Great Lakes Angler

King Salmon Fishing, Fall 2011 a Recap

2011-10-08T20:23:00.000-05:00

After a brutal summer season of shore King fishing and a pretty lousy start to the spoon bite the night time crank bait action has been nothing short of killer.

I settled in with a lure of choice this fall, and more than 30 kings have been taken on a variety of colors over four outings in Wisconsin over the last month. The reef runner ripstick 700 series has a perfect wide wobble at slow speeds and runs deep, but not too deep. There was a lot of learning and tweaking to be done this fall with finessing my setup. After breaking several lures off I started running a 2-3 foot length of 20 lb. test fluorocarbon to barrel swivel at the end of my braid. After making this switch I only broke a single fish off at the fluoro. In addition to a leader I found that changing out the hooks on all reef runners is absolutely essential. While the eagle claw extra wide gap hooks seem to find a spot to dig in when they get bit, they have an awful track record of bending or breaking off during the long and hard battles with King Salmon. All hooks are now immediately changed out in favor of something sharper and much more stable such as a 4x hardened VMC size 4 treble.

I started out the year with confidence in reef runners in any color that had a lot of white in it, but as I lost most of those baits I was forced to start using green, yellow, and orange/gold colors and when all is said and done, every single reef runner in my box has taken a king. Some, such as the one above, have landed hundreds of pounds of kings..

Some nights were better than others, such as this triple limit before the sun even rose.

Or this double limit on a night I landed more than a double limit solo.

After all is said and done what the fall king season really brings is beautiful changing colors, long nights (some calm and peaceful, some cold, windy, and hectic), and good friends furthering their knowledge of this giant freshwater salmon.

This will probably be the end of the all nighters in Wisconsin throwing crank baits. There is a chance I'll make the trip north once or twice more before the end for some skein fishing. Crank bait salmon fishing is my favorite time of year for great lakes kings, the action is a little more predictable than summer fishing, and nothing beats 25 pounds of angry king salmon crushing a lure into oblivion while you set the hook and then hang on.

Here's hoping that the brown trout and steelhead runs are half as good as this years army of huge kings. I now pass the torch to the river fishermen, I won't be taking part in that part of the game this year, I left a few for you.

King Salmon from Shore, Early September 2011

2011-08-31T10:46:00.000-05:00

As usual I will apologize for my lack of posts these days. Perhaps there will be a time when keeping this blog up will make sense in my schedule again, until then I will post only when I have time.

I made it up to a favorite harbor mouth in Wisconsin this week after work to see if any of the big kings were in. They are, but not in great numbers yet. The kings are huge this year, I haven't heard of one under 15 pounds yet. I hooked one and proceded to hold on for dear life as it took me for a drag screaming ride up and down the rocks. It eventually snapped my line on the rocks near the wall, easily a 20 pound fish, if not more.

It hit at around 10:45 at night, and hit a green/glow K/O wobbler on a steady retrieve near the bottom. If you put in the time, you'll get your fish this fall. Look for them to concentrate around harbor mouths and become more active when the water temp drops below 60 degrees. Sorry there are no photographs of the fish I didn't land, I am still playing the fight over and over in my head. I'll be out this weekend, in the Kayak if wind allows, on shore if it doesn't. Look for me, and say hello if you happen to see me.

Tom

Memorial Day Musky

2011-06-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

I was lucky this weekend. Lucky to have been able to flee Chicago to head north for a couple of days. Lucky to get to see the northern lights after helping my girlfriends father land an 8 pound walleye. Lucky to see a black bear with three bear cubs. But most of all, lucky to put a hook in my first musky that pushed fifty inches.

It was a glass calm May 29th and friend Tyler and I had been casting, trolling, jigging, and doing just about everything we could to land a bass or walleye. I fired up the motor and decided to cut across the 2000 acre lake to a good backwater bass spot. On the way across the lake I remembered a sunken island that sits 12 feet under water, dropping off to sixty feet or so on all sides. I coasted up on the reef and watched the depth finder hit 35, jump to 20, then slide right up to 11 or 12 feet. I cut the motor and we silently drifted onto the center of the island. Rattle traps, and crank baits were casted to no avail, I suggested my accomplice take the musky rod he had sitting next to him and give the big daredevil a few throws. Within 5 minutes of him picking up the rod he gasped a big sigh and said "come on!". I turned and asked him what had happened. He said a "big one just came right to the boat and turned and swam off". The third musky he had raised that weekend. I flipped open my tackle box with haste. The last thing I had thrown in there before leaving the dock was a bigger, double bladed, hand twisted Sims Spinner. I did the photography of the entire product line for Dan Sims, who ties them with his business partner and sells them to local bait shops. I had told him I needed something big for aggressive northerns in Yellow/White and he had given me a spinner to test for him. I tested it alright.

Five casts in I set the hook quickly and hard. Musky.

After the fish took its first run and I had it under control I flipped open my bag and turned on my GoPro camera, tossed it to Tyler and asked if he would keep it on the fish.

After about 8 minutes of delicate fighting on 12 pound test braid, with no leader mind you, I had the fish in hand next to the boat. I grabbed pliers and popped the one hook out of the corner of his mouth. A 50" musky was in my hand, the fish of a lifetime.

I hefted it out of the water for 2 quick photographs and put it back down before it put up a fight. I let it rest boatside for 2 minutes before he kicked and I let him swim back to the reef he came from.

Take a look at the footage. You'll see the musky swim by with the Sims Spinner in it's mouth, you'll see some good runs and a beautiful release to the depths.

Chicago Kayak Fishing Report: Coho Salmon - 04/12/2011

2011-04-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

I got the idea in my head just as I was taking a bite of my sandwich at lunch. It's sunny out, the sun doesn't set until 7:30 these days... I bet if I went straight home after work, whipped on my wetsuit and threw the Kayak on the car I'd have a real shot at getting in a couple of miles before it got dark.

I did just that, got home, checked the wave forecasts, 1-2 feet - easy paddling waves on the big lake.

Turned out to be glass calm, barely even a swell.

5:00, left work.
5:12, got home and checked the waves.
5:25, wetsuit on and car pulled around.
5:30, Kayak on the car.

5:50, Parked at Montrose beach ready to embark.

6:00, one rod strung up after the long drag across the grass and beach.

7:30, out of the water with plenty of time to get her back on the car in the light.

I didn't land anything, but I got to do some good exploration and really used the night as a test to see if it's possible to hit the water after work. If these 10-14 foot waves ever subside I'll be right back at it, this time with the battleship in full attack mode.

Coho Salmon Fishing Along the Chicago Shoreline

2011-04-09T18:56:00.001-05:00

Hi folks, I'm back! I had the rod and reels hung up for far too long and the urge to wet a line finally burned it's way to the surface. Coho are definitely in thick up and down the shoreline this week.

After some recon pier walks late in the week I picked a spot, picked up long time Chicago Fishing comrade Mike, and we hit the pier. We ran two power lines and casted crank baits and spoons. The morning started slow, Mike hit a couple with a orange and gold K/O wobbler, from then on out it was steady action on the power lines. We limited out just before we had to be back to the car. First ever coho limit for both of us. Just a wonderful spring day of Chicago fishing.

The Steelhead run has come and nearly gone and I will miss it this year almost entirely. Reports have been mixed, but it sounds like if you put in the time to fish any river with a reasonable flow you'll likely find a dance partner. It just may take some time and you will most certainly need to cover some water to find one.

Wisconsin Trout Streams and Ice Sheets

2011-02-13T18:37:00.000-06:00

Today it felt like spring may be on the horizon in an impossibly long winter. I haven't any fishing to report, so here are a few images from Wisconsin. Ice blue, clean water with trout in sight, and those wonderful air bubbles locked in ice we have all pressed our noses against the ice to see.

Chicago Blizzard 2011 Photographs and Video

2011-02-04T20:41:00.000-06:00

This week Chicago got more than 20 inches of snow accompanied by driving winds with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. I spent a good portion of it out in the snow and wind with my camera making what I could. I have always been one to make the best out of a great storm and I feel content knowing that I didn't waste a minute of the blizzard.

Here you can see the storm's progression at my front door.

The Louis Sullivan Church at Leavitt and Haddon near my house. A favorite of mine, my camera can't stay away from it. Captured here at dawn and again in the early afternoon.

This is a good friend of mine, Matt Messner who I do much of my photography with. We hiked the neighborhoods together in the worst of it and made a video which I will embed below.

Hoar Frost and Trout Streams

2011-01-03T23:55:00.000-06:00

On the drive back from Hudson, Wisconsin to Chicago yesterday I stopped the car a dozen times to check out snow covered fields, farm houses, water towers, cemeteries and other Wisconsin delights. None of them compared in uniqueness and complexity to the thousands of hoar frost crystal clusters that covered the ice on a favorite trout stream of mine in Wisconsin.

Incredible.

Wild Weather Soaks Chicago's Lakefront

2010-12-13T14:21:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I watched as waves built and wind speeds rose, finally things looked like they were going to peak and a couple of friends and I hopped in the car and headed into the gale. We arrived at a parking lot, only to be steered away by police who said the waves were too big and that we would not be allowed to leave the parking lot with our cameras. We scouted several other harbors, all of which had their token police cruiser. Finally we found a spot to slide past the patrols (who were certainly doing their job, which I can not blame them for). We hiked a few blocks and across a wide field through storm force winds and snow drifts finally to find ourselves standing in awe at Lake Michigan in the darkness. Tremendous waves were rolling in on the backs of one another, crushing the seawall and throwing water in excess of 50 feet into the air. The gale and freezing temperatures would instantly turn much of the spray into snow, where it was whipped away from vision into the blizzard.

At peak there were waves in the 25 foot class in Indiana.

At long last we couldn't handle the wind chill and we retreated to the car. I readied my camera and set the alarm for an hour before sunrise. I picked up my photographic counter-part, Matt Messner, and we headed again into the white. We were not impeded by police this morning and arrived at Belmont Harbor just before sunrise. As we set up the waves were crashing in with just as much force as the night before. All told we spent about 45 minutes getting coated in freezing spray, our cameras were fogged, iced, and every other undesirable thing that could happen to a camera. Tripods did little while perched on ice in 25 mph sustained winds, but we made the best out of what we had.

Matt cautiously waiting for a particularly crushing wave to finish breaking, shielding his lens from the spray.

Enjoy the images, and please go out to the lake to see just how amazing this lake can be, even if from the safty and warmth of your car. The waves should be good until the end of the day.

These are the current observed wave conditions. Still very impressive.

Milwaukee Area Brown Trout Report : Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

I am lucky enough to find a fishing report in my inbox every now and again submitted from you, the reader.

This one comes from a fellow I met one night after a banner day of Salmon fishing in Milwaukee. He sent the following:

"I only got out once this week, but it was sure a nice day. Browns are in nicely with some late cohos. I landed 3 browns, 2 cohos, and missed just as many of both in 4.5 hours of fishing. Didn't see any chrome, but I'm sure they're in there. Get out while its good!"

Thanks Ying for the great report! I wish I could get out, I'm burried in work and catching up with things around the apartment after my great western vacation.

Here is Ying and 1 of 5 photos of brown trout he sent me! Way to go!

Big Sur River, Clear Water and Trout

2010-11-29T13:12:00.001-06:00

I parked the car, shut the door, and hobbled to the river's edge where a flood of clear-water memories washed right over me. I have forgotten what it is like to fish clear, clean, cool, spring fed rivers. As I towed my understanding girlfriend upstream (upstream mind you, not downstream, I am a trout fisherman after all), I ambled over gravel and boulders to spy into pools that I thought might just hold trout. They did, it was beautiful. Being in California visiting my girlfriend for Thanksgiving, I had no pole and no time to fish, but just being there filled me with a sense of belonging. I love the Milwaukee River, Oak Creek, the Root River and Pike Creek but friend... If we had rivers that ran deep and clear and cold like these, I might just find myself out of a job and firmly planted to the river bottom (not really, but my spare minutes would all be accounted for, that's for sure).

Enjoy the images, I had no tripod so I found photographing the water tough to say the least, as the sun was low and the valley was only filled with very cool, bounced light from the hills above.

Trout live here. At least a couple do, I could see them as I crouched over the top of the boulder on the left there.

The Steelhead Season opens in 2 days on this river.

Thanksgiving, Rivers Rise, Steelhead and Brown Trout to Follow

2010-11-22T23:28:00.001-06:00

We finally got what we had been waiting for, a real rainstorm. In the desert that has been south-eastern wisconsin a good downpour is more than welcome.

In chicago here I drove home from my shoot today through swamped streets and flooded intersections, all the while thinking about trout after trout turning nose from the harbor to the mouths of the river, many will make the surge tonight and tomorrow. Look for thanksgiving weekend to be great.

Remember small tributaries like Oak Creek and Pike Creek will shoot up extremely fast, but subside almost equally as fast. Big water like the Milwaukee river will spike and then slowly arc down over several days. If you need to get out in the next 2 or 3 days, I'd choose oak creek followed by the root river. The Milwaukee river should be shaping up in time for Black Friday.

Yes, that is what it looks like when the river spikes from 1 (ONE!!!) cubic foot per second to 200 in a few minutes!

As temps drop, put away the streamers and tie up nymphs and egg patterns fly fishermen, once these fish get holding you'll have to coax them gently during daylight hours.

