Mixed Expectations: Lake Michigan salmon fishing hit and miss despite big fish

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Anglers on the Grand Haven pier wait for a bite. Some say fishing has been been slow, but some larger salmon were caught earlier this spring. Photo: Howard Meyerson

Anglers on the Grand Haven pier wait for a bite. Some say fishing has been slow, but some larger salmon were caught earlier this spring. Photo: Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

What anglers can expect from the Lake Michigan salmon fishery this year is anybody’s guess. But rest assured that people are watching it closely.

State and federal officials continue to be worried about the forage base, the abundance of alewives and other prey fish that have reported to be at an all-time low. Chinook salmon, in particular, rely on alewives to survive. That’s why all of the Lake Michigan states agreed to a 50 percent lake-wide cut in salmon stocking this year, hoping to spread those prey fish out.

The outcome won’t be seen until those stocked fish grow up, possibly as early as 2014, but definitely by 2015, according to state officials.

And yet, charter anglers are reporting catches with 20-pounders in the mix already this season. They are also reporting spotty conditions, hit and miss fishing as of mid-June when fishing was hot last year.

“We have seen some of those 20-pounders and I heard of one guy in South Haven who caught a 26-pounder,” said Captain Russ Clark, owner of Sea Hawk Fishing Charters out of St. Joseph. “I was a little surprised to see those jumbos, given the talk about low bait fish numbers.

“This year as whole has been tougher. The fishing has been inconsistent. I am hearing that up and down the lake. Last year was good fishing at this time of year.” Continue reading →

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Moving on: Boardman River dam removal goes into Phase II

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
The Boardman River returns to its original channel upstream from the dam where a pond had been created by damming the river 90 years ago. Courtesy Photo.

The Boardman River returns to its original channel upstream from the dam where a pond had been created by damming the river 90 years ago. Courtesy Photo.

 

By Howard Meyerson

TRAVERSE CITY – Anglers and paddlers can once again access the Boardman River in the vicinity of the former Brown Bridge Dam which was removed in the fall and winter of 2012.

State and other officials say the precaution signs have come down and bank restoration work continues along the river, but the popular Traverse City area trout stream is once again flowing in its historic channel. Meanwhile brown trout and brook trout are being found up and downstream of the old dam site.

“There don’t seem to be any significant impacts to the fishery,” Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, Todd Kalish said about an accidental sediment release last October during initial stages of dam deconstruction. “In fact there are some good impacts. The new segment has been surveyed by our staff and there are brown trout and brook trout now. They weren’t there in the past.”

An early June survey by DNR staff found many young-of-the-year brook trout and brown trout, and one 19-inch and 20-inch brown trout. Finding young fish is significant, Kalish said. It means brook trout and brown trout successfully produced a year class in the area directly downstream of former dam and impoundment. Continue reading →

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Michigan Wildfire Season: Slower than usual

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
State firefighters extinguished 170 wildfires by the start of June 2013. Photo: Dave Kenyon, Michigan DNR.

State firefighters extinguished 170 wildfires by the start of June 2013. Photo: Dave Kenyon, Michigan DNR.

By Howard Meyerson

Grand Rapids, Mich. — State forest fire fighters got some relief this spring. Persistent wet and cool weather reduced the fire hazard around the state. Although 170 wildfires were extinguished by the start of June, state forest officials say it’s been a slower than average year for wildfires.

“A good portion of the fire hazard this spring was low to moderate,” said Jim Fisher, Michigan Department of Natural Resources resource protection manager for the Lower Peninsula. “We had three to four stretches that were three to five days long where we had dry, warm weather; those are the times we worry about, but on a typical year we have many more than that.”

Spring wildfires burned a total of 534 acres. Lower Peninsula fires burned 415.1 acres, destroying 10 commercial, residential, or outbuilding structures. Upper Peninsula fires burned 119.1 acres and destroyed eight buildings.

By comparison, firefighters had their hands full in 2012. There were 495 wildfires on state land last year, according to state records. They burned 23,812 acres. Continue reading →

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Coffee, Conservation and Urban Birds: Meet Julie Craves

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Julie Craves among the coffee plants in Nicaragua at El Jaguar, a farm/bird reserve. Photo: Darrin O'Brien

Julie Craves among the coffee plants in Nicaragua at El Jaguar, a farm/bird reserve. Photo: Darrin O’Brien

By Howard Meyerson

DEARBORN – Julie Craves is picky about her coffee, about its taste and where it’s grown. Given a choice, she’ll take light roast over dark, but only one choice exists when it comes to sun-grown or shade.

