Dreams of Steel

Inside the Box: DOS Tungsten Deep Steelhead Stone

2007-11-12T00:41:00.000-05:00

DOS Tungsten Deep Steelhead Stone:

Thread: 8/0 Uni
Hook: Orvis 122J size 6
Hook Shank: .25 Lead Free Round Wire
Bead: (2) Orvis Tungsten 3/16
Abdomen: Wapsi Stretchtubing Small black/amber Granny Weave
Legs: Grizzly Barred Rubber Legs Medium White
Shell Back: Legs: Grizzly Barred Rubber Legs Medium White
Dubbing: SLF Black

Weather Bumps Water

2007-11-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Lake Erie tributaries both large and small have received bumps of water and an apparent disappearance of fishermen due to our most recent regional winter weather pattern. The total lack of other anglers was surreal in light of the heavy pressure this area has received in the past weeks.

Where did everyone go?

Eagle Eye

2007-10-30T23:49:00.000-04:00

Nothing represents the spirit of the wild more than the eagle. Soaring high overhead, he circled low as if inspecting my meal worthiness. I could understand his confusion, after all, I was splayed out, mid creek, enjoying my lunch on a sun warmed rock.

As quickly as he swooped in, he realized the camera looking back at him lacked carrion characteristics and hastily retreated for a distant roost.

Green Eye'd Catt

2007-10-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

What a great afternoon to be on the water. Bumped into Phil and had a great time talking his ear off. Thanks for tolerating my nonstop blabber!

Phil had been on the water since 7 and I interrupted his tranquility shortly after 2. I noticed him approaching from a distance, he was heading up stream and I was working a pool he would soon intercept.

As he got closer we exchanged small talk at a near shout, just loud enough for our voices to carry over the thin braid of rushing water that stretched in front of us. After the customary "hows the fishing?", we got right down to business.

Heading directly to a particular run that has been good to us in the past week, We rotated through it's seams and current breaks, all while bantering back and forth about patterns, steelhead nymph rigs and the willow sprouts on the far bank, that seem to reach out and grab at our flies with every gust of wind.

Advancing through the run, it was easy to get lost in the flow. Water quietly lapped against exposed rocks and appeared to match in 3/4th time with our drift/step rhythm. After some time passed between hookups, I began to lapse in and out of a focused, fish catching, tunnel vision. My concentration was waning but it was difficult to pull away. Finally, I sat back on the bank, resting the pool and my eyes. In the moment I took to look around, I saw steelhead porpoise in the tail out, osprey soaring overhead and a scarlet sun as it dropped below the trees.

In my opinion, there is no more beautiful time to be an outdoorsman in WNY.

Inside the Box: Purple Heart

2007-10-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Hook: Daiichi 2052 Salmon Size 7
Tag: Gold Tinsel
Body: Read Thread
Dubbing: Purple Northern Lights SLF
Hackle: Wine and natural Strung Guinea
Eye: Jungle Cock Nail
Dee Wing: Matching Mahogany Turkey Biot Quills
Head: 8/0 Red Thread

Steelhead Bummin

2007-10-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Waking before the crack of dawn, power fishing for a quick four hours, hastily speeding off to work, changing in the bathroom and punching the clock for another 8 hours. Doing it all over again the next day: steelhead bummin.

Two Handed Blow Out

2007-10-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

The area received a spat of rain last night and with that came turbidity. Despite the though conditions, we managed two hook ups, loosing each to thrown flies.

The Golden Hour

2007-10-06T15:21:00.000-04:00

There is a period of nearly an hour every morning as the sun peaks up above the horizon and fills the sky with it's amazing golden glow. This is the golden hour.

Fruits of Early Season Labor

2007-10-03T23:33:00.000-04:00

I've been known to say, "you've got to be in it to win it". Some early season chrome.

Begenning of the End

2007-09-28T22:30:00.000-04:00

Today begins a search for steelhead and ends my opulence of free time; as school, two jobs and a steelheading addiction collide. Cattaraugus Creek is often the first tributary in the area to receive early runs of fish. This year's moderate regional drought, may delay usual piscatorial migration. However, rain is on its way.

Inside the Box: DOS Scuddler

2007-09-11T20:19:00.000-04:00

Sculpin are a fascinating fish and can be found to a certain degree in almost every trout stream across the country. The Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi) and Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) are the two most common species found in the north east region of the United States. Both species are nearly identical in appearance and inhabit cool, highly oxygenated, rocky runs and pools of rivers and streams. A sculpins diet consists primarily of aquatic insects such as caddis larva, mayfly nymphs and midge larva. Areas capable of sustaining large number of sculpin should also be conducive to sustaining healthy trout.

The first documented instances of sculpin being used as bait for trout occurred during the mid 1920’s in Canada’s Nipigon region and were colloquially referred to by locals as “****atouch." Since then, many fly patterns have been spawned to imitate the roughly 2 inch long baitfish.

Fishing this fly should consist of short, rather violent strips to imitate the swift dating a sculpin undertakes when flushed or dislodged from their rocky hiding place.

Fishing this fly during periods of high, off color water has been particularly conducive.

Hook: Daiichi 2052 Salmon Size 5
Wing: 4 Speckled Hen Back
Throat: Rams Wool
Hackle: Strung Guinea
Head: Deer Hair

Buffalo Outfitters Fly Shop Customer Appreciation Day

2007-09-06T22:39:00.000-04:00

Inside The Box: DOS Waker

2007-09-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

DOS Salmon and Steelhead Waker

This fly is a permutation of the Gartside Gurgler, tweaked to fit the needs of the Great Lakes salmonid angler.

Here is a brief description of how the Gurlger style was developed.

"Regarding the evolution of the Gurgler: Oddly enough, it evolved from the very simple Foam Beetle of trout fishing fame. This was about twenty years ago. I adapted it first to imitate a floating crab, tying it very large (on a 1/0-3/0 hook) with a short marabou tail and longish pheasant rump hackle Palmering. This worked very well for both tarpon and stripers. Reducing it, I began to tie it as a floating "bug" for bass and panfish, now using regular rooster hackle instead of pheasant for the Palmering. (In this incarnation, the fly is known both as a "Gartside Bug" or "Hoverbug." I then added a "lip" to this fly so that the fly would "gurgle" or create a commotion to attract largemouth bass or salmon or steelhead. And from there it wasn't a big step to adapt it to saltwater fishing, stripers and blues in particular (the latter fish being the reason it's most often tied on a long shank hook, to protect it from teeth); I substituted bucktail for marabou, slimmed down the profile and, viola, the basic Gurgler took shape. I sometimes still use marabou for a tail, also saddles, but most of the time I keep it simple with a slender bucktail tail. It remains my very favorite surface fly to fish for stripers."

Hook: Mustad 34007 Stainless size 2-4
Tail: Rabbit Zonker Strip
Rear Collar: Strung Guinea
Hackle: Dyed Grizzly Saddle
Foam: 2MM Closed Cell

Inside The Box: Great Lakes Spider Spey

2007-09-05T02:27:00.000-04:00

Great Lakes Spider Spey

The spider style wet fly has been around for nearly 200 years, reincarnated many times over, and fooled trout world wide. Pacific Northwest fly tiers like Randall Kaufmann, Ed Hass, Syd Glasso, and Walt Johnson often incorporated this style in their region specific patterns designed for steelhead. This dressing is best tied simple in construction but bold in color. Color combinations are only limited by imagination and available materials.

Hook: Daiichi 2052 Salmon Size 5
Tail: Krystal Flash
Tag: Krystal Flash
Cheek: STS Trilobal Salmon Dubbing
Shoulder: Flashabou Dubbing
Hackle: Strung Guinea
Head: Black 8/0

Cold Water Upwelling: Lake Ontario

2007-09-04T08:45:00.000-04:00

Lake Ontario has experienced spurts of cold water upwelling in the past couple of weeks. However, todays event seems to be the most widespread and extreme temperature change to date. How will this influence the salmon? In the river? In the lake?

Swingin the Double O

2007-09-02T12:33:00.000-04:00

I spent the first few hrs of daylight prospecting on Oak Orchard Creek in Orleans County. There weren't any posted signs on either side of the bank in the area of the contested land dispute. Its been reported by a senior LOSA member that "Orleans Co. reached a multi-year lease agreement with the landowner who had posted up sections of the creek. With in the next couple weeks all posted signs and wires across the stream will be removed and access will be open to the public."

No signs of Salmonids. Water was at 72 degrees. There were a few small bass around.

Orleans Outdoors reports that a recent cold water upwelling pushed some salmon into the river mouth and charter captains have been targeting inshore areas with great success. A large rain event may provide enough encouragement for a early run.

Welcome to Northern Ontario

2007-08-29T11:50:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Northern Ontario

Acting on a 53 year tradition, the Nisbet family made its way north to a pristine wildness lake, scraped out of the expansive Canadian Shield by advancing and retreating sheets of ice during the Pleistocene epoch. Here, nestled among untouched boreal forest is a sportsman’s dream.

My grandfather was 39 years old when he first made the trip, bringing with him my father and uncle who were seven and twelve. In just a few weeks my granddad will be celebrating his 90th birthday and I have trouble keeping up with him. So far this trip he has boated many beautiful fish, portaged into several different lakes and generally assumed the role of patriarch that he has held for several generations.

Fishing has been nothing short of spectacular. The only camp on the boat/fly in lake, in which we have called home for a week every summer dating back to 1955, primarily markets its self to its guests as a trophy walleye lake but the beauty of the lake is only matched by the smallmouth and northern pike fishery, that has my bias vote as one of the best in northern Ontario.

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With one last day in our trip we cherish every moment we have together up here. The memories and stories will last a lifetime and I hope to pass along the tradition to my kids and tell them of how their great grandfather at age 90 whooped the bass.

NEW FEATURE: Lake Ontario Surface Water Temperature

2007-08-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

Lake Ontario Surface Water Temperature can be effected by ambient air temperature, wind direction, the outflow from large tributaries and upwelling of cooler pockets of water.