A few Coho should still be around, but targeting big Brown Trout and feisty Steelhead will probably be your best bet! As for me, I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow to visit my lovely girlfriend. I will be out of touch with the Great Lakes for a few days but I will be taking in some Point Lobos, Big Sur, ocean views!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Fishing Headquarters Magazine : Volume 1 : Issue 1,View Here!

2010-11-22T22:01:00.000-06:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More wisconsin

Take a look a the whole magazine here, but be sure to visit fishing headquarters to see it in it's full glory!

Fishing Headquarters Magazine : Volume 1 : Issue 1

2010-11-22T21:59:00.000-06:00

I've featured many magazines and e-magazines here in the past such as This is Fly, Catch, and Fish Can't Read. Finally I have one to feature that not only comes from close to home, not only is it published by friend and fishing companion Andrew Ragas, but it contains a couple dozen pages of photos by yours truly and some text from right here at Great Lakes Angler.

You all have homework over thanksgiving, you need to read this thing cover to cover. If you read this blog every page of information in this thing comes from waters out your front door. Muskies, Lake Trout, Salmon, Steelhead, Brown Trout, Pike, Crappies, Fall Fishing, Local Spots... it's all in here guys.

I'm especially proud of pages 48-63, most of the images were taken by me and given to Andrew to help get his magazine rolling and I must say, he did a great job of presenting them to the world through his magazine.

Andrew thanks, what an exciting project and I can't wait to be a part of more issues in the future.

Now go everyone! Time to read!

Click this link to go view the magazine online!

Musky On the Fly, Zero to Hero

2010-11-17T10:50:00.000-06:00

I remember the jolt of electricity the first musky I hooked put through my body. I can only dream of one smashing a fly. I've been following the blog these guys write for a while now, you've got to take a look at the trailer for their Musky Country movie.

Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero Trailer from RT on Vimeo.

Milwaukee Brown Trout and Coho Salmon

2010-11-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

More information to come later, but for now, there are browns in the harbor, there are coho in the rivers, and my friends over at the Chicago Trout Bum, seem to have a pretty good bead on where the Steelhead are, even if I can't find them yet! The guys over at Illinois-Wisconsin Fishing have locked in on the Coho bite so if that's what you're after have a read over there.

Harbor Brown Trout from Saturday the 13th. This big fella fought like a champ.

A friend, Keith, caught a gorgeous fresh lake run Brown who still had skeins. Brown trout eggs work the best and early morning and after dark are the best time to target these roaming harbor monsters.

I found some feisty coho in a couple of my favorite spots to fish and found that very small spawn sacs, only containing a couple eggs drifted through pools just down from bedding fish payed out. I was able to manage 2 coho, this nice female and a fiery male that jumped like crazy.

Great Lakes Documentary : Waterlife : Trailer

2010-10-31T18:46:00.001-05:00

Enjoy this trailer for a documentary that will come out soon. It sounds like it does the grandeur of the great lakes justice, as well as inform thoroughly of the impending consequences of our actions in the region.

Waterlife, Enjoy.

Southeastern Wisconsin Coho Salmon Report

2010-10-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

The recent rain has not only brought a torrent of water, but a torrent of Coho Salmon into the tributaries as well. I predicted this would happen Sunday or Monday after those rains, and suspicions have been confirmed by this report by friend of the Great Lakes Angler at Illinois Wisconsin Fishing. The link to the blog is on the right bar there, go take a look!

Have a look at his report for proof!

Milwaukee Area Salmon Fishing Report : 10/23/2010

2010-10-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

The Salmon season is grinding to a close in South-Eastern Wisconsin and though there are still a few Kings left to be caught, many of them are circling the drain and will not be around for long.

Today I got out with a friend Matt who, until today, has never caught a Salmon. The day started with a blanket of much needed rain. Matt and I both got off to a bad start with 2 missed fish each, 1 break off and 3 missed hook sets due to distraction. As the dawn bite faded it took with it our hopes of a fast and furious day of catching. The morning went on and things slowed to a near stop as all fishermen had ceased catching Salmon at the location we were fishing, I hiked around the harbor on a scouting mission and found a huge school of playful Kings that I hoped would produce a fish. We relocated and got set up. It wasn't 5 minutes before Matt hooked his first Salmon ever. It took his float down, made a run out in front of us, then made a line for the lake, it wasn't until a load of drag screaming and about 200 feet of line later until the fish stopped running. It took Matt 15-20 minutes to coax the beautiful female King Salmon to shore where I promptly netted it and got it ready for a photo shoot with Matt. Just as we were releasing it I remembered our proximity to the harbor scale so we made the 15 second jog and weighed her. Just a hair over 17 pounds! A trophy of a first King.

Matt was then off to an appointment, he had in the city. I nabbed some lunch, scouted Oak Creek, which was looking dismal, and returned to the harbor. I found the discharge flowing quite nicely from the rain that was coming down and immediately hooked a nice King, from there on out things were slow again, with a hook up here and there.

First Steelhead of the year, this thing jumped so many times, I think it may have actually spent more time in the air than during the water during the fight!

One of the real highlights of the day was meeting a fellow named Woody and his son Trevor. They had come to visit Milwaukee from Madison for the day and were hoping to do some fishing elsewhere but had been thwarted by some circumstances that didn't allow them to get out. Trevor, a 3rd grader who really wanted to fish, had his rod in the car. His dad got it, I rigged him up from my own gear, got a good chunk of Skein on his hook, and had him in the water in no time! It wasn't too long before my own float went down. I set the hook and nabbed Trevor's rod and traded it for my own! The little guy fought this 12-13 pound king for 20 minutes before he was finally able to get it to the wall for me to net it. He was exhausted from the fight and absolutely beaming with joy, the fish was almost as big as he was! Incredible. All in all a good end for me to the fall King Salmon run. 28 Kings this fall makes it my best fall ever! I really learned harbor fishing better this fall as the Milwaukee River, Oak Creek, and the Root River were all but unfishable during the peak of the season.

Trevor and his father, great team work men!

Grand Rapids Michigan Salmon Fishing Report : 10/7/10

2010-10-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

While working in Grand Rapids this week I made sure to make it down to the fish ladder and falls on the grand river, get some photographs, and talk with some of the fishermen. It would seem that numbers of King Salmon, Coho, and Steelhead have made it to the base of the dam. They are not, however, there in large numbers. One or two fish jump up a section of the fish ladder every 5 or 10 minutes and some are very small stockers. Spawn sacs fished on river rigs on the bottom took all the fish I saw caught, and most came from the first 50 feet below the falls.

Fishing pressure is moderate during the early morning hours, light during the day, and then heavy at dusk and just after dark. Some very silver Coho and Steelhead are at the falls, but darker King Salmon outnumber those by a great deal. I talked to a couple of fishermen who say they have walked entire lengths of streams up-river and have not even seen fish moving up river.


A detail of the fish ladder.

Artprize is happening in Grand Rapids and there are many pieces of publicly displayed art along the river walk and all over town, so if you're in the city to fish before Sunday, be sure to take a walk and see some of the art. There is even a Sturgeon peice at the fish ladder.

Fish were hopping up while I was there, but I wasn't able to capture one with the camera phone.

Here are a couple of views of the river from a higher vantage point. The river is very low and fairly clear, it seems as though a bit of rain wouldn't hurt fishing in Lower Michigan, the same as in Lower Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Area Salmon Fishing Report : 10/02/2010

2010-10-03T12:53:00.002-05:00

Any Salmon fisherman knows that in order to catch a salmon it requires at least some degree of knowledge of the fish, it takes time spent on the water, and it takes luck. Put those three together, and in time you'll hook one and at least get to battle with it, weather it breaks your line or not, well that's up to you. Some days it takes more of one than the other. If you really study how the fish work you can make a very educated guess to where and why Salmon are where they are, and because of this you'll catch a fish that day while others don't. Some days it takes hours, just casting and casting as the hours pass, and eventually some lone fish decides enough is enough and hits your bait. The final ingredient is luck, and this is a tricky one. Some days you just get lucky and the fish just so happen to be where you are, and you just so happen to want to catch them.

Yesterday, two friends and I had all three of these things in abundance.

It turned out to be a day of such volume and magnitude of fish that I'm not sure I've heard of a day like it.

My of fishing started with a stop at Oak Creek, which is running very low, clear, and as far as I can tell is empty at the moment. Rain will pick things up, and we need it bad. At this point my knowledge of Salmon started to kick in. My reasoning in my next move is as follows. Since it is now October and we've been rain free for more than 2 weeks now the fish have got to be around in number in the harbor. There are 4 harbors in my range however... so which one should I pick? Well I know that the only source of moving water in range is the Milwaukee River, which is actually running at a reasonable flow, not a flow great enough to push fish into the system, but for this time of year, it's running at an average rate. So Milwaukee it is, now where in the harbor should I try for these Salmon in broad daylight. Well... if there are hundreds of Salmon in the harbor waiting for a torrent of moving water where can you find them? Well the night before last we had a brief downpour in the region, not enough to make the rivers swell, but probably enough to get the discharge near McKinley Marina flowing at least a bit. So that would be my destination in hopes that a little trickle of water would draw in fish, fish that hopefully would be willing to bite on chunks of Salmon skein that I happened to have in my car, just in case the situation came up.

I pulled my car up, there were 3 fishermen there. One had a fish on, good sign. As it was netted I walked up, said nice fish, I then moved around the other two fishermen to claim my spot on the railing. As I put down my stuff one turned to me and said "TOM!", it was my friend Keith, who I had fished with the night before in Racine. Mike was there as well, I asked if they had and fish, and sure enough, Mike had caught a fresh, silver Coho, which was on the pavement behind us. I asked how long they had been here, they replied only 15 minutes. Hopes were high at this point.

The next 6 hours may be the best 6 hours of shore Salmon fishing I'll ever experience. Between the 3 of us we landed 32 fish, were broken off by 7 more, lost 10 more to spit hooks, and had probably 30 hits that we missed. 28 king salmon, 3 Coho, and one Brown Trout. Absolutely amazing.

To anyone who thinks this years salmon run is already over, there is no other way to put this, you are wrong. The run is late, and is only just starting. A warm summer, cool temps near shore in the fall, and a lack of rain have lead to a very slow start and a prolonged run, I will not be surprised if we still see a strong spawning run going into November.

We kept 12 fish, released the rest until the last 3 fish of the night, which we also kept. All fish except 3 were donated to the fishermen around us who were fishing for food and were not as lucky as us.

We fished cured salmon skein about 3 feet under a float. That's all there was to it.

Every Once in a Great Great While....

2010-10-03T12:20:00.000-05:00

Intuition, time spent, and luck all collide and things are perfect.

In 6 hours we landed 32 salmon and trout from shore, between the 3 of us. Ended up keeping a 3 handed limit toward the end of the night, all of which was given to fishermen near by that were fishing for food. I will have a very detailed report later in the day when I sort through these photographs.

$4,000,000 awarded to improve the Kinnickinnick River in Milwaukee

2010-10-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Great news for some habitat restoration in Milwaukee!

Root River Fishing Report : 9/27/2010

2010-09-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

An email rolled into my inbox today from someone who I've had the pleasure of talking to a couple of times through emails this year, who I hope to fish with this fall. He's been making some sly moves on the Root River and you can find some gems of information in his blog. Fish, though you may have to hike, climb, and search for them, are to be found in the Root River contrary to popular belief.

A great shot of a chrome Steelhead he picked out from between a King Salmon and a Brown Trout last week, you can see the fly in the mouth if you look very closely.

I'd recomend you have a look at his blog if you plan on hitting the South Eastern Wisconsin tributaries soon.

Northern Minnesota Musky

2010-09-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

It seems that just when you think you're on some big fish lately an email rolls into your inbox that makes you think.... "man that King Salmon, that huge one that towed your Kayak all over Milwaukee... that thing only weighed half as much as this fish!"

This is a good friend of mine, a relative of my girlfriend, Rich and his 47" Muskie, tipping the scales at right around 30 pounds. Looks like the weather was beautiful up there this weekend. Congrats on another epic fish Rich.

Rich and I have a little competition going for first Walleye from this lake over 10 pounds or 30". As he said in his email.... "it's not a Walleye" but it will do!

Milwaukee Area Salmon Fishing Report : Kayak Fishing : 9/26/2010

2010-09-26T16:46:00.000-05:00

After a busy week I've finally found time to get a bit of writing in for you all here. Internet is finally up and running here at adventure headquarters and I expect I'll be doing a bit more posting here.

Last weekend I was able to get out in Milwaukee and land 6 king salmon from my kayak. A mighty thunderstorm in the morning and heavy overcast skies made for excellent conditions in the harbor. An influx of fresh runoff coming from the discharge, combined with north winds pushing a good flow into the harbor made for a complex mud-line and mighty currents that whirled in some spots, and just flowed quickly in others.

Whenever I find a good mud-line in/around the harbor I always concentrate on fishing both sides of it heavily as I know bait fish and salmon like to move in and out of the wall of debris in the water. Last weekend I found the line on the inside of McKinley pier, and began trolling patterns pulling crank baits. My first fish came on a medium sized bleeding pearl Rapala Tail Dancer. It came when I was letting line out on my other rod. I hooked in, held on with one hand and quickly reeled in my second line with the other. Once I had things together I began gaining line foot by foot, but the fish took several huge runs and started pulling the kayak to the south. I was in the open harbor just on the south side of Veteran's Park and the fish had miles of open water to move in. I started with about 50 feet of line out and must have had over 100 out when it took its first jump. It was silver as they get and I thought it might be a huge brown despite the King like runs it was doing.

