Fish hatchery infrastructure and maintenance and fisheries survey vessel modernization efforts will benefit from the state budget recently approved for fiscal year 2023. The budget includes $30 million for fish hatchery infrastructure improvements and $4 million to replace an outdated Great Lakes survey vessel – all of which are critical to better supporting and understanding Michigan’s world-class fisheries.

“Michigan’s fish and aquatic habitats are among our state’s greatest natural, recreational and economic assets, and we must continue working together to protect them for future generations,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Together with the historic, $450 million investments in our parks and public lands under the Building Michigan Together Plan I signed earlier this year, our bipartisan budget represents a once-in-a-generation investment that will help us continue safeguarding our most precious natural resources.”

For more than 120 years, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has operated fish hatcheries to produce fish for stocking lakes and streams across Michigan. Today, there are six hatchery facilities – in Alanson, Beulah, Harrietta, Manistique, Marquette and Mattawan – vital to managing and maintaining the state’s fisheries. At 20 years old, Oden State Fish Hatchery is the newest facility, with the others ranging from 40 to over 50 years old. Though staff have done their best to keep operations running and fish thriving, the aging facilities have developed a large backlog of critical infrastructure maintenance needs.

With the $30 million investment in hatcheries, the DNR will upgrade production water supplies, replace roofs, upgrade outdated electrical distribution systems, repair and replace deteriorating asphalt, upgrade water aeration systems, replace outdated backup power generators and provide biosecurity enhancements that better protect fish health.

“Upgrading electrical distribution systems, replacing outdated backup power supplies and improving water supplies would all reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fish loss and increase our ability to manage disease issues,” said DNR Director Dan Eichinger. “Overall, this investment will improve rearing conditions, which will translate into more consistent fish production levels and high-quality fish.” Read more

Market-leading bait management product sets the new standard in aeration

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For over 80 years, Frabill has been the market leader in the bait management space, and the new ReCharge Deluxe Aerator continues the tradition of bringing new innovative products to anglers. The Frabill ReCharge Deluxe Aerator is a mobile livewell aeration system with an induction motor that provides time-after-time use to keep bait lively.

Outfitted with a rechargeable lithium battery, the ReCharge Deluxe Aerator can be conveniently recharged with the included 10V adaptor or through a USB cable.
A water-resistant gasket designed with an anti-back flow check valve keeps water out and bait alive longer. The universal hang-on clip with stability posts allows anglers to bring it on fly-in trips, shore fishing, or on any boat. Now a bucket or nearly any waterproof container can become a viable minnow bucket. Read more

Private Land on Demand: Expedition Outside Connects Fly Fishermen to Private Rivers in Colorado

Durango, CO – Fly fishing enthusiasts wanting to fish private stretches of river throughout Colorado can now turn to Expedition Outside (ExOut) for access to hundreds of miles of trout-abundant rivers.

Just like when renting through Airbnb, an angler would simply go to ExOut’s website, find a river in the area where they’d like to fish, and book a day. ExOut delivers just as its tagline states — “Private Land on Demand.”

What most anglers may not realize is that Colorado landowners who have a river running through their property actually own the riverbed too. While this can make river access very limited in some places, ExOut is working with both landowners and fly fishermen to make those private stretches of river accessible.

“We are a conservation-minded company that uses technology to help fly fishermen and women find their perfect spot,” said Christian Barnes, Expedition Outside’s founder. “Our goal is to preserve our public natural resources by pulling pressure away from those areas and giving those who seek quality fishing and solitude a day on the river they’ll never forget.” Read more

First of its kind net does it all for both freshwater and saltwater anglers

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Frabill WITNESS Weigh Net is the first all-in-one fish net, scale and ruler for fresh and saltwater anglers. With a built-in 30 lb scale, anglers can now quickly get the weight of a fish and release it without having to hang the fish on a handheld scale.

Designed to make a day on the lake hassle-free, the WITNESS Weigh Net is the innovative way to capture a fish’s weight, length and snap a quick photo before returning the fish safely back into the water. Simply scoop up any fish up to 30 lb and remove the hook. Turn on the scale and hold the net in a vertical position with the net portion down to record the quick weight of any catch.

The WITNESS Weigh Net features tangle-free Micro-Mesh netting and a flat bottom net making it safe for fish handling. The molded rubber grip with 48-inch handle is easy for anyone to use and features an integrated 30-inch ruler to measure your catch.