Lower Cattaraugus Early Steelhead Search

2007-08-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

No steelhead but there were quite a few resident brown trout around. Felt good to get on a larger piece of water.

Almost here...

2007-08-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

Its just around the corner...

Recent Photos

2007-08-04T00:40:00.000-04:00

Monomoy Trip

2007-07-22T10:55:00.000-04:00

Its hours after my return and I’m still picking sand from blisters. I walked a lot. I walked too much. Playing down the roughly nine mile round trip, I neglected several factors; sand, wind and my curiosity.

5am and dawn broke. The weather called for highs in the low 70’s and a steady 20mph wind. The golden hour greeted me with a cool but refreshing breeze out of the NE and a brilliant red sunrise. The walk from the hotel to beachhead was a blur. I was excited; I was practically at a jog. Once I left pavement I made my way down the Atlantic side of a grass and sand scoured peninsula known as South Beach, ushered by a dozen or so curious seals. My pace was brisk, moving with nimble steps despite the energy sucking sand. Thoreau, in his Cape Cod essays describes traveling through the sand as "heavy"; I can think of a few other adjectives.

Despite slow headway, high tide was peaking and the quickly approaching flats were covered in a blanket of 68 degree water.

The beaches were full of wildlife I had never seen before. Plovers, Sandpipers and Terns squawked wildly as I inadvertently approached their nesting area. Habitat unfamiliar to me was all around and I found myself zig-zaging to and from patches of Salt Rose, tidal pools, grass covered dunes and the flats. I was like a kid in a candy shop; corralling basketball size Horseshoe crabs, digging through the exposed dunes looking for insects and turning over large pieces of drift wood to see what organisms it exposed. It was all I could think about until I remembered why I was there. The fish!

My eyes were constantly scanning the water looking for moving torpedo shaped bodies, nervous water or sea birds dive bombing a bait ball. Things were calm most of the early morning. The only sighting of fish worth noting was a large group of gulls hammering down on some forage food pushed to the surface likely by blues or bass. Unfortunately, the action was out further than I was willing to wade and I could only watch as a great opportunity at fish unfolded just out of reach.

By 10:30am, after five hours of walking and observing I decided it was time to get serious and started inching my way down the edge of a flat, search casting using various patterns and stripping techniques. What felt like hours went by. Step cast, step cast. The water I was fishing looked prime. A deep channel rip laid just off the sand flat hopefully concealing lurking fish. And then it happened...

I must have been in just the right place. I had the rod tucked up under my arm and was stripping a large sand eel imitation with both hands. The strike was violent and the slack line that filled my stripping basket was out of the guides in a flash. The drag moaned and I was hooked up.

I managed a goofy grin as I played out the bass. My hard work paid off, this was the reward. I landed the 16in fish and snapped a few photos. I rinsed my hands and got right back out there casting away. Fish number 2 also came on a sand eel fly and then I hit a lull. I changed up patterns and moved just a few more feet and I was hooked up again. After about an hour things slowed down and I retreated to the bank to collect my thoughts. It was only then that I realized how far I had come and how far I had to go to get back. I managed to walk from downtown Chatham to within a hundred yards from South Monomoy, the newly formed land bridge stretched out in front of me, growing larger by the minute as the outgoing tide exposed more sand. I looked at the time, 12:30 and realized if I left now, I would make it back sometime around 5pm.

I was fine until about half way back, then I hit a brick wall. Walking through the sand, water and wondering back and forth across the peninsula had taken its toll. To compound things further I had consumed the roughly two liters of water I had brought and had neglected to take the lunch that I had prepared the night before out of the fridge and place it in my pack; stupid mistakes that could have turned into disaster. As I came within a mile of the parking area at South Beach my blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level. I lay down and closed my eyes for what seemed like minutes but turned into an hour. My legs throbbed, feet were sore. I had to use every bit of strength to muster the balls needed to make it back to the hotel. As I got up and trudged along, all I could do was think about the bass I had just caught and how well deserved they were. I don’t think I have ever worked so hard for a few fish in my life but the adventure, the experience would never be forgotten.

As I walked up the steps of the hotel room my legs were trembling from exhaustion. I threw my equipment down on the floor and headed right for the bathroom where I threw up what was left of yesterday’s dinner and then proceeded to drown myself in a bottle of Ibuprofen.

Tomorrow I’m taking the day off.

Sunday at the springs

2007-07-09T02:33:00.000-04:00

As of late, Sundays have become synonymous with lazy evenings on the 58 mile Oatka/spring creek system,which is complemented nicely by the company of good friends. The fishing ebbs and flows between stories shouted across the stream and the occasional drag of a cheap cigar. This brand of fishing is at a much slower pace than some of the more strenuous outings, where scouting for a client or cataloging new water is the task at hand. It’s just something about the familiarity of the location, the day of the week and the company, which exudes a relaxed and mellow vibe. However, don't think there is not pressure to catch fish, as friendly ball busting is never far from the topic at hand. Other, verbal tennis matches, include the break down of the plus and minuses of the latest gear, product wish lists and exotic destinations, where we intend to chase trout. Really, it’s all a giant BS session, full of wishful thinking and exaggerated expectations; fueled by soda pops and chuckling friends. But for just a few hrs, anything seems possible and the real world fades away, while enjoying... Sunday at the springs.

As for successful tackle, dry flies of a mere mortal are rarely a match for the weary trout that inhabit these crystalline waters. They simply serve as strike indicators for the tiny midge and scud patterns dangled beneath. 7x seems like it could tow a car when you can see its thick shadow slip over the trout’s head, causing it to franticly dart for the nearest cover. Presentation is everything but without the right tool at the end of the line its nothing. Despite the technical fishing and the cavalier attitude of this particular angler, several respectable specimens have came to hand, predominantly falling to size 16 and smaller scud patterns.

More photos below...

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Recent Oatka Trips

2007-06-27T12:32:00.000-04:00

Oatka Creek stretches across WNY for 58 miles and is a major coldwater tributary of the Genesse River. Here are a few pictures of my slice of heaven.

Grey Fox, Light Cahill, Tan Caddis and at dusk Sulphurs entertained the angler while trout seemed to be focused on the bugs underwater stages of life. Surface boils rather than traditional rise forms were the name of the game. Fishing emergers and cripples in the surface film got the most looks.

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Lake Erie Trib SM Bass

2007-06-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

This is a unique fishery that is often overlooked.

Shop Wars

2007-06-16T08:11:00.000-04:00

Where's Ron Burgundy when you need him?

Rain Dance

2007-06-13T22:47:00.000-04:00

Unless we get a substantial spat of rain and cooler weather this will have to be my last trip to recent stomping grounds as water flows and temperature are at danger levels for trout.

Addiction?

2007-06-06T22:40:00.000-04:00

New Z-axis and Lamson Waterworks combo to play with. Had another beautiful day on my hands to chase trout. Look for a Z-axis review coming soon. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

NEW!

2007-05-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

Recent Inland Photos...

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CNY Inland Bows and Browns

2007-05-23T01:14:00.000-04:00

Took a little day trip in search of some inland action on a stream I had never fished. Its always exciting exploring new water especially when you have high expectation due to its superb reputation and biotic potential. The weather was beautiful and it was particularly buggy, with several varieties of mayflies and caddis sporadically popping off all day. A size 14 Snowshoe "Usual" was an almost permanent fixture on the end of my 6x Frog Hair. I have recently been turned onto using snowshoe hair to tie all my mayflies and caddis. Its cheap, easy to work with, sheds water like nothing else and it makes a great one material dry fly!

When things really slowed down up top I ran a two fly rig with a bead head stone and pheasant tail wet nymph. The bows seemed to really like the wet fly as it was swung through seams and current breaks.

As afternoon faded into evening the browns got active and took my top water offering with incredible aggression. The takes came with an audible smack, sounding like someone slapping the palm of their hand on the surface of the water as it echoed off the far bank.

The most pleasurable part of the day was experiencing some of the best dry fly fishing NY has to offer without bumping into another soul.

More time on the pond

2007-05-18T10:40:00.000-04:00

These warm evenings make wet wading bearable while Bluegill and Largemouth chase your streamer.

Backyard Bluegill

2007-05-08T19:57:00.000-04:00

Finally the water has warmed up on the backyard pond to the point where the largemouth and bluegill have become active in the evenings. I attempted to take a fish rising to an indiscernible hatch but I guess my imitations were not up to par. Finally I was able to take a gill stripping a hot pink "D" style spey fly. As always Hunter was more than happy to come along for the ride.

Fishing With Rippn Lipps

2007-04-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

by way of the Chum

Cattaraugus Freshies

2007-04-22T21:28:00.000-04:00

What an amazing break in the weather! High temps kicked into the low 70's today with bright sunshine. The Cattaraugus ran at about 1300 CFS and at this flow most people shy away from its murky waters but not this guy! You gotta be in it to win it! I took quite a hike and was rewarded for the effort with several beefed up freshies. Water was at 56f.

Canadaway Creek Conservation Project

2007-04-21T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hosted by SAREP Youth Fly Fishing Program

The S.A.R.E.P. Youth Fly Fishing Program is organizing the Canadaway Creek Conservation Project to be held on Saturday, June 16, 2007, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the gazebo behind the Fire Hall on Main Street in Fredonia, New York. The project will entail educational presentations, a stream cleanup, and a willow whip planting program to help stabilize the stream’s banks. Free lunch and t-shirts will be provided to all participants.

Weekend Festivities

2007-04-15T23:58:00.000-04:00

The weekend kicked off with an outstanding presentation by Brian Slyvinski on Atlantic Salmon fishing within the Gaspe peninsula, Quebec; hosted by Buffalo Outfitters. Then nearly twenty anglers from around the North East descended on the WNY area to participate in the first ever Steelhead Fest. Spanning tributaries from Lake Ontario to Erie the finest the area has to offerer was showcased. Despite tough conditions everyone had a great time and got into at least a few fish.

