill nets in 1994 and revitalized Florida’s inshore waters. He was also instrumental in the founding of the state’s Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) chapter more than 20 years ago. Wickstrom lives in Stuart, Fla. There are currently 70 Hall of Fame members enshrined including Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Lee Wulff, Michael and Helen Lerner, Philip Wylie, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Johnny Morris, Don Tyson and Stu Apte.

Fishing Update; Lake Erie & Lake Ontario 04/24/08 Will Elliott / buffalonews.com Lake Erie Boaters out of Cattaraugus Creek have been heading east toward 52-foot depths off Evangola State Park for a perch run that had begun late last week. Some anglers have had days with a 50- fish limit and a few reaching the 15-inch mark, according to Rick Miller at Miller’s Bait & Tackle in Irving. Both live fathead minnows and salted emerald shiners have done well on the ringback run. Peak catching periods vary depending on the time of day and wind directions, but the bite is on in deeper waters, and area experts expect to see similar results soon at Sturgeon Point, Cattaraugus Creek and Dunkirk Harbor hot spots. Catfish numbers slowly rise at Cattaraugus Creek. Better bullhead batches come from shoreline shallows at the east end of Dunkirk Harbor. Lake Erie feeders lost water levels and gained unusual numbers of early-arriving smallmouth bass this past week. Steelies still hold in deeper waters of larger feeders, but warming, clearing waters have made trout fishing more like hunting. Lake Ontario Some salmon have moved east of Port Dalhousie, but the bigger draw has been lake trout and some browns, with a few coho shooting through at the Niagara Bar. Feeder streams have seen a few big steelies, but warming waters have sent bass, perch and other warm-water species up into creeks and Oak Orchard River this past week. Niagara River Smelt schooling has been heavy, but boaters still can head up to Devils’ Hole for steelhead, which hit either egg sacks, minnows or Kwikfish, says Capt. Frank Campbell. Smelt dippers have done well this past week, but the action often starts well into the evening before anyone hits the eight-quart limit of rainbow runners. Both the Lewiston Landing and the Artpark stair-walk site get dippers close enough for dip-net work.

Isle Royale National Park bans bait in Lake Superior Wednesday, April 23, 2008 John Myers / Duluth News Tribune Isle Royale National Park announced an immediate ban Tuesday on all organic bait in the waters of Lake Superior near the big island. The ban includes all live and dead minnows, fish parts, worms or other organic bait unless they were taken from the same water. The ban makes it illegal to possess any fish or fish parts for bait that don’t come from the park waters of the lake. Organic bait already had been banned in waters on the island. The park’s jurisdiction on Lake Superior reaches 4.5 miles out from the outermost land in the 30-mile-long Isle Royale archipelago — home to some of the best lake trout fishing on the Great Lakes. While most anglers troll with spoons and other artificial lures, surveys show about 25 percent to 30 percent of anglers use organic bait, said Phyllis Green, Isle Royale superintendent. But the bait most commonly used is a chunk of belly meat from a recently caught lake trout. That still would be allowed if the trout came from the same area, Green said. The move is another in a growing number of restrictions on anglers and boaters in an effort to thwart the expansion of exotic species such as the fish-killing VHS virus. “Our fishermen are some of the best stewards of the park and they want to protect the fishery,’’ Green said. “It might be an inconvenience, but VHS could wipe out the trout, and nobody wants that.’’ It’s believed bait, bait buckets, live wells and bilges on recreational boats are a likely pathway for some exotic species such as VHS to reach park waters — moved unknowingly by anglers and boaters from other parts of the Great Lakes or infected inland lakes. Isle Royale is about 15 miles off Minnesota’s North Shore but is part of Michigan. Park Service officials said Michigan regulations so far are not restrictive enough to prevent exotic species from moving into park waters. VHS already has killed about 32 species of fish in the eastern Great Lakes but has not been found in Lake Superior. In addition to the bait ban, Isle Royale is requiring any watercraft transported to the island for recreational use, such as kayaks or fishing boats that move to the island on the ferry Ranger III, to be washed or disinfected. Boats that travel to the island on their own power are not covered by the disinfection rule but are asked to voluntarily make sure they are not moving any water or organisms from other lakes. In September, Isle Royale banned ships from releasing any ballast water in park waters, and the Park Service’s Ranger III became the first vessel in the Great Lakes to regularly treat its ballast water to kill any living organisms inside. Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, recently implemented a similar ban on all organic bait. And Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has banned organic bait for fishing on waters on the islands, but not Lake Superior. Apostle Island National Lakeshore has only one-quarter mile jurisdiction on waters near islands. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore also is requiring all boats launching from park land into Lake Superior to be decontaminated to prevent the spread of VHS and other species such as zebra mussels.

