Walleye Express

And now the worst news. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=423678

I E-mailed my DNR bud about this and heres his answer. Dan: I am only speculating, but I doubt its the gobies, instead we are seeing far more quagga mussels in the bay and far fewer zebra mussels. What has changed to give quaggas the upper hand over zebras I don't know. The benthification process (the filtering of organic matter from the water cloumn) that is playing out in Lake Huron is continuing and in ways we don't exactly understand right now.

When I pulled my Big boat 2 weeks ago after it sat in the marina water for about 100 days, I was shocked to see very few Zebra Mussel attached to the outdrives, protective boots or trim tabs like in years before. I'll bet there wasn't 100 mussels all together on the whole thing. This compares to about the 3,000 I estimate were there last year. I thought that my decision to paint my outdrives with the usual copper anti-fouling bottom paint last spring was the reason, and I was kinda proud of myself. But now I hear that everybody is seeing less mussels this year then in years past. Could it be that the goby populations are thinning them out? Anybody else who leaves their boats in the water all summer on the Great Lakes or connecting waters seeing the same thing?

I painted both of my outdrives (along with the bottom) for the first time last spring. I was very surprised 2 weeks ago when I pulled my boat and seen how clean they were from previous years. I even noticed that the Zebra Mussel clusters were down by I esimate 70%. But was told everybodys was down for this year. Seems our Goby population is thriving on them. But all hulls obsorb water to a degree as they set. Thus more drag, weight and water friction.

Darn it.....Just when I was getting ready to send out my "Islam Is Great" Chain Letter.

They check everything from bow to stern inside and out on your first inspection. All switches, cables, life preservers, gas/oil lines and connections, all have to be up to their specks and codes. All safety equipment, labels and warning lights, buzzers and postings have to be legable and/or in clear view. First inspection is done out of the water and is $250.00. With dry dock and dock side inspections alternating after that every other year for $150.00. This may or may not change in the next year or two, as the DNR is trying to get out of the boat inspection business claiming it's not profitable and because of their recent budget pinch. This may spell a change not wanted by the MCBA or me. If turned over to private inspection companies fees for both the inspection and insurance fees may go up and loose the reliabilty standards we've enjoyed for years. If you fail the inspection with minor stuff, you still recieve your certificate with the list of the things to be fixed and are expected to fix them by the time you recieve your license sticker and start chartering. Now lets talk liability, dock fees, equipment, the time you'll be gone and the stresses at home. Ya.... all us charter captains are millionares with happy families. "NOT"

If it's a Chevy, turn/twist that little knob down and to the left. Theres no distinct click or anything. In fact, it will not stay there. But it turns your head lights off. Do it again and it turns them back on and resumes the Auto function.

I hope this post on this site, where most all are veteran boaters doesn't seem trivial. But with recent posts on my own fishing message board by beginners asking about hints and suggestions concerning their very first time boat and motor choices, it occurred to me there might also be other newbies reading and wanting/needing to know some launching etiquette as well, to keep us old boat launching/retrieving Pros off their backs while they learn. I'll try and put these in the order one would fallow when getting to and leaving the ramp area. Firstly, practice backing your boat up. This will save you tons of time, uncultured stares, comments, innuendos and embarrassment at the ramp. Then, when first pulling into a ramp area try to surmise just how busy the ramp is. If it's a weekday and the fishing isn't on fire, where you park for those first few minutes to get things into your boat before the launch will not be of vast importance. But never park directly in front of the ramp no matter what conditions prevail. And if the ramp is crowded and boats are coming and going at a fast rate, try to pull off somewhere out of the general route going down to the ramp. Never and I mean never back the boat into the water and then load all your gear, no matter how deserted the ramp appears. Murphy's Law will dictate that somebody else will show up at that exact time to launch, count on it. And nothing draws more verbal fire and perceived disrespect from other seasoned boaters then this act alone. When safely off to the side, be sure you have everything your going to use that day into the boat, back straps off if any, plug in, head lights off if early morning or dark out, your boat eye connector rope/strap clip un-done (in most cases) and your buddy either in the boat or ready to walk and hold onto the anchor/boat rope as you back down. Then pull around and back into the launching area the proper way, and never against the traffic flow, with your buddy either in the boat ready to pull away or walking next to the boat holding onto the boat rope, to both hold and guide your boat back to the shore or up to the dock after it starts to float and you pull away with the vehicle. Do not stop to talk or socialize at this point if their are others waiting to launch or retrieve boats. If you must talk or answer the (How'd ya do) question, do so while your walking to your boat or your vehicle to retrieve it. When retrieving, get your entire rig out of the way first and talk (if you must) in that safe zone area away from the ramp. I know I must have missed something. Can you guys think of any others?