ANNUAL FISH DELIVERY: Oak Orchard River welcomes 85,250 chinook salmon and 14,000 steelhead

2007-04-13T17:26:00.000-04:00

BY MIRANDA VAGG/vaggm@gnnewspaper.com
POINT BREEZE — The rivers and tributaries that salmon swim are imprinted in their memory like a lifeline to the place they were born.

Nearly 100,000 chinook salmon and steelhead were delivered to Lake Breeze Marina in Point Breeze on Tuesday where they will live in pens along the bank of Oak Orchard River for the next few weeks while smolting and getting familiar with their new surroundings, according to Bob Songin, Reel Excitement charter boat captain.

“They go back to the river they were born in,” he said. “When they’re born in a fishery, they have to go through an imprinting process.”

Imprinting is much like a map showing them the way back to the Oak Orchard River and its tributaries, which are known for their world-class fishing. Once the process is complete, the fish are released into the river and find their way downstream to Lake Ontario with the ability to return to the river habitat to spawn.

While waiting for the delivery from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, a state-run facility in Oswego County, the fishermen in Orleans County prepared the new homes for the fish, said Dave Olsowsky, a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries technician.

“They’ll pen raise the chinooks and the steelhead and when they get to a certain size they’ll release them,” he said.

The fish were transported in holding tanks by the DEC from the hatchery to the marina. When the trucks arrived, the tanks were hooked up to a series of tubes acting as a waterslide for the fish on their way to the pens.

The local marina got involved with pen raising fish 10 years ago and each year Songin and several other people get together in February to discuss the release and the amount of fish needed for the restocking, Songin said. The 85,250 chinook salmon and 14,000 steelhead delivered this year will remain in underwater cages until after they go through the smolting stage, which takes between 20 and 24 days, he said.

“The reason we do it is to improve survivability of the fish and enhance the imprinting process,” Songin said.

Though the salmon are still young, indicated by black vertical lines marking the length of their bodies, as they grow they’ll turn silver, pointing to the end of the smolting process when they are ready to be released into the wild, Songin said.

The fingerlings are only about three inches long, but as the lake temperature rises from the frigid 42 degrees that it is currently stands at, their length will grow along with their changing colors, he said.

“The warmer the water is the faster they’ll grow,” Songin said.

After the fish grow and are released into the stream they will make their way to the lake and swim back to the river in the fall to breed, increasing the salmon and steelhead population in local tributaries.

“Hopefully they’ll come back to Oak Orchard to spawn,” Olsowsky said.

Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at (585) 798-1400, ext. 2225.

More to come?

2007-04-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

Did it happen? Is this it? Has the run come and gone here on Erie or is this just the beginning? There are conflicted opinions for sure. The consensus seems to be that the spring migration has peaked and is on its way out. However, others think that the best has yet to come. My own observations indicate a lack of redds in prime spawning territory and a lack of fish doing their thaaang in the early morning shallows. But I guess we'll see what this spat of unusually cold weather and shot of ice cold water will produce.

Round Two!

2007-04-04T20:54:00.000-04:00

Double dipping...

I wish my camera could convey how windy it was today. At one point my rod doubled over as I was high stick nymphing. We were forced to abandon the big water and find shelter on a smaller creek.

About Time

2007-04-02T00:40:00.000-04:00

One of NY's largest Lake Erie tributaries has finally come into form after a long hiatus. Water temperature was 45.7f. Fish came on peach sucker spawn. Some spawning activity was observed, several paired up fish in riffles and one or two fish on redds. It does not appear that the spring migration is in full swing yet but it could peak any day now.

What a great day!3

2007-03-31T15:11:00.000-04:00

Vulpes fulva
Red Fox

2007-03-24T23:05:00.000-04:00

Funny how one pool can completely captivate your imagination. Held prisoner by a loping, meandering flow as its pushed by finger like surges of current; progeny of upwelling and sedimentary diversion. I can barely decipher depth changes through the waters emerald cloak but I know chrome migrants remain securely tucked into winters current breaks and seams.

What can brown do for you?

2007-03-22T12:40:00.000-04:00

C-Roc, Dejon, Flythrower and I made plans to explore some relatively new water on a little Lake Erie trib but overnight temperatures climbed above freezing, triggering a melting event that has blown out most of the south west corner of NY. We decided to shift gears and headed north to the shores of Lake Ontario in search of our migratory quarry.

A six pack of browns fresh from the lake, a black tailed oddity and some genuine slobs greeted us at a creek we affectionately dubbed "The Dirty B". You can check out the slobage COMING SOON at Chrome On Chrome

The morning started out with sunshine then quickly deteriorated to a blustery mix of rain and hail. The fishing seemed to get hot as runoff churned an otherwise docile creek. Around 6pm the flows started to settle out and the fish seemed to shut down as we did not raise a look in the hours before sundown. The browns and steel were taken on a swinging double bunny.

NEW PHOTO PAGE

2007-03-22T01:18:00.000-04:00

DreamsOfSteel has expanded to include a photos page.

LINK

LINK

Maumee River egg collection haulted: VHS

2007-03-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

LINK
"A long-standing practice — almost a tradition — will be bypassed this year when Ohio Division of Wildlife biologists skip collecting walleye eggs from the Maumee River.

Instead, biologists will begin collecting eggs today from several inland lakes. The reason: VHS — Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia. That's the disease floating around Lake Erie that killed so many drum and perch last summer.

As Lake Erie fisheries program manager Roger Knight explained, the egg collection at Maumee won't take place this year to avoid possibly spreading VHS to Ohio's hatcheries and inland lakes.

"Our folks plan to work a little longer collecting eggs at inland lakes this year so we can provide enough for the hatcheries to complete our regular stocking program," said Doug Maloney, fish management supervisor for District 5."

Full Story LINK

How will NY's hatcheries respond to VHS in the coming months? Since 1998, Fisheries managers on the left coast have been well aware of the threat marine VHS poses; will NY utilizes their management strategies and insight? Will they be effective in the Great Lakes environmental landscape?

2007-03-19T00:03:00.000-04:00

I closed my eyes last night with a vision in mind. Eerie, how vivid the eidetic images played as if on cue. Cruising along the water's surface, I navigated riffles and pools, recounting past trips and memorable fish. My thoughts jump from one stream to the next, until finally settling on a slithering, slate bottom creek; a gem among the many gentle tributaries feeding either of NY's boarding Great Lakes. Just as I was lulled into relaxation, a silver explosion leaped from emerald waters, washing away the fantastic scenery. The realism of it all sent a surge of adrenalin from head to toe, igniting a perpetual toss and turn. I was restless, as I knew tomorrow was my day to explore, a chance to transform tonight’s fantasy into reality.

NEW FEATURE! Regional Snowpack Data

2007-03-17T21:24:00.000-04:00

As spring knocks on our door, drop back steelie season is just around the corner. Use the NOAA snowpack depth charts to estimate snow melt in conjunction with USGS water data when planning your next trip!

A permanent link will be placed above the USGS water data on the left hand tool bar of the blog

The image is updated daily for your convenience!

Death of a Brook Trout Stream

2007-03-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

Via The Buffalo News

MY VIEW
Death of Ledge Creek gives birth to cynicism
By John Opera
Updated: 03/13/07 12:43 PM

Tucked away in the northeast corner of Erie County is a small tributary of Tonawanda Creek called Ledge Creek. A stream survey conducted in 1920 by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences described Ledge Creek as a “short stream about 4 miles long arising in the region just northeast of Akron and flowing northerly. A beautiful brook flowing partly through swamp and partly through open farmland.”

The survey goes on to describe the water at the sampling site as “deep, cool and well-shaded.” The number of fish species found there includes an impressive list of darters, game-fish and minnows, however, one species seems to leap out from the list — brook trout.

In the language of ecology, brook trout are known as an indicator species. They will survive and reproduce only in water that is relatively cool, unpolluted and saturated with oxygen. Considering the fact that Ledge Creek was

never stocked, it is very likely the brook trout found there in 1920 were direct descendants of the earliest trout populations established after the end of the Ice Age.

My first encounter with Ledge Creek occurred in 1978. I thought it might prove interesting to have the high school ecology class I taught at the time study the creek and compare the students’ results with the data collected more than half a century earlier.

I anticipated changes, but nothing could have prepared us for the shock we were about to experience. Upon arriving at the sampling site, we found the creek was gone. All that remained of the ecosystem were a few stagnant pools smelling of sulfur and a dry creek bed. The only life we found in the creek were bloodworms. Like Brook Trout, bloodworms are an indicator species, but their presence reflects severe pollution and oxygen deprivation.

For the remainder of the school year, Ledge Creek became a topic for discussion and study. Students found that government agencies were polite, but the information gleaned from them seemed vague and inconclusive. Eventually, the case of Ledge Creek became a kind of ecological X-file kept active by myself and a few zealous students.

Today, considering the problems gnawing at our fragile planet, the death of a small brook may seem inconsequential. But when I think of Ledge Creek, I am reminded of a diminutive ground orchid called the small whorled pogonia found in the woods of New Hampshire. It flowers briefly in spring, then disappears and may lie dormant for 20 years before reappearing. Its role in the complex fabric of forest ecology has never been established, but its very presence suggests a purpose.

We may never know what benefits Ledge Creek bestowed upon adjacent ecosystems, or how its demise may have affected the quality of our own lives.

I’m retired now, but I still go back there occasionally, looking for clues. Sometimes there is water in the creek, but it is mostly runoff — a witch’s brew of snow-melt, lawn fertilizer and pesticides.

I often think of my students sifting incredulously through the dry bones of the creek, looking for some sign of life. I remember the questions I could not answer, and the angry comments hurled at the nameless adults responsible for the creek’s untimely death.

The real tragedy of Ledge Creek might have been the cynicism bred there that morning years ago.

Via The Buffalo News

No Waders, No Problem

2007-03-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

Daylight savings and cutting out of work early afforded the opportunity to enjoy just a little March sun.

