4/30 holland-what is going on

[wild at heart]

went 18 for 26 last night with 17 kings and 1 coho. 10 kings over 10#. Same old moonshine spoons and paddles and flies. This closed out the month for us with 55 kings. I looked through the log books last night and have never come close to these numbers, in fact it's usually head south and fish for coho this time of year. Last year I had 3 kings for the month of april in the same amount of trips. Where have all these fish come from and where are they going? Or has there always been fish like this out deep and we never have targeted them? And its not just kings, when have you seen coho numbers like this out of Holland? While the DNR is singing doom and gloom we are pounding salmon from SH to Musk and the fish are full of bait. Sometimes 5 to 6" bait sometimes 3 to 4" bait. Now I'm not doubting their findings, I'm just saying the fishing right now doesn't support the concern. I certianly don't want the lake to crash and am doing my part to kill as many salmon as possible. Save the alewives.

[jimbobber]

Awsome Kevin Wish i knew you were out i wanted to go but didnt want to go by myself oh well. Ya this is the good ole days for sure and i think there is going to be some huge kings caught this year to. jimmy

[ekbelt]

One angle I've been trying to look at it from is maybe the fishing isn't supposed to be this good and thats part of the reason the DNR has concerns.

I agree Kevin... kill as many salmon as you can! We don't throw anything back, the little ones eat way better than the big ones anyway. If they want to drop the salmon population to save the alewives they could lift fish limits right now and we could really put the hurt on them!

[BRIAN0214]

The fishing for this time is of year is not normal. The Holland Sentential had a article last week that predicted that the salmon in Lake Michigan will collapse in 2 years. Most of the fish t thaI have caught have had empty bellies and I'm not alone on this. The strange thing though is I have already caught a 20lb king in April. So they have to be eating something. Seems like everybody is catching 15+ fish every trip out. Is there enough fish out there between Holland and Muskegon for this to continue through September? I don't think so. They plan on reducing the number of Salmon plants by 50% next year. They claim that 50% of the kings in Lake Michigan are from natural reproduction. I have a hard time believing that. I am just worried next year the numbers will be down with all the fish be taken out and the reduction of stocking so enjoy the numbers now.

[mriversinco]

Certainly raises some questions doesn't it? Since i just bought a bigger boat, I sure hate the doom and gloom outlook but things are changing. As to the empty stomachs, I think the past 3 years alot of my fish have had empty stomachs. That's almost a whole generation of salmon so I don't think it's too much of an alarm. Maybe they've just moved this year when in the past they were way out in the lake that nobody found them.

At least we can hope it's something like this.

[EdB]

Just a thought. Could it be the fish are stacked up on our side of the lake in that band of water? Seems 100-200 ft of water is quite good from St Joe to Manistee. I don't think they are doing this good on the far south end of the lake or the Wisconsin side.

[Twill23]

I hate to say it. But this is exactly what happened with our side of the lake.. Some of the best fishing there had ever been preceded the crash of Lake Huron. I sure hope its not too late!

[ekbelt]

I hate to say it. But this is exactly what happened with our side of the lake.. Some of the best fishing there had ever been preceded the crash of Lake Huron. I sure hope its not too late!

I have heard this before, thats why I think they should lift fish limits for 2012. It's something that can be done right now and could have a positive effect for the future.

[Twill23]

I have no idea. But with the sheer numbers, its no question that its putting a dent in the bait fish population. As far as the reproduction numbers being around 50%... They found that out in our lake, when we had WAY more salmon than we were supposed to, essentially wiping out our forage base.

[todd.v]

I fish Huron as well and it is a bit more fishing than it is catching . I would hate to see michigan suffer the same fate. I hate to say it but thats why I think the biologists should be the guys making the decisions. public sentiment has a much better chance of screwing it up.

[Twill23]

I fish Huron as well and it is a bit more fishing than it is catching . I would hate to see michigan suffer the same fate. I hate to say it but thats why I think the biologists should be the guys making the decisions. public sentiment has a much better chance of screwing it up.

Agreed. I would much rather things be erred by the way of caution, than that of negative impact.

[Sea Eagle]

I agree with raising the limits. Let the fishermen put a dent in the fish populations now. Cutting the stocking will acomplish the same task, but that will take several years to accomplish something we could start doing this year. I have too much of my money and my soul invested in Salmon fishing to see it all go bye, bye.

[Fish4em]

Great topic Kevin!

