2009 Saginaw Bay Fishing update

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="711785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="6fa3c510.png" border=0 width="60" height="81" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFF66" FACE="Britannic Bold" ><B>2009 Saginaw Bay FIshing Outlook</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>  |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thumb Net Home Page"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fishing and Hunting"><U>Return to  Fishing and Hunting</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="712d2b03.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="66aa7fb0.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="251" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="66ca6e90.jpg" border=0 width="166" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> 2009 Saginaw Bay Fishing Update</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="66d5b410.gif" border=0 width="91" height="65" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>2009 Fishing Update For Saginaw Bay</B></div> <div> “Fish for walleye”, that's the recommendation this year from Lead Research Biologist Jim Johnson of the Alpena D.N.R. Fish Station.  Johnson says the bottom line is that the Thumb Area walleye fishery is the best one we have to offer in Michigan. He noted the catch rates for walleye in Saginaw Bay are even better than they are in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie.  He says it's the best place to go in Michigan for walleye.  Johnson said walleye fishermen will find fish of all sizes, at times there may be a lot of undersize fish, but quickly added that the undersize fish are a good sign for a sustainable fishery, without the small ones there would not be good numbers of walleye in future years.  The 12 to 15 inch walleye out there this year will translate into another good year of fishing next year.  He felt the walleye fishery is going to hold on for another few years. Biologists have been shaking their heads, thinking this can't go on forever, as walleye are usually cyclical with high and low spots.  Right now however he says we are in a high cycle and it seems to be staying there.  The large numbers of walleye do take their toll on some of the other fish, in Saginaw Bay, perch in particular.  He said there's a lot going on in the Bay; the whole food web change has led to this.  The collapse of the alewives caused walleye to be able to spawn very well.   Alewives eat young walleye, so the survival rate of walleye shot up.  Plus walleye are predators of young perch.  He felt this will likely swing in the future, with perch numbers coming up and walleye going down, but for now it