GLF

Does this mean we are on for Monday?

I know these are points of reference, but what are some of the nick names of the spots you fish? Why is it called that, and what port are they out of? I will start off with two. Mt. Baldy - Its an old radio antenna shaped like a giant ball. It looks like a water tower. Its located just South of Saugatuck, Michigan. Junk Cars - its an old pile of cars on the beach and hill. This is located a few miles South of St. Joseph, Michigan.

I love the name of some of the fishing spots I hear. Why is it called the "spark plug" Thanks for the report Tom!

There is no light penetration that far down. The only way for a fish to sense a bait that deep is by vibration, smell, or glow in the dark lure.

I believe most charter captains only have a six-pack(I believe this allows them to have 6 people) license. You will probably need two boats.

The same virus that killed tens of thousands of sheepshead, or freshwater drum, in western Lake Erie this spring also is responsible for some of the dieoff of up to several thousand yellow perch in central Lake Erie in the last two weeks, the Ohio Division of Wildlife says. The virus is known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS. It is the same virus known to have killed sheepshead in Lake Ontario's Bay of Quinte in 2005. "It appears this virus is not specific to drum," stated Jeff Tyson, Lake Erie fish management and research supervisor for the division. He added that at least one muskellunge from Lake St. Clair succumbed to VHS last year. Presence of VHS in the dead perch was confirmed by both the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Laboratory at LaCrosse, Wis., and an independent lab in Seattle, Tyson said. As a result state fish biologists netted samples of a variety of fish species last week and have sent them for testing to determine how far the disease may extend. "The central basin [perch] dieoff hasn't been on a par with the sheepshead dieoff in the western basin in May," Tyson said. He stressed again, as authorities have previously, that VHS poses no harm to human health and any fish caught that acts healthy is healthy. In its late stages a VHS-infected fish will have sides that appear sore or bloody and could be bleeding from the gills. Tyson also noted that with a system as large as Lake Erie, there is little that can be done about the virus in any case. "There is no treatment or anything." He added that some of the perch also may have died from post-spawn stress, which is normal, and some from commercial trapnetting "bycatch" of undersized fish. But it is impossible to assess which cause was responsible for how much of the kill. Commercial fishermen, he added, "cooperated with us and gave us some samples."