Great Lakes virus may be culprit for local fish kill April 22, 2008 Alan Morrell / democratandchronicle.com A fish kill discovered on the shores of Irondequoit Bay could have been caused by a viral disease first noticed in New York two years ago, an official from the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Monday. Officials estimate hundreds of dead gizzard shad were spotted earlier this month, said Webster Pearsall, the DEC's regional fishery manager. DEC officials sent samples to the Cornell University Fish Pathology lab in Ithaca, and results are expected back by the end of the month, he said. Gizzard shad are freshwater members of the herring family. Adults average 10 to 14 inches in length and weigh up to 10 pounds, and most anglers consider the fish a nuisance species. Pearsall said he doesn't think the fish died from a chemical spill because gizzard shad were the only species killed and pollution would have affected other species as well. Gizzard shad spawn this time of year, and the fish could have died from spawning stress, Pearsall said. The other likely cause is viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture has called an "extremely serious pathogen of fresh- and saltwater fish" which is emerging in the Great Lakes. The disease originally was thought to be a danger only for trout and other freshwater fish in Europe; a new strain of the virus has appeared in the Great Lakes. VHS is not a threat to humans, Pearsall said. He said people should keep their dogs from eating fish kill and people handling dead fish should wear plastic gloves.

River makes at-risk listing WATER LEVEL PLAN: Advocacy group says IJC must choose B+ THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008 JAEGUN LEE / watertowndailytimes.com The St. Lawrence River was named as one of America's 10 most endangered rivers Wednesday by American Rivers, a national river advocacy group. The 35-year-old group chose the St. Lawrence not based on its pollution level, but on the threats it faces, said spokesman Garret M. Russo. "The St. Lawrence River is at a crossroads. I would hope that the International Joint Commission would listen to the voices of the thousands, if not millions, of people in support of plan B+," Mr. Russo said. According to a press release from American Rivers, the group receives thousands of submissions from environmental organizations, local governments and watchdog groups for their annual America's Most Endangered Rivers report. The group then chooses 10 rivers facing the most uncertain futures. Mr. Russo said the St. Lawrence River, at No. 4 on the list, is at a particularly important stage as the IJC prepares to select a water-level plan to replace the 50-year-old plan now in place. He noted there is a proposal to protect the river environment that is widely supported by the people and local government. "Protecting the river is a contact sport. People need to get involved," he said. The International Joint Commission has been widely criticized by state, federal and local officials since it announced last month that it is considering a close cousin of its current regulation. The newly proposed plan, Plan 2007, is similar to the current water management plan, 1958-D, which keeps the water level high during the summer and cuts it sharply in the fall. The commission is set to make a decision by the end of the year to implement a plan that manages water levels along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In a press release, Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, said that he is not surprised that the St. Lawrence River was named one of the most endangered rivers. "As someone who was born and raised in Northern New York, I know well that a healthy river and lake are fundamental to the daily life and landscape of the region," Mr. McHugh said. Mr. McHugh argued that Plan 2007 would do the river "far more harm than good" and urged the IJC to adopt plan B+. "I believe that Plan B+, which has earned widespread support, best meets the needs of our river, our lake, and our communities," Mr. McHugh said. He said that the state and its residents need to continue to put pressure on the IJC to make water management decisions that benefit the environment, the economy and local residents. Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis, the state Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner, said American Rivers' decision to list the St. Lawrence River as one of the most endangered is "dead on." "The St. Lawrence is at risk in part because the International Joint Commission is poised to botch a once-in-a-generation opportunity to return to more natural water flows in the river and Lake Ontario," Mr. Grannis said in a statement. "Instead, the IJC wants to continue a river management plan that artificially constrains water levels — a plan that has turned half the once vibrant wetlands bordering Lake Ontario into impenetrable cattail stands," he said. Mr. Grannis's statement said that if the IJC does not adopt plan B+, the people of New York likely will see the St. Lawrence River moving up in the rankings in next year's most-endangered report. "The IJC spent $20 million studying this issue for five years and developed an alternative, known as Plan B+, that would change the way the river and lake are managed, to benefit the environment, hydropower and other interests," he said. "At a minimum, the IJC should present this alternative for public comment well before it reaches a final decision, expected this summer." Jennifer J. Caddick, executive director of Save the River, an environmental advocacy group based in Clayton, said she hopes the IJC will adopt plan B+ in the end. "We hope this designation serves as a wake-up call for the IJC," Ms. Caddick said. "It has been 50 years since the Moses-Sanders Dam was built and IJC is still stalling to do the right thing," she said.

