The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has confirmed golden algae toxin blooms as the cause of recent fish kills at both Saguaro and Canyon lakes.
When golden algae is the cause of a fish kill at one of the Salt River chain lakes (Saguaro, Canyon and Apache), varying degrees of fish kills are typically observed at all three of the lakes. AZGFD staff recently collected water-quality samples at both Saguaro and Canyon, which confirmed golden algae as the cause of the fish kills.
At Saguaro Lake, AZGFD staff observed small numbers of dead and dying threadfin shad (less than 500), along with a handful of other species including largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish. At Canyon Lake, about 1,000 dead threadfin shad were observed; no other species were affected at that time. Read more
Sixty-three-year-old Paul Boehm of Ontonagon is lucky to be alive after falling repeatedly through the weakening ice of Lake Gogebic afternoon.
At about 4:30 p.m. CDT, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Jennifer Hanson and Zach Painter were notified by Negaunee Regional Dispatch that a man had gone through the ice near Merriweather in Bergland Township.
At 13,380 acres, Lake Gogebic is the Upper Peninsula’s largest inland lake, spreading across portions of Ontonagon and Gogebic counties. The lake is popular with anglers for its jumbo perch and walleye fishing. Local temperatures had reached the low 50s by afternoon.
A lakefront homeowner, Sue Barrette, who lives along Old M-28 near the Hoop ‘N Holler Tavern, had called emergency dispatch after hearing Boehm yelling and seeing him crawling on the ice.
“She said she saw him sprawled out on the ice and a few moments later, saw him break through, and observed only his head above water,” Hanson said. Read more
Muskegon River anglers should be on the lookout for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam this spring. Collections with electrofishing boats will start as early as the week of March 18 and conclude by April 12.
Anglers who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream. The DNR asks anglers to exhibit caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats. For angler safety during the electrofishing work, those wading will be asked to exit the water when boats approach.
The DNR plans to collect approximately 23 million walleye eggs from the Muskegon River this year, which will result in fry (fish that have just hatched) for transfer to rearing ponds and direct fry plants throughout the Lower Peninsula. Walleye fry transferred to ponds will be raised to fingerling size (approximately 1.5 to 2.5 inches) and stocked in late spring or early summer in lakes and rivers throughout the state. Read more
Seasoned angler and technical expert, James Holst, gets down to the brass tacks of fishing boat batteries and the power requirements of forward facing sonar, new trolling motor designs, etc.
Although many anglers won’t admit it, they don’t fully understand the power needs of today’s fishing electronics and trolling motors. For decades, lead acid batteries worked just fine, replacing them every two or three years, and you were good to go.
But we’ve entered into a whole new era of fishing/marine electronics, with power-consumptive live imaging and forward facing sonar, new trolling motor designs, as well as other, increased power needs on today’s fishing boats, whether you fish bass, walleyes, panfish, salmon/trout, insert species here, inshore and offshore fishing included.
Seems like everyone you ask has a different answer to exactly the right system for today’s anglers with increased graphs, screen sizes, and technologies. Solving power on-the-water power problems for this set of anglers comes down to one word: lithium. Read more
Beginning Friday, March 1, sport fishing guides operating in Michigan will need an inland guide license to take clients on guided trips on inland lakes, rivers or streams. The license is required for anyone guiding on any water except the Great Lakes, Great Lakes connecting waters and bodies of water with a surface area of less than 5 acres.
Great Lakes connecting waters refers to specific bodies of water in Michigan that connect the Great Lakes: the St. Marys River, the St Clair River (beginning at the Fort Gratiot Light), Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River (beginning at the imaginary line extending due south of the Windmill Point Light, Wayne County, and ending at the imaginary east/west line drawn through the most southernly point of Celeron Island). Read more
Updated guidelines for co-management of fishery resources in parts of Michigan’s Great Lakes are now in effect for the next 24 years. The new Great Lakes Fishing Decree was approved Aug. 24, 2023, by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. In the months since the decree’s signing, the State of Michigan and tribal governments have been preparing to implement the provisions of the document.
This decree is necessary because five tribes – the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians – reserved fishing rights in the 1836 Treaty of Washington. Those rights were affirmed by federal courts more than four decades ago, resulting in the need for a co-management framework that allows for sharing of the fishery resource. This decree is the third since 1985, and each one has included a fishery management structure that dictates who can fish where, when and how, and what can be brought home or sold. Read more
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a public meeting Thursday, March 14, to solicit feedback on the proposed removal of the Devoe Lake Dam, located in the Rifle River Recreation Area in Ogemaw County.