Mich. reconsiders Kennecott application

2007-03-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

Mich. reconsiders Kennecott application
By JOHN FLESHER

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.

A company's plan to drill for nickel and copper in the Upper Peninsula was thrown off track as state regulators acknowledged they hadn't adequately considered reports questioning whether the mine's roof would hold up.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday it was withdrawing tentative approval of Kennecott Minerals Co.'s application to operate the mine, which was awarded in January......

Despite the Upper Peninsula's long mining history, the Kennecott operation would be the first to extract minerals from sulfide ores through a process that critics say could cause acid to leach into the groundwater and nearby Salmon Trout River, a Lake Superior tributary.

Announcing tentative approval in January, the DEQ said extensive steps would be taken to avoid sulfide pollution, including moving the ores from underground directly to enclosed buildings, then to covered trucks and finally rail cars for transport to a processing facility in Canada.

LINK

Frozen Lake Erie turns back another

2007-02-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Frozen Lake Erie turns back another
Posted by Michael Scott February 24, 2007 19:48PM
Categories: Breaking News

If Lake Erie played in an ice hockey league, it's record would be 2-0-1 this weekend.

After twice turning back the U.S. Coast Guard ice cutter Neah Bay -- sending it home empty-handed after long bouts both Friday and Saturday -- the stubbornly frozen lake played to a virtual tie with the Canadian Coast Guard's best boat Saturday afternoon.

The gargantuan Samuel Risley, a 230-foot and 3,200-ton ship called "unstoppable" on the web site www.boatnerd.com was dispatched from Ontario late Friday and arrived outside Fairport Harbor sometime after 4 p.m. Saturday.

But little Lake Erie stopped the unstoppable -- even if only because the battle was shortened on account of darkness.

The Risley had planned to go further up the Grand River to alleviate ice pressure and prevent future flooding. Instead, it spent nearly three hours pounding into line after line of "windrows," fractured ice reconfigured by northerly wind into rock-solid barriers jutting up from the surface of the frozen lake.

Soon after nightfall, the Risley was sent on another mission to accompany a tanker across the lake, a Canadian spokesman said.

Those windrows had stopped the Neah Bay after half-day voyages, which only got the boat outside of the Chagrin River in Eastlake. The U.S. boat had hoped to meet up with the Canadians Saturday to double-team the ice buildup.

Neah Bay captain Lt. Eric Peace had said, however, that southeastern winds expected as early as today, although possibly bringing icy rain, may also work to push some of the windrows in the other direction - back out into the lake.

That's hopeful news for Fairport Harbor residents, who have been warily eyeing the frozen river mouth for several weeks.

To see pictures and hear more the Neah Bay's attempt on Friday, go to www.cleveland.com/news

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:mscott@plaind.com, 440-602-4780

More Lake Erie UFO Sightings

2007-02-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

Are they here for the good fishing?

Received this sighting from Todd Martin who managed to catch this photograph of an unknown object on February 16, 2007. Todd was out taking a series of photographs of the skies over Lake Erie. He said, "Something told him to go out to the lake and take pictures".

LINK

Unknown object Photo enhanced using variation tool from Adobe Photoshop.

"Extreme" Fly Casting

2007-02-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

via the Chum

Mongolia Taimen

2007-02-20T20:50:00.000-05:00

via the Chum

Not So Recent Photos

2007-02-19T00:54:00.000-05:00

Inside the Box: LW's Shuttle Weave

2007-02-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

LW's shuttle weave is perfect for quickly making two tone bodies on nymphs of all type.

Enjoy

Birthday Bash

2007-02-13T23:48:00.000-05:00

The night started with beef on weck, wings, blue cheese and beer. It does not get much more Buffalo than that. It was then a mad dash to HSBC's Arena on the waterfront to watch the Sabres take on the Flames. Great seats and even better hockey ended right with the Sabres winning in a shoot out. As the crowd flowed from their seats we followed the wave downtown to the former Lord Chumley's which is now the more trendy Still Water. JP Losman and just about every young professional Buffalo could pony up was socializing in a fog of overpriced martinis and a 80's cover band. We met up with friends and its an understatement to say that the rest of the night gets fuzzy from here on out. The night got so blurred in fact that the next morning's fishing trip was completely slept through which is a down right sin in my book, only to be repeated on the rare occasion.

Inside the Box: LW's Czech Nymph

2007-02-13T23:39:00.000-05:00

Another goodie for the box.

LW is the man...

HERE

Snow Continues to Rock Pulaski, NY

2007-02-12T01:28:00.000-05:00

While searching youtube for footage of a recent winter storm, dumping nearly 100 inches of snow on NY's Salmon River area, I came across some interesting ways people chose to broadcast the effects of snow.

The first video is from the Pulaski, NY area.

Friday 13th Buffalo, NY snow and ice storm

Inside the Box: LW's Revis Stone

2007-02-10T11:10:00.000-05:00

As you can see I didn't quite capture the width and taper the pattern calls for. I had to substitute a few materials again for those I had on hand. The biots and case are from a goose feather I picked up in the back yard this past summer. The goose feather lacked the length of the mature turkey feather so I had to use four different case sections to complete the fly. I didn't have any black wool yarn so I dubbed the
body. I think its one of the reasons I did not get the width I desired. Additionally, the lead wire I worked with was of a smaller diameter then I would have liked. I could also use a bit of work on the placement and proportion of the case. I'm fairly satisfied for a first swing at it. I'll have to make a run to the fly shop tomorrow to get the proper materials to make the next few perfect.

Another great LW tutorial

Inside the Box: LW's Double Bunny

2007-02-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

The Great Lakes Double Bunny is a fun and relatively easy pattern to tie up. A bait fish imitation that can be swung or stripped through pools. You can see I have deviated from Loren's tutorial adding a angora chartreuse and salmon egg body. The zonker strips are rabbit. Dorsal is charcoal gray and ventral is natural. It's finished off with a little krystal flash for a kick.

Loon flex-a-ment to secure the zonker strips together, Loon Hard Head to finish off the head. I need to get my hands on the Loon UV knot sense because hard head takes forever to dry!

Thanks Loren!

You can find this and more of Loren's excellent tutorials HERE

Researcher called Dr. God

2007-02-06T00:35:00.000-05:00

Researcher called Dr. God
Credited with saving Lake Erie
By Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
Burlington (Feb 5, 2007)

Richard Vollenweider, who wrote a life-saving prescription for Lake Erie, won the world's top environmental award and earned the nickname Dr. God from colleagues, died Jan. 20 after a long illness. He was 84.

The Swiss scientist's big breakthrough was determining that eutrophication -- runaway algae growth that can choke freshwater lakes -- could be controlled by limiting the input of phosphorus.

That led to phosphates being taken out of North American laundry detergents in the 1970s.

The research won him a Tyler Prize, which is considered the Nobel Prize of environmental science.

Ronald Reagan, then U.S. president, marked the occasion by sending a telegram telling Vollenweider that all Americans and Canadians owed him a debt of gratitude for his, "magnificent achievements."

Vollenweider delivered his milestone report on the role of phosphorus while he was working in Europe for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

He was lured to the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) in Burlington in 1968, when the plight of Lake Erie became a symbol of global environmental damage.

His model for controlling the plant nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen was written into the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S.

Jack Vallentyne of Hamilton, another pioneer in eutrophication research now retired from CCIW, said, "Dr. God is the saviour of the Great Lakes, that's for sure."

Vallentyne said the Dr. God title was a term of respect.

"His colleagues knew he was several levels above them.

"He knew things that the rest of us didn't and put things together about nutrients."

For his work at the OECD and CCIW, Vollenweider received an award of excellence from the Rawson Academy of Aquatic Sciences, shared the 1986 Tyler Prize with Swiss scientist Werner Stumm and was awarded the Naumann-Thienemann Medal of the International Society of Limnology in 1987.

He later received the Premio Internazionale Cervia for water resource management in the Adriatic Sea and membership in the United Nations Environment Program's Global 500 Roll of Honour.

He received an honorary degree from McGill University.

A brief memorial ceremony will be held at 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 12 in the auditorium at CCIW during the 42nd Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research.

emcguinness@thespec.com

905-526-4650

Lake Erie UFO?

2007-02-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

Did these guys see something special or are they just morons? What are some plausible explanations of the lights?

Winter's Grip

2007-01-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

El nino's winter has given anglers an excellent opportunity to enjoy our outstanding tributary fishery in above normal temperatures. Reality has hit hard in the last two weeks with lake effect snow, wicked winds and typical January weather conditions.

ON THIN ICE: Lack of cold weather is hurting the economy in areas where ice fishing is popular

2007-01-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

By Matt Higgins
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BUFFALO, N.Y.

For 20 years, Capt. Kevin Caffery traced Lake Erie's frozen shoreline in the gathering twilight of late winter afternoons. From his helicopter, he scanned for parked cars belonging to ice fishermen. If the cars had not been retrieved, it could mean men were stranded miles offshore on shifting ice floes.

In this way, Caffery, of the Erie County Sheriff's Office, rescued numerous fishermen. Then came last winter, when, for the first time, Caffery made no rescues. The reason was simple. "The lake didn't freeze," he said.

Unseasonably warm weather in recent winters has Buffalo, a frequent target of jibes about snow and cold, bucking its Arctic reputation. But without freezing temperatures, there has been no ice fishing, sending a chill through those whose livelihoods depend on it.

"Guys that ice fish spend more than your average fisherman per person," said Bill Van Camp, the owner of Big Catch Bait & Tackle on Niagara Street. "An average guy will spend $10, an ice fisherman $20 to $30 on bait and little jigs and light rods."

Other than some specialty rods, Van Camp has not replenished his fishing inventory because he had so much remaining from last year. With a warm weather pattern holding, sales have slumped this season, too, leaving Van Camp concerned.

"A guy skips ice fishing this year, he may forget about it," he said.