....Hey now that's cool. I have had the pleasure of meeting and chattting with both Pete and Karl, both top shelf kind a guys. Just missed you this past Sunday as well Steve, I was heading out (white GM van, black Lund) as you returned from some turkey hunting classes you were giving (I think).

....Well that was easy. Thanks for the "heads up" Dan.

Canadian law calls for border check-in 04/20/08 Eric Sharp - DETROIT FREE PRESS Mich. — The night crawlers you buy for bait in Michigan nearly all come from a stretch of Ontario farmland between Windsor and Toronto that seems to be the annelid equivalent of the land of milk and honey. But it’s a one-way trip for those worms, because once they enter our country they become persona non grata in their native land — it’s illegal for U.S. anglers to take night crawlers, baitfish, leeches, crayfish or any other live bait into Ontario. That’s true even if the angler bought the bait from a facility that is certified to be disease-free and has the receipts to prove it, as is now required of anglers who buy live minnows to fish in Michigan waters. Taking bait to Canada was one of the questions that arose last week after the U.S. government cleared up confusion about whether U.S. anglers must clear customs upon returning to the United States. The answer is that they don’t unless they land or tie up in Canada, and anchoring to fish doesn’t count as landing. But that opened a whole new can of worms about whether U.S. anglers must check in with Canadian customs if the Americans are merely entering Canadian waters to fish and don’t tie up or land on that side. The official word from the Canada Border Services Agency is that thousands of Michigan anglers who fish the Canadian sides of Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and their connecting rivers are technically violating Canadian law because few, if any, check in with immigration authorities. When asked whether U.S. boaters must clear Canada customs if they cross into Canadian waters and don’t tie up or anchor, Canada Border Services e-mailed the following: “People seeking to enter into Canada must report to the CBSA. [The law] states: Every person seeking to enter Canada must appear for an examination to determine whether that person has a right to enter Canada or is or may become authorized to enter and remain in Canada. This includes fishers who anchor, dock, or moor in Canadian waters.” However, several Canadian Border Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources employees said there was little likelihood that rule would be enforced in places with shared waters and where large numbers of boaters routinely cross the boundary line for fishing, sailing, waterskiing and other recreational activities. The Canadians aren’t equipped to handle all those people, and inspecting boaters who are just casually passing through for a few hours isn’t what the law was designed for. Canada is unhappy about a plan by the Bush administration to require all U.S. and Canadian residents to show a passport when entering the U.S. from Canada, starting in 2009. The Canadian government believes that would reduce tourism from the United States and create unnecessary hassles for both U.S. and Canadian citizens. Any suggestion that the Canadian government would ignore border violations by U.S. anglers would not go down well with the average Canadian.