House Bill 609 would eliminate commercial fishing on Lake Erie's Ohio water A bill to allow the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to buy out remaining Lake Erie commercial fishing licenses was introduced last week by State Rep. Jim McGregor (R., Gahanna). If the proposal, House Bill 609, eventually becomes law it would end commercial netting in Ohio waters of the lake and the end of what in most cases has been a generations-long if dying tradition for the remaining dozen or so license-holders. The proposal would provide $4 million in state general revenue funds to buy up 18 licenses under a formula based on each licensee's average catch between 2000 and 2005. McGregor acknowledged that with legislators on break till at least August and possibly September, then a break for the fall campaigns and elections, action on the bill might not be completed this year. That means it would have to be re- introduced under a new legislature and governor in January. But he contends that his proposal, which has five cosponsors, is "treating [commercial] fishermen fairly through a buyout." He claimed that $4 million, based on the licenses presently held, would provide each fisherman with a year's income during which he could find other work or job training. "They need some time to land on their feet," McGregor added. "Basically this [bill] is kind of the completion of a project that was started in 1982." He was referring to the state buyout of all Lake Erie commercial gillnetters then. "We in the department feel that a buyout of the commercial [trapnet] fishing industry could have a positive impact on sport fishing and the billion-dollar industry that surrounds it," stated Dave Graham, assistant chief of the ODNR's Division of Wildlife. McGregor admitted that a major reason behind his proposal has been the recent year-long felony-racketeering scandal involving a goodly portion of the commercial industry and revolving around underreporting and marketing of valuable Lake Erie yellow perch catches. At least 40 tons of underreported catches were documented in two years alone in the racketeering cases. Additional related cases are pending. "There's been a tremendous amount of collateral damage done," McGregor contended. On the other hand, "sport fishing has been a tremendous benefit to northern Ohio," he added, saying that he wants to do what he can to see the lake's sport fishery and associated tourism prosper and grow. Part of a statement from McGregor's office states this: "In a nutshell, the state of Ohio has lost its ability to manage the perch fishery because our biologists cannot trust the numbers coming from the commercial fishing industry. This puts the health of the Lake Erie fish populations in jeopardy, and negatively affects the performance of this economically important sport fishery." The proposed $4 million buyout, the statement goes on, "is a small mount of money compared to the billion-dollar-plus sport-fishing industry, an industry which is totally dependent on healthy fish populations. "Eliminating the commercial fishery on Lake Erie will quickly stabilize and improve the health of the perch population." Announcement of the planned buyout was met with predictable reactions. "We in the department feel that a buyout of the commercial fishing industry could have a positive impact on sport fishing and the billion-dollar industry that surrounds it," stated Dave Graham, assistant chief of the ODNR's Division of Wildlife. He noted that the division takes in a little more than $100,000 a year in commercial license fees and royalties, but adds: "We're spending five to seven times that to administer and oversee the industry." Sportsmen, however, not the general public, end up paying for the disproportionate enforcement costs because it is their license fees, along with hunting and trapping license money, that are the main sources of support for the division. Ohio sport fishermen in 2005 spent nearly $14 million on fishing licenses alone. Graham noted that the division's Lake Erie enforcement unit is forced to spend 85 percent of its time monitoring commercial fishermen because of the distrust issues that erupted in the racketeering scandal. He added that the fish-consuming public would not be left without yellow perch, inasmuch as 40 percent of the Ohio commercial trapnet catch already is sold to Ontario processers and provincial commercial gillnetters already export Erie perch taken in Ontario waters to Ohio and elsewhere. "We encourage passage of it," stated Bob Collins, president of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association, which says that it represents 650 of the 750 charter-fishing guides in Ohio. LECBA earlier initiated a petition campaign urging a buyout plan similar to the one on the table. Commercial fishermen, however, were hardly enthused at the prospect of seeing an end to the heritage businesses they grew up in. "Not for it," said fisherman Mike Szuch. "The trapnetting business is the only source of income we have. We don't go to work in the shipyards or Jeep or wherever," he added, noting that the vast majority of charter guides are part-timers. "Do you know how many people we feed? "We put our life into this job. This has been my life," Szuch said, noting that his may be the last generation of commercial lakemen anyway. "I'd like to stay afloat another 15 to 20 years. How am I at my age [35] going to go back to school, to find a new job? How do I dispose of all this equipment?" Jeff Herr, another trapnetter, said has not read the buyout proposal so he could not directly comment on it. But he questioned the proposed $4 million allotment for the buyout. "This industry has millions of dollars invested in just the catching." He noted, moreover, that the yellow perch netting has been poor so far this spring on the heels of a poor fall season. "It's the worst spring since '99." As for a buyout, he thought it would come down to the reality of another North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA]. "It's along the lines of NAFTA. Everybody's exporting jobs."

