KING ME

Yankee, The case on taking on water- the touranment commity allows for communication is cases like that! - emergencies are different from (run purple with red eyes down 55' back 20' at 2,5 on west troll at the 24.5 northline ) I am planning on olcott and sodus (if my team is up for it) not sure about oswego yet.

here is my 2 cents. The pro/am tournament ARE NOT about the money for the vast majority that enter them. It is more of a prestige thing. If you want to be the "best" then you should do it by yourself!!!!!! No communication between boats, every man for himself, let's see what you got type of event! Any day on the water can be good or bad for ALL of us, but anybody can do good when they get a hot tip (phone call) on a bite, location and such. If you want to be #1, it would be more rewarding to do it on your own. just my take.

This is for all you pro/am fisherman out there. Looking for your personal input. Here is the question. Should the pro/am tournaments be open communaction between boats (like Olcott) or closed like the other events?

Fisher- what riggers are you running? If Scotties I have a trick to help hold the antenna (spring wire)

When are you going to come down on the new rig?

Bob, Vince docks at the Town of Newfane Marina. There are a few places in Olcott that have transit Docking. Wilson also has a number of places and is alittle more centerly located. Check out this link. www.olcottfishing.com FYI, I will be up there all spring(till after the pro/am). Let me know when and where you will be.

Mark, as you know i have had money fish on the LOC board. When on a CHARTER the money is the clients - I don't ask or take a dime. It's there trip/boat/fish. The satisfaction is enough for me - plus it always leads to repeat business so it is not lke you "lose out" on anything. on when out with you guys for some "derby fishin'" it is split between all on the boat with no cut for the boat. Gas money is enough. Stixs, I feel your pain bud. I have seen many money fish in my net......only to look at a customer that did not want to spend the doe on a derby ticket or to have one of the guys in the group forget to register!

Phil, contact walker downriggers, they will hook you up. See if you would just stick to scotty products

Merry christmas and happy new year everyone. Thanks for the continued support of this message board....you guys are what makes this great!

DEC ANNOUNCES INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS ON FRESHWATER FISH VIRUS -VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today announced the dates and sites for public informational meetings to be held about Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). The virus is a pathogen of fish and does not pose any threat to public health. Relatively common in continental Europe and Japan, prior to 2003 the disease was limited in North America to marine species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In freshwater, VHS had been associated primarily with trout and salmon. In 2005, a new strain of VHS was determined to be the cause of a kill of freshwater drum and round goby in Lake Ontario*s Bay of Quinte (Ontario, Canada) and muskellunge in Michigan waters of Lake St. Clair. This same strain of VHS has now been confirmed in a number of non-salmonid species in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Conesus Lake in New York State. It has been linked to kills of round goby in Lake Ontario and muskellunge, burbot and round goby in the St. Lawrence River. It has also been linked to a die-off of walleye in Conesus Lake. At the public informational meetings, DEC staff will provide information on VHS, describe the federal and New York State actions taken in response to confirming the presence of VHS in New York waters and others in the Great Lakes system, and answer questions. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to offer their thoughts, perspectives and viewpoints. Due to the potential adverse effects of this disease to fish populations and the desire to prevent or delay its spread to other states, in October 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal order prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and interstate movement of the same species from eight states bordering the Great Lakes. On November 14, 2006, APHIS issued an amended federal order which allowed for movement of live fish under specific circumstances. Subsequent to those federal actions, on November 21, 2006, DEC filed emergency regulations to help prevent the spread of VHS to additional waters within New York State which: 1. Prohibits the commercial collection of bait fish from waters of the State where VHS has been detected. The rule amends State regulations by removing certain waters impacted by VHS from the list of specially designated waters that allow bait fish to be taken for commercial purposes. 2. Limits the personal possession and use of bait fish. The rule limits the number of bait fish that may be possessed to a total of 100, as well as restricts the use of bait fish for personal use to the specific water from which it was collected. This rule does not pertain to the possession of bait fish in the Marine District; and 3. Requires live fish destined for release into the waters of the State to be inspected by certified professionals and be certified to be free of VHS and other serious fish diseases. The rule prohibits the placement of live fish into the waters of the State (including possessing, importing and transporting live fish for purposes of placing them into the waters of the State) unless accompanied by a fish health inspection report issued within the previous 12 months. For all species of freshwater fish, a fish health inspection report shall certify that the fish are free of VHS, Furunculosis, Enteric Red Mouth, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, Spring Viremia of Carp Virus, and Heterosporis. For salmon and trout, the fish health reports must also certify that the fish are free of Whirling Disease, Bacterial Kidney Disease, and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN). The fish health reports must be issued by an independent, qualified inspector, as well as conform with specific testing methods and procedures. In addition to enacting emergency regulatory measures, DEC has proposed a permanent rulemaking that is available for public comment until January 22, 2007. Formal public comments on the draft regulation will not be accepted during the informational meetings. The informational sessions (schedule attached) are not part of the formal rulemaking process nor for the purposes of formally receiving public comment on the proposed rulemaking. The draft rulemaking is available at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/propregs/ on the DEC website. Public comments can be submitted to DEC by writing to: Shaun Keeler, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750; or by calling DEC at (518) 402-8920. The schedule for the VHS informational sessions is as follows: City DEC Region Meeting Site Date Buffalo 9 Woodlawn Beach State Park , Route 5, Town of Hamburg, NY January 8, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM Waterloo 8 Holiday Inn, 2468 Rt 414, Waterloo, NY January 3, 2007 Sessions at 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM Chenango Bridge 7 Chenango Valley High School, Chenango Bridge, NY. January 8, 2007, 7:00 to 9:00 PM Watertown 6 State Office Building, 1st floor Conference Room, 317 Washington Street, Watertown, NY 13601. January 3, 2007 Meeting hours will be 4:00 to 7:00 PM [with a presentation at 4:00 & 6:00 PM.] Mexico 7 Oswego County BOCES in Mexico, NY. Atrium Area January 2, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM Plattsburgh 5 SUNY Plattsburgh, NY , Angel College Center, Alumni Room January 9, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM Albany 4 Sovereign Best Western 1228 Western Avenue, Albany January 9, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM Yonkers - Lower Hudson Valley 3 Yonkers Riverfront Library Community Room, One Larkin Center (at the foot of Dock Street and Buena Vista Avenue), Yonkers January 9, 2007 6:00-7:30 PM New Paltz 3 New Paltz High School Auditorium, South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz January 4, 2007 6:30-8:30 PM