....Well isn't this special. Happy birthday there young fella!

....A big Lund tiller, sweeeeet !

....Salmon and trout can be found near shore in the spring and not just rivermouths. It's bait there after and if water temps are right the bait move into spawn and the salmon and trout are right with them.

Lake Erie walleye too busy to bite Spawning takes precedence over artificial lure, wiggling minnow Friday, April 18, 2008 Steve Pollick / toledoblade.com It gets a fisherman's blood boiling to be drifting across the near-shore western Lake Erie reefs in April, twitching a hair-jig and a minnow while watching hordes of spawn-crazed walleye splashing around the boat, oblivious to the angler's offerings. That is just the way it was this week off Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. It was a mite windy at midweek, the water still too muddy but clearing. The walleye didn't care. Several times during a morning's angling, huge female spawners could be seen rolling and swirling on the surface, each followed by a pack of four or five eager males, their snouts occasionally poking at the female's flanks. "The fish are stacked in here thick," said Jerry "Meatpole" Meyers Sr., skipper of the Water Witch. He reflected on the spotty catching as well. "It's been so dirty. But it's getting better every day." All the rain and snow of last winter, Meyers added, have added 18 inches to two feet to the lake level - a good thing. Ron Lamont, a Wing Wings Marina skipper like Meyers, was taking a busman's holiday from his Sun Chaser to accompany Meyers' crew. "I think we're at least two weeks behind," he said. He added that he would not be surprised if the normal spring transition to familiar spinner-type rigs with nightcrawlers does not occur later than normal, perhaps mid-May. Lamont added that he never has seen so much debris in the lake, from whole, 60-foot trees to railroad ties. So beware and keep a sharp lookout when piloting around the western basin. So much for the scenery. The walleye are running very nice, from three to four pounds on up, with nine and 10-pounders not uncommon, at least for now. The bigger fish no doubt will wander off in search of food later. So far, it is not "fish-a-minute" action, like it can and likely soon will be. Then the fish may be so eager you won't have to bother with minnows. Dan Tucker, skipper of Erie Sport, was trying the no-minnow jigging on Meyers' boat this week with less than write-home success. We called him the conservationist. Other crew members, Steve Hathaway, of Port Clinton, and me, stuck to the jig-and-minnow script and were not disappointed. One slight disappointment was watching the herring gulls occasionally descend upon and peck to death some spawned-out female walleye. The fish could be seen wallowing on the surface, exhausted from their egg-dropping efforts. "They [the gulls] peck holes in them, right behind the gills," Meyers explained. Eventually, the battered and torn fish will sink to the bottom. It is not pretty, but it's life, and death, in nature. Fishermen know that and the public needs to understand that uncompromising lesson.

....Good stuff guys. I hope this weather holds out so I can take my son down there tomorrow.

....Best take lots of coin Peter.

....Well I'm glad to see you had some good fishing and good weather but I feel for yous. Had sun stroke a few times (once severely), not fun, not a nice feeling at all. I hope your both feeling better today.