Van Camp has watched warming weather affect his business. Twenty-five years ago, he sold extensions for augurs because the ice was so thick, but in recent years no one has needed extensions because the ice is so much thinner.

Cold, hard facts back his observations. Eighty years of records show that Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, could be counted on to freeze over nearly every winter. The lake froze every year between 1953 and 1998. But in the last nine years, it has failed to freeze completely three times, according to the local Army Corps of Engineers office.

Odds are poor that the lake will freeze over in 2007. On Jan. 9, Lake Erie was a record 41 degrees, 7 above normal.

"This year we had the second-warmest November and December in history," said Alan Blackburn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. "We're seeing more warm years in the recent decade. There's something happening here."

Even smaller inland lakes, which freeze faster, have not had sufficient ice for fishing. An hour east from Buffalo, Silver Lake, just 34 feet deep, is a popular destination.

In the past, Silver Lake has been a site for the New York Trap Attack ice fishing tournament, part of a seven-stop series culminating in the North American Ice Fishing Championship. But the event was canceled last February because of insufficient ice and could be shut down this year.

"I never remembered a year like last year," said George Dovolos, an ice fisherman who has lived along Silver Lake for 59 years. "I've never seen the lake open up like this. The pattern has gone to less ice year after year."

An absence of sufficient ice has not been limited to western New York. A Trap Attack event in Brooklyn, Mich., was canceled last January, the first time in six years a tournament was canceled because of weather.

With the Michigan tournament scheduled to be held in less than two weeks and warm weather prevailing, the tournament has been canceled again.

"We have never felt two years back to back with bad ice," said Mike Smith, the Trap Attack tournament director.

Smith described the traditional southern boundary of the ice belt - a region suitable for ice fishing - as running from the East Coast along the northern Pennsylvania state line and continuing west to Montana, taking in parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. But in recent years the line has run roughly through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, eliminating two-thirds of the states in the territory.

Winter Time Bliss

2007-01-19T00:22:00.000-05:00

Headed over to a beautiful little creek with Dejon and Chris from Chrome On Chrome for the afternoon. This place is one of my favorites because of the 150ft ice covered cliffs that surround you as you fish. The fishing was tough for Dejon and I, each landing one. The fly throwers were shown up by our pinning buddy. I think he had 5 hook ups landing 4. One of which was a genuine slob. It got bannered and I'm sure will be all over Salmon Crazy tonight.

Fish came on peach sacks the size of a dime and for the fly guys white and peach sucker spawn.

Photos 06 Recap

2007-01-15T01:35:00.000-05:00

Flash Slideshow

Weekend Blow Out

2007-01-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

Day break revealed some extreme conditions on creeks across the south west corner of the state. With continued rains tonight and tomorrow conditions will take time to improve. On the up side this should flush out the system and bring in a fresh run of fish.

State seeks advice on fishery spending

2007-01-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

Occidental settlement spans area from falls to St. Lawrence River

By JOHN F. BONFATTI
News Staff Reporter
1/12/2007
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has a question for those who fish the Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario: How would you spend at least $12 million designated for improving the fishery?

The DEC soon will release a draft of a plan for spending millions of dollars the state will receive from Occidental Chemical Corp. as part of a settlement for damage done to the fisheries by discharges from its main Niagara Falls plant.

That settlement, announced last June, will funnel $12 million over four years to projects in waters extending from the base of Niagara Falls, then along Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence River.

"It's a great opportunity to do some great things," said Christopher Balk, the DEC's Lake Ontario sport fishing restoration coordinator.

Balk said that while $12 million may not sound like much given the thousands of square miles of habitat, "It will probably enable us to do some things that we may not have otherwise gotten a chance to get started."

While the settlement gives the state $12 million in five payments, the DEC hopes to leverage those funds to generate more money.

"We hope to use it to match funds with other sources of money," said Paul McKeown, fisheries manager for the DEC in Western New York.

The draft plan doesn't contain specific projects, Balk said, but it does propose guidelines for those who will propose them.

The money will be used in four general categories: access, habitat restoration, angler outreach and education, and fish population/management enhancement.

The DEC will hold five hearings on the draft plan. The nearest one will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Lewiston-Porter High School auditorium, 4061 Creek Road, Lewiston.

2008 DEC Lake Ontario Angler Regulations

2007-01-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

LOSA, The Lake Ontario Steelhead Association has posted the details of a December sit down with the DEC where they were treated with a preview of some of the proposed 2008 angling regulations.

A quick run down includes:

"No Chumming Allowed - DEC wants to make illegal the tactic of chumming fish eggs (Trout or Salmon) To attract fish."

"Up to and not to exceed 1 quart of eggs per angler in possession on the trib at one time. This includes that a guide if he has two anglers can't “himself”carry two quarts of eggs. In other words the anglers have to each possess their own limit."

And the heated Salmon River debate

"No added weight in the Upper and Lower fly zone year round, EXCEPT, Weighted flies, sink tip lines or looped in sink tips. Use or running line or low weight level line (Non tapered) is not allowed. Level or running line is allowed if a shooting head or at last 20 feet is attached tot he front end. Essentially DEC wants to have a situation where the angler has to make a FLY cast with what ever configuration they are fishing with so the transfer of energy is between the rod and fly line, not cast/lobbed by the added weight."

Public comment on proposed changes will begin in the middle of 2007

MORE:

Natural Chinook Salmon River

2007-01-05T01:39:00.000-05:00

Study Shows Natural Chinook in the Millions in Salmon River

OSWEGO, NY, August 23, 2006 - Fisheries managers are excited but cautious about the finding that five to ten million Chinook salmon were naturally reproduced in the Salmon River in 2005. A five million- fish finding comes from a New York Sea Grant-funded project carried out by State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry (SUNY ESF) graduate student Dustin Everitt. In fact, SUNY ESF Dean of Research Dr. Neil H. Ringler says, "The calculations are actually quite conservative, and the number of juvenile Chinook for 2005 could easily have been close to ten million fish." Everitt worked under the guidance of Ringler, assisted by Michael Connerton, and with hydroacoustic analysis expertise from Cornell University's Dr. Lars Rudstam.

New York Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist David B. MacNeill says the finding comes after a litany of meaningful research conducted on the Salmon River by SUNY ESF, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and New York Sea Grant since the late 1970s.

"The good news now is that the Salmon River obviously has good habitat for natural spawning, but this number of naturally-produced salmon may create additional pressure on prey fish populations. More research is needed to better understand how many of the wild fish are surviving to 'fishable' size," MacNeill says.

The NYSDEC and USGS began conducting an annual seining (netting) fish index count on the Salmon River in 1999. NYSDEC Regional Fisheries Manager Daniel Bishop says the potential for the Salmon River to naturally produce Chinook salmon began to improve in 1997.

"We have seen naturally-spawned Chinook in the Salmon River since the late 1990s, when a stable year-round water flow on the River was instituted by the power companies. Before that the flow would be shut off at night and leave the River 'high and dry'," Bishop says.

Ringler says, "Because of the stabilized flows in the Salmon River, the magnitude of reproduction is far higher today than during our initial studies (30 years ago). The recognition that wild fish matter will greatly enhance future management decisions in Great Lakes fisheries."

"Using a seining technique at four stations in recent years, we could say that there were a lot of wild fish in the River," says James Johnson, a USGS fisheries researcher, "but we needed the more detailed assessment that Dr. Ringler and Dustin Everitt undertook to actually quantify the number."

Bishop notes that all five million of the naturally-spawned fish will not make it out of the River that is the largest cold water tributary to Lake Ontario. Still, he says, "These natural Chinook have the potential to have an extremely significant impact on the numbers of adult stock in Lake Ontario and on the long-term sustainability of the lake and river fishery. Their survival could depend upon an historical low level of the prey fish, alewife."

The researchers all say the next step is to collect adult Chinook from Lake Ontario, the Salmon River and the Hatchery to assess their survival rate. Johnson notes that the wild fish can be as much as one-third smaller than the stocked fish entering the Lake.

At Cape Vincent, NYSDEC Lake Ontario Unit Leader Steve LaPan says the NYSDEC and SUNY ESF are now cooperating on another Sea Grant project using microanalysis of fish scales to distinguish the wild Chinook from stocked salmon in Lake Ontario, a technique also being assessed by Canadian fisheries managers.

"This technique analyzes the rings on fish scales to assess differences in growth at early life stages, similar to counting the rings of a tree trunk. Wild versus hatchery-raised fish are thought to grow differently so we are evaluating this technique as a way to count the two populations," LaPan explains. He cautions, however, "One year's data will not provide a definitive snapshot. Survival rates vary year to year. Counts could be ten percent one year and eighty-five percent the next depending on many factors in the fishery."

Johnson, who, as Dr. Ringler's first student, discovered Pacific salmon in the Salmon River's tributaries, says, "Fisheries managers in Michigan conducted a marked fish survey and were shocked at the high survival rate of wild salmon in their fisheries. The five million count of young natural Chinook in the Salmon River has our attention in New York so that we are now ready to look at marking hatchery-raised fish so we can scientifically calculate a relative survival rate of the wild salmon compared with the stocked salmon. We will probably need at least two years' worth of comparison counts before we can get excited here."

The NYSDEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery at Altmar and Caledonia Fish Hatchery produces 1.8 million Chinook salmon each year from eggs collected from wild broodstock that return to the Salmon River to spawn. The young fish are hand fed, monitored daily for health problems, and later released into Lake Ontario.

Salmon River Program Coordinator Fran Verdoliva says Chinook salmon are unique in that they do not require two years of residence in the River before they grow large enough to enter the Lake.

"The Chinook spawn in October and the fry are ready to go to the lake in June or July. With the regulated water flow, the River is now more functional for spawning and for juvenile fish survival. The question is how many of the wild fish will survive in the lake and return here to spawn their own young," Verdoliva says.