John, I have been getting hit with that for years from both the charter and remodeling business. If you are only getting 5 or 6 a day, you are lucky! It is like junk mail.

I ran them off shore for steelies and again in the fall (river)for salmon. Key with these are to run them at speeds over 2.6 mph. I did good on them offshore pullling them at 3.4mph with optimezer spoons in the mix.

Sponge- best advice I can give you...... when in doubt PULL OUT!

Stock Northern King c5 or you can get the tape for your favorite small spoon at narby's or captains cove.

Wily, Toothy Adversary Lurks Deep in Buffalo Harbor By Matt Higgins, New York Times Before sunrise on a cold Saturday, Marc Arena, his fishing partner Rod Ballard and a half-dozen other anglers launched their boats onto Lake Erie. Wearing wool caps and bundled in thick parkas and overalls, they would spend the day trolling Buffalo Harbor and its network of shipping channels, gliding past abandoned grain elevators and a decaying steel plant. The absinthe-colored waters here offered good conditions for catching muskellunge, or muskie, the largest freshwater game fish in New York. Now can be an especially good time to land the really big ones â€â€

Fish Virus Could Limit Shipping Michigan seeks ban on ballast from eastern Great Lakes By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinal The shipping industry has been blamed in recent years for introducing many of the invasive species that are ravaging what's left of the Great Lakes native fish populations, but the fight to stop the spread of the latest microscopic invader might just threaten the monstrous freighters themselves. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, known as VHS, was discovered in the Great Lakes basin just last year, and already it has been blamed for the deaths of thousands of fish in the eastern Great Lakes. The virus, which bleeds its victims to death, doesn't pose a danger to humans. But the potential for it to spread into the nation's other waterways so spooked the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, that it ordered some fast and drastic steps to contain it. Three weeks ago, the agency issued an "emergency" order that blocks the live export of 37 fish species from any of the eight Great Lakes states, a potentially crippling blow to fish farmers at a time of year when they typically harvest and ship their stock. The order also threatened to snarl cooperative interstate fish stocking programs and live bait shipments that help sustain the Great Lakes' $4.5 billion fishing industry. The federal order was blasted as overkill by the fish farming industry and the scientific community that works with it, and on Tuesday, the order was relaxed to allow some exports under a rigid set of new rules. But now that the federal government has rung the fire bell to alert the region to the dangers of this particularly contagious virus, the state of Michigan apparently wants more. It wants the shipping industry to shape up. Specifically, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission wants the federal government to order an emergency ban on freighters filling their ballast water tanks in the virus-infected waters of Lakes Erie, Ontario and St. Clair, as well as the St. Lawrence River. The idea is to protect the virus-free Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior. Ballast water is necessary for freighters because it stabilizes and maintains the structural integrity of a less-than-full cargo vessel, so a prohibition against it could devastate the shipping industry. No ballast, no shipping "Wow. Ships can't operate if they can't take on and discharge ballast," said Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, which represents U.S. shippers operating inside the Great Lakes, a group that moves about 125 million tons of cargo annually. "A ban on ballast uptakes would bring shipping to a halt." The request came in a Nov. 9 resolution from the governor-appointed, bipartisan commission that oversees the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. It was forwarded to APHIS early last week. Jennifer Nalbone of the conservation group Great Lakes United, agrees that a ban on taking on ballast in VHS-infected Great Lakes waters is a draconian concept that could kill traditional shipping routes, but it doesn't surprise her. "As far as the state's perspective, it makes total sense," she said. "They don't want their fisheries getting hammered. . . . This is the reality of the Great Lakes right now - we are contaminated with biological pollution, and it's the ships that are moving it around." The scientists who know most about Great Lakes invasive species say the risk that ballast water poses in moving VHS to the upper Great Lakes is clear. It may take decades for the virus to make its way into these lakes on its own. And because navigation locks on the St. Marys River provide some insulation between Lake Superior and all the other, it may never get into Lake Superior at all. Although nobody knows if the virus itself could survive in the open water splashing around in a ballast tank, it doesn't necessarily need to; it could hop a ride on an infected fish sucked into a ballast tank. Indeed, one of the species that has been most susceptible to VHS die-offs in the eastern Great Lakes is the round goby, itself an invasive species from Europe that scientists believe was brought into the Great Lakes more than a decade ago by overseas freighters traveling up the St. Lawrence Seaway. So the equation is pretty simple: Gobies can be transported by ballast tanks, and gobies themselves can carry the virus. "Very clearly, if you have any of these infected species in locations where ships would be drawing up ballast water, they could be moved," said Hugh MacIsaac, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Windsor. More