These were the first 2 kings of the day, the left, a 16 pound male, very silver. The right, a 15 pound female full of roe. Still quite silver as well.

After a few more minutes of towing I finally tired it enough to get it boat side, got it on a stringer, and sat back in my seat for a minute, drifting slowly, with my adrenaline pumping. For the whole time I had the fish on I thought, I can't believe I'm into my first King, this is what I've been waiting for, I hope I don't loose this beautiful thing.

I reset my lines and just 10 minutes later I hooked into a wild fighting, high jumping steelhead that threw the hook after 4 or 5 jumps.

From there on out the action was hot and heavy. I switched to 2 white crank baits, and for the rest of the day I couldn't keep fish off of the full sized, deep running, wonder-bread reef runner. The pattern that worked the best was getting to full speed (around 2.5 miles an hour), holding that speed for a few minutes, then simply stop paddling except small dips to maintain a vector. All my hits but one came as my lures (both slow, very wide wobbling lures that hold up at slow speeds) slowed to a crawl and probably started floating up in the water column.

This is another 15 pound female, this puts in scale how huge these fish are compared to the vessel I'm in. Lots of fun.

I ended the day 6/9 fish landed, with about 8 more hits that shook the rod violently for a second but released before I could get the rod out of it's holder.

The lowlight of the day came when I was lifting a 15 pound female King Salmon out of the water, she slipped and buried a single hook of one of the trebles in my left index finger. She was attached to me via the hook and thrashing away in the water. Fortunately I was able to yank it loose (bending the hook about 10 degrees as it pulled from my own flesh). Ouch. Needles to say I made a trip to the cleaning station to fillet what I had and to clean out my wound. I made friends with a fellow fisherman who was landing his boat and politely asked if he might spare a band-aid from a first aid kit in his boat (one of which I now have in my kayak for just such an accident.

In the morning after the rains I stopped by the discharge in the harbor and quickly hooked this beautiful walleye on a thunderstick. It gave a good hit and I thought I had a Salmon for just a second. But then, as walleyes usually do, she dragged in like a log and didn't give me much of a fight. Nice to catch such a healthy, fat walleye from Lake Michigan though! She was released right away, despite calls from some other fishermen near by to let them keep it.

South Eastern Wisconsin Kayak Fishing Report : September 11, 2010

2010-09-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

After a long week of work and the fact that I would be up bright and early for work again on Sunday I loaded the car and readied the Kayak for another tour in Wisconsin Saturday afternoon.

I launched at a different spot this time, from the beach just north of the north arm of the Racine breakwater. The kayak was easy to drag through the sand and I could load it next to the car and then pull it down to the water's edge. The waves were 2-3 feet and rolling in the long gradual rise to the beach there in Racine, which made for a perfect spot to launch when waves would prevent launch on other beaches with steeper banks. I paddled out through the break, keeping as dry as one can in a Kayak in 3 foot waves. After the break the swell was very easy to handle and proved no challenge. Water temperature was near 60 degrees at the beach and clicked down degree by degree as I headed east into the lake, finally resting at about 54 degrees. I started marking fish almost immediately in 6 feet of water, and continued to mark fish all the way out to 30 feet of water, where marks started becoming less frequent. Bait was not present in any large numbers but the sheer volume of large marks on the depth finder kept my hopes up. I did about a 2 mile loop and after receiving a phone call I decided to head back to shore and meet friends further north.

As I neared the beach I decided to pull lines in 8 feet of water. As I drifted with the waves I pulled a dipsy with a magnum spoon, as I was unhooking the snap swivel and stowing that rig my other rod started making a loud noise and bouncing in the rod holder. I swiftly grabbed the rod and gave it a good hook set. Fish on. The fished thrashed on the surface, dove and took a strong run, jumped a few times, then calmly retreated to the side of my Kayak. It was a beautiful female steelhead at around 8 pounds (I did not weigh or measure as I released it boatside).

She hit a J-13 while I drifted in the waves. The lure must have been shallow and should have been making random dives as large waves lurched me forward. It was a beautiful fish, and would be the only one I caught all day, though I did hook up once later at dusk at Oak Creek.

Oak creek is running strong and some fish have made it up the short run to the main pool under the falls. I saw a pair of steelhead, a coho, and a nice jack king get pulled from the main pool while I was there, and I saw several gold colored kings pushing up through the turbulence. I'm hoping conditions improve in the next week or two and we finally start to see large schools of Kings pushing to the harbor mouths. It's been a slow start in terms of King Salmon and hopefully the ball will get rolling soon.

Lake Michigan Kayak Fishing Report : Salmon and Trout : September 5, 2010

2010-09-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Strong west winds and cool September nights have turned the lake over and has set the wisconsin harbors and river mouths in motion for shore fishermen, and small craft fishermen alike. Water surface temperatures from the state line all the way up past Milwaukee range from 48 degrees to 53 degrees. Water inside the Milwaukee harbor runs an average of 55 degrees as of Sunday.

My first time out this fall started at dawn on Sunday morning as I launched my newly fitted Kayak from the beach at the mouth of Pike Creek in Kenosha, where there was a colony of tents and shore fishermen hoping to tie into their first King of the fall. I did a 2 mile loop, marking an occasional stray fish in the 15 foot deep range. I kayaked out to 30 feet of water and hooked back to shore, as the other handful of boats out all pulled away one by one to deeper water where more fish could be found. I wanted to get the Kayak in Milwaukee harbor where I knew more fish would be holding.

I launched from the rocks near the channel head light and set out in calm waters under a blue sky to the middle gap. I was marking dozens of fish and bait clouds inside the wall of the harbor which dissapted after heading out of the main gap into the lake. A freighter headed past and sounded its horn as it passed through the channel under the Hoan bridge.

Wind was steadily rising from the south and clouds were moving in. I made a line to the North gap and began trolling counter clockwise circles through the gap. At 1:45 p.m. I hooked and landed my first Kayak salmonid. It was a small but beautiful brown trout. It hit a Green Dolphin Magnum Stinger spoon behind a dipsy diver in 29 feet of water. There was 30 feet of line on counter. As winds had continued to rise I battled across the harbor to my launch point and pulled out and headed south to Racine to meet the crew I salmon fish with, I haven't seen them since the end of Steelhead season in the spring and was looking forward to catching up. After arriving at the channel head and swapping fish stories from the summer I began casting a jig with a 5" gulp minnow. A Steelhead had been landed by my friend Mike shortly before my arival. Another friend Andrew, who runs the fishing website Fishing-Headquarters, which you should all check out, swiftly hooked a beautiful fall King Salmon at about 9 lbs. After the sun set I hooked on a glow spoon (a 3/4 oz. Moonshine) and stuck the biggest Steelhead I've caught to date. 32" of chrome, beauty.

It was exactly how a start to the salmon season should go. Just increadibly excited about the fall. You can expect regular reports from here on out.

Perch, Year Classes in Lake Michigan, By the Numbers

2010-08-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

As you will often hear from old timers next to you fishing for perch along the miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan, things aren't what they used to be. The good old days died in the early nineties with mussels, alewifes, overfishing, and dwindling bait fish populations to name a few. Here's a graph that not only tells you the state of fishing this year, but can be used to help predict years to come.

Lake Michigan Hits Eighty Degrees : One Away From All Time High Temperature

2010-08-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

A buoy in the middle of Lake Michigan hit 80 degrees last week; the first time it's hit that mark since 2001. The warmest it's ever been was in 1995, it hit 81 degrees. Warm water means more plankton and faster growth rates for your favorite species of fish. This may mean some big perch coming to the end of your line next year, and even bigger salmon and trout in the years to come as well.

Here's a great article from the Journal Sentinel that goes into greater depth about the matter.

A look at temperatures in our end of the lake.

Illinois Wisconsin Fishing Blog

2010-07-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

A fellow emailed me this week and wanted to introduce me to his blog named Illinois Wisconsin Fishing, and now I'd like to extend the same gesture to you, I'll suggest you click here to visit the site and have a read for yourself.

As it turns out, fishermen make fish stories and, big surprise, we want to tell them. That's how this little project started out for me. Now I'm a few hundred posts deep and still look forward to punching keys after a good outing. It even motivates me to get out sometimes, as I know I can't write about my adventures until I actually have them. So as David (the Chicago Trout Bum) supports me and I him in our parallel quests to enjoy the aquatic gifts we've been given, I hope you support Illinois Wisconsin Fishing by having a read. I'm going to start keeping my eye on the site, no question about that.

Northern Minnesota : July 2010

2010-07-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

Each year I am lucky enough to spend a week or two at a cabin in Northern Minnesota with some wonderful scenery and world class fishing. The lake the cabin sits on is full of large Walleye, mean Smallmouth, big Musky, and a good smattering of Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike.

Dusk falling away on the lake as my girlfriends father keeps us on a good line using the depth finder as a guide when a visual of the reeds falls away. Nights spent under the inky sky of Northern Minnesota, quietly moving through the lake in a boat older than either man on board has become part of who I am. I am one who appreciates water and sky and stars, but there is something exactly perfect about summer nights up there.

I spent the week of the 4th of July up there this year and spend every night trolling and casting break lines and reefs for Walleye and Smallmouth. I was lucky enough to land a 22+" Smallmouth, a personal best of mine, adding to my other personal best this year (caught on memorial day weekend) 8 lb. walleye from the same lake.

The warm year has made our usual style of fishing the shallow break line less effective and we were forced to use new strategies to find the fish. I welcome a challenge and it was fun learning some new water this year.

The Smallmouth, which hit an x-rap, trolled over a sloping boulder field. I found that trolling a soft zig zag between slightly deeper and slightly shallower than the lure runs often results in good hits from big fish.

I also had a chance to play guide a couple nights, captaining one boat or another with two good comrades with me. We had loads of fun and got some great fish in the boat.

This is Chris, who recently returned from Iraq, it became my goal to get him a good Smallmouth, as he told me he has been having a Smallmouth dry spell and hadn't caught one in 4 years. We got him a decent fish, followed by his personal best, pictured above. Icing on the cake was him bagging a personal best walleye, unmeasured and released I would put it around 24" and somewhere around 3.5 pounds. It was a great fish.

Here's Nick with a stringer of Walleye that fed the whole cabin dinner the next night. That night was one of the few that we managed to identify a pattern and methodically filled a stringer with enough to feed the gang.

Another great part about the location of this cabin is that it is just a 15 minute drive from a small lake that is chalk full of nice Largemouth Bass and feisty Northern Pike. Catching a dozen or more of each in a short morning is no where near unheard of.

Only accessible by canoe and kayak keeps the fish many and the shoulder room generous. Here is Rich with a northern on the line. You can't beat the scenery here either. It's as good as any post card you'll ever find.

Finally a nice largemouth being released kayak side. A huge plus of fishing from a canoe or kayak is that boat-side release is done with ease, most fish never need leave the water to be released.

In short order I will be leaving for a week in the Upper Peninsula, where I will try my hand at trolling for lake trout. Flashers, Dodgers, Flies, Spoons, and Body Baits are prepared, leaders are ready and rod holders are installed on our 16 foot aluminum. It's been a great summer.

The Re-writing of Your Famous Fishing Hole or, The Great Milwaukee Flood of July 2009

2010-07-23T21:26:00.001-05:00

Dear friends and followers, it has been long since I've posted anything. My days are long and my nights short, time for fishing is scarce, and time for blogging is more rare even than fishing time. Tonight, however, I find myself in South-Carolina after 13 hours on shoot, we're photographing a major bank headquarters in Charlotte NC this week.

Tonight I need to bring you some photographs (not mine unfortunately) of my beloved Milwaukee area. Shorewood (where I spent 4 years of college) got 11.6 inches of rain yesterday and flooded out not only the Milwaukee river, but the streets, yards, and basements no doubt of many of my former streets and apartments.

First for the fishy stuff. The Milwaukee River bursted its banks to over 16000 cfs.... I've never seen anything like that, not even in the mid-June flood of 2008.

Secondly my favorite tributary, Oak Creek, every year my gravel runs and boulder spots are a little different, I have a big feeling this year is going to be something extraordinarily different.

If you plan on hitting your spots for Skamania strain Steelhead anytime soon, I would highly recommend getting in a good scouting session as soon as the water gets low to figure out the new bends (or lack of bends) in the rivers.

Here are some photographs from various photographers in Milwaukee who submitted photographs to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and others.

This is at Oakland and Edgewood, just a few blocks from where I used to live. When I lived in Milwaukee I would bike through this intersection with my salmon rod in my backpack to fish the Milwaukee River. Thise are the tops of cars you are seeing in the foreground, that middle car is floating...

If I had my kayak in Milwaukee you know I would be out exploiting nature for some fun in the flood.

Finally, this is an image my friend Steph made in the UWM union parking garage. I worked just behind where she is standing during the making of this photograph.

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I need to share some of my recent stories with the blog and I promise to soon. Maybe tomorrow night I will have a bit of energy left in me. Until then, nice to be back hitting some keys.

Tom

Milwaukee Area Steelhead Report : Early April 2010

2010-04-08T21:36:00.004-05:00

As the days get longer and the water warms we must unfortunately bid farewell to what has been an amazing spring steelhead season, while there is still a couple weeks left of good fishing and possibly a week or so more of leftovers we have to be thankful that we had such a banner spring. I remember last year freezing my knuckles and bearing into the wind while trying to throw casts into stained, turbulent waters from a string of massive March rains. This year I broke sweat in my tee shirt more than once. I casted to clear pools swirling with silver, hard hitting fish while the sun rose and the air temperatures broke sixty before I could see my shadow finding its way along the stones by the river bed.