Shade-grown coffee is better for birds, biodiversity and the environment, said Craves. She is not one to mince words.

“Folgers is one of the worst coffees you can buy,” proclaims Craves in typical no-nonsense style. “They are owned by Smuckers, one of the top three leading coffee buyers in the world and they buy virtually no certified coffee.”

Certified as “bird-friendly,” that is. That’s what Craves recommends. She is the director of the Rouge River Bird Observatory (RRBO) on the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus here and the author of Coffee and Conservation, an online blog at coffeehabitat.com, about coffee growing and harvesting practices and their effect on the environment.

If Craves isn’t blogging about the caffeine-industrial complex, she may be studying dragon flies, another serious interest. But most likely she will be immersed in the study of urban birds, the resident or migratory species visiting the 290-acre natural area on campus located in the heart of a developed metropolitan area. Continue reading →

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Stinky Tents: Check it over before heading out to camp

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Taking some time to look your tent over before leaving on a camping trip will help assure it provides a cozy shelter from bugs and bad weather when camping. Photo: Howard Meyerson

Taking some time to look your tent over before leaving on a camping trip will help assure it provides a cozy shelter from bugs and bad weather when camping. Photo: Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

I don’t know about you, but I like sleeping outdoors. The air is fresh. I like the breezes. And when a storm comes on, I usually hunker down comfortably in my tent.

Michigan’s camping season soon will be in full swing, and I am guessing many campers have not looked their tent over since it was packed away last year. It might be a good idea to do so before heading out.

Each year, I hear about people who put their tents away dirty and wet. Come spring or summer, when they pull them out, it stinks to high-heaven because of mold growth or mildew. Short of having an agitated skunk in camp, there is nothing like a stinky tent for fouling up a trip.

Sometimes, that mildew problem is fixable. Other times, the condition has gone too far, and a new tent likely is needed. But it’s worth spending the time and effort to get rid of the problem early on. I extended the life of one old tent I had for many years by following these simple steps. Continue reading →

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Anglers, boaters encouraged to fight invasives

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Portable weed washers will be onsite at various locations now in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. Photo: Courtesy US Forest Service

Portable weed washers will be onsite at various locations now in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. Photo: Courtesy US Forest Service

By Howard Meyerson

Hose them down!

That’s the message Huron-Manistee National Forest staffers hope anglers and boaters will take away from demonstration projects planned this summer at boat launches on Houghton Lake, the Muskegon River and Manistee County waters.

That’s where two portable high-pressure, hot-water washers are expected to be available so anglers and boaters can hose down boats and reduce the possibility of spreading invasive aquatic species like zebra mussels or invasive plants.

The high-pressure washers were purchased with federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds as part of two grants to the forest and its partners, Manistee County and the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly.

“What we want is for boaters to recognize the need to keep their boats clean when move them from lake to lake and take on that task,” said Chris Riley, fisheries biologist with the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Manistee Ranger Station.  “We still have places that don’t have invasive species. Continue reading →

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Paddling to the next level: Jeff Neumann, avid canoer, kayaker, opens business

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Jeff Neumann is not stranger to canoes and kayaks. His new guided paddling tour business introduces inexperienced paddlers to the sport. Photo: Howard Meyerson

Jeff Neumann’s loves paddling. His new guided paddling tour business introduces inexperienced paddlers to the sport. Photo: Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Jeff Neumann is no stranger to canoes. He got his first taste of paddling as a 10-year-old boy, in Quincy, Ill. That’s where he and a cousin lashed two canoes together and spent idyllic days floating in protected waters along the Mississippi River.

As a teenager it was weekends on the Pere Marquette and White rivers in Michigan. The Neumann family had relocated to Grand Rapids. When the work week was over they piled into the car and headed north to paddle those rivers.

Today, at 53, Neumann still loves the allure of a quiet paddle, the natural scenery along rivers in Michigan. So much so, the former Grand Rapids Community College electronics instructor launched a guided canoe and kayak business upon retiring from teaching.