research needed While some question whether APHIS would have jurisdiction to issue a ballast ban, APHIS spokeswoman Hallie Pickhardt said her agency's staff will be meeting with other federal agencies to evaluate the danger ballast water discharges pose in spreading the virus throughout the Great Lakes. "It's a possible (transmission) source, but we need to conduct more research to learn more about it," Pickhardt said. "Everything we do is based on science, and at this point, we don't have the scientific evidence to restrict ballast water in the federal order." Jeffrey Gunderson, the associate director of the Minnesota Sea Grant College Program, is dubious. Gunderson still can't figure out what science APHIS relied upon when it issued its initial emergency order on Oct. 24 banning the export of so many fish species from all the Great Lakes states, even though the western Great Lakes states have yet to be infected. Minnesota, for example, is hundreds of miles from the nearest VHS-infected waters in Michigan. And he said 93% of the state lies outside the Great Lakes basin. Further, Gunderson said, none of Minnesota's fish farming exporters operates inside the sliver of land that is inside the Great Lakes basin. That means there is no natural pathway between them and the virus. "The aquaculture industry in Minnesota is not any more of a risk of transporting the disease than those (fish farmers) in South Dakota or Iowa," he said. "The reasoning doesn't seem logical or based on science." Yet neither Gunderson nor anyone else is ready to discount the risk the virus poses to the nation. "It is the most serious fish disease problem that we've seen, and it's so serious because it's so deadly and it affects so many species," said Myron Kebus, Wisconsin's state fish health veterinarian. The disease was discovered in Europe about a half-century ago, where it initially ravaged rainbow trout hatcheries, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It was first recorded in U.S. waters in the late 1980s in Pacific Northwest salmon. The disease has also been found on the Atlantic coast, but the Great Lakes were considered VHS-free until 2005, when the virus was linked to massive musky die-offs in Lakes Ontario and St. Clair. Scientists have since determined that the Great Lakes have been infected with a mutated strain of the virus, one that appears to be particularly dangerous because it may affect far more species than its coastal cousins, including such popular regional species as whitefish, yellow perch, trout and salmon. More than 180 non-native organisms now call the Great Lakes home, and research shows that over the past few decades a new invader has been discovered, on average, about every 6 months. Most are coming in the ballast tanks of overseas freighters, but so far there is no direct evidence blaming ballast tanks on overseas freighters for the arrival of this new virus in the lakes. Scientist MacIsaac said he suspects another pathway. "You have aquaculture. Live fish food markets. Aquarium shops. All could be potential sources," he said. But MacIsaac points out that VHS is spotlighting an issue that has so far been largely ignored in the Great Lakes invasive species debate - the role Great Lakes-specific freighters, or "lakers," play in the spread of unwanted species once they get into the Great Lakes. To date, most attention has been paid to the oceangoing freighters, which account for only about 7% of the total cargo moved on the Great Lakes and Seaway system. Those overseas ships, which travel from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway, bring the outside species into the lakes. But, MacIsaac said, lakers likely play a part in dispersing invasive species once they get a foothold in the lakes. Literally stuck inside the Great Lakes because they are too big to transit the Seaway locks, lakers have been spared much of the controversy - and the potential expense - surrounding ballast treatment systems that might soon be ordered for overseas vessels. But now the focus that the federal government and the state of Michigan have recentlyput on controlling the regional spread of this latest virus could change that. Still, many people simply can't fathom what would essentially be a federal ban on shipping between the eastern and western Great Lakes; that traffic of iron ore and other raw materials is simply too big of a piece of the region's economy. "That would be a pretty radical step to take," said Bruce Baker, deputy administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' water division. "There certainly is a crisis. Whether the response needs to be this strong is something that needs to be talked about." Given the value of the Great Lakes fishing industry and the worries the disease could spread, it almost certainly will be. Ann Wilson, spokeswoman for the Michigan DNR, calls the emergency ballast ban "a big request." "Whether it passes remains to be seen," Wilson said. "But we're anxious to see what they're willing to do for us." Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has yet to adopt an opinion on the commission's request. "It's under review," spokeswoman Heidi Watson said. The governor's cautious tack is not surprising, because rather than just trying to contain a virus, her agency might have opened a can of worms - pitting in a public way the value of the shipping industry against the very waters it floats upon. "When we have no controls on these species and pathogens that are moving around the lakes and when one hits us, everybody points fingers. And everybody is to blame," said conservationist Nalbone. "There are no winners here." Information about viral hemorrhagic septicemia from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is available at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/vhsv.html

