schreckstoff

Some ice chunks coming down river and in harbor, water temp was 37-39 in harbor and just out front. Couple of NRC boats cruising around, guess the steam plant had a small leak or something.

Saw a random ice chunk or two and quite a few logs bobbing around but otherwise the harbor and ramp were ice free from what I could see. There were some pretty mudlines set up too from that rain. Brown time?

Is the King fishing in Sakakawea? I didn’t know that but makes sense given the Oahe fishery. I use pictures of those giant smelt-filled Oahe Kings to refute the Great Lakes folks who swear Kings will ONLY eat Alewife.

In case I don’t make the meeting or if you want to heckle the speaker, here are some potential questions you might ask Dr! Connerton: Why is “percent wild” a potentially unclear or perhaps incomplete statistic to report/discuss? Based on your current understanding, What are the 2 most influential factors (environmental or biological) that determine how many wild kings are produced in a year? (I really want to hear this answer) What is a mupped up flounder pounder? When can we get Caledonia back raising kings? if we stock more Coho is there a chance Shreckstoff will finally catch one? Remember to give him crap (and Congrats!) about finishing his Phd. 6 weeks till shakedown! -bw

Sent a PM

Lucky & TallTails, you are completely right, there was some experimental Cisco stocking by Tunison in I-bay and Sodus Bay. I think there is a report on that will be available soon. The bloater stocking is the focus though.

Tall tails, we are studying Cisco and Lake Whitefish but my teams are trying to understand how spawning habitat may limit those populations as opposed to their interactions with Alewife. Those 2 species have been in the lake forever, but the reintroduction you might be thinking of was with Bloater. Those are preyfish that live in the deeper LO habitats 100-300ft. Since the experimental reintroduction started, their numbers in the lake are very very low compared to Alewife and Smelt, most likely because they are getting eaten by all the trout and salmon (they are definitely a prey fish). we have a paper coming out about that and I can post it soon. In Lake Michigan Bloater populations appear to coexist with Alewife. Bloater and alewife can eat the same food at some times of the year but Alewife can tolerate much warmer water and eat different plankton LO history suggests that alewife do pretty well with or without Bloater. Alewife probably got into Lake O in the late 1860s when at the time Bloater were abundant. The few accounts i have read suggest by 1880 or 1890s , Alewife were numerically dominant species in the lake. Bloater declined fast from 1950 to 1960 & the last one was caught in 1983 in our trawls until the experimental reintroduction started. Gambler, good call, I should look at how not normal these current lake temps are based on history. Will report back on that one.

Yeah good point regarding flaring tempers, those letters can raise my bp sometimes too. I haven’t paid too much attention recently to the DCL (deep chlorophyll layer) but have to assume it’s still like u say, an important zone of productivity. As nutrients and subsequently algae continues to decline there is less biomass at every trophic level especially fish and the predator-prey interactions intensify . You might like this paper : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0380133021001635 takehome, as I saw it was, that based on diatom record, LO is more or less back to a pelagic algal community that mimics pre-European colonization . VP- I hoped I could coax an idea or 2 out of you. The length of summer idea makes total sense. while the lake is definitely getting warmer, the time period of stratification is also a lot more variable/longer, we wrote a paper hypothesizing that phenomenon would also help lamprey in Superior (or any Lake) get bigger.over time. . Goby are fascinating, your term prolific might even be an understatement. I agree Corms, YP. SMBs and others fish focus on them…but wouldn’t that keep their densities low and work against overpopulation effects? Lord knows those fish eating feathered “beauties” don’t seem to be any less abundant these days. The upwelling is an idea we tossed around as well and makes sense, bunch of Goby forced into high density deep zones in late winter/spring, stress them out cause they ate all the mussels in the sizes they can crush, then temp changes push them over some tipping point. Speaking of Something Spectacular, One of the now retired scientists used to suggest crazy high sturgeon stocking to control Goby…I increasingly think that idea has legs, hell maybe we can someday even open a fishery for them! My sturgeon studying colleagues might faint if they read this but I lik restoration cause we can, fish for and eat those species again. Merry Christmas to you, the family and everyone. I might be taking you up on that offer if we don’t get some snow and cold weather. Managing one’s property with lots of late season food seems like a dumb idea when it’s this warm. -bw