MARQUETTE — The study of a lesser-known cousin of the common lake trout has brought officials from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to the deepest depths of Lake Superior. Every three years, the DNR — in collaboration with several other agencies — surveys the Siscowet, the higher-body fat offshoot of the more common lean lake trout. “We’re venturing into the abyss, so to speak,†said Shawn Sitar, DNR research biologist at the department’s research station in Harvey. Lake trout are the dominant native predator fish in Lake Superior. The Siscowet lake trout live at depths of 250 feet or more almost exclusively, Sitar said, while lean lake trout typically live in depths of no more than 300 feet. Seasonal research assistant Nicole White holds the first fish, a siscowet lake trout, caught at 1,100 feet down about 20 miles north of Munising aboard Research Vessel Judy during a siscowet lake trout survey recently. (DNR photo) As part of the study, DNR officials catch the fish with nets, measure their size and weigh, take stomach samples and cell structures from the fish to age them, check their reproductive organs to see if they’re mature and take tissue samples, Sitar said. “We study the basic biology, look at what they eat, their reproductive status, their age,†Sitar said. “We’ve found these animals up over 40 years old. They’re very slow growing, living in an extreme environment.†The research vessel “Judy†has already transported a DNR research crew to drop nets in a portion of Lake Superior that’s roughly 1,100 feet deep — according to Sitar, likely the deepest depth a net has been dropped in the lake. This week, however, the research crew is scheduled to travel about 23 miles north of Munising to drop a net in the deepest recorded portion of Lake Superior — about 1,330 feet, Sitar said. Part of the impetus for the study is to determine if the Siscowet has impacted the population of the lean lake trout — a more desirable fish for catching and consumption, Sitar said. However, the Siscowet tend to stay in the deepest portions of the lake, he said. “I don’t think the Siscowet are overtaking lean lake trout habitat, as some are speculating,†Sitar said. The DNR also plans to tag some of the fish to study their migration patterns.

Thanks for the report Eric! Glad to hear you got on the eyes.

Thanks for the report Ron!

Thanks for the report Steve! Did you release these walleye's or did they end up on the dinner table?

Hey Rich...How do you cast a fly with a rigger rod? Thanks for the report Rich!

Everyone is/will be watching Lake Michigan closely for the next few years. Lots of people think the fishery is on the edge of colapsing. Not enough bait fish and too many predators. Myself...I wonder if the reductions in stockings will be enough? I would rather see too many cut than not enough. The last thing all of us want to see is the fishery in Lake Michigan turn in the fishery of Lake Huron Do you think the changes the surrounding states made to their stockings will be enough to save the fishery?

Thanks for the report Keith. There is a tutorial posted in the general discussion on how to upload pictures to the gallery. Let me know if you need help or want to hot link them from your site. Mike

Thanks for the report Larry. Seems like I heard a little bird telling you to fish for the steelhead

I have broke the Great Lakes News section down into individual sections for each of the Great Lakes. I am still in the process of moving all of the threads around. The new sections are for discussion and news of the specific Great Lake.

Only 40(12.5%) members out of 319 that have voted so far. I find it hard to believe we do not have any members from Pennsylvannia or Minnesota.

While fishing any of the Great Lakes, you will notice underwater currents. Signs of this, are your downrigger cables and lines off to one side of the boat while you are trolling. Part 1. What I would like to know is how everyone fishes them. Do you head directly in to them? Are you going with the currents? 30 degrees into them? 45 degrees into them? etc, ect, etc... Part 2. This is where the sub troll and other underwater speed devices comes into play. How many have these devices? Are you using these devices for your trolling speed, or are you still using your GPS?

I recieved the cards yesterday. I will be sending them out Monday to those who offered to help. Thanks, Mike

OK...we got Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Who's next? I do not believe this will be the end of the attacks over there. This is only a set back to them. It will only be a matter of time before he is replaced. This has probably happened already. Like Mike said "They are in a land that has thrived on war from biblical times". What the middle east hates the most is Western influence. So...what is happening over there now? We are over there trying to change the way they live. More Western influence. There is no way to pull out our troops without things reverting back to the way they were. Lets hope all of our remaining personal/troops that are over there, return safely.

That was another member trying to play a joke on Caznik.

We are rating by quantity and quality. If you could fish out of any port on the lake....which port would you fish out of and why?

We are rating by quantity and quality. If you could fish out of any port on the lake....which port would you fish out of and why?

Thanks for the report Mike. What's average size fish you are catching....15" - 18"?

There is a marina in Saugatuck that is up river of the bridge. They had issues in the past of boats not being able to get up to it. Did they ever dredge the river so the bigger boats can get up to it? This being the Kalamazoo River....what about PCB's?