Feds Ignore Ballast Issue D'Arcy Egan, Cleveland Plain Dealer Federal officials trying to halt a deadly fish virus in the Great Lakes ignored both a request by Ohio fisheries experts to deal with ballast water and criticism from the Great Lakes states over an emergency order that could put bait dealers and fish farmers out of business. The order to ban the interstate shipment of live fish from Great Lakes states is one that state officials don't want, no one can enforce, and if businesses comply, will force many to shut down. "We're stuck with this order and can't do anything about it," said Ray Petering, fisheries supervisor of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. "How can you fight this by banning shipments of Lake Erie minnows from New York to Ohio, but not dealing with ballast water?" Petering said. "An ore boat sitting high in the water in Cleveland, will take on ballast water and head to Lake Superior. That is how this virus will spread." The shipping industry's battles to escape ballast water restrictions have been successful, despite the billions being spent to combat the invasive species ocean freighters have brought to the Great Lakes. Joining the parade of zebra mussels, round gobies and other invasive species now is viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a saltwater virus that has plagued European waters. Federal officials have moved to ban shipments of fish, harming small businesses in Ohio, but continue to bow down to the powerful shipping industry. A $100 million per year international shipping industry has put a billion-dollar sport fishing industry in peril and changed the ecology of the Great Lakes, and beyond, as invasive species spread to America's waterways. The emergency order from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently banned interstate shipments of 37 species of live fish from eight Great Lakes states, as well as Ontario and Quebec. It is designed to stop the spread of VHS, which reached the lower Great Lakes two years ago, most likely in the ballast of ocean freighters. VHS is blamed for killing sheepshead in Lake Erie, round gobies in Lake Ontario and muskies in Lake St. Clair. APHIS agreed this week to amend the order to allow shipments of fish which have been certified as disease-free, mostly trout and salmon. It also lifted a ban on fish being shipped to processors or research facilities. The ban on emerald shiner minnows, the most popular baitfish for Ohio sport anglers, will stand. Private fish producers reportedly told APHIS that without a workable plan, they would simply cheat and continue shipping fish. If they comply, they will be out of business.