The company is GR Paddling LLC. You can find it at on the web at grpaddling.com

“We paddled all the time,” said Neumann, a tall, lanky man who exudes a youthful enthusiasm for canoeing and kayaking.

“We got into this business because we want to let others enjoy paddling the way we enjoy it. My wife and I were paddling down the Grand River one day and thought, ‘Oh, this is cool. We could do this for other people.’”

And they have. Continue reading →

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Hunting, Fishing Fee Hike Proposal Advances

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Hunting and fishing licenses would cost more under a new legislative proposal, but would also raise more money for fish and wildlife management. Photo: Dave Kenyon, MDNR

Hunting and fishing licenses would cost more under a new legislative proposal, but would also raise more money for fish and wildlife management. Photo: Dave Kenyon, MDNR

By Howard Meyerson

Lansing — New legislation designed to simplify Michigan’s hunting and fishing license system and raise $19.7 million in additional revenues for DNR fish and game programs and marketing is making its way through the state Legislature.

HB 4668, introduced by Rep. John Bumstead, R-Newaygo, is passed the House Wednesday and goes on to the Michigan Senate.

“We don’t know what will happen in the Senate,” said Amy Trotter, resource policy manager for Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “Both the House and Senate have built this money into the appropriations bills. They are counting on it to balance the budget, but we don’t know the precise details of how the Senate might structure the fees.

“We are supporting the bill, and the simplification (it provides) is nice,” Trotter said.

HB 4668 restructures Michigan’s hunting and fishing license system by reducing the number of licenses offered from 277 to 40 and raises and lowers various fees. It does away with the state’s small game license and adds a “base” license that all hunters will be required to have, along with additional permits for various game species. The base license alone would allow small-game and non-waterfowl migratory bird hunting, according to a House Fiscal Agency Legislative Analysis. Continue reading →

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Study finds hunter ed doesn’t ensure hunters

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Howard Meyerson

Taking hunter education is no guarantee that young hunters will continue to hunt. And while some might assume they would, a new study shows only 44 percent of those who take the classes continue to hunt.

A story today in Michigan Outdoor News reports on the study by Florida-based Southwick Associates which examined the number of hunter ed graduates in 12 states that continued to buy a license during the period from 2006 to 2011. The study found, among other things, that one-third never bought licenses And of those remaining, another third stopped buying by 2011.

Graduates from highly urbanized areas had the greatest drop-out rates.

Read more: Hunter Education No Guarantee 

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Amazing Al Widing: The oldest guy in the AuSable River Canoe Marathon

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Howard Meyerson
Al Widing and Hailey McMahon as they near the finish of the 2012 Spike Challenge race. Photo: Mark Sloan

Al Widing and Hailey McMahon as they near the finish of the 2012 Spike Challenge race. Photo: Mark Sloan

By Howard Meyerson

MIO – There is little to compare with the spectacle at the start of the annual AuSable River Canoe Marathon. Thousands of cheering fans line the river’s banks in downtown Grayling. Their collective din reaches a crescendo when the start gun goes off as racers run to the river’s edge carrying their canoes, primed for the 120-mile paddling adventure that finishes well after sunrise in Oscoda.

Al Widing has been among the toned, young athletes for 40 years, so he’s the oldest paddler in pack. And when the 2013 AuSable River Canoe marathon begins July 27, the 88-year old Mio resident plans to be there again.

“I am looking forward to it. I’d just love to finish,” says Widing in typical, understated fashion, conveying little sense of having become a legend in competitive paddling circles.

Widing’s first AuSable marathon was in 1955, and he holds the record for being the oldest paddler to finish. His fastest race was in 1999 when at 74, along with Robert Bradford, of Lapeer, he set the senior division record finishing in 15 hours, 21 minutes and 22 seconds.

Two-time winner of the Texas Water Safari

Widing and Oscoda paddler, Bob Gillings, also won back-to-back first-place finishes in the 1964 and 1965 Texas Water Safari, a punishing 260-mile marathon billed as “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race.”

“He’s definitely a humble guy,” says Ryan Matthews, of Oscoda, the marathon statistician. “We call him ‘Amazing Al’, but he hasn’t embraced the nickname. He always said he is just an average guy who likes to paddle. But, there is no denying that what he does at this age is amazing.” Continue reading →

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