09/20/2007 Dow sponsoring pro walleye tourney By Dan Chalk A week-long fishing circus. That's what Professional Walleye Trail Tournament Director Chip Lear says area residents should expect next May when PWT brings the Mercury Championship to Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River. The Dow Chemical Co. has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the event, in which 50 anglers will compete for more than $100,000. The competition is May 16-18, but activities will start the previous weekend. "It's kind of like a fishing circus," Lear said by phone Wednesday while out on the bay with some of the pro anglers who will be competing in May. "The Outdoor Channel is going to come, and we'll have a huge rock-climbing wall. It's kind of a big carnival." The event also represents a departure from the past, when the Mercury Championship was usually held in the fall. "We wanted to better align the championship with the peak interest in walleye fishing, which is mid-spring," Lear said. "We'll take an event that has already been successful and I think we'll see a whole new level. For the manufacturers, so much of their business takes place during the spring." Bill St. Peter of Bay City and Steve Bohn of Unionville, who both will compete in the Mercury Championship, like the change from fall to spring. They were also out on Saginaw Bay Wednesday. "They're definitely coming at a good time of the year," said St. Peter, who has more than $300,000 in career winnings, including $85,000 for winning a tournament in Ontario this year. "The bite really should be good. I won out here four years ago and took third two years ago." "I think it's a good move because fall is such a hard time," Bohn said. "Right now, it's a really tough bite. "I think this will open the eyes of a lot of people about the spring bite that there is in Saginaw. Saginaw is known for the end-of-June and July bite. But the May bite's been very good (also)," Bohn said. Saginaw's Dow Event Center will host the tournament weigh-ins, as well as a sport show, outdoor festival, youth interactive activities, and more. All events are free to the public. "The indoor weigh-ins are neat," Bohn said. "You get to see all the different boats. They've got music and video. It's a pretty neat thing." Lear said that the tournament will involve Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland. "Our PWT staff is meeting with a number of local community organizations (in the Tri-Cities)," he said. "We want to include all three cities." In addition to the activities at the Dow Event Center, the anglers' boats will be launched each morning on the Saginaw River at Veterans Memorial Park in Bay City. Lear said that Dow Diamond in Midland will also be involved in the festivities. Jennifer Heronema, Dow Chemical external communications manager, said that part of Dow's incentive in sponsoring the tournament is to help draw more attention to what the mid-Michigan region offers. "We're excited to be involved with this," she said. "We're trying to get attention drawn to the region from outside the region." Dow Chemical also recently announced that it is the new sponsor of the annual River Roar in Bay City. ©Midland Daily News 2007

Heres the link to order and buy the BP XPS Hatchet Blades and some of the colors they have. But even though some are close, I to did not see any actually named Rainbow. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_58688_100010008_100000000_100010000_100-10-8

Josh. Heres some local history info for you concerning those lampreys. The ones that attack Muskies, Sturgeons (and for the most part) other non-salmo species in Lake St.Claire and Erie are called Silver Lampreys, are smaller then the others and are one of the few actually native to the Great lakes.

I e-maild Mark Tonello and asked him about this. "Mark, Any Truth to this?" This is his response: "Well, kind of. They did not steal the weir grates or weir dam boards. The grates and weir dam boards are in place and no fish are going upstream. That's the good news. The bad new is that they did steal the aluminum dam boards we use for the concrete ponds. Without them, we cannot fill the ponds. So we're in the process of having more boards made so we can turn the pumps on soon." This was taken from another site.

If any of you bird hunters want to buy a Lab Pup with a great blood line, we just found out today 9-12-07 that my Boy Otter (in the pictures) and his young bride Abby (Our other lab) are expecting the second week of October. I'll be taking names of perspective buyers and contacting them in the order they are received. My phone # 989-892-1920.

Ya, these fish were on the dark side. The run this year has been a trickle compared to other years.