It’s gonna be a long, painful winter for me if the only LOU discussion is who’s on what committee and who knew about what meeting. Heck I’ll even buy everyone on this thread a beer if we just agree to post about fishery mtgs (Niagara Show!), and get back to fun topics like: -what kind of alewife yearclass did 2021 produce and why do you think that? - why do we see bigger Goby die offs some years and how we might stop wasting that fish flesh? - Yankee saw fleas (Byth) extra late In the fall, when that happened in the past Ale growth skyrocketed, it would be cool if the 2020YC got big in a hurry. - or what causes annual differences in Niagara River Smelt production? - or KDs interesting point about Iron. Creek, (which makes sense to me). I get the potential estuarine predator hypothesis but what evidence supports that? science in the pacific north west provides strategies for minimizing that mortality source. - anyone want to discuss LO dreissinid mussels dynamics? there have been some good papers come out recently on that topic, PM me if interested - or the idea that is constantly swirling through my head, doesn’t it seem useful for motivated anglers to pull a few seines each May to help figure out which tribs produce the most wild salmonids each year? I’m ready for Spring! all I’m seeing are tiny deer, Legacy send something bigger my way. I thought I was going to have to say “Howard Tanner” three times to get Pierlioni to appear in the conversation, hope all is well in the West Cap! Something Spectacular, bw, Schreckstoff

As noted above, The talks we’re prerecorded and are all available to watch here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/fs/programs/press/LakeOntarioFisheries/ I do not think the question/answer session was recorded.

Ya

Ok cool, traps aren’t baited, just meant to catch eggs as they settle to the bottom. Cisco are in and seem ready to spawn any day now.

Yankee, as usual, our thinking aligns. You should bring up the idea of using wind to predict variability in catchrates (daily, weekly, annual timescales) with the bios that work on that. The buoy data is awesome. I wish they could go in earlier and come out later every year. GillT, your observation of bait on the bottom late in spring: Temperature & wind make the most sense as a driver but also wondering what effect there might have been given over 90% were young, age-1 Alewife.

Wanted to make anglers and duck hunters aware of research buoys in the bays (Chaumont, Sodus) and parts of Lake Ontario (southwest of Point Peninsula). Buoys mark egg trap locations that are being used to determine how habitat (depth, bottom type) influences Lake Whitefish and Cisco egg deposition and egg survival. There are remarkably few actual observations for what habitats these species actually spawn on, and even less on whether changes to the lake bottom have contributed to their population declines. Traps will be pulled just before ice up (mid - December). If possible, please avoid fishing in the area immediately around those buoys, as there are lines and traps on the lake bottom that can be snagged. I've tried my best to pick locations away from known fall hotspots but don't hesitate to PM (or text) me if the buoys are causing you issues. Also feel free to PM or email if you have questions or interest in this research. Thank you, Brian Weidel

Now mount Motor did well on Superior. 36v, 120lb thrust, 84” shaft held our 26’ aluminum cabin work boat rock solid on the spot in sustained 10-15mph winds, bigger gusts, and those crazy big leftover rollers that were always out there.

Good question, sorry for the lack of context. Traps are simple fish sampling gear, basically metal or plastic rings rings with mesh socks. they sit on the lake bottom and help us figure out in which habitats Lake whitefish and Cisco spawn. Trying to figure out what is keeping those populations down, our best current hypothesis is egg incubation habitat. Got the motor today and it is Awesome! Burly is a better description. Every part on a trolling motor that I have ever seen break (or broke myself) is reinforced on this thing.

I think I can get them fixed Garyw but thanks. Excellent info, Thanks Cap!

Anyone have prop repair place they recommend (stainless)? I’m in Oswego but would drive wherever. Left a message for Prop Healer in Oswego but wondering if there are others out there.

Thank you for the input all! We have an 84” Rhodan on its way from Rigged and Ready in NC. It’s main use will be to hold us in place while setting egg traps this November.

27’, aluminum cab that kind of sail like. Would one of those 72-80” , 36v trolling motors with spot lock / gps anchor hold a boat in a 10 knot wind? Hold for maybe a minute?