While large rivers are likely to be blown out by this string of vicious storms we had this week look for the small tributaries to pay dividends in the last late runner steelhead to make their short shots up into the rapids to spawn. Suckers should be mixed in now from every stream from the state line, well north of Milwaukee.

I have recently neglected to write about my fishing experience I had with two fine gentlemen who I have only recently had the privilege of knowing, and today I intend to share our story.. I took co-worker Scott and his son Ryan, who happens to be my age, up to Milwaukee for a day of river hopping and casting.

We started out at a spot that is secret to a friend or two that showed it to me; so to them I am bound not to divulge it's whereabouts, I will tell you its pools were packed with eager fish that dropped back to larger, deeper, darker pools as dawn turned into mid-morning. At first light I managed a lovely hen from an eddy behind a large boulder in a deep pool. I tightly swung leech is all it took to start the tango.

Ryan (left) and myself (right) with my first hen of the day. What a gorgeous fish.

Ryan (who I should mention casts like silk, Ryan is a trout fisherman and has never Steelhead fished before, or used an eight weight) proudly banked this mean looking male Steelhead from a small but deep pool near where I picked mine off. The fish fought hard and was bound and determined to put its nose into the opposite bank, as we were releasing this fish we thought it would be advantageous to the well being of the fish for me to assist in a quick net job. The fish posed kindly for a photo or two and took a dip into the rapids where it recovered quickly. Nice work Ryan.

Scott standing proud with Ryan and his first Steelhead, and its a large one to boot!

From that first spot we found ourself on the banks of the Menominee, where Scott tagged his first Steelhead ever, only to have it give the hook back to him after a few seconds of fight, many of us have danced that short dance before and I'm sure all of you out there can feel Scott's pain when he saw the mammoth trout spit the hook back in his direction after such a short fight.

Ryan and I, upstream of Scott found a pod of no less than two to three hundred suckers... It was like nothing I've ever seen so we edited our presentations for some fun in the sun with suckers, we rolled the smallest nymphs I had in my steelhead box along the bottom with split shot above to keep it below the downward facing mouths of the Suckers. we landed something like 13 of these 1-3 pound fish who I must say are a blast on the fly rod. They are hard fighting little monsters. All were of course released after a short fight.

From here we moved on to the big, hard flowing Milwaukee. I hooked what would be the biggest Steelhead of the day, a dime bright fish I would put somewhere near 12 pounds. It jumped no less than two feet out of the water in the huge run I was fighting her, when she jumped I saw my egg pattern zip out of her mouth and I nearly took it in the face, fortunately I ducked just in time and it flew by my head. Oh well. I promptly hooked and landed a disappointing sucker upstream and called my Milwaukee River experience finished.

From Milwaukee we took a ride down to Oak Creek where, to my surprise, we found very few people, and quite a few fish! I bagged a large, bright red with a nice green back, male fish who ran me all over 2 pools and the rapids in between before I unhooked him near the bank. He jumped 5 times, uncharacteristic of a spring steelhead, lots of fun. I later hooked a female who I lost after a minute or two. Finally at the end of the day while Ryan and I were working a pod of fish in a deeper, we hooked a female, brought her to the bank, she was loosing eggs as we unhooked her so we decided a photo was not as important as letting her get back to it.

All in all, 4 locations, all with at least one fish of one species or another landed by at least one angler. We fished for 12 hours straight and had some sun on our arms and faces to show for it. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I think I may have converted a couple of trout fisherman to Steelhead fishermen that day. Although I should use a different word than converted because they, as I, certainly enjoy a wily trout on the end of my line any day.

Great to fish with you guys, I can't wait to take you out for another day of Steelhead fishing in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Area Steelhead Report : 3/28/2010

2010-03-28T22:27:00.005-05:00

Flows are getting low around Milwaukee, water is clearing, and Steelhead are easily spotted in the ends of deeper pools and across most gravel beds. Nymphs are taking fish, and streamers swung through turbid water in the entrances to pools have been very productive.

I personally went 6/8 this morning in Milwaukee in the early morning hours. Fish were very active at sunrise, and activity slowed as the sun got higher in the sky.

When fish are within sight it is important to stay low and use stealth and precision when casting. Your first three casts are what you likely will hook that fish on, Steelhead are quick to wise up to your game and if your casts are loud, splashing hits to the water near them they will show you their tail as the exit the scene.

Two of the fish I landed today were females, the other four were male. In an uncharacteristic fashion I kept this small specimen that had already spawned as my family is coming to town in a couple of days and I thought some fresh fish would be welcome on the dinner table.

The other female was so fresh out of the lake that she was all silver and for a second it looked like I was fighting a spring coho in the current. She took me downstream almost to my backing, and than ripped upstream straight past me as I cranked my large arbor fly reel as fast as I could to keep up with her. She took me through rapids and across gravel as I finally landed her, I knew it would be cruel to keep her out of the water for any amount of time to get my camera and as I was fishing alone I let her powerful tail slip from my fingers as she burst back into the flow and disappeared.

Another perfect morning between gravel beds. I'm taking some co-workers to Milwaukee Wednesday to show what being buttoned up with a Steelhead feels like. I'm only asking for fish apiece, and we have all day to make that happen. Can't wait.

Get out there, this run won't last for much longer and the middle of September is a long way off my friends.

South-Eastern Wisconsin Steelhead Fishing Report : 03/21/2010

2010-03-23T20:04:00.004-05:00

The Steelhead fishing has never been better in Southeastern Wisconsin if you are familiar with its water and know how to get away from crowds and fish a variety of water.

This past Sunday two friends and I made it out to a spot few make it to and managed to land 16 steelhead in under 3 hours. All were landed on flies, spawn sacs, and hair jigs. Fast water held steelhead that I plucked with a variety of flies swung swiftly through the minefield of fish. My friends pulled some wild fish out the slower moving tailouts with spawn and hair jigs.

I have never had such an action packed morning Steelhead fishing in my life. It is the kind of fishing everyone dreams of and when it comes you can barely stop smiling for a second. Fish ranged from 5-12 pounds and more males were caught than females, but only my a small margin. All but two of the females we caught had already spawned but were still very bright.

This is a good learning tool, above pictured are two Steelhead of almost exactly the same size, the top male and the bottom female. You will notice the male has a longer mouth, which extends much past the eye, while the females mouth is smaller. The male has the double red stripe, which develops deep into spawning. Males generally have larger heads, some develope a kype, or hooked jaw, you will notice the length of the gill plate is greater than that of the female.

Here is Mike with a larger male of the day.

We had multiple times during the morning in which we had two anglers hooked at the same time, we even landed a couple doubles and photo opportunities presented themselves! We took care to keep the Steelhead in the water at all times, even when unhooking and only lift them for a photo or two. All 16 fish were released.

Double steel next to my wonderful fly rod.

More double trouble.

All told we lost count of lost fish but I was broken off three times and had two more shake my hook. The action was non-stop and the fish were in the mood to pounce. At first light I made my first drift and watched a steelhead shoot up 3 feet to meet my fly and smash it, I missed that first hook set, but it got my adrenaline pumping so 5 minutes later I certainly hit my second.

We had three holes to share between the 3 of us and a 4th and 5th were downstream just about a quarter mile. It made for great rotation, hook up a few times, sit out for a minute and change places and start fishing again. A great way to share the water.

The male fish were certainly more aggressive and would charge streamers and jigs, females weren't shy, but would do little to meet you half way, casts needed to be landed with precision and depth perception while stripping the fly to their strike zone was crucial.

Get out if you can. There are fish to be taken from Sheboygan all the way to the state line and you'll be sorry if this season passes without getting your hands on some Lake Michigan Steel.

Oak Creek Fishing Report : Mid March 2010

2010-03-19T20:46:00.004-05:00

Oak Creek has stabilized and Steelhead are staging nicely. The river has a variety of sized fish in the system right now from 15-20" juveniles to 30+" four and five year old fish. Chambers Creek and Ganaraska are the strains most prevalent in the river at this time.

Fish will lay in deep pocket water until the sun hits the gravel and the water temp warms slightly. Look for 8-10 a.m. for fish to start heating up and getting active on beds.

Egg-Nymph fishing seems to work but I picked 2/3 of mine on leech patterns today. I only landed one champion male Steelhead today. No fin clips, thick like a football, I didn't weigh the fish but 6 pounds would be my best guess.

More on the tributaries to come, it has been an exhausting day between sneaking out for a full throttle fishing trip this morning, followed by a full day of work ending just now.

My advice is to get out and dance with these wonderful fish while you can, and please consider releasing them as they are such beautiful fish.

Mike's First Steelhead

2010-03-18T18:30:00.005-05:00

A fellow named Mike emailed me with some questions about Steelhead fishing a few months ago. I did my best to help him in any way, and so did the Chicago Trout Bum. I had a nice email in my inbox this morning.

Here is part of the email:

Thought I'd write to personally thank you yet again. Have been out a few times already this year, but nabbed my first spring run steelhead yesterday.

I now FULLY understand the obsession. It was wild. I only got to get out for about an hour after work, but as I came around a bend I saw at least 2-3 of them swirling around in a deeper pool. 2 casts is all it took.

I also hooked up with two others but lost one very quickly (2-3 seconds) and lost another one when it ran 40 yards downstream and underneath a log!

Two casts is all it took, now that my friends, is poetry.

Here is a photo of his first Steelhead ever, something to be extremely proud of. I remember my first Steelhead well, but we'll save that for another post.

Mike wanted to know the strain of it and he guessed chambers creek, by the shape of it and by the time of year I would wager his guess is right on. I applaud him for diligence in research into Steelhead Strains of Lake Michigan. I wrote up an article on that, you can find it here accompanied by some photographs of Steelhead that I have caught myself.

Saint Patrick's Day in Chicago : The Green Chicago River

2010-03-14T21:14:00.005-05:00

For those of you not able to get a glimpse of the Chicago River this weekend I bring you some photographs from a unique vantage point. My work brought me up onto the 28th floor of a downtown high-rise on the river where we photographed for the day. I snapped some images of the river and the spot that the river meets the channel, making for an interesting break line where the green water met the discolored North Shore Channel-Chicago River water.

A view of the Merchandise Mart and the green River.

A view of the spot the stain hits fresh water.

Looking back at 333 East Wacker with the Chicago River in the foreground, shot from in front of the Holiday Inn.

In Steelhead news, fish have pushed into Wisconsin tributaries and persistent anglers are buttoning fish. Look for warm ups this week to really get things going.

Enjoy the photographs and happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Wisconsin Tributaries Stabilizing, Expect Steelhead Soon

2010-03-13T16:01:00.004-06:00

With a week of warm weather dumping thousands of gallons of water into the tributaries of Lake Michigan the flows have skyrocketed and water temperatures have warmed up.

This influx of water should directly correlate to numbers of fish pushing their way up from lake Michigan deep upstream.

Flows seem to have topped out and hopefully will recede over the next 5 days or so, when the flows get back down under 300 cubic feet per second and conditions have some stability we will be able to get out there and dance with Steelhead in some of the best river fishing of the year.

Keep checking in for more forecasts and conditions, I'll do my best to keep you updated.

Root River Steelhead Report : Early March 2010

2010-03-09T13:05:00.002-06:00

Finally, it is here. I got up to Racine and onto the Root by sunrise this past Sunday to do a little breaking in of my new St. Croix 8 weight accompanied by my Hatch 7+. This morning was fruitful in sun, scenery, and isolation on the water. I did not manage to tango with any Steelhead though. I think I may have been too ambitious as I got after some deep runs that I hoped would be holding early steelhead jockying for position on the beds just upstream. I should have stuck to slow drifting through the deepest of holes... but that just isn't my style.

Photographs are forthcoming but I'm on lunch at work at the moment and don't have the files here.

I took a ride to a spot downstream where I met some friends to do some ice fishing on the deep slow areas of the river directly preceding the harbor. The action was steady, although landed fish were few. Here is a photo of Keith and I with the first Steelhead of the season from the Root River. Thanks to Dan for the photo from his cell phone we snapped just before releasing this chrome male Steelhead.

Steelhead are staging in Lake Michigan and in Harbors directly below our tributaries now. We should expect to see substantial pushes of fish into the systems over the next week as air temps flirt with fifty all week and ice thins as meltoff exudes from the banks. Next weekend is a good bet for getting your first river Steelhead of the year.

The Thaw Begins in Wisconsin

2010-03-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

This is what we have been waiting for. Steelheaders and Brown Trout seekers grab your rod and get those leaders tied on. Its time to chase some Steelhead. The Root River is coming around, with the Milwaukee, and Oak Creek following suit.

Note the daily rise and fall as snow-melt trickles into the river.

It may be Early Season Trout Opener in Wisconsin...

2010-03-04T22:52:00.004-06:00

But this weekend... the lakefront and the tributaries are likely the place to be with weather like this:

You'll find me out with my nose as close to the water as I can get it. You can expect full reports and photos to make up for nearly a month of radio silence. Thanks for sticking around. Life moves faster than it should sometimes and time on the water is hard to come by when the only water I see is in a glass on my desk.

See you out there (in the sun).