Hunting Nuisance Birds Jim Birchard, Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation It could soon be open season of Cormorants all year long in Ontario. An Eastern Ontario Liberal MPP has introduced a bill at the legislature that would allow people to shoot the nuiscance birds at any time. Ernie Parsons says in his riding alone, Prince Edward Hastings, which includes the Bay of Quinte, the Cormorant population has balooned. He says 10 years ago there were about 300 breeding pairs but that has soared to more than 75 thousand birds today. Its estimated in the entire Great Lakes Basin there more than a 500 thousand Cormorants that consume more than 42 million pounds of fish each year. Parsons says these birds are causing a serious erosion of fish stocks and having a negative impact on water quality and the environment. He says some islands in Lake Ontario and in the Manitoulin area are burnt out shells because of the pollution caused by excessive bird droppings. Parsons says currently the bird are protected and his amendment to the Fish and Wildlife act would put the Cormorant in the same category as the common crow where they could be shot year round. His bill already has received first reading in the Legislature, and he is confident it will receive all party support so a serious effort can be made to bring the Cormorant population under control.

Fishing Industry Still Trawling For Survival Commercial operators worry whitefish will disappear. John Bronz, South Bend Tribune Michigan's commercial fishing industry began sinking in the Great Lakes long ago. Now the industry has one clear goal -- survival. Invasive species and viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) have commercial operators worried there will be no whitefish to catch. "The Canadian fishermen are able to catch and process whitefish much cheaper than we can because of the amount of inland lakes and government subsidies," said John Gauthier, owner of Gauthier-Spaulding Fish Co. in Rogers City and a director of the Michigan Fish Producers Association. "I still get the same price for a pound of whitefish as my father did in the 1950s." Ron Thill, owner of Marquette-based Thill Fisheries, said, "Canadians do dump fish in Michigan. It doesn't affect me as much as it does the bigger fisheries." The crown corporations, which are subsidized by the Canadian government, include Northern Native Fishing Corp., which helps create and sustain new fisheries in northern Canada, and Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp., which promotes Canadian fish in international markets.Other subsidy programs include pensions and health care for Canadian workers, and creating a new commercial fishing industry near Nova Scotia. In the United States, the Sea Grant program helps coastal communities, including those on the Great Lakes. The federally funded operations study rip currents on the Great Lakes, designate shipwreck zones and promote Michigan's commercial fishing industry. Among the invasive species of concern is the zebra mussel that eats the same small organisms that whitefish eat. Ron Kinnunen, director of the Michigan State University Extension program in Marquette, said the decline in whitefish size might be attributed to the decline in the food supply available to whitefish. Another problem is VHS -- which causes internal bleeding in fish's tissue -- entering into the Great Lakes. On Oct. 24, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, temporarily banned 37 fish species from entering the Great Lakes.The decline in the state's fishing industry appears to have begun about 40 years ago. In 1968, the Department of Natural Resources decided to promote sport and recreational fishing on the Great Lakes and limit commercial fishing by creating quotas on pounds of fish taken from the Great Lakes, said DNR fisheries biologist Tom Goniea. The number of commercial fishing operations peaked around 1,500 in the 1960s and sank to 60 in 2006. Only about 30 of them are active and have at least one boat registered with the DNR. Gauthier said, "During the '60s, we had a lot of construction workers that were weekend fisherman. But after the quotas, a lot of fishermen left because it wasn't profitable." A botulism scare in the late 1960s also called into question the safety measures used by the fishing industry. Botulism spores are found naturally in all fish, but the likelihood of spores increases if the fish aren't refrigerated soon enough. Kinnunen said the scare started when a buyer left smoked fish in his car, unrefrigerated, and botulism spores grew in the fish and made the consumer ill.Bans were imposed on commercial fishing for lake trout, salmon and other Michigan sport species during the 1970s. During the 1980s, the market for carp was eliminated because of contaminants in the fish. A 2000 court order, which designated tribal and state waters, lowered fish quotas and limited or banned gill nets. The DNR regulates the commercial fishing industry, and it has no plans for programs to help the commercial fisherman. "There are no funds for the industry," Goniea said. But, to help the industry, Sea Grant has operations in Tawas, Traverse City, Grand Haven and other shoreline cities.One Marquette Sea Grant program promotes whitefish on taste and quality, and is helping create a brand name and Web site for Michigan commercial fisheries. That quality assurance program will create guidelines that include processing fish within 24 hours of catch, vacuum-freezing fish with plastic sleeves and getting fillets to market within 24 hours. The goal is to promote quality and freshness of Great Lakes fish over ones imported. "I can guarantee that my whitefish makes it to my market in about a day," Thill said. The brand name will be introduced in 2007, and the goal is to have customers recognize the name and logo as Michigan whitefish. Kinnunen also is teaching operators to handle fish in ways that meet food safety laws.Currently, Great Lakes' commercial fishing boats can net only whitefish and chubs, except in Saginaw Bay, where fishing for perch, catfish, carp, sheepshead and quillback are permitted. "The minimum for perch size is 8 1/2 inches," said Goniea. "There are no limits for carp and sheepshead fishing." The last program the DNR conducted with Michigan's commercial industry was 2001. The three-year study measured the most successful depths to catch whitefish. Gauthier said, "The program helped me a lot. I know at what depths to set my nets in the spring, summer and fall. The whitefish moves with the water temperature."