Another of Dr. Ringler's SUNY ESF students, Mary Penney, is finishing her master's thesis on the Salmon River's critical habitat factors for wild salmon survival. Penney, the Stewards Program Coordinator with New York Sea Grant, says analysis is underway on such factors as water depth, temperature, velocity, and river bottom substrate.

"This research adds to the work that Dr. Ringler and his students have conducted for many years by providing the first study and the baseline data on the water conditions that wild salmon need to survive," Penney says.

"The information from both studies coupled with past and current research provides sportfishery stakeholders with valuable information in support of a pastime and a livelihood that has a positive impact on New York's freshwater shoreline economy," MacNeill says.

The 2001 New York Sea Grant report on "The Economic Contributions of the Sport Fishing, Commercial Fishing, and Seafood Industries to New York State measures the value of freshwater recreational fishing at $2.3 billion and nearly 11,000 jobs.

MORE

Recent Photos

2007-01-03T03:35:00.000-05:00

Dams Slated for Demolition

2006-12-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

7 more Northwest dams slated for demolition
By Warren Cornwall
Seattle Times staff reporter

At least seven Northwest dams on four rivers — all bigger than Goldsborough — could be erased in the next five years, thanks to both their age and new environmental regulation.

The most anticipated and well-publicized project is the removal of two dams on the Elwha River at the northern end of Olympic National Park.

Those dams — the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam and the 108-foot Elwha Dam — block salmon from 70 miles of virtually pristine habitat. Dismantling of the dams is expected to begin in 2009.

The dams were built in the early 20th century. By the 1980s, questions arose about licensing hydropower dams inside a national park.

The re-licensing for old hydropower dams has prompted many decisions to remove them.

Environmental regulations issued since the dams were built, combined with changing attitudes and political pressures regarding salmon and dams, have led to demands for new environmental measures — such as building new fish ladders or releasing more water into rivers — in order to get licenses renewed.

As a result, some dam owners have decided that it isn't financially feasible to keep operating the dams, said Amy Souers Kober, a spokeswoman for the environmental group American Rivers.

Other rivers with dams on the chopping block include White Salmon River, in Southwest Washington; and the Sandy, Rogue and Hood rivers in Oregon.

The first to go will be the Marmot and Little Sandy dams on the Sandy River near Portland, expected to come down next year.

MORE

Merry Christmas From The DreamsOfSteel World Headquarters

2006-12-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday. Hope you all have time off to do some fishing. Here is Grandpa Nisbet and the "professor", about to enjoy our Christmas brunch.

Slab of the Year: MoldyChum.com

2006-12-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

Over at MoldyChum.com a picture of a beautiful Lake Erie Steelhead caught and released by myself in the first week of December is up for a "slab of the year" contest. Go check it out.

Moldy Chum

Limiting Factors

2006-12-18T04:19:00.000-05:00

When gas funds and time are short, there’s one stream I head for. It’s not a stocked water way, just something close to home that finds the occasional wayward steelhead. Upon asking if I’d “seen any fish” by another angler, he quickly shouted before I could respond “It’s better than sitting at home!” I guess he anticipated the nature of my unhappy body language. And so it went, until my luck changed in a place with all the right factors.

Today the water was clear and low. USGS says it was about 100CFS, half the 33year mean. Air temperatures were a high of 56F and low of 39F. Without a recent precipitation or melting event, any lone ranger hanging out in this suburban stream’s current was going to live in the most dynamic water it can find. Water with the fewest limiting factors. Within the upper most stretch of creek, just below the impassable fish barrier are three distinct areas’ that represent excellent examples of where steelhead typically take refuge under similar water conditions. Here is the run down on one of these.

The first habitat area is just below the impassable barrier to steelhead. It’s a deep plunge pool at the base of a beautiful waterfall. Finger like runs discharge the pools overflow and create lanes where active trout may frequent. Steelhead also find refuge under the surface turbidity created by the falling water. Shade is created by the numerous air bubbles on the surface, while also benefiting the trout by providing a reliable source of oxygenated water. Although not as nutrient rich or organism thick as a riffle, the depth of the pool provides excellent habitat for forage food like smelt, crayfish, gobies and various stream aquatics. Additionally, the depth allows plenty of room for the steelhead to ambush its prey. At the base of the falls the water cascades form height creating a rolling current, pushing its way down to the bottom of the pool, picking up small pieces of gravel and washing them in a continuous rinse cycle. These small polished pebbles are deposited around the perimeter of the plunge pool creating optimal spawning habitat. Here the steelhead has cover, oxygenated water, available food and spawning gravel. This is where I would take cover if I was a steelhead.

I started by bumping a green bead head bugger along the bottom substrate just in front of the waterfall. I didn't find any takes so I switched over to the Rainbow Smelt Clouser. The weight of the clouser is ideal for this deep pool. I can swing it in the heavy current created by the waterfall while achieving a significant depth; a key factor in locating steelhead hiding in low, clear waters. On the third run through the pool I had one of those steelheader's moments. For no apparent reason relying on intuition driven precision, I set the hook. What greeted me next was the head shaking rage of a beautiful colored up buck. This fish put on an impressive performance considering the tight confines of his honey hole. I brought him over to the bank at least three times but at the last second he would summon some primal reserve of strength and battle his head back down and into the current. Finally I made one last shot at scooping him from a exposed rock ledge. Leveraging my rod back, it doubled over with stored energy and I reached down for the fish's tail. Everything was going well until my shadow past over his head, unleashing a violent thrash, snapping my tippet material. My heart sank as he slinked back into the depths. I would have loved to have taken a picture of this guy.

So I have been thinking…I’m going to invest is a classy landing net for Christmas. A little something from Santa to me.

Rushton Landing Nets

Brodin Pro Series

LDH Landing Nets

Conservation News: "Fish of Kings"

2006-12-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

It’s a feat not accomplished in the state of Maine since 1999. The first sea run Atlantic salmon hooked and released by 22 year old Beau Peavey of Glenburn on the Penobscot River marks the possible rebound of a struggling fishery.

As a result of dam construction, paper mill pollution, escaped farm fish and commercial fishing the east cost's Atlantic salmon run has been reduced to a trickle and Maine's Atlantic salmon have been placed on the endangered species list. Since 2003 a slight glimmer of hope has been established on the Penobscot. About 1000 returning salmon have been counted at the Veazie dam annually; prompting the state of Maine to open its first catch and release salmon season in seven years.

On September 22nd, Beau Peavey landed a 12 pound salmon, Penobscot's first legal salmon angled since restoration efforts have begun. Peavey said it was not the only Atlantic hooked this season but it was the first to come to hand. It took him more than 60hrs of hard fishing to catch and release his trophy.

Unstocked Trickle

2006-12-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

My hopes were set on the melting snow coloring up the water. As I arrived, my well wishing was quickly realized. Despite ideal water conditions, the fish were less than cooperative. I hooked and landed two silver freshies, but both scooted away before I could snap pictures. Things were slow after the twin excitement, so I decided to make a run down route 5, towards a smaller, unstocked creek. This creek is only five yards wide but has parts stacked with steelhead, domestics and the occasional pod of spawning lake run browns.

Techniques change dramatically when tributary hopping. Streams of such small size require a delicate presentation, starting with a slow steady sneak when approaching the water. I removed my strike indicator and lowered my tipit to 4x fluorocarbon. I tied on the smallest sucker spawn I had in a tempting peach color and prepared to make one cast. That’s all you usually get before the pod of fish scatters, but if you present the fly correctly, you can have several fish clamoring for your offering at once.

My cast rolled out, up and across stream. I made a light mend bringing the line back, behind the fly, letting the bead head sucker spawn tumble along the shale substrate. One nose passes after a quick inspection, another fish darted out of the way as if sensing my leader. As the fly approached the end of the drift a quick flash darted from a crevasse in the shale that I had not previously noticed. With a head swinging snatch the silver bolt pick up my sucker spawn and headed back for his hid out. I raised my rod and allowed the fast getaway to seal his fate.

Saturday Slow Down

2006-12-12T00:35:00.000-05:00

Headed to the NSSC (Not So Secrete Creek) in search of repeat success. Last Sundays fish were still on my mind. The same crew from last week plus one descended on our honey hole with a mixed bag of anticipation. We knew the conditions would be tough. A far cry from what we encountered last week. Our wost fears were realized once we arrived and saw the low clear water just before daylight. Combined with overnight temperatures in the teens our day was tough going to say the last.

Sea Lamprey-A Prodigal Native Son?

2006-12-10T02:56:00.000-05:00

Sea Lamprey-A Prodigal Native Son?
Genetic research suggests the sea lamprey is indigenous to Lake Ontario

Contacts:

Barbara Branca, Communications Manager, New York Sea Grant
E-mail: Barbara.Branca@stonybrook.edu

John Waldman: johnwaldman@qc.edu
Department of Biology
Queens College of the City University of New York

Isaac Wirgin: wirgin@env.med.nyu.edu or 845-731-3548
Nelson Institute of Environmental Medicine
NYU Medical Center

STONY BROOK, NY, August 31, 2004- A research team, with some funding from New York Sea Grant, suggests that the parasitic sea lamprey, a species usually considered invasive with its immense economic impact on commercially and recreationally important fishes of the Great Lakes, may be native to Lake Ontario.

In research described in the recent Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, John Waldman of Queens College of the City University of New York, and Isaac Wirgin, Cheryl Grunwald and Nirmal Roy of New York University's Department of Environmental Medicine analyzed mitochondrial DNA of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) from 10 locations along Great Lakes and Atlantic coasts.

"This is a most interesting study that offers additional evidence for the theory of an indigenous sea lamprey population in Lake Ontario," says Dave MacNeill, New York Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist located at SUNY College at Oswego along Lake Ontario's eastern shore.

Genetic comparisons were made of groups of lampreys along hypothesized colonization pathways. Pronounced differences in genetic frequency patterns between lampreys collected along the rivers of the Atlantic Coast and those in the Lake Ontario watershed, together with arguments against the viability of lamprey colonization via the Erie Canal, strongly support the idea of natural lamprey colonization by one of at least three hypothesized pathways following the retreat of the glaciers.