-GLA

Images From Great Lakes Angler

2010-02-12T23:45:00.004-06:00

I apologize to you, my readers, for lack of new substance once again. Work is keeping me very busy at the moment and it looks like before this week is done I will clock somewhere near 70-80 hours. I had a free day last weekend and spent it behind the lens of a camera. Here is one of the images from the shoot. There are loads more that have yet to be sorted yet, but until they are sorted here is at least something to show you I'm still out there.

We spent close to an hour waiting for a break in the clouds to make this beauty glow like she does in this frame. Enjoy.

A February Packed With Everything But Fishing

2010-02-10T03:25:00.002-06:00

Friends, I'm only able to snap out a couple of sentences before hitting the pillow. I'm in California shooting a series of jobs for an design firm here in L.A. and have been working long hours. I may have a few hours to spare later this week and if I do I promise to bring you photographs from the ocean.

Until then... Catch one for me!

Lake Michigan Ice and West Winds

2010-02-02T11:46:00.005-06:00

Recently I posted photographs of a few miles of shore ice attached to Illinois as I flew over it toward New York.

The recent west winds have broken off the entire shoreline and sent it out toward Michigan. I checked out the satellite photos today and found these gems.

Here you can see the ice breaking from the shore.

Lake Michigan

White House Summit to Discuss Asian Carp Crisis

2010-02-02T09:51:00.002-06:00

From the Toledo Blade

Article published February 01, 2010
White House to host Asian carp talks
BLADE STAFF
The Obama Administration said it will host a White House summit on Feb. 8 to discuss the Asian carp crisis with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. The 2:30 p.m. meeting, which the administration has closed to the public, will include Nancy Sutley, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The participants are trying to settle on how to keep the voracious carp from destroying the Great Lakes fishery, valued at $7 billion. The greatest potential value of controlling the carp is in western Lake Erie, the most biologically productive part of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie holds more fish than the other four Great Lakes combined. Officials have been hoping to diversify the region's sagging economy by promoting fishing - especially in Lake Erie's western basin. DNA evidence shows Asian carp, nonnatives introduced to North America via Arkansas fish hatcheries, have breached a $9 million electrical barrier the Corps built southwest of Chicago in hopes of keeping the fish from reaching Lake Michigan. They have been swimming up the Mississippi River for years.

Michigan is one of the nation's leaders in registered boaters. It has more Great Lakes shoreline than any other state.

Ms. Granholm and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, with support from Ohio and other Great Lakes states, have sought to have two locks between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi closed at least temporarily to keep the invasive fish out. Illinois officials have resisted, citing a loss of shipping revenue. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case Mr. Cox filed against the state of Illinois, saying he should have filed it against the Corps. - Tom Henry

Vintage Great Lakes Angler : Aluminum Boat

2010-02-01T22:06:00.003-06:00

From the Life Archive.

I've made it Black and White day here in the Great Lakes Angler's Studio. Monotone for February First.

This photo reminds me of many of the boats I've used on small Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and brings back memories of hot aluminum seats, creaking oars, and soft boat cushions.

Great Lakes Angler on New York City

2010-01-30T18:41:00.004-06:00

Readers, this last week my work brought me to Manhattan for my first time. As an outdoors-man, lover of open spaces, verdant surroundings, and cool clear water I expected New York to wear on me quickly and that my flight home could never come to soon. I was, however, very wrong about this and the following are my thoughts on this Metropolis.

The story starts at 4:30 A.M. Central time this past Wednesday. My bags were already packed and my things were in order. I found my way to the train to the airport, where I met the Photographer whom I work with. We boarded our plane at sunrise and climbed through the atmosphere to where I could look straight down out my window at the home turf of Great Lakes Anglers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. I observed a surprising amount of ice tacked to shore all the way around the bottom of the Lake Michigan basin. The ice found its way out more than a mile off shore.

A path left behind through the ice by a freighter or cutter heading into an Indiana Harbor.

I flew on and soon found myself above a heavy blanket of cloud cover and found entertainment in the pages of Seven Years in Tibet while Josh Ritter and Vampire Weekend chimed through the speakers of my ipod and before I could shoot through more than a chapter or two we were beginning our final ascent. It was at this point I realized that from takeoff to touchdown it takes less time to fly over 4 states from Chicago to New York than it does to drive from my house to my favorite spot on the Milwaukee River... Depressing.

I craned my neck to get a good look at the spires of the buildings looming over the island of Manhattan. In the last few months I have landed in Laguardia two other times and only got glimpses of the skyline as my photography for Hedrich Blessing took my to Long Island and Connecticut, this would be my first time actually visiting the city.

Freighters entering New York City.

I slipped the 12 cases of photography gear off of the baggage claim and rolled it out the door. This process is a humerus one and often gets laughs and jokes from spectators. Firstly it always happens that almost half the gear that even comes off the plane belongs to me, and past that I (a lanky 6'1" guy has to wrestle with these 70 pound cases individually just to get them stacked into a tower on our cart. At that point I have to lay myself out to even instigate movement of the cart, as it weighs somewhere in the 600 pound range.

Common comments are "What band are you in?" and "I thought I brought too much baggage with me when I fly!!"My response to that is usually "Well, I like to travel lite."

Details aside I finally found myself having unloaded the baggage in the showroom which we were to photograph and was stepping into a cab to the hotel. I again craned my neck to get a view down every street and up every facade of every building. The other photographer and I grabbed a tripod and some cameras and spent the afternoon walking around midtown photographing what architecture interested us. We finished making a dusk shot at the apple store at around 6:00 and I trotted off to meet a friend a couple of dozen blocks to the south.

Clouds at dawn casting their shadows on Lake Michigan.

She is and architect and after showing me her office she had a surprise for me. She walked me over to the High Line, something I have wanted to see for the last 2 years after finding Joel Sternfeld's book : Walking the High Line, one of my favorites. From there we continued walking through the streets and I began to feel the energy of the city and found things that made it very different from Chicago and things that made it very same to some of the other metropolises that I have been to in the past such as Bangkok and Amsterdam. Every square foot of the city seemed unique and I found that by the end of a couple of evenings of walking I had put dozens of miles under my feet without even thinking about it.

The apple store, an hour before dusk.

In my short 12 hours of freedom in the city I made my way past storefronts, past camera stores, through a particularly wonderful used book store, and had tasted some fantastic food. I found that to me there were a few differences between Manhattan and Chicago and that the biggest and most important difference to me was as follows. In Chicago you approach this grip of buildings, buit up like a pair of pyramids rising from the lake to John Hancock and Trump Towers, and rising from the flats of Illinois to the Sears Tower. As you walk/bike/train/cab/drive your way toward the city it rises in front of you and you enter this densely packed web of concrete and steel. You stand in a tunnel of reflected light and noise. Upon making your way in a straight line in any direction you will find that in minutes you emerge from the other side and looking over your shoulder, you are afforded a view of the city again, retreating behind you heroically.

Manhattan, in contrast, is far more dense in some respects, and less in others. In any block you find dozens of buildings that rise 4 to 10 floors above your head, and in no case is there ever a chance of seeing more than a small cone above your head, you can walk for 5 miles and never find a view that affords you site of more than a few of the tops of the higher buildings around you. I will admit that I didn't make it to the financial district and I may find that part of the city similar to downtown Chicago. All in all I found a sense of uniqueness that I have never felt before in America, every square foot of this city seems to be made special by its tenant or owner and for that reason I felt the incredible energy and power that exudes from every shop window, honking taxi, and glowing sign.

I felt a certain level of contentedness as my plane rose beneath the full moon, speeding me away from New York and back over the Great Lakes to my home. I am pleased to have been given the chance to experience a thing which most people would like to do in their lifetime, it has given me a new respect for finding myself standing knee deep in cold water under a tunnel of budding trees on a April day with titans of the lakes swimming toward my feet. It has heightened my appreciation of every square foot of space that I have and I take it a shade less for granted than I did last week. All in all, I think this trip has made my love for the spot I live and the country I live in jump two whole rungs on a ladder I seem to be racing up with disregard for my own safety.

Thank you for reading and I will do everything in my power to be who I am and take what I have for what it is.

Until tomorrow...

Tom Harris

Chicago Perch Fishing Report : Navy Pier : 1-24-2010

2010-01-25T09:06:00.004-06:00

The three week dry spell is over and Great Lakes Angler is on the board for 2010, catching 52 perch in an hour and a half yesterday. Conditions yesterday were more than favorable and, being as I was only on call for work, I headed downtown with rod and reel and some bait and picked a spot on the pier. As I strung up my rod folks were pulling in the standard 5"-8" navy pier perch that one expects to sort through while fishing there. I baited both top and bottom hooks with a chunk of shrimp and casted 30 feet off the wall. I brought up my slack and checked tension and as I did I felt resistance and set the hook. The fish felt bigger than it should and I reeled in an honest to goodness Jumbo Perch on my first cast, running between 12 and 13 inches. Not Bad.

Here is the big girthy Jumbo with an 8" standard keeper.

The rest of the time the action was fast and consistent, and I kept half a limit and tossed the rest back, I could have easily kept a limit but I only have two mouths to feed and don't like to over harvest fish that I will just freeze.

All keepers were between 8" and 12.5" and most fish were in the 7" range. I saw a few more 10-11" fish caught today and the fish seemed bigger than they did last year at this time.

Nothing like catching dozens of fish in the middle of downtown chicago on a 45 degree day in January. The wind and rain was a bit bothersome, but nothing compared to 15 degrees and frozen guides.

Great Lakes Angler 3 Week Dry Spell

2010-01-21T18:18:00.003-06:00

I haven't wet a line in 3 weeks and my posts have been scant at best. I apologize for the state of relative radio silence. My work has kept my busy this month, particularly on the weekends.

The good news, however, is that I was able to take my new fly casting set up out in the vacant lot behind work today and nearly hit a wall 50 feet away with some of my casts. This rod acts like a spring and punches line out. I've never been able to throw a cast and have it pick 8 or 10 feet of line up from my feet. It's a wonderful sound hearing it zip through the guides.

Steelhead... Steelhead... Steelhead... I'm coming for you the second I get a chance.

Thanks for reading and I promise you some meatier posts soon.

-Tom

Oregon Water : Far From the Great Lakes

2010-01-14T21:24:00.003-06:00

I treated myself to watching this beautiful video detailing some of America's fly fishing in Oregon this evening after work. The soft yellow leaves and smooth grey cobbles makes me yearn for fall on the Root River and the Milwaukee, or spring on Oak Creek. Our rivers may not be as picturesque, but a day hooking into half a dozen Steelhead of similar quality to their far western brothers and sisters is unheard of. Our strains are hard fighting, high flying bulls with enough power to snap a rod or leave the water for a second at a time. Beautiful.

Oregon Water from bryan huskey on Vimeo.

Enjoy the video.

Mackinac Bridge Under Construction

2010-01-14T10:48:00.005-06:00

I bring to you a couple of photographs from the Life Archive for your viewing pleasure today.

The Mackinac bridge, the longest suspension bridge between two anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. Just another of the wonders of the Great Lakes.

A Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Blog : 2010 Season

2010-01-12T22:05:00.003-06:00

A good friend of mine from my years as a photography student at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is doing her thesis this semester on a topic that she and her family has been involved with for quite a number of years now. She has created a blog doccumenting Sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. Steph has "been around sturgeon spearing since [she] was born" and as a photographer who I have a good deal of respect for I expect great things from this project.

Have a look at what has started out to be a promising project, and as the season begins get ready for some great photography. You can check out her blog here : Winnebago Lake Sturgeon.

A new Blog on the Radar : Fishing with Special Ed

2010-01-12T21:58:00.004-06:00

A fellow by the name of Ed, a prominent Great Lakes (and beyond) fisherman just launched his blog over at Andrew Ragas's website, fishing headquarters. In an effort to build a network of stories and up to date fishing information I believe it is important to continue to build a community of bloggers who share the passion for fishing that we do. So please, if you have the time, have a look at Ed's new blog and enjoy.

Here is a little about Ed straight from his blog:

"I grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, and started fishing as young as 2 years old. From subdivision ponds and forest preserves to our local rivers and streams, I have been fishing locally for almost 30 years.

With the time spent serving my country, I was able to fish the fresh and saltwater bodies of water off the islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the fertile waters along the coast of Northern and Southern California. Whether it’s from shore, chest deep in the current, or motoring around in my Mercury-equipped Alumacraft fishing boat, I am at home anywhere on the water.

Now I am living back again in the southwestern suburbs with my family, and go fishing every chance I get. If I had a goal in life it would be to spend the rest of my days learning new waters, sharing my knowledge of local waters, and enjoying the breathtaking scenery that nature surrounds us with."

Rise : Confluence Films Trailer

2010-01-12T14:52:00.003-06:00

Featuring hatch reels. Thanks to a reader for bringing this to my attention.

"Rise" Trailer from Costa Sunglasses on Vimeo.

It really is a beautiful trailer. There is so much fishing to be done in the world, I'm just thankful I'm right in the heart of it... the Great Lakes.

Ginger Rogers : Life Magazine Cover

2010-01-12T13:49:00.002-06:00

A photograph from 1942, actress Ginger Rogers holding fly rod as she sits on ground while taking a break from fly fishing on her 1,000-acre ranch in the Rogue River Valley.

I wonder how many actresses these days own a 1000 acre ranch to fly fish on... I would wager not many.

Great Lakes, Asian Carp, and the Obama Administration

2010-01-12T13:37:00.004-06:00

During a flurry of media, accusations, and assumptions about who is doing what and how come this level headed writing comes from Andy Buchsbaum, a name you, my readers, will come to know in the years to come I'm sure.