Fishing: Virus Takes Shine Off Erie Shiners By Deborah Weisberg, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Although Emerald shiners are Lake Erie's blessing, the bountiful bait fish also could be its curse. In an effort to help stem the spread of a deadly virus in the Great Lakes, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission plans to quarantine live Lake Erie fish, including shiners, within the Erie watershed beginning in January with restrictions on commercial seiners. Agency biologist Chuck Murray also said the commission is moving its steelhead spawning program from Tionesta to its Fairview hatchery near Erie, and has halted the collection of northern pike brood stock from Presque Isle Bay. "We want to confine Erie fish to Erie," Murray said. "Shiners are the most worrisome, because of their sheer numbers." Murray said commercial seiners will be notified next month when they apply for 2007 permits that they cannot sell bait outside the Erie watershed, while the commission's board, at its January meeting, will consider restricting the movement of live fish by recreational anglers -- a prospect fraught with enforcement headaches. The commission actions come on the heels of a federal emergency order affecting how eight Great Lakes states and Canada sell and trade 37 species of live fish, from rainbow trout to smallmouth bass, considered at risk for viral hemorrhagic septisemia (VHS), a disease that causes fish to bleed to death. It is blamed for recent die-offs of yellow perch, pike, walleyes, suckers and other species in Erie and throughout the Great Lakes. "This new strain is unique, because the die-offs have been bigger and have affected 14 new species within the past year," said T. J. Myers of the U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VHS, which poses no threat to humans even when they eat diseased fish, first surfaced in the Pacific Northwest, where saltwater and anadramous species, such as salmon and herring, were affected. While it is assumed that ocean freighters brought the disease into the Great Lakes in ballast water, Myers said it also is possible that VHS was introduced through the natural migration of an infected fish. Although APHIS froze the interstate commerce of at-risk species in an emergency order Oct. 24, it loosened restrictions last week under pressure from groups such as the American Sportfishing Association. APHIS will allow fish farms and hatcheries to ship species certified as VHS-free during periodic routine health inspections. But wild-caught fish pose a problem, since some species such as muskies, aren't harvested enough for representative sampling, while shiners, a type of minnow, are netted so often and in such big numbers, inspections wouldn't be "meaningful," Myers said. Still, they are subject to APHIS restrictions, and that hamstrings those in the baitfish business. "I haven't been able to buy a shiner in weeks," said Dan Page of Page's Sporting Goods in Warren, near the Allegheny Reservoir. "This is the time of year when the demand for shiners is at its peak. I usually go through 10 gallons of shiners a week until ice fishing season comes on. Then it's 20 gallons. Before all is said and done, I'll lose thousands of dollars." Gary Heubel of Poor Richard's Bait and Tackle in Erie is one of 10 commercial anglers with a permit to seine for shiners, mostly to sell in his shops, although he sometimes augments his stock with bait from a Conneaut, Ohio, wholesaler. "I can't now, even though the guy's 10 miles down the road and getting shiners from the same lake," he said. "Isn't that ridiculous?" Heubel said anything short of outlawing baitfish sales isn't going to do much to keep VHS in check. "As a businessman, I'm crazy to say that, but it's the only way to solve the problem, period," he said. "I have no control over what people do with the minnows they buy from me once they leave my shop. I get a ton of people from West Virginia and other places because they love using shiners on the crappies back home. Everyone wants shiners." Murray agrees that enforcement of individual anglers would be extremely difficult, and said the commission will get more mileage out of a major public awareness campaign it plans to launch in coming months about VHS and other pathogens and exotic species. VHS typically shows up in spring, when fish are in close contact and stressed from winter and the rigors of the spawn. According to APHIS, the virus is passed through fish feces, urine, mucous, ovarian fluid and other matter. It has been found on the surface of newly hatched eggs, which can be disinfected in hatcheries, but not in the wild.

