Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department to hold ninth-annual event on Sunday Lake

During Michigan’s winter Free Fishing Weekend, the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department will hold its ninth-annual ice fishing contest on Saturday, Feb. 17 on Sunday Lake in Gogebic County.

The 224-acre lake located in Wakefield is one of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ designated Family Friendly Fishing Waters, home to perch, panfish, walleye and northern pike.

All fishing license fees are waived during Free Fishing Weekend. Residents and out-of-state visitors may enjoy fishing on inland and Great Lakes waters for all species of fish. All fishing regulations still apply.

“We’ve been hosting our fishing contest on Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekend for the past several years in an attempt to attract people who otherwise may not fish, as well as to draw participation from Wisconsin and Minnesota,” said Jennifer Jacobson, secretary of the fire department’s ice fishing contest committee. Read more

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced the 2018 sturgeon harvest season on Black Lake (in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula) ended after two and a half hours Saturday, Feb. 3, with seven fish being harvested. The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 3-7, or until the harvest quota had been reached. The allocation of sturgeon for Black Lake this year was seven fish, although DNR officials set a harvest quota of six fish.

There were 426 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, up from 332 the year before. Most anglers registered at the pre-registration held Friday, Feb. 2, which continues to allow for a much more streamlined process. Anglers of all ages and genders participated, including a good number of supervised youth. Read more

Last year the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Technological University received a $117,175 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to support Michigan’s Arctic Grayling Initiative, an effort to reintroduce Arctic grayling into the state.

Recently completed work supported by this grant addressed two immediate needs for a successful Arctic grayling reintroduction. The first was to collect stream habitat and fish community data in the upper Manistee River. This data collection allowed for both the evaluation of current stream habitat conditions and the development of criteria to determine which other streams may provide suitable habitat for Arctic grayling.

Additionally, funds from the Consumers Energy Foundation grant supported collaboration among interested partners, including the development of the initiative’s official action plan, which was released in July 2017. This document provides direction for all activities related to Arctic grayling reintroduction, including research, management, fish production and outreach. Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced the totals from its 2017 fall fish-stocking efforts. The DNR stocked nine different species totaling 834,175 fish that weighed nearly 11.5 tons. Fish were stocked at 76 locations throughout the state.

“It was another outstanding fall fish-stocking season that will provide enhanced opportunities throughout Michigan,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. “When added to our successful spring and summer stocking efforts, that brings the total for 2017 to more than 26.4 million fish put into Michigan’s waters.” Read more

By Shelby Isaacson, Mote Marine

Dr. Bob Hueter, Director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory, and scientists from several other institutions are boarding OCEARCH’s research vessel this week for a return expedition to the waters off South Carolina, north Florida and Georgia –Expedition Lowcountry II. This Jan. 15-Feb. 5 trip, the 31st expedition hosted by OCEARCH, aims to expand scientific knowledge about white sharks, popularly known as great white sharks.

“We’re returning to the Lowcountry because our white sharks led us here,” said Chris Fischer, OCEARCH founding chairman and Expedition Leader. Previous data collected shows that OCEARCH’s mature, Lowcountry-tagged white sharks have traveled differing paths from those of OCEARCH’s mature, Cape Cod white sharks. The team is returning to gather data that will assist researchers in understanding if there are differences in habitat use of the Lowcountry vs. the Cape Cod white sharks. Read more

As the winter fishing season gets under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that fisheries staff again will be stationed at several locations throughout the state in order to interview them about their fishing trips. The DNR appreciates anglers’ cooperation in sharing feedback about their experiences, because that information provides critical data for fisheries management.

Through brief interviews, DNR fisheries assistants – commonly known as creel clerks – will ask anglers about how long they fished, what species they targeted, what they caught, and where they live. In a few instances, the clerks might ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples to gather key biological information on those fish. Read more

International fly-tier kicks off new program series at Michigan History Museum

Regardless of what Mother Nature has in mind, the Michigan History Museum in Lansing has a thaw scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20. That day, winter will be put on hold, as the museum encourages thoughts of summertime fly-fishing in a fly-tying workshop with international professional fly-tier Jeff “Bear” Andrews.

The workshop kicks off a new series of programs revolving around the museum’s special exhibit, “The River that Changed the World.”

“The River that Changed the World” tells the stories of Michigan’s famed Au Sable River, including seasonal use of resources by Anishinaabe peoples and the river’s role in the founding of Trout Unlimited and the fight for sustainability. The exhibit, featuring a real riverboat and a recreated bait shop, also explores the river’s recreational opportunities. Read more

The Department of Natural Resources has announced that the 2018 lake sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake (Cheboygan County) will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. All anglers wishing to participate in the lake sturgeon season must register.

The 2018 total allocation to state of Michigan anglers for Black Lake is seven lake sturgeon. However, to reduce the chance of exceeding this allocation, officials will close the season once the sixth fish is harvested, or if five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day.

Fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day of the season, which will end either 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, or when one of the two above scenarios is met, at which point, anglers will be notified on the ice by DNR personnel that they must immediately stop fishing for lake sturgeon. Read more