"As the legal briefs fly and the rhetoric heats up, I think it’s important to remember that every government agency involved in this process cares deeply about the Great Lakes and is exerting enormous efforts to keep the invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. We may disagree with their strategy or methods, but folks in the Obama Administration and the Illinois DNR have been pulling all-nighters through the holidays to try to get a handle on how to protect the lakes from the carp and we need to recognize that.

And we can’t lose sight of the fact that this Administration has already, in its first year, done more for the Great Lakes than any other in history, that President Obama is truly our first Great Lakes president, and that we’re in agreement with the Administration on virtually every other Great Lakes issue."

He runs a blog of his own, Great Lakes on the Ground and is currently on his way to China to speak about the Great Lakes as a success story.

Obama, truly our first Great Lakes president. More than enough reason to support him right there and wait to see where legislation and support falls before we start throwing stones.

I encourage you to follow Great Lakes on the Ground, as it is a reputable source about the great lakes, straight from the mouth of National Wildlife Foundation.

Google Life Collection : Great Lakes Angler

2010-01-11T20:31:00.003-06:00

Tonight I made a bit of discovery using google image search. If you type into the search bar : source:life "xxxxxx" anything you want, it will search their newly scanned archives of all of the Life Magazine articles and feed you the images associated with the articles it finds.

Thus a search of "source:life greatlakes" will get you images of the great lakes from articles from decades ago, which makes for some great images that you have likely never seen.

I naturally tried "source:life wisconsin" and found this beautiful trout stream image.

Here is another from "source:life greatlakes"

Finally this great image of "the Swanson family" on Oak Street Pier with a trot line out for yellow perch. This image was taken in 1950.

Have a look yourself, you might enjoy it.

Fly Fishing for Musky

2010-01-04T20:03:00.003-06:00

Catching a Musky can be a once in a lifetime experience for an angler. I myself have only logged two of them in my lifetime, caught this past summer and the summer before. Catching them using normal tackle or specialized musky tackle is the method of choice to get the job done. Catching one on a fly rod... well that's something else entirely.

Musky Chronicles Trailer from Lee Church on Vimeo.

I've seen photographs of them with big flies sticking out of their mouths but this video is really something else. It's a trailer for a video called Musky Chronicles, enjoy.

Great Lakes Angler : New Gear : Hatch 7 Plus Fly Reel

2010-01-03T15:01:00.002-06:00

Well I finally have a setup worthy of the fish I fight on our wonderful Great Lakes Tributaries.

These are two photographs of my new hatch 7+ for my eight weight rod. I plan on dancing with Steelhead, Brown Trout, and even some Salmon on the tributaries throughout the great lakes region. I also picked this reel with Northern Pike and big Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass in mind, I shoot for those in May-August in Northern Minnesota.

I can't wait to put some miles on this set up, enjoy the photographs!

Catch Magazine : E-Magazine : January Issue

2010-01-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

What could be better than a wonderful fishing magazine filled with good stories and even better photography that you don't have to pay a subscription fee for. Sure you don't get to hold in in your hands but their basic equation holds up : Water + Trees = Fish

Have a look at this months issue.

Chicago Trout Bum : A Year in Pictures

2010-01-01T20:33:00.003-06:00

The Chicago Trout Bum, a (becoming) longtime friend of the Great Lakes Angler put together a good looking slide show of Trout and Salmon catches during the fall run of 2009. I make an appearance sporting a hefty Seeforellen Brown Trout, and a few other photographs I have taken of my own fish or fish friends of mine have landed made the show. There is plenty of eye candy from dime bright hens to tuna sized trout in here so buckle up and have a good watch.

Check out the Chicago Trout Bum here.

This is Fly : E-Magazine : January Issue

2010-01-01T20:26:00.002-06:00

This is fly, January edition is out and it is certainly worth a read. As a matter of fact I should have just stayed in and read this in the warmth of my apartment today instead of hitting the ice and racking up such a low score on the fish. A report will come soon, until then, have a read.

Great Lakes Anger : Year End Fish Totals

2009-12-31T19:16:00.003-06:00

The results are in ladies and gents. It was one amazing year chasing fish up and down the Great Lakes. Thanks to every one of you for your readership, your support, your questions, and your comments.

Here are the totals:

Bluegill : 2
Brook trout : 5
Brown Trout (inland) : 54
Brown Trout (lake-run) : 16
Coho Salmon : 4
Crappie : 2
Creek Chub : 3
King Salmon : 11
Largemouth Bass : 47
Muskellunge : 1
Northern Pike : 72
Pumpkinseed Sunfish : 3
Rainbow Trout (inland) : 5
Rock Bass : 67
Smallmouth Bass : 16
Steelhead : 9
White Sucker : 1
Walleye : 7
Yellow Perch : 521

Happy New Year!

Chicago Perch Fishing Report : 12/20/2009 : Montrose Harbor

2009-12-20T17:16:00.002-06:00

The ice is beginning to move in and perch are harder to find as a result. I found today at montrose harbor that getting away from the open water and fishing between the floating ice floes was the best way to find the fish. Perch were very scattered and the bite was lite when it did happen.

I hooked a few fish on artificials and a few more on cut bait made from a dead perch some other inconsiderate fisherman threw directly onto the ice.

Reports from Navy Pier sound similar, that you have to move around and work to find the school and when you do the perch are small. I caught a couple above 8 inches but most ran around 6 today.

The harbors still have a way to go before they lock up for the winter. Get out and catch some perch before you have to drill through to find them.

Great Lakes on the Ground : A new Blog from Andy Buchsbaum

2009-12-17T14:36:00.002-06:00

This afternoon I found myself diving deeper into paragraph after paragraph of text focused mainly on the invasion of Asian Carp in the Chicago River and Calumet/Saganashkee Channel.

This blog is only a week old and is only six posts deep but if the writing continues on the vector it currently holds it should produce good reading for weeks to come.

Please give this new blog a read here, you'll be happy you did!

Andy Buchsbaum is Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation, he has taken the side of the Great Lakes on a number of Great Lakes issues in front of a congressional committee and is certainly considered a friend of Great Lakes Anglers everywhere.

Lamprey Eels Continue Invasion in Great Lakes

2009-12-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

A very well written article in the Niagara Falls Review.

An excerpt:

"The Great Lakes were pretty much a closed eco-system for thousands of years. The plants, animals and fish within this system co-existed with one another in a relatively balanced level. The early arrival of explorers from the east had little impact on this balance. The arrival of settlers in greater and greater numbers began to change the landscape. Logging and farming re-shaped the lands around the rivers and streams feeding into the lakes. As the human population grew, the once-balanced environment became unbalanced."

Read on by clicking the link above.

Stream of Consciousness

2009-12-15T20:52:00.003-06:00

Another bit of beautiful, mouth watering, heart pounding video. I'll post them as long as they keep making them.

Stream of Consciousness from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Mike Iaconelli and Eric Haataja : City Limits Fishing : Milwaukee

2009-12-14T22:25:00.003-06:00

I've done what they did dozens of times this year, and can guarantee you it's going to be a good show that showcases Milwaukee's premier Brown Trout fishery. Friends of mine were even out landing brown trout the same day he was making this video.

I've met Eric in Milwaukee and he certainly knows the harbor and the fishery like the back of his hand.

There is a great write up of the event here in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Enjoy!

Chicago Perch Fishing Report : 12/13/2009

2009-12-13T20:53:00.003-06:00

Perch are finally showing up in numbers in the harbors near Chicago, fishing picked up this morning at Montrose Harbor around 8:30 a.m. today and continued to be good until I left at 10:30. Between myself and two friends we pulled up around 75 perch in those 2 hours, 14 of which were winter keeper Perch in the 7.5-10 inch range. Shrimp on a crappie rig on the bottom worked well, artificial minnows and small spinners tipped with bait worked as well. Larger Perch hit the spinners but fish were far between using that method.

The code for the Montrose Harbor Docks (B Dock at least) is 3-4-5 this winter, this allows you to get out into the harbor and off the wall, move often if perch aren't biting to find an active school.

A friend took home the keepers in the photograph above, I gave some of my keepers to him and released the rest. A quick note, I was checked by the DNR today for license and limit. It is great to see the DNR out there enforcing some law. I wouldn't dare keep more than 15 perch or fish without a license. There is no where to run or hide and the DNR will catch you if you are poaching.

As the ice comes be safe and careful out there, a lot of fun will be had this winter on the ice but do some reading if you haven't been out before and always use common sense.

Asian Carp Fish Kill : Game Fish Saved

2009-12-11T11:09:00.002-06:00

As I reported here a couple of weeks back they shocked the water pre-poison and removed as many game fish as possible. I only now have run across a tally of what was saved and in what numbers. Thanks to Dale Bowman at the Chicago Sun Times I'm able to bring those numbers to you today.

They are as follows:

Species saved and number:

largemouth bass : 63
smallmouth bass : 1
bluegill : 83
channel catfish : 10
grass pickerel : 2
black crappie : 1
walleye : 1
goldfish : 1
sunfish : 90

Surf and Inshore Fishing : East Coast Stripers

2009-12-10T18:49:00.001-06:00

I think I would like to try this type of fishing some day. It would seem that in this wonderful part of the world we live in, a willing fish isn't more than a quick car drive away, no matter where you are.

Wonderful.

Watch this, you'll be glad you did.

Surf & Inshore Fishing 2009 from Peter Laurelli on Vimeo.

Trout Unlimited Take Action Against Asian Carp

2009-12-09T20:33:00.005-06:00

Alright readers, I ask for your help on this one. It was brought to my attention in an email to me this morning (greatlakesangler@gmail.com) that Trout Unlimited is asking people to send a letter through their "Take Action" program. Thanks to Chris S. for sending me the link and description, I'm pleased that we are forming a community of like minded, responsible anglers and lovers of the Great Lakes region.

The letter is simple and quickly filled out and can be done here at this link:

This is a copy of my version of the letter, much of it is filled in already for you (you may change it if you feel so inclined) and the last paragraph or two was added by me.

Action Item:	Protect The Great Lakes (Residents IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, PA, WI)

Date Sent:	12/9/2009

Description:	Demand that Federal and State Agencies Take Aggressive Action Now to Protect the Great Lakes from Asian Carp

Message: I am writing to ask that you take the most aggressive action possible to prevent the colonization of Asian carp in the Great Lakes. This would jeopardize the world’s greatest freshwater treasure by displacing native fish, disrupting a sport fishing industry worth $7 billion annually, and potentially harming boaters and other people recreating in the lakes and their tributaries. The recent application of rotenone, a piscicide, to the area between the electric barriers and the Lockport Lock during routine maintenance, falls far short of the necessary actions to prevent further invasion by Asian carp and their colonization in Lake Michigan. In addition, the canal system that currently connects the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River systems needs to be seriously reexamined. One major rainfall could inadvertently allow invasive carp to breach the already thin barriers to their migration. Specifically, we ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Illinois and Indiana Departments of Natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other members of the Asian Carp Rapid Response Team to implement the following recommendations: 1) Immediately close all the locks between the electric barriers and Lakes Michigan effective immediately, specifically O’Brien, Wilmette and Downtown Chicago Locks; 2) Aggressively expand the fish control and removal operations to all areas above the electric barriers up to Lake Michigan; 3) Continue and expand frequent monitoring of the Chicago rivers and canal systems and nearby areas of Lake Michigan; 4) Develop and implement a plan to decommission the canal and lock system to permanently sever the connection between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes drainages. Trout Unlimited has more than 35,000 members living in the Great Lakes states and a long history of native fishery and habitat restoration work in the Great Lakes and its tributaries. On average, each Trout Unlimited chapter contributes more than 1,000 volunteer hours working with government agencies, private landowners, local schools, and others in their communities to improve rivers and streams though clean-up days, tree plantings and other activities and to support policies and programs that will protect and improve river and fishery health. To protect the many investments that TU has made in the Great Lakes and tributary resources, we again urge you to take immediate and aggressive actions to stop the spread of Asian carp. I am an avid angler and lover of the great lakes. I actively teach others about the treasure we have in such a great resource and I personally would be devastated to see that resource compromised by yet another invasive specie. Please do everything you can. This is important.

Again, thanks to Chris S for getting this to us, and please send the letter for yourself if you feel strongly about this. Follow this link to get to the letter.

December Gale Stirring up the Great Lakes

2009-12-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

As I sit here typing my windows are rattling in their frame as a south/east gale gusts up to 40 mph. The winds will continue to howl, pushing 14 footers into Milwaukee tomorrow morning early as the winds turn west and follow this storm across the lakes, stirring up offshore waves to the 20-25 foot range in Lake Erie of all places.

Wonderful, I love the Great Lakes.

A Concerned Reader on Asian Carp

2009-12-07T22:45:00.003-06:00

A reader here at Great Lakes Angler had this to say regarding one of my prior posts on Asian Carp.

"For the past 10 years the Chicago Park District has stock the Lagoons with Catfish that came from fish farms that used Asian Big head Carp in there tanks. One can only speculate how many Asian Bighead Carp were accidentally stocked in our lagoons in the last ten years.

Now the greatest concern is two lagoons (Lincoln park zoo south Pond & Jackson Park that had direct access to Lake Michigan. Lincoln Park Lagoon had a Fish Kill, I believe that Jackson Park lagoon maybe next.

Now I previously tried to bring all of this on several online Fishing communities in Chicago, but unfortunately my actions were perceived as just spamming & many just plain ignored my postings. One website deleted my posting stating that "this was there house". I know for a fact one of the online-monitors of that site works for CPD.