The sea lamprey lives throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, spawning in rivers in Europe and North America, and parasitizing a wide variety of fish. Each of the Great Lakes with the exception of Lake Ontario has documented dates of observed invasion of the sea lamprey in the twentieth century. The first sighting of the species in Lake Ontario was 1835, 12 years after the completion of the Erie Canal. Some investigators have concluded that the canal was the means of entry of the fish into the lake. But some have held a contrary view that sea lampreys are indigenous.

This research team's genetic evidence suggests that the sea lamprey may have colonized Lake Ontario right after the Pleistocene by one of three hypothetical pathways: the Delaware-Susquehanna drainage, the Hudson-Mohawk system or the St. Lawrence River, the lake's present outlet.

Throughout the Great Lakes, parasitic sea lampreys cause a loss of revenue in both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Numerous ongoing programs to eradicate or at least deplete their numbers are in effect. Their lack of homing behavior (failure to return to rivers in which they spawned) has sometimes exacerbated eradication methodologies. However, if sea lampreys are indigenous to Lake Ontario and therefore part of the lake's ecosystem, management policies aimed toward intense suppression might need reevalution.

More Here:

Inside The Box: Sucker Spawn

2006-12-08T01:19:00.000-05:00

Arguably the most effective fly an angler can carry and my most successful steelhead fly. Its ohhh so simple, a shear novice can begin tying it. I use it any time of the year in almost every permutation of conditions. It even gets tossed in the back yard bass pond.

I like using the egg yarn for the sucker spawn in conjunction with a bead head because I think it mimics the drift of natural spawn quite well. The pattern was originally intended to imitate the eggs of a spawning Lake Erie Sucker but it’s clear that it could also represent the eggs of a salmon or steelhead. Spawn is naturally negatively buoyant, if it weren't steelhead and other fish would have a difficult time securing the eggs in their gravel redds. When eggs become dislodged from the nest, they generally tumble along the bottom in fertilized clumps where feeding trout slurp them without much effort. The egg yarn absorbs water and when coupled with the weight of the hook and bead, it allows one to present the fly in a tumble, along the bottom substrate looking oh so good to a hungry trout.

Here's what you need to get started.

Slide the bead over the barb of the hook. Build a thread base behind the bead. Advance the thread to where it meets the barb. Trim excess thread.

Tie in a half dozen strands of krystal flash. Trim to length. Should be as long as the shank of the hook. Trim excess.

Take a strand of egg yarn and separate it in half. Tie in front of the krystal flash covering completely.

Make five loops. The first will be small securing with two tight wraps on top and two tight wraps in front. The next loop with be slightly larger. The third loop will be the apex. The fourth and fifth loops decrease gradually.

Trim excess egg yarn and whip finish.

The finished product.

I Want One

2006-12-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Just look at these amazing boats.

Courtisey of MoldyChum

The Royal Coachman

From MoldyChum

Inside the Box: Rainbow Smelt Clouser

2006-12-07T00:21:00.000-05:00

The Rainbow Smelt Closer is an easy to tie and efficient fly when swinging large amounts of water in the fall or spring when water temperatures are still above their winter time lows. When water temperatures have drooped searching deep slow pools is no problem for this heavy weight. The fly is tied sparse with hot or krazy glue securing the lead head.

“In an analysis of food ingested by biomass the bulk of steelhead diet was mostly fish. Smelt was the greatest item by weight…”

NYSDEC Lake Erie Coldwater Task Group Report 2004

Here's what you need to get started.

It takes seven wraps to find the placement of the lead head.

Use Krazy or hot glue to secure the lead head. Figure eight wraps will cinch it tight.

Get yourself a good hair stacker, one of my most used tools.

Make four tight wraps just behind the lead head to secure the deer hair to the shank of the hook, advance the thread in front of the lead head. Leave enough excess on the back end to secure the head.

Make four tight wraps in front of the lead head pulling the deer hair tight. Trim excess.

Use sixteen strands of krystal flash, eight white, eight blue and tie in just below the front of the lead head useing four tight wraps.

Trim excess and whipfishing head. The Rainbow Smelt Clouser can be left as is or a pink thread head can be added.

Pink head

moldychum.com

2006-12-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of http://www.moldychum.com/

Sunday at the NSSC

2006-12-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday the not so secrete creek (NSSC) was full of good fishing and new friends. Read about it at Chrome on Chrome

"Sweet December brings with her a bastardly lake ward storm. Clouds of soaking rain stretch their wide hands across the entire region. Winds rip through the trees and quell thoughts of late fall in street side walkers. Waves roll out of the great lakes and blast beachside restaurants and close whole stretches of fabled RT 5. Our sweet little Cattaraugus Creek turns an ugly face and in 12 hours reaches 10,000cfs!

But wait friends I still have a tale of 30+ fish.

4:50 am and Chris and I are sitting in a Tim Horton’s parking lot waiting for our new fishing partners for the day. Ryan, a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic associate of the Cattaraugus Fly Shop, and Drew the publisher of a fantastic great lakes fishing blog Dreams of Steel."

Read the rest at:

Chrome on Chrome

For Those of You Unfamiliar

2006-12-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

For those of you unfamiliar with what the Great Lakes has to offer in terms of Spey casting for large lake run salmonids or for those who have not had the pleasure of wetting a line in a while here is a little video that sums things up pretty well. Congratulation to the author for a job well done.

NY's Salmon River Spey

Inside the Box: Mysis Shrimp

2006-12-05T00:17:00.001-05:00

Inside the Box is an indepth look at the flies I use and why I use them.

The Mysis can be a relatively easy fly to tie while presenting a unique and often overlooked Great Lakes steelhead food source.

Mysis relicta, commonly called Opossum shrimp, is a key food source in the Great Lakes for forage fish like sculpin, rainbow smelt, and alewife. It also contributes significantly to a steelheads diet with some research suggesting that they consist of up too 70 percent of their food intake.

Tying instruction is here:

Have a look at the Lake Ontario Mysis densities. Notice the concentration of Mysis around the mouths of Eighteen Mile, Oak Orchard, Genesee River and the Oswego River. Awaiting their time to migrate, fall fish stack up on the mouths of these creeks and rivers. The high levels of Mysis may play a significant role in the steelheads diet as they forage in the cooler oxygenated water just off shore. Look to use this pattern in these creeks and rivers as a tasty treat for worn out travlers but also try it when fishing in any tailwater system to actively feeding trout.

Rock Creek @ FlyTimes.blogspot.com

2006-12-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

Take a few moments and read Wyatt's exciting account of a recent Bitterroot Flats fishing adventure.

"I thought that I had heard Karl and Sven come into camp late last night. However there was no sign of them in their tents and there was the same number of beers in the cooler as last night."

"He was reading the sign when I saw something in the bushes. It looked like Karl's fly vest. "Chchchet look at that." I stammered. As Chet turned to look Karl's vest seemed to turn too. And what we saw next was the most horrible sight I have ever seen."

Read more at: FlyTimes.blogspot.com

Everything Comes Together

2006-11-29T16:18:00.000-05:00

At 12:35am a buck snuck out of thick cover located on the outskirts of a fallow field, presenting himself at 35yrds. My Savage 1899 .250-3000 slowly raised and tucked a 100 grain bullet behind his articulated shoulder. The eighty three year old rifle performed beautifully as the deer lumbered twenty or so yards before succumbing to a double lung shot. After seven days a field this marks an end to my 06' deer season. Although not the largest buck seen it’s a trophy in my book and meat on the table!

Suburban Steelhead

2006-11-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

I paid homage to the creek that started it all. Nestled in the sleepy village I called home as a kid is an unstocked tributary to the Upper Niagara River that gets quite a few stray Steelhead. I searched its more productive pools this afternoon with a pink sucker spawn. Instead of finding steel I was able to hook up with a couple domestics, one making its way to the bank.

DEC Investigates Death of Lake Ontario Water Birds

2006-11-17T13:24:00.000-05:00

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that the agency is investigating the cause of the deaths of numerous water birds found along the shores of eastern Lake Ontario since Saturday, October 21, 2006. DEC’s Wildlife Pathology Unit is examining gulls, grebes and loons collected from Sodus Bay to Deer Creek Marsh. They will conduct tests for type E botulism and perform other clinical analyses on the birds.

Type E Botulism

Type E botulism is a specific strain of botulism most commonly affecting fish-eating birds. The associated neurotoxin produced by actively growing bacterium paralyzes affected birds, which often drown. Ingestion of the toxin produced by the botulism bacterium can be harmful to humans who eat contaminated birds or fish. To date, type E botulism has not been found in any fish from Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River.

Caution Advised

Hunters and anglers are advised not to harvest waterfowl or fish that appear sick or are acting abnormally. Waterbirds affected by botulism toxin cannot fly, and their legs become paralyzed. They often propel themselves across the water and mudflats with their wings. Among other potential signs of sickness, a sick fish typically has a hard time remaining upright and swims on its side or belly up.

If you must handle dead or dying fish or birds, wear rubber or plastic protective gloves and use plastic bags. Please report any discovery of dead or distressed fish or wildlife, such as water birds showing a condition known as "limberneck"—paralysis of the neck muscles—to one of the following DEC offices: Buffalo, 716-851-7010; Allegany, 716-372-0645; Avon, 585-226-2466; Syracuse, 315-426-7400; Cortland, 607-753-3095; Watertown, 315-785-2261, or Cape Vincent, 315-654-2147.

For More:

Pre-Season

2006-11-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

I spent the morning scouting deer and hanging posted signs. The fog over Zoar Valley was beautiful. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Afternoon Delight

2006-11-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

Canadaway is low and clearing. Looks like it got trampled hard this weekend. Fresh Korker scrapes, torn up parking lots and bent herbaceous growth along angler paths told the story of the last two days. Although angler pressure was light this morning, the fish were nowhere to be found. Canadaway tends to fish better for me in higher stained flows. I headed to a smaller tributary where I struck chrome.