Local anglers help out with salmon study April 11, 2008 Doug Edgar / owensoundsuntimes.com Some local anglers are being recruited to help with a study that could show how far chinook salmon range in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay by analyzing fish ear bones. The study’s findings could eventually have an impact on how the fishery is managed. If fish stay mostly in their local area — say if a salmon from the Sydenham River remains in southern Georgian Bay — the fishery managers will have a relatively easy time controlling fish in that area. But if Georgian Bay fish journey into the main part of Lake Huron, the North Channel, or even Michigan’s Saginaw Bay — while another fish from the main part of Lake Huron makes its way to Owen Sound — management gets a lot more complicated. But before any of that gets figured out, people like University of Western Ontario researcher Stephen Marklevitz have to round up some fish heads. Marklevitz was at the April meeting of the Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association to explain the project and hand out fish collection kits to six volunteers, who are each asked to collect five salmon heads. He made a similar presentation to a club in Sarnia and plans to visit the Lake Huron Fishing Club and the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association. He’s handing out kits to volunteers to ensure all the information needed is recorded and because researchers can only afford to do so many tests. He’s not looking for unsolicited fish heads. Since salmon move toward their home streams to spawn in the late summer, the researchers want the samples from earlier in the year — into July, or maybe a bit later. Another part of the study starts with analysis of otolith samples taken from fry-sized chinook collected in rivers around Lake Huron. Fish from rivers in different geological areas are expected to show different trace elements in their otoliths. As a fish ages its otolith is laid down in layers, Marklevitz explained. “It’s like writing a book in pen. You can’t go back and erase that first part, so we can go back and read these things much like a book,” he said in an interview this week. “We can look at the first page when the fish are babies, or eggs actually . . . and you can look at them right through to the time they die.” That means researchers should be able to analyze the ear bone of an older fish and compare the trace elements found in it with what they know from the fry samples and determine where the older fish hatched. “It is an up-and-coming technique, but it has been proven already,” Marklevitz said. A technician removes the otolith from the donated fish head. It is polished and prepared and then a laser is used to vaporize part of it, starting from the centre and working out. The gases given off are then analyzed. While most fish stocked in Ontario are marked by having fins clipped, not all are, he said. The otolith technique allows researchers to figure out where wild-born fish — none of which are clipped — are from too. “It’s going to allow us to look at things in much finer detail than in the past,” he said. It’s believed most salmon now caught in Lake Huron are wild-born, he said. The study may help solve the mystery of where hatchery-raised fish are going, or if they’re behaving differently than the wild ones. While Marklevitz and his group are after the volunteer anglers’ fish heads, David Gonder of the MNR’s upper Great Lakes management unit in Owen Sound wants the tails, with some of the spine included. It’s part of the MNR’s ongoing study of the balance between hatchery fish and those that reproduce naturally. While Ontario uses fin clipping to mark hatchery fish, Michigan uses the antibiotic oxytetracycline, or OTC. The chemical quickly leaves the flesh, so there’s no risk in eating it, but it stays in the skeleton and will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. The vertebrae sections will be sent to Michigan for analysis, Gonder said. Since fish have to be killed for both studies, it makes sense to run them together, he added. out for trout Organizers are getting ready for the region’s first large fishing derby of the season. Tickets were to go on sale Friday for the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association’s 28th annual Spring Trout Derby, which is to run from April 25 to May 4. Tickets are $20 and are available from some GTAA members and at locations throughout the southern Georgian Bay area, according to derby chairman Gary Lawrence. The club also has information posted at http://www.meaford.com/fishbyte/ First place in rainbow is $1,000, second is $500 and third is $250. The top brown trout and salmon fetch $100. According to the website, tickets are available and there will be a weigh station at Garnet’s Esso, 13 Sykes St., Meaford, with more announcements to come. Net proceeds from the derby go to fishery enhancement projects. lake level update Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are seven inches (17.5 centimetres) lower than they were at the same time last year, according to data posted on the Great Lakes Information Network, while Lake Superior is seven inches (17.5 centimetres) higher. Lake St. Clair is four inches (10 centimetres) lower, while Lake Erie is an inch (2.5 centimetres) lower and Lake Ontario is an inch higher. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie are predicted to rise two to three inches (five to 7.5 centimetres) over the next month or so, and Lake Ontario is projected to rise six inches (15 centimetres). Lake Superior is forecast to stay above last year's water levels through August, while the remaining lakes are forecast to remain at or below their levels of a year ago over the next several months.

I'll be fishing brookies on opener, just like the past countless years. Me and a buddy and a small stream all to ourselves.

....I think the driver was merely having difficulty with the term "launching the boat".

....I think we've garnered enough info here for Tinman. Thanks to all who contributed positively.