DEC Adopts Emergency Regulation To Help Prevent Spread Of VHS To Additional New York State Waters The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC) announced today the filing of an emergency regulation to help prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) virus to additional waters in the State. The regulation, which takes effect immediately, limits the release, possession, and taking of certain bait and other live fish species. VHS is a pathogen of fish and does not pose any threat to public health. VHS was first confirmed in New York waters in May 2006 in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, and has now also been confirmed in several fish species in Great Lakes basin waters in New York State and other states. Once a fish is infected with VHS, there is no known cure. Because of the fatal virus's ability to spread, and potential impact on fisheries, recreation, and the economy, the World Organization of Animal Health has categorized VHS as a transmissible disease with the potential for profound socio-economic consequences. VHS can be spread from water body to water body through a variety of means, not all of them known at this point. One known mechanism is through the movement of fish, including bait fish. DEC, in cooperation with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, is sampling waters across the State, including all waters used as sources of brood stock for DEC hatchery activities, to help determine how far the disease has spread in New York. A Federal Order was issued on October 24, 2006, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an effort to prevent the spread of VHS to other waters and to protect economically important sport fisheries and aquaculture. The Federal Order prohibits the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and the interstate movement of the same fish species from eight states bordering the Great Lakes. The Federal Order was amended on November 14, 2006 to allow interstate movement of fish species provided the fish have been tested and certified free of VHS based on testing procedures implemented on the state level. Information on the Federal Order can be found on the APHIS website at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/ . The Federal Order does not address the movement of fish within New York State. In-state movement of fish for use as bait or for stocking could spread VHS in New York and cause significant adverse impacts to the State's fish resources. Therefore, in order to protect New York's valuable fishery resources, DEC has adopted emergency regulations to: Prohibit the commercial collection of bait fish from waters of the State where VHS has been detected. The rule amends State regulations by removing certain waters impacted by VHS from the list of specially designated waters that allow bait fish to be taken for commercial purposes. A list of waters being removed is attached; Limit the personal possession and use of bait fish. The rule limits the number of bait fish that may be possessed to a total of 100, as well as restricts the use of bait fish for personal use to the specific water from which it was collected. This rule does not pertain to the possession of bait fish in the Marine District; and Require live fish destined for release into the waters of the State to be inspected by certified professionals and be certified to be free of VHS and other serious fish diseases. The rule prohibits the placement of live fish into the waters of the State (including possessing, importing and transporting live fish for purposes of placing them into the waters of the State) unless accompanied by a fish health inspection report issued within the previous 12 months. For all species of freshwater fish, a fish health inspection report shall certify that the fish are free of VHS, Furunculosis, Enteric Red Mouth, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, Spring Viremia of Carp Virus, and Heterosporis. For salmon and trout, the fish health reports must also certify that the fish are free of Whirling Disease, Bacterial Kidney Disease, and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN). The fish health reports must be issued by an independent, qualified inspector, as well as conform with