I've even contacted bob "The Fishin' guy" from CPD & he gave me a well rehearsed statement that "the Asian Bighead carp in the Lagoons don't pose a great threat in the lagoon because the fact that they need fast current to spawn/reproduce". Which I feel is absolutely BS! Even though the Lincoln Park south pond was not connected to the lake like Jackson park is, it still had a drain pipe that went directly to the Lincoln park lagoon next to LSD."

Due to reading Dale Bowman's recent articles in the Chicago Sun Times detailing catches of Bighead Carp in these very lagoons I'd say that this "concerned citizen" is on the right track.

Thanks for the input my friend, I value all constructive feedback I get and do my best to read any comments or emails that I receive. I found this particularly detailed and well written comment to be important to bring to the attention of all the readers.

Thanks again.

-Great Lakes Angler

Milwaukee Area Trout Fishing Report : 12/06/2009

2009-12-06T15:39:00.004-06:00

As promised, I made it up to Milwaukee today to find some Lake Run Trout.

I started at my favorite spot on Oak Creek at first light, and was able to snap up a foot long steelhead right away. It wasn't long until the weekend party of "fishermen" walking down the middle of the river went ahead and spooked the entire river. I couldn't take it today, I just got in my car and headed for Milwaukee where my friend Mike was waiting at the harbor. I should mention that I did count a dozen steelhead moving in holes and bedding in what little gravel there was. I would have had a chance at these fish and likely would have stayed for a couple more hours had I not had the river ruined rudely by these guys who don't respond to my questions or comments about their style of fishing.

I met a guy on the river last month and ended up talking to him for a long time, he told me flat out that he considers every last angler on the river just another "friend he hadn't met yet". I wish more anglers were like you Andy. (Andy lives near Oak Creek and is a regular there). His courtesy was great, we even fished the same hole, he asked my permission to move into the top of the hole and fish it and then to skip by me and continue making his way downstream. We hopped over each other for about an hour sharing the crowded river with no problems.

Now that the rant is over I'll continue. We did what is becoming a ritual for our crew, skipping from spot to spot in the harbor looking for active fish. We checked the sailing center, the slips, the discharge, the channel, and finally we found some players at the summerfest lagoon.

Mike managed to entice one of the bigger browns in the lagoon with a hand tied fly that I tied up last winter after salmon season. I got a spawned out female on a spawn sac.

I would recommend people skip the harbors for the time being and find players in tailouts of deep pools and in rapids in the front of them after the day starts getting on its way. If I could re-do the day I might skip the harbor all together and focus on the Milwaukee River, which I unfortunately didn't get a chance to fish. I did have a great day with Mike and somehow the sun made 30 degrees feel like 45.

Some rain or snow melt-off will kick things into high gear on the tributaries, so look for that in December and January, any runoff will push fresh fish into all your favorite holes and these fish are often ready to take a spawn sac dead drifted through those pools.

That might have been the last Steelhead and Brown Trout for me in 2009, I may shoot at some perch here from Montrose Harbor and Navy Pier in the mean time. I'm slowly ticking my way to 1000 fish for the year and Lake Michigan Yellow Perch might just seal the deal.

Until next time, enjoy the photos!

A Quick Note on the Asian Carp Fish Kill

2009-12-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

A single bighead carp has been found, and it looks as though this huge endeavor may not have been as necessary as previously thought. The sky might not be falling out yet, there is still hope.

The Army Corps of Engineers is doing a study to decide weather closing the locks in Chicago is a necessity.

Take a quick read through this article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has sent a letter to the bosses at the Army Corps asking (demanding actually) them to take a quick hard look at the costs and benefits to closing the locks.

Some Great Tarpon Fishing for a Cold Winter Night

2009-12-02T21:52:00.002-06:00

It's getting cold on the fifth coast, warmer waters and blue skies are looking nice. This video is full of great footage of Tarpon grabbing up big flies, breaking a few rods, and jumping clear out of the water.

Slam by WorldANGLING fly fishing South Florida for Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon, Snook, and Redfish from WorldANGLING on Vimeo.

Enjoy.

Today's Chicago Sun Times : Asian Carp on the Front Page

2009-12-01T08:41:00.004-06:00

I suggest picking up a copy, or at the very least read through some of the article online here. The article speaks of the "boondoggle" that is the barrier, and of the poisoning of the channel tomorrow (Wendesday). Just under 7 miles of the river is going to be poisoned to prevent the advancement of Carp, although Dale Bowman does bring up some good points in his column, citing half a dozen or so cases of carp being found or caught in Lake Michigan already.

Photo from John Patsch/Sun Times

"The economic costs of these fish to the ecosystem would be tremendous - unquantifiable and irreversible."

Classic Great Lakes Angler : Fossil Edition

2009-11-30T06:00:00.001-06:00

While reading through this issue of LIFE Magazine on Google books I ran across this article.

Text as follows:

"The fossil skeletons of a fish within a fish give 90 million-year-old record of a glutton"

"Ninety million years ago a 14-foot-long tyrant fish called Portheus swam through the great shallow sea that covered what today is Kansas. Like its distant modern relative the tarpon, Portheus was a fierce predator, armed with a bulldoglike lower jaw for lunging at prey from below. It came upon a 6-foot-long herring-type Ichthyodectes and proceeded to swallow it whole. This huge wriggling repast may have been too much for the ravenous Portheus. At any rate, it died with its belly full. Then it sank heavily into the sea ooze, where it became fossilized in the clay while the Cretaceous American Sea vanished about 70 million years ago. Uncovered under the dry land of a cattle ranch near Quinter, Kan., this skeleton-within-a-skeleton, vivid evidence of the reward of gluttony, is believed to be the most ancient fish-eat-fish record ever found intact."

The fossils were discovered by Walter Sorenson of the American Museum of Natural History.

It was a fast swimmer, as the forked tail and streamlined body show. Probably would have put up one hell of a fight on a 12 weight fly rod.

St. Croix River, Bayport Power Plant : Photography

2009-11-30T05:00:00.004-06:00

I had the wish to photograph the Bayport Power Plant in Minnesota from across the river in the darkness on black Friday. I set out in search of a proper spot along the bluff across the river to capture this steam expelling stack that I used as a compass throughout my childhood, as it could often be located through the trees of even the denser woods of my home town.

I started off in North Hudson and captured it from an angle I wasn't pleased with, but it was a good warm up.

I then made my way to an abandoned rest stop, pulled the car far off the road, and hiked to the edge of the bluff. I had a friend with me and after a minute of conversing and shining a headlight into the brambles at our feet we decided this wasn't the spot. I then unfolded my tripod for a quick capture with my Nikon and realized that this actually was the perfect spot and that we would have to make it down the bluff to the water's edge.

It was maybe 100 vertical feet down a leaf covered decline. After a few minutes of slipping and tangoing with burrs we found ourself standing on the stones at the foot of the St. Croix river.

After making a few images and completing a panoramic it was time to go. Having little feeling left in my hands I slung my tripod onto my shoulder and called for my friend Doug to follow me up the hill. As I made my way over the fragile piles of drift wood I reached my foot out for a board, an even surface to find a footing.

As I soon found out this board had a series of 3" long nails sticking out of it's surface and the ball of my toes found it's way to the point of one of these rusty spikes. I felt pressure as the nail punctured my shoe and my thick wool sock like they were butter, I instantly reeled and rocked back to my other foot, careful not to fall. I felt a pang of pain shoot into my foot as I lifted the 8 foot long 2x4 clear from the ground, hanging from my foot. I shook it loose and consulted with my friend. We decided to high tail it up the bluff and investigate in the car.

Upon reaching the top of the slope we entered the car, turned on the lights, and I took off my shoe. To my surprise the nail hit a callas and was stopped before entering my bloodstream. A half an inch either way and it would have stuck straight into my foot. A Tetanus shot was narrowly avoided and I was thrilled for the rest of the evening. The adventure, the cool crisp air, the time with a friend, and the images were worth a Tetanus shot in my mind but I'm happy to be without one as well.

Portland Oregon this week for work, back to fishing this weekend as soon as I can. Seeforellen Brown Trout are invading the harbors and rivers, and last weeks rain and snow pushed clean Steelhead into all my favorite holes.

Black River Falls Dam : Photography

2009-11-29T22:27:00.002-06:00

I took a slight detour today on the way home from Hudson, Wisconsin. The Black River looked beautiful from the I-94 bridge and before I knew it my turn signal was on and my car was leaving the fleet of angry post-thanksgiving drivers.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the the river, the dam, the swinging rope bridge that connects it to the adjacent plant on the river, and the quality of the pools below the dam.

There was one orange clad fisherman shooting sweeping casts out well below the falls, and I hear the river is a good fishery when it comes to walleye, musky, and bass. If I had a rod and a box of spinners with me I would have given it a chance to be sure.

I love Wisconsin, and the whole Great Lakes region, but I am still falling deeper in love with these places as I find more and more perfect spots. It seems that over every one of Wisconsin's rolling hills there is a spot more beautiful than the last.

Asian Carp : "Monumental Government Screwup"

2009-11-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

From Freep.com, this article details the Asian Carp invasion even further. Delving into what it might do to our Great Lakes fishery and ecosystem, terms like "a potential desaster for many of our sport fisheries".

The carp have become the dominant species in the water systems they have intruded upon and show no signs of slowing down at the great lakes.

"I'd plan for the worst"

Read the article here, a part of the article follows:

Anglers in the Great Lakes watershed better fish as much as possible in the next decade. Chances are that yet-another monumental government screwup has let Asian carp into the world’s biggest freshwater reservoir, auguring a potential disaster for many of our sport fisheries.

The carp were 8 miles below Lake Michigan with only one upstream lock between them and the big lake, but the lock opens regularly. So there’s no reason to believe the fish detected above the barrier are the first to reach that spot, especially since they were discovered the first time that area was tested, or that others didn’t pass through months or even years earlier.

Truthfully, no one knows what will happen once Asian carp reach the Great Lakes. But looking at the Illinois River, where they’ve become the dominant fish species in a mere 10 years, I’d plan for the worst.

Milwaukee Area Trout Fishing : 11/22/2009

2009-11-25T21:26:00.006-06:00

My morning began in the dark, standing in the cool waters of oak creek under a thick blanket of still fog. The air temperature was 34 degrees and it was 4:30 a.m.

I had driven up from Chicago, rolling out of the covers at 3:00 a.m. The drive up to my favorite tributary was short and sweet, with only a few other tail lights racing through the November night with me.

I stood there with my hip boots and felt the water with my fingers, cool and swift, just the way I remember the November conditions to have been in years past. I walked back to the car and strung up my float rod first, followed by my fly rod. I leaned them against the side view mirror and walked back down to the river to take a look through the darkness at holes I planned to fish in the hours to come. I sat with closed eyes, listening for the tell tale sound of Steelhead advancing through the rapids.

After I was content with my selection of water I returned to the car, with 20 minutes left before it became legal to fish. I turned on the heat and reclined the drivers seat and shut my eyes to let my imagination bend my 9' 6" float rod to the water with chrome and pink Steelhead buttoned to the end of my line.

When I opened my eyes it was 5:45, 5 minutes until fishing. I locked the car and grabbed my rods and hiked through the stretch of woods to my first hole. In the time that I had shut my eyes another angler had snuck in in front of me and was walking back and fourth on my favorite bend with a net in his hand... looking for Steelhead staging on redds to net. It was too early in the morning to start a fight with an immoral angler so I chose water a little up stream of this fellow. I hiked the two or three minute only to be greeted by no less than six men walking with waders and fly rods THROUGH the water, not along the bank with stealth as this sport demands. At this point I was near panic. This tributary isn't long, and real estate is valuable, especially on a Sunday. I wasn't going to be bested by meat hunting fools with no sense of sport. So I turned and ran. I shot through the woods, jumping downed trees and ducking low branches, trying to keep my rod tips clear of hangups. I went downstream of the aforementioned angler with a net in hand and shot across the end of the pool below him; keeping careful not to spook the hole below. I tossed my bag to the stones and dug out a bag of spawn sacs. It was now first light and getting a look at the slightly stained water from last Wednesday's rain I decided chartreuse was the color of netting I would choose, being that I brought both orange and chart. spawn sacs with brown trout eggs in them.

I could see two boulders in the hole and, being that I have not fished this hole when water was so clear, decided to exploit them for what I hoped would be nice trout holding in their eddies. On my first drift my float passed to the south of the second boulder in the deeper part of the pool and was untouched until it fell a few more feet down stream, where it twitched once, then violently twitched again. I swept my float rod sideways to check for pressure and felt something writhing on the end of the line. I retrieved it quickly to find a beautiful little creek chub on my size 6 octopus hook. I welcome life in the river, even if it isn't the quarry I intend to catch. I snapped a quick photo and returned it to this beautiful pool. I then heard the gaggle of men wading through the pool above me and knew it was time for defense, I shot my line long and diagonally up the riffle above my pool, as that would not only prevent them from crossing into my water, but also put my float through the riffles and into the first boulder's eddy.