This subject always seems to get our attention, and or cause some deep thinking and concerns and has prompted me to post this here. I am trying to remain confident that the politicians and biologists will do their best not to let this fishery slip away as Huron did. 2 years ago I had a fish biologist out fishing on my boat with me. He is in the Masters Program at Michigan State. I did ask him a lot of questions, some which I promised to keep confidential, but will say that he seemed quite confident that proper measures are being taken and the concern to manage our resources is of great importance to all the powers that be! I wonder if our mild winter hasn't played a role in the feeding change. I am not a biologist or a scientist, but have studied biology, zoology and many other courses in college to know that the ecosystem is a delicate balance. There are risk in interference or manipulation, but sometimes can help to balance negative effects. Remember the spiny fleas (Bythothrephes), it was thought that the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) would die off because the fleas stuck to their intestinal tracks and stomach which was thought to potentially kill them off. Again, nature has seemed to find a way, and they still thrive and reproduce in Lake Michigan. While it is easy to think we could be bordering a fall or decline in species, it will take a drastic infusion of factors leading to what some would compare to Lake Huron. Rather than talk more science, I hope and trust as I wish all of you will, that our Great Lakes will remain a stable source of enjoyment for many years to come. I am grateful, and appreciate all who are concerned and care as well am grateful to those who protect our interests. We are a brotherhood of sportsman and need to keep a positive movement to maintain our waters and fishery for the next generations. If you do catch alot of fish I guess that's good, as long as your not wasting them. Now greed that is another subject, and we won't talk that one here! Fish on brothers and enjoy what God has given us all.

[southtrollsouth]

lake huron fish were starving prior to their crash if I remember correctly. Ours are obviously not. Kings dont get to 20lbs in the spring by starvation, they have been eating quite well for a while. For what its worth, over 90% of the 400+ salmon we have caught so far this year since March 31, all have had some bait in them...all different age classes.

Lake Ontario is experiencing the same fishing we are right now, and they arent predicting a crash either.

This is weather related event, which will all change by this weekend with south winds and warmer water which will begin to scatter predator and prey across a wider area of the lake and get things back to normal. I would be shocked if anyone is boxing anywhere near what they have in the next couple of weeks. Though it still will be May, and fish are stupid, and will bite anything just about any where...so it will still be good, just not as good.

But stocks need to be cut, I do believe there is closer to 60 or 70% natural reproduction.

[Goding]

This is a comment that I heard at a salmon seminar this winter that a guy asked the dnr .. if the alwife are down why don't we do any thing for them he had mentioned that the lake is too clean and the bait does not have anything too eat maybe there could be some way too help that .

[wild at heart]

the best way to help feed the alewives is to dump more nutrients into the lake and the only way thats going to happen is if the waste water treatment plants overflow from flooding and have to dump into the rivers. Not very good for swimers and beach go'ers but a smorgastboard for the alewives.

[Goding]

What about fertilizer to make algae blooms

[Twill23]

It's tough to get the average person to believe that dirtier water is better, but for us as salmon fisherman, dirty water=more fish.

[jimcr]

We are experiencing some numbers close to yours, here on the Wisconsin side.

Not everyone but a few. No doubt that the warm winter has brought unprecedented amounts of kings to many ports early. Lets all hope that this trend doesn't' mean that the summer or fall suffer. I wish I could get out there but when the water is ok I have been working or busy. Too much with the North -east winds.

[southtrollsouth]

What about fertilizer to make algae blooms

You guys are on the right track. As much as we flip out about Milwaukee and Chicago and Grand Rapids sewage overflows, or BP dumping ammonia mixture in Gary...that is the best thing we could possibly have going for us. Put that with every farmer around the lake dumping tons of fertilizer on fields right now..pray for heavy rains to wash all that into the rivers and the lake. Those nutrients will arrive just in time to filter through the nearshore layers and begin the bottom of the food chain process that will feed YOY alewife. Dirty is good..

Maybe someone will talk the clean water freaks into letting us dump carcasses into the lake, thats where they came from anyway.

[Pioneer]

Just clean fish on the water, nice why to add to the food chain. Legal on the WI by the way just have to be at least 1 mile off shore.

[jimcr]

Just clean fish on the water, nice why to add to the food chain. Legal on the WI by the way just have to be at least 1 mile off shore.

Sorry "NOT" legal on the Wisconsin side, It is illegal to deposit fish entrails in waters in Wisconsin.