The meeting will run 7 to 8 p.m. at the Rose Township Hall, 3380 Lupton Road in Lupton. DNR staff will provide an overview of the proposed project, followed by an opportunity for people to ask questions and provide comments.
As part of a departmental effort to evaluate DNR-managed infrastructure and create sustainable resources for current and future generations, it’s been determined that the Devoe Lake Dam is no longer serving a useful purpose. Read more
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced today that fall-run Chinook salmon fry released for the first time from its Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County are presumed to have succumbed to gas bubble disease in the Klamath River.
On Monday, Feb. 26, CDFW released approximately 830,000 fall-run Chinook salmon fry into Fall Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River above Iron Gate Dam. The fish were hatched at CDFW’s new, $35 million, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, which represents California’s long-term commitment to supporting and restoring both Chinook and coho salmon runs on an undammed Klamath River.
The salmon fry experienced a large mortality based on monitoring data downstream. Indications are the cause of mortality is gas bubble disease that likely occurred as the fry migrated though the Iron Gate Dam tunnel, old infrastructure that is targeted for removal along with the Iron Gate Dam itself later this year. Gas bubble disease results from environmental or physical trauma often associated with severe pressure change. Read more
GW: Wow. What a burden on entrepreneurs! And, here go the costs, which, as always, are certainly to be passed onto consumers.
Beginning , sport fishing guides operating in Michigan will need an inland guide license to take clients on guided trips on inland lakes, rivers or streams. The license is required for anyone guiding on any water except the Great Lakes, Great Lakes connecting waters and bodies of water with a surface area of less than 5 acres.
Great Lakes connecting waters refers to specific bodies of water in Michigan that connect the Great Lakes: the St. Marys River, the St. Clair River (beginning at the Fort Gratiot Light), Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River (beginning at the imaginary line extending due south of the Windmill Point Light, Wayne County, and ending at the imaginary east/west line drawn through the most southernly point of Celeron Island).
An inland sport fishing guide can get a license by completing the following steps:
Complete the questionnaire, which will be available . The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will review responses to verify license requirements are met. Applicants will be notified via email within five business days. If the requirements are not met, applicants will be notified that additional eligibility steps are needed.
The resident license fee is $150, and a nonresident license fee is $300. The inland sport fishing guide license is valid for three years after the date it is issued. Captains who possess a valid U.S. Coast Guard-issued captain’s license will receive a license fee waiver.
“This is a new statutory requirement for inland fishing guides, and DNR staff has been working to determine the best way to implement it for everyone’s ease of use,” said Brandon Kieft, assistant chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division. “As with any new regulatory requirement, it will take time to adjust to it. Our main focus during the early stages of this new program is to make sure that everyone who wants to operate as an inland fishing guide is aware of the need for this license.”
License requirements
To be eligible for a sport fishing guide license, an applicant must:
Possess a valid certification in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation issued by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, and be able to provide a copy of the certification to the DNR upon request.
Possess a valid, lawfully obtained Michigan driver’s license issued under the Michigan vehicle code, an official state personal identification card or a DNR-issued Sportcard.
Have not been convicted of a felony or other violation listed within MCL 324.48714a(2)(c) in the last three years.
Be eligible to purchase a license for the fish species targeted while acting as a sport fishing guide.
Possess a valid state inland pilot’s license issued by the DNR or a valid captain’s license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, if you intend to operate a watercraft while acting as a sport fishing guide.
Possess, while acting as a sport fishing guide, a basic first aid kit that includes, but is not limited to, all of the following: tourniquet, chest seals, compression gauze, CPR mask, trauma shears, sterile eyewash, mylar emergency blanket, bandages, moleskin and tweezers.
If you have questions about the DNR inland pilot’s license, contact the DNR Law Enforcement Division representative at your nearest DNR Customer Service Center.
Mandatory reporting
Beginning , 2024, all licensed inland sport fishing guides must file an electronic report of their monthly catch activity for all trips that occurred on all waters except the Great Lakes, Great Lakes connecting waters, and lakes or ponds with a surface area of less than 5 acres. Details about the reporting requirements are available on the inland fishing guides webpage. Guides who have questions regarding submitting monthly catch activity reports or how to obtain an inland sport fishing guide license can contact Kendra Kozlauskos at 231-330-2845 or DNR-Fish-Charter@Michigan.gov.
This new program is in addition to the existing requirements for the Great Lakes charter boat program. Visit the Great Lakes charter boat program webpage for more information.
New Hope, Minn. – In the Upper Midwest, temperatures have been above average this winter, leading to sketchy ice conditions, and difficulty getting to areas that typically hold communities of permanent fish houses and full-size trucks by now. Read more
Beginning 