The first and second of the six men diverted their path and walked behind me as my float drifted. I watched closely as it swung around the boulder and hung in the eddy for just a sliver of a moment, it then continued making progress downstream and suddenly shut underwater and moved to the side. It has been a long time since I last saw an orange float tip retreat to the murk of a river and thrilled to see it quickly set the hook and was instantly greeted with pressure on the end. The fish pulled quickly across the hole and the men stopped behind me. It surfaced and showed its silver side, filled with large spots. It may not have been a Steelhead but it was certainly as good, a gorgeous lake run German Brown. I landed the fish in under a minute as it was short of two feet long and no match for the line weight I was using. I grabbed the line and moved it onto the gravel in the shallows. I snatched my camera and photographed the fish as it calmly laid in inches of water and posed for a shot before I coaxed it into the depths, only touching its tail once to maneuver it toward its holding water.

I drifted this hole several more times, and seeing no signs of life, I thought it was time to move on. I know had to deal with these six men rudely tromping through the water looking all over for fish to snag with their fly rods that held only heavy monofiliment and treble hooks with a bit of yarn on the end...

I was turned off to a major degree, and having friends waiting in the harbor in Milwaukee I was happy to leave what was quickly becoming a zoo behind, and head for greener pastures, or bluer water as it were.

John clearly has some hours under his belt swinging a fly rod. He had a mean roll cast and was belting out these beautiful shots, cast after cast.

I met Mike P. and a new friend John in Milwaukee where they were floating spawn and jigging tubes in the slips. The action had been slow and there were very few fish moving so we agreed it would be to our advantage to move to the discharge. As we arrived there were no other anglers there, but upon peeking our heads over the rail we saw no less than two dozen brown trout holding in the current. Although they were easily spooked by us it wasn't long until I hooked and landed my first ever Seeforellen strain Brown Trout, pictured below.

A Seeforellen Brown Trout, note the fewer spots, he fought like a King Salmon as well.

Mike later hooked the biggest German Brown he had ever landed, a new personal best at just over 20.25 lbs. Way to go Mike. He was fishing a tube jig deep, near the bottom, jigged slowly.

Mike and his 20+ lb German Brown Trout

As the sun raised in the sky and the temperature shot into the 50's, not normal for late November... the fishing slowed and nearly halted. Fish retreated to darker, cooler water and even on the Milwaukee river we found no takers.

It had been a good day and sunset was approaching, we thought Kenosha would be a good bet for sunset and evening fishing and we boarded our vehicles and made our way down there. Float rods in hand we walked to the water in the Harbor and pitched spawn sacs and tube jigs under lighted slip floats out into the depths. Although I had 5 take downs in the first hour we were unsuccessful in even hooking any fish and after 14 hours of straight fishing we packed it up and headed for home in Chicago.

A wonderful day with two great fisherman. I feel lucky that 3 fish between 3 guys, including a first time Seeforellen, a beauty silver river German Brown, and a personal best Brown Trout over 20 pounds is a slow day!!

I'll be up north in Hudson, Wisconsin for the next 4 days and will not be fishing, but I would have you know that I'll be at it as soon as the opportunity presents itself upon my return.

Until then, good luck and I'll see ya out there.

Truly Great Lakes Anglers.

More Asian Carp News

2009-11-25T05:00:00.002-06:00

This time it's from the Wisconsin State Journal, in Madison. Read the full article here.

I would agree in full that too much is at stake here for shrugging.

Read on:

"Too much is at stake for Wisconsin and the world's largest freshwater system to shrug off this threat as just another in a long line of invasive species.

The Army Corps of Engineers confirmed last week that Asian carp - which can grow longer than 4 feet and heavier than 100 pounds - were detected within 10 miles of Lake Michigan. They somehow spread beyond an electric barrier that was supposed to stop them.

The Corps now plans to poison a Chicago canal. Two navigational locks near the Lake Michigan shoreline also need to close or operate with much tighter restrictions because they may be the last barriers to the open lake.

Wisconsin officials should encourage a strong response to protect Lake Michigan and its delicate ecosystem from this latest and particularly worrisome foreign invader.

It's not that the Asian carp are inherently bad. But set loose on the Great Lakes, the monster fish could decimate native fish species and wreak havoc up and down the food chain.

The Asian carp eat huge volumes of plankton each day, leaving smaller and less aggressive competitors to starve.

The largest of the two Asian fish close to reaching Lake Michigan are known as bigheads. Yet the smaller silver carp pose their own unique threat.

Sliver carp jump out of the water when startled by motor boats. Some boaters in the Mississippi River basin where the leaping fish are abundant wear helmets to avoid being violently hit, according to the Associated Press."

A call to close the gates of the Chicago River.

2009-11-24T20:40:00.002-06:00

One of the only remaining options to save the great lakes from an onslaught of Asian Carp may be to temporarily close the locks that link the Chicago River to the Chicago Harbor at Navy Pier.

An article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel goes into more detail.

An excerpt from the article.

"The Asian carp appears to be not only on the doorstep of the Great Lakes, it's managed to push the door ajar and is trying to wriggle through. But before we get used to adding a carp menu to Friday fish fries, there are still some things authorities can do to prevent a full-scale invasion.

One key step would be to temporarily close the gateways and locks in Illinois that lead from Lake Michigan to the waterways that have already been invaded by the carp, as a coalition of environmental groups urged last week. Then monitor the waterways to determine just how far the large jumping fish has come, and poison those stretches where necessary to eradicate the fish"

It's going to be a long fight boys and girls, we had better hunker down and put on the boxing gloves for this one.

-Great Lakes Angler

Fish Eye Guy Photography

2009-11-24T20:22:00.003-06:00

Photographs of native and non-native trout in their rivers. This fellow hikes to remote locations, and gets in the faces of these fish with his lenses. Amazing stuff. This is everything I want to do. So much perfection.

Native Redband

I emplore you to check out the website.

More News on Chicago River Poisoning : Asian Carp

2009-11-21T13:10:00.003-06:00

Some good news from freep.com, plans to shut down over 5 miles of the waterway near the Asian carp barrier are underway.

The following is borrowed from this article.

Closing a 5 1/2 -mile stretch of waterway and poisoning it is not something to take lightly. But it's more than justified by efforts to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.

Starting Dec. 2, a multi-agency task force will close off a portion of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal below the two electrical barriers intended to stop the carp from advancing out of the Mississippi basin and into Lake Michigan and the rest of the lakes. While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turns off the newer, bigger barrier to inspect it, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will put a fish poison in the water and haul the carcasses to a landfill.

The barrier has been operating for six months and needs its first regular inspection, according to the Corps. Meantime, the older barrier is not considered sufficient to stop fish, especially smaller ones, from slipping through. DNA evidence from earlier tests suggests carp have come within a mile of the barrier. Hence the need for poison while the stronger barrier is down for inspection and maintenance.

Fisheries biologists have long experience with the poison that will be used and with a detoxifying chemical that is administered to counteract it. The antidote will be applied downstream to ensure no additional stretches of waterway are harmed, and then later in the poisoned stretch to return it to normal. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is contributing to the stock of antidote for the operation, and will supply up to a dozen crew members and whatever gear Illinois requests. As many as 200 people will be needed on site each day for the four to five days involved.

Some complaints have come from the shipping industry and barge operators who would have liked more lead time to prepare for the closure. But even those have been muted; most everyone seems to understand that protecting the Great Lakes takes priority here.

A third electrical barrier is supposed to be running by this time next year. In the meantime, another maintenance closure -- and presumably another round of fish poison -- may be necessary next spring.

Although it's an extreme measure, poisoning the canal should yield valuable information -- especially about how far Asian carp really have traveled -- that cannot be gleaned any other way. Let's hope the results don't suggest it should have been poisoned sooner.

We all must hope these plans are successful, as I've made clear in my recent posts, this is no matter to be taken lightly.

A Creative Solution to the Asian Carp Invasion

2009-11-21T10:08:00.002-06:00

A great comment left on the article in the tribune :

My Bulletproof Plan

I'm going to take my boat to the barrier, run the motor in neutral to get the carp to jump, and when they do i'm going to punch one right in its face as hard as i can. As it falls back toward the water in a daze, i'll yell "and tell your friends to STAY OUT!!". Problem solved.

posted by rocketj3 on Nov 20, 09 at 1:44 pm

The Chicago Trout Bum on This Weekend's Steelhead Forecast

2009-11-21T04:31:00.002-06:00

I say the fishing should be good this weekend, but the Chicago Trout Bum tells you why:

"Swinging streamers continues to be a productive method though fish in deeper pools behind large sections of shallow spawning gravel are keying in on eggs. Pink, chartreuse and orange egg patterns have all been producing but be sure you are fishing them at a proper depth."

Take a look at his full report here.

Additionally he sells some great Steelhead flies there that he ties himself, when it comes to hand tied flies, he's accomplished!

The Asain Carp Have Arrived

2009-11-20T09:46:00.003-06:00

This is grave news to be sure. We might remember this year as the last year we fished the great lake before the plight of the Asain Carp arrived...

Straight from an article today in the Star Tribune:

"New research shows the super-sized fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday."

In news relating to river poisoning, as I discussed earlier this week:

"In addition to plans to poison the river, the Army Corps is scrambling to build a twin to the new barrier. It also is looking at building an emergency berm to prevent the fish from riding floodwaters from the carp-infested Des Plaines River into the canal above the barrier."

This is bad news readers. Bad news indeed. Please read the article in full :: here ::

Harbor Brown Trout and Steelhead Report : 11/20/2009

2009-11-20T09:42:00.004-06:00

A report from Mike P. over at Fishing Headquarters brings good news for those planning to hit the harbors this weekend!

Remember to be versatile, if fish are around and moving, don't sit there all night with spawn under a bobber, try casting, try bouncing spawn along the bottom, try jigs.

It's looking like a great weekend ahead for shore anglers and fly fisherman alike.

See ya out there.

South-Eastern Wisconsin Steelhead Forecast : 11/19/2009

2009-11-19T18:18:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again, white knuckles, rosy cheeks, numbing feet in waders, frozen guides on the fishing rod... It can only mean one thing. It's steelhead time.

Things are looking good.

The image above shows exactly what you want to see if you are a steelheader who is confined to the weekends to chase these silver trout.

All the South-Eastern Wisconsin Tributaries are looking great for your weekend. The colder it gets, the less pressure there is on the fish, and the better your chances of hooking up. It is vastly different from King Salmon fishing during the fall.

Take a look at the Chicago Trout Bum, he has some great reports from his recent trips to swing flies and drift egg patterns in Wisconsin rivers. Looks like both Lake Michigan run Brown Trout and big Steelhead are looking promising this weekend.

Chicago River to be Poisoned : Asian Carp

2009-11-17T20:45:00.003-06:00

Straight from the Chicago Tribune :

"Alarmed that Asian carp are swimming closer to Lake Michigan, state officials plan next month to poison a stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal."

"The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that it will dump Rotenone, a potent fish-killing chemical, into the canal between Romeoville and the Lockport Dam in early December."

"Poisoning the canal has been considered a last-ditch solution to preventing Asian carp from spreading into the Great Lakes, where the fish are considered a serious threat to the region's $4.5 billion sport fishing industry. The main deterrent has been two electrified barriers in the canal near Romeoville, but one will be shut off for maintenance next month, and the other is considered too weak to stop younger fish from swimming through."

I would be interested in viewing the shocking they plan on doing to relocate native fish. It is always fascinating to see the diversity of fish in a system.

Here is some more about the electro shocking.

"Before Rotenone is applied to the canal, crews will use electrodes to shock fish to the surface and identify sport fish that can be safely relocated. After the dead carp are sent to a landfill, the crews will apply another substance that speeds up the breakdown of Rotenone, a chemical widely used across the country to kill invasive fish.

Rotenone is not considered a serious threat to people or wildlife. Water quality experts from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will monitor water quality downstream to ensure the chemical doesn't drift beyond the targeted area. And the Sanitary and Ship Canal will be closed to boat traffic for up to five days."

We'll see if it works, and I'll keep you updated if I learn anything new.

-Great Lakes Angler

Fish Can't Read : November Issue 2

2009-11-16T18:53:00.003-06:00

The second issue of the e-zine Fish Can't Read, Fly Fisherman Can was released yesterday. Hot off the virtual presses, have a look at the website and enjoy.

I could do without the drop shadow... but hey, it's not my magazine.

Trout Fishing : By William Earl Hodgson

2009-11-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Trout Fishing, written by William Earl Hodgson in 1904

Some fun reading material for you, reasoning why trout act the way they do, not much has changed in 105 years.

Kenosha Brown Trout Fishing Report : 11/11/2009

2009-11-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

It was a slow night in Kenosha on Wednesday as I met with Mike and Dawn to float spawn sacs under lighted floats. I had a take down within 15 minutes of being there but upon setting the hook found nothing on the business end.

The night was devoid of activity until we left in time for me to get a few winks of sleep before morning. We were deep in the boat harbor, there were a number of Brown Trout and some Steelhead porpoising around us but none were interested in a dance.

Mike and Dawn waiting for a take down... air temperature 34 degrees when I left.

One rough looking buck that was landed by our crew just before we left. Not much of a fight. Hoping for rain and cooler weather, as much as I've enjoyed this Indian summer it's time for some November.

I've been called into duty this week, I'll be shooting a building in Indiana and will not be able to fire off any shots for Steelhead or Browns, I certainly hope your weekend is free of work and full of fish.

Bitten Shark Gives Birth From Wound

2009-11-12T10:57:00.002-06:00

A shark with a massive gash on the left side of it's body successfully gave birth this week from that gash. It happened in New Zeland.

Watch the video here from CNN.

Bass on the Fly Rod : Desert Bass Fishing

2009-11-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

Enjoy the video!

Desert Bass from ra beattie on Vimeo.