I didn't no if you guys seen this about the little manistee Weir, where they collect 100% of SteelHead eggs and 80% of Samlon eggs. Fish Weir Theft A Theft At A Fish Breading Site Could Impact Sport Fishing In Michigan By Rob Preston Posted: Friday, September 07, 2007 at 6:25 p.m. The D-N-R is supposed to start collecting fish eggs in about a week and then use them to spawn sport fish. If they aren't able to do that it could be disastrous. When employees at the Little Manistee River Weir came to work they noticed something had been stolen. "Thieves removed approximately 33 to 40 of the boards, that they use to control water flow into the intake pens at the weir facility" says state trooper Wesley Smith. The Little Manistee Weir facility stops fish from going further up the Little Manistee River so scientists can collect their eggs. The eggs are then taken to a hatchery where they are fertilized and then become fish. These fish are then stocked in numerous states including Michigan. The fish egg removal process was supposed to start in a week but without aluminum bars, there isn't any egg collecting. Michigan State Trooper Wesley Smith says, "we believe it's probably going to be just for the scrap metal. The gates are made of aluminum and aluminum prices are real high right now." According to the D-N-R not being able to collect fish eggs would hurt the sport fishing industry. "Because of the magnitude of the theft and the impact it has on sport fishermen and the whole basically economy in general we are asking for people with any information to go ahead and contact the Michigan state police manistee post." says trooper Smith. Fortunately the D-N-R is not sitting around waiting for those bars to be found. They say they are doing their best to replace the 7-thousand dollars worth of aluminum as quickly as possible so they can collect fish eggs.

Those Pics are from yesterday 9-10-07.

Stold this topic and my reply from another board. To my fellow plastic pullers I just found out that Frank's Great Outdoors has the SP Hot n Tot's again. I only found this out after looking on ebay and finding them that way but they do have them in the store. I wish I would have known earlier, after paying ebay prices for the summer of $10-$15 a piece. Boy Im glad my wife doesn't watch my credit card too close. Now if Dave's or Storm(rapala) will just come back out with the Rattle Tot. I know Im not the only one missing this bait. James. Holy Crap, your right James. http://www.franksgreatoutdoors.com/items.asp?id=1140&manufacturerid=32&categoryid=1&sid=114011 And they have 4 of my best kept secret colors available, and I even like the hook change. Including my always favorite Naturistic Sunfish and my personal favorite for those tough days and a tribute to yours truly, the Walleye Express Paralyzer. Now if Franks can just bend a few arms at Rapala/Storm and get them to do some Rattlers, all the moons in my world would line up again.

A board member on my site wrote a letter to the NWS concerning our Wind/Wave forecasts for Saginaw Bay. I was surprised he got any answer back and thought you might find he short answer as interesting and thought provoking as I did. Jim Hert wrote to Wayne Weeks National Weather Service. Hi Wayne, I just wanted to comment on the Near Shore Marine Forecast I hear for the Outer/Inner Saginaw Bay. I have noticed that the wave forecast seems to only be dependent on the wind knots per mile. For example with wind 5 to 10 knots the waves forecast are almost always the same, say 1-2 feet. Obviously though the wind direction has a major impact on the size of the waves. If the wind is out of the SW to the NW the waves could be 1 foot or less with wind speed of 5 to 10 knots. If the wind is out of the NE to the E, coming all the way across Lake Huron, the waves could be 3 to 5 feet! A big difference. We have witnessed this many times. We drive from Hale MI to Au Gres and if the forecast is for 1 foot or less and we find 5 footers when we get there, it is a bit of an inconvience. Now I understand that this is Mother Nature and no forecast is always going to be perfect, but I think the system could use some upgrades and improvements. I'm not the only one with this opinion, most all of the fishermen I know are complaining about how these forecast are not accurate nor reliable and they are constantly looking for other sources of information. Thanks, Jim Hert Grand Ledge, MI Dear Mr. Hert... Thanks for your comments on wave height forecasts for Saginaw Bay. That area has been a frequent trouble spot for us... and we continue to make tweaks to our wave models and product formatters to account for higher waves in those conditions. We made an additional adjustment today, so we'll see if that helps. The new model accounts for some fetch (wind vectors/water transfer) across Lake Huron quite well, but doesn't handle as well the predominant circulation out of the Bay that results in more wave steepness with an east or northeast wind. At some point, we hope to actually have real-time wave measurements on the Bay to help us calibrate the wind/wave relationship there (depends on funding and priorities, as usual). Until then, we would appreciate additional feedback you might be able to give us as we move into the fall season. When you report to us, keep in mind that we are calibrating for "significant waves" (average of the highest 1/3 of the wave spectra) vs. maximum waves. Thanks again for your feedback and assistance. Personal observation. I personally found the word "Fetch" as they used it interesting. I always considered the wind vectors manufactured by the Bays dynamics as having an effect on the forecasts. But never considered the "PUSH" that the outgoing water must have and create on the Bays waves when the wind is pushing NE and straight up the middle of the bay. This may explain why our waves are so close together during high wind events. The smaller ones between the bigger ones must be created by the element and wave echo that is fetch.