Canadaway Low and Clear:

Pucker Bush Creek:

Holding Steelhead:

Troubled Western Ontario Tributaries?

2006-11-08T18:40:00.000-05:00

The Lake Ontario tributary fishery is known for its fall run of monster King Salmon, smashing Steelhead and lunker Brown Trout. Over the last ten years Ontario’s Western New York tributaries have received increased interest from their surrounding urban centers. Critics say anglers flock to these destinations in such large numbers that an enjoyable angling experience cannot be had by all, contributing to irreversible damage to this delicate ecosystem.

As a group of conservation minded anglers, how can we set up the regulations as to foster an enjoyable angler experience, support minimal angler impact on the migratory salmonids, and promote natural reproduction while staying mindful of the size and accessibility issues unique to Lake Ontario's 18mile and Oak Orchard Creeks? Maybe the regulations already in place are sufficient? Maybe it’s not a change in regulations that are needed, but proper enforcement of the current laws? Both of these potential solutions to our hypothetical problem have their limitations, both in effectiveness and monetary practicality. I'm interested in what you think about this critical issue.

Join the conversation at:

River Runs Fishing Forums

Consent Decree, Onondaga Lake

2006-11-08T01:15:00.000-05:00

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), New York State Department of Law, and Honeywell International (Honeywell) have reached an agreement on a Consent Decree that requires the company to conduct a cleanup of contaminated sediments in Onondaga Lake in accordance with the Record of Decision (ROD) that was issued by the NYSDEC and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on July 1, 2005. The proposed Consent Decree is a legal agreement which requires Honeywell to design and implement the cleanup plan. The proposed Consent Decree and other documents are available for public review and comment.

For more...

2006-11-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

Everyone vote today? I hope you did. I live in Congressmen Tom Reynolds (R - NY) district, you know the guy you have all been hearing about in regards to the Mark Foley page scandal, in fact I live in his home town. He lives in a gated community called Spaulding Lake just a few miles up the road. I picked the absolute WRONG time to head down to my polling place because it was also the time that he choose to cast his vote. Needless to say the high school where this fiasco was taking place was swamped with media and people. I'm going to have to come back later.

Who am I going to vote for? Well Congressmen Reynolds has brought $500 million in federal money to my District since being elected to Congress. He also played a key role in the Bush administration decision to fund the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (GLRCS) in 2005. The (GLRCS) is an international, interstate and interagency action group aimed at correcting many of the Great Lakes serious problems and will funnel billions of dollars into solutions for the next 10 yrs. Money speaks and Reynolds gets the vote.

Virus Threatens to Take Bite out of Ohio Fishing Industry

2006-11-07T11:40:00.000-05:00

GREAT LAKES -- Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, VHS for short, has forced a federal ban on bringing live fish in and out of Ohio from other Great Lakes states.
Thirty-seven types of fish are on the banned list, including Rainbow Trout or Steelhead. Ohio brings in 400,000 Steelhead from Michigan every year as yearlings to stock Lake Erie's tributaries.

"This is big time," says Phil Hillman of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. "We've got people from all over the world coming to Ohio to fish for Steelhead so you're talking about big bucks in terms of economic impact and the fisherman are real upset about this, they're already up-in-arms over this."

The virus can kill fish, upsetting delicate ecosystems, but pose no problem to people eating the fish.

The ban could also affect bait shops. Some kinds of minnows are already on the list and others, like Fathead Minnows from Minnesota and South Dakota, could be added. If that happens, the supply of bait would decrease dramatically.

"It could almost put us out of business," says Marvin Hilley of Bass Boss Bait in Summit County. "Myself, as a wholesaler, plus the baitshops because they all depend on minnows to be shipped in from these states."

Great Lakes groups are currently in Washington D.C. to try to get the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to lift the ban before fishing season begins again in March.

Habitat Access Stamp

2006-11-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Legislation signed by Governor Pataki in 2002 created a new Habitat/Access Stamp that is available to people who want to support the Department's efforts to conserve habitat and increase public access for fish and wildlife related recreation. The 2006-2007 stamp may be purchased for a $5.00 donation at license issuing outlets and on-line leaves DEC's web site beginning on August 14, 2006. Note: to purchase a habitat stamp on-line you must be an existing DECALS customer. A complimentary lapel pin, pictured above, is included for each $5 donation and will be mailed separately.

A Habitat/Access Stamp is not required to hunt, fish or trap, nor do you have to purchase a sporting license to buy a habitat stamp. Habitat is the key to fish and wildlife abundance, and the Habitat Stamp will provide money to help improve and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the future as well as increase public access to public and private lands for fish and wildlife related recreation. Buying a habitat stamp is the perfect way for young or old, angler or hunter, birder or photographer to help conserve New York's fabulous wildlife heritage. By law, all monies raised through purchases of the Habitat/Access Stamp must be deposited in the State's Conservation Fund in the Habitat Account. Habitat/Access Grants are awarded annually to fund projects that improve fish and wildlife habitat and public access for hunting, fishing, trapping and other fish and wildlife related recreation.

Lower Niagara River Sturgeon on the Fly

2006-09-10T20:33:00.000-04:00

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon in the Lower Niagara River gorge. Fish migration seems to be in full swing. Just after first light I approached the rivers edge, greeted by a fisherman playing a king. The noble fish was landed after several minutes of fight. Appearing to in the #15 range he was hooked on a noodle rod, float and golf ball sized piece of skein. I moved along down stream and while scanning the river observed several kings leaping across the surface as they made their way up stream. One King had a lamprey flopping wildly as he bounded up stream seeming trying to free himself of the annoying parasite. Salmon showing themselves out of the water seemed to decrease as the day went on.

The Niagara River rises more then 15ft in early morning due to power generation at night. The water rise is without warning and most occurs over a 45min period. Extreme caution is needed when walking the banks and fishing from exposed rock because you and the route you took to get there may have been dry 10 mins ago but now 5 feet of boiling, rushing water is blocking your escape route and threatening to engulf you. The pink line is the high water line. (Picture 1) (Picture 2)

I fished most of the early morning with not so much as a strike until I stumbled onto this gentleman while fighting a hefty Lake Trout. (Picture 3) Picture 4) I stopped to watch him land it and he was kind enough to offer up a spot on the rock next to him. I accepted, and wow, there is nothing chattier then a guy who has been catching fish. Once I got up on the ledge with him I peered down in to the crystal clear water and to my amazement before me was a pod of about 30 Lake Trout.

According to my new friend, as the water rises, the rapids (just to our right) in this section of the river becomes so intense that it more or less blocks fish from continuing up stream, creating an artificial and impassible boundry. Causing the fish to stack up until the water is dropped again at night. This slack water pool that we were fishing was not only full of Lake Trout but also held a few Steelhead.

I flopped my sinking head and Orange glo-egg into the water (Picture 5) and within secs I had a Laker on, but within secs he was off. The fish were bolting right underneath us, as we were standing on a rock shelf and the fish were persistent in taking cover on its opposite side. The gentlemen I was fishing next to was able to land his fish with the help of #25 test. My #15 floro was snapping the second it touched the rock ledge. So after 4 or 5 lost fish I decided that this was not going to work out. I thanked my new friend and headed off in search of some more water.

About two hrs later I found another cove similar to the one I had tangoed with the Lakers in. This time the water had a bit more movement so I could effectively swing a fly without any added weight. I call this my comfort technique. Five or ten mins of diligently covering water elapse and then BAM . I have a nice head shaking strike right along a seam. You have to really pressure these fish right off the bat so they don’t make a b-line for the ultra swift current. Those of you who complain about trying to land fish in the high Salmon River flows got nothing on this :P I still have not gotten a look at what’s violently shaking at the end of my line but I suspect it’s a steelhead because it lacked the dead weight of a salmon. I was able to strong arm the fish just enough to keep it from drifting into the rapids and after a two, maybe three min fight I successfully beach my prize on a flat rock.

I was amazed at what I had. Until today I had never seen a Sturgeon in real life, let alone catch one while swinging a purple egg sucking leech! My heart was pounding and I had a grin from ear to ear! He came in at just over #9 on the Cabella’s grips, a few pics and he was off to his honey hole in about 45 secs.

I fished for another hr without a strike at which point my tummy told me it was time to find some fast food.

What a great day! I tangoed with some Lake Trout on the fly, but none landed :-[ And the days crowning jewel was my first Sturgeon! ;D

Oak Orchard Creek Report: Aug. 9th 2006

2006-08-09T01:09:00.000-04:00

Currently Longnose Gar, Carp and Small Mouth Bass are the dominate game species inhabiting the creek. On the heels of recent rain the water was flowing, allowing the level of Lake Alice to moderate. Since there is no USGS water gauge for Oak Orchard, a consistent means of judging flow can be made by assessing the level at which the water meets the discharge outlet at the base of the dam. Today, the water was just below the top of the discharge tubes.

Turbidity was moderate to low considering water levels. If we had these flows and it was a month and a half later in the season conditions would be perfect for fall Salmonid action. I’m looking forward to the weeks to come.

The large Gar will take swinging streamers but are difficult to hook on the fly because of an elongated hard billed snout. The Carp were generally unresponsive to streamers as well as nymphs. Lots of Small Mouth action on dark woolly buggers.

Today was a test run of a new set up, a Orvis 10ft 7wt with Mach IV reel and a 350 grain 30ft sinking head. The combo made quick work of the medium sized creek. Dead drifting and swinging were the tactics of the day. I’m very happy with the mid-flex action of the 10ft rod, allowing for plenty of back bone to lift and turnover the heavy sinking line while its length provided excellent tippet protection. The 11’’ line retrieval and outstanding drag of the Mach reel made use pleasurable. So far I’m happy with the gears performance and I’m looking forward to pitting it against this falls fresh Steel and Browns.

Stay posted for more updates on the Oak as well as Other WNY tribs as the Salmon and Steelhead season quickly approaches.