specific testing methods and procedures. The emergency regulations became effective today - November 21, 2006. Text of the regulation is available at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/propregs/ on the DEC website. Hard copies of the rulemaking can also be requested from DEC by writing to: Shaun Keeler, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750; or by calling DEC at (518) 402-8920. While the emergency measure is in place, DEC will proceed with proposing these amendments as a permanent rulemaking. Publication in the State Register on December 6, 2006, will initiate a 45-day public comment period, concluding on January 22, 2006. During this time, the public may email comments by accessing http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/propregs/ on the DEC website. Comments can also be mailed to Shaun Keeler, NYS DEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750 . List of waters where commercial bait fish harvest is no longer allowed due to VHS: Cayuga County Fair Haven Bay (Little Sodus Bay) Lake Ontario Sterling Valley Creek (from road bridge on Route 104 to Lake Ontario) Chautauqua County Canadaway Creek (from mouth to Route 5) Cattaraugus Creek Jefferson County Beaver Meadow Creek Bedford Creek Chaumont River Cranberry Creek Crooked Creek Flat Rock Creek Fox Creek French Creek and tributaries, excepting lower three miles of French Creek Guffins Creek Horse Creek Lake Ontario Little Stony Creek and tributaries, all above the first road crossing (not including Six Town Pond) Mill Creek and tributaries, from first road crossing to Stowell Corners Mud Creek Mullet Creek and tributaries (Mullet Creek upstream from Route 12) Muskalonge Creek North Sand Creek (from the highway bridge in Woodville upstream to the Ellisburg-Adams town line) Otter Creek and tributaries Perch River St. Lawrence River Skinner Creek and tributaries (downstream from the Lum Road, also called McDonald Hill Road, located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of Mannsville) South Sandy Creek (from bridge at Ellisburg) Livingston County. Conesus Lake Monroe County Braddocks Bay Buck Pond Cranberry Pond Irondequoit Bay Lake Ontario Long Pond Round Pond Salmon Creek (north of Ridge Road) Niagara County Barge Canal (west of Lock E35 ) Lake Ontario Niagara River including the Little Rivers Tonawanda Creek/Erie Barge Canal (from Niagara River east to junction with Barge Canal near Pendleton) East Branch Twelve Mile Creek (from mouth to Route 18) Orleans County. Johnson Creek (from Kuckville to Lake Ontario) Lake Ontario Oak Orchard Creek (from Waterport to Lake Ontario) Oswego County Blind Creek and tributaries west of Route 11 Catfish Creek (north of the hamlet of New Haven) Eight Mile Creek (north of Route 104A) Lake Ontario Lindsey Creek to Jefferson county line first tributary of Lindsey Creek, lower one-half mile Little Sandy Creek west of Route 11 Nine Mile Creek north of Route 104A Oswego Canal Rice or Three Mile Creek north of Fruit Valley Salmon River from Pulaski to Lake Ontario Skinner Creek North Sandy Pond St. Lawrence County Big Sucker Creek, Towns of Lisbon, Waddington Black Creek, Town of Hammond Brandy Brook, Towns of Waddington and Madrid Chippewa Bay Chippewa Creek, Town of Hammond Lisbon Creek, Towns of Oswegatchie and Lisbon Little Sucker Brook, Town of Waddington Oswegatchie River (downstream of the dam in Ogdensburg) St. Lawrence River St. Regis River, from Helena to the St. Lawrence River, Town of Brasher Sucker Creek, Town of Oswegatchie Tibbits Creek, Town of Oswegatchie Wayne County Bear Creek Black Brook Blind Sodus Bay Blind Sodus Creek East Bay First Creek Lake Ontario Port Bay Salmon Creek Second Creek (below falls at Red Mill) Sodus Bay Swales Creek Wolcott Creek

Sponge, The Charter fleet has pulled anchor and are out of there. Almost everyone has relocated to the river -voyager or shumway. I pulled out of there (Newport)in early October because I did not like the answers (or lack of) that I was getting.

Mark, I spoke with John @ NK, They are a prototype that his dad did when developing the "wonderbread" spoon. They where never "sold" by distributors, only feild tested and given to people. Very limited quanities out there.

STINGER FREE FOR ME!!!!!LOL