Kahuna. Heres a couple of decent pictures of the eyliminators and some of the Gulp products I'm successfully using on them. The rigs are tied with thin wire and the hooks they come with are a set of 2 Tru-Turns. They've worked pretty good, but when they eventually get messed up I dismantle and re-tie the entire rig with plastic coated #20 test wire and change the hooks over to a Mustad #2 single and a #6 treble at the back.

Nope. I PM'd you back, but you must have missed that as well.:D

Hey guys, we got the job done! BP is not going to do it! A message from Rebecca D. Stanfield, Environment Illinois State Director follows" Citing "ongoing regional opposition," BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone announced this morning that the company will avoid any increased pollution into Lake Michigan from its oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana. BP has heard the voices of hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents saying that Lake Michigan is a natural treasure and source of drinking water, not our dumping ground. In response, BP has issued a non-binding statement indicating it will avoid increased dumping of ammonia and toxics-containing solids, which are allowed by its new discharge permit issued in June by Indiana's Department of Environmental Management. I'd like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents like you who have spoken out to protect Lake Michigan from BP's expanded dumping. Together we made BP's announcement today happen. We now need to urge BP to immediately call for an amended discharge permit that sets in stone its promise to avoid any increase in pollution. As long as BP's current discharge permit remains on the books in Indiana, it sets a disastrous precedent. The permit is the first in years to allow a company to increase its pollution into Lake Michigan. To ensure Lake Michigan's protection, the permit must be amended -- both to hold BP to its pledge and to avoid setting a dangerous standard for future permits. Send the message to BP today that it needs to get an amended permit that doesn't allow for any increase in pollution: http://www.environmentillinois.org/action/protect-lake-michigan/bp-email?id4=ES Sincerely, Rebecca D. Stanfield Environment Illinois State Director [email protected] http://www.environmentillinois.org

Hey guys, we got the job done! BP is not going to do it! A message from Rebecca D. Stanfield, Environment Illinois State Director follows" Citing "ongoing regional opposition," BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone announced this morning that the company will avoid any increased pollution into Lake Michigan from its oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana. BP has heard the voices of hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents saying that Lake Michigan is a natural treasure and source of drinking water, not our dumping ground. In response, BP has issued a non-binding statement indicating it will avoid increased dumping of ammonia and toxics-containing solids, which are allowed by its new discharge permit issued in June by Indiana's Department of Environmental Management. I'd like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents like you who have spoken out to protect Lake Michigan from BP's expanded dumping. Together we made BP's announcement today happen. We now need to urge BP to immediately call for an amended discharge permit that sets in stone its promise to avoid any increase in pollution. As long as BP's current discharge permit remains on the books in Indiana, it sets a disastrous precedent. The permit is the first in years to allow a company to increase its pollution into Lake Michigan. To ensure Lake Michigan's protection, the permit must be amended -- both to hold BP to its pledge and to avoid setting a dangerous standard for future permits. Send the message to BP today that it needs to get an amended permit that doesn't allow for any increase in pollution: http://www.environmentillinois.org/action/protect-lake-michigan/bp-email?id4=ES Sincerely, Rebecca D. Stanfield Environment Illinois State Director [email protected] http://www.environmentillinois.org

Mark. Did your perch look anything like this? http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/vhs-photos_190459_7.pdf

Took this topic from another board. Did I leave anything out? fishunter70 - 8/22/2007 8:57 AM Just brought my reel's to local B&T for a re-spool for salmon rod's. The owner of the B&T said that the counters will not be accurate ( in feet ) on the reel's. Anybody else know of this or is the guy trying to B.S. me, to make more $ on the re-spool's. I thought re-setting the counter to zero..........was zero...? Thank's Fish Fishunter. I'm guessing that each reel was calibrated for a certain line type, optimum spool fill levels X feet per reel turn, versus the many other particular line diametors and types one could use when it was made. Using larger/heavier diametor mono or some of the newer thinner braids would both load and spool off at a slightly different rate I'm sure. And after so much was let out, would probably magnify it's difference either way. So exact amount out might be off slightly with each different line used. Personally, I would not worry about what would almost certainlly amount to a slight difference. Fact is, if your catching fish at 80 back on your reels when all have the same line, it's no big deal if there off a foot or two.