Key Features
• 30 lb digital scale
• 48” aluminum handle with molded rubber grip and integrated 30” ruler
• Tangle-free Micro-Mesh netting
• Flat bottom net to better protect the fish
• Meshguard hoop resists wear and prolongs the life of the net

MSRP: $149.99
Available: Fall 2022 Read more

As TrophyCatch heads into the last months of Season 10 and the 10-Tag Celebration, eight more prized fish are still swimming in Florida lakes and the FWC is offering clues about where to find them. These new tagging maps of the remaining lakes could lead lucky anglers to the pink-tagged bass.

Through Florida bass telemetry and tagging studies, FWC biologists have found that where a largemouth bass is tagged and released can frequently coincide with where an angler catches the same bass weeks, months or even years later. Based on these patterns in bass behavior, TrophyCatch is releasing “tag zone” maps for the remaining eight waterbodies, showing the areas where the prized bass were tagged and could potentially be caught.

Dale Dew, who caught the first 10-Tag bass, was within yards of where the fish was released with its pink tag in Lake Griffin. Of course, these hints come with a caveat: while bass can be predictable, there are many exceptions to their typical home range patterns and some bass are not homebodies at all. In contrast to Dew’s catch, the second reported 10-Tag bass was caught by RJ Crawford in Newnans Lake over three miles away from where it was tagged. Thus, these new hints don’t eliminate water in which a 10-Tag bass might be found but should be treated as higher-probability areas. View each of the ranges on the maps located on the 10-Tag Celebration web page. Let’s see how many can be found! Read more

Alewife, small prey fish that reach 2 to 9 inches in length, are experiencing a seasonal die-off in Lake Michigan, an event that frequently occurred 20 to 60 years ago but has been rare in recent times.

Not native to the Great Lakes, alewife migrated from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal in the 1920s.

Alewife spend most of the year in deep, cold waters. In the spring and summer, they migrate to nearshore areas to spawn and search for food. Some alewife come out of winter in a weakened state and don’t tolerate changing conditions such as large temperature swings. The combination of poor over-winter condition, temperature changes and spawning stress cause the die-off.

“The die-off is larger than normal this year and something we have not seen in years,” said Jay Wesley, Lake Michigan basin coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We are seeing the die-off extend from Muskegon all the way up to Cross Village and out to the Beaver Island complex.” Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

During a recent fishing trip to the South Branch of the AuSable River in Crawford County, I came upon a sign posted at the Chase Bridge landing in bold text:  This section of the AuSable is prone to sustained spikes in water temperature above 68 degrees.  If the water temperature is at or above 68 degrees, please consider not fishing!  Survival of our trout depends on this.  I had to learn more.

 

Since it was a catch-and-release, flies-only section of the quality stretch, a person would not be permitted by law to keep any fish anyway.  (An exception is made for youngsters, so check the rules.)  The sign urged anglers to go somewhere else under such conditions.  Obviously, one would need a thermometer for testing purposes.  However, in this instance an alternative was provided right on the sign by virtue of the QR codes related to various portions of the river.  By scanning a particular code with a smart phone, one could not only get the current water temperature at Chase Bridge, but other places along the river.

 

The idea of not fishing to protect trout during hot months – and particularly the hottest parts of a given day – seems to make sense, because trout are more prone to expiring after putting up a fight.  Playing a fish (or, toying if you will) to exhaustion can turn an angler’s thrill to a lethal situation for the fish.  Some countries have outlawed catch-and-release fishing altogether, regardless of water temperature, because of this.

A recent study by Idaho’s Department of Fish and Game, however, concludes that not fishing does not protect a significant number of trout during hot months in some waters.

While the study indicated that more trout caught when water temperature above 73 degrees F died after release, it also indicated that anglers were able to catch a lot fewer trout when the water temperature was 73 or higher, because fish simply quit feeding.

In colder water, the mortality of tagged and released fish was lower, but anglers caught a lot more fish, so the overall mortality was higher.

As we approach another hot spell this week, it’s important to understand that warming water will soon follow.

Here are some suggestions for those compelled to fish in questionable conditions.

*  Subdue fish a quickly as possible by using heavier leaders and tightening any drags, if applicable.

*  Do not remove the fish from the water.  Unhook the fish in the net or water and limit the process to 10 seconds or less.

*  If using a net, allow the fish to be submerged in it for a minute or longer, if the above step lasts for more than 10 seconds.

*  Release the fish in an area where it can be observed while recovering.  If necessary, hold the fish by the tail – never by its midsection.  If the fish ends up on its side or tumbles, it must be held upright until it regains its balance.

*  If the trout does not recover and regulations allow for harvesting, then keep it.

In summary, keep a stream thermometer on hand for critical temperature measurements.  Fish for trout in early mornings or late afternoons.  Another obvious alternative is to fish for warm-water species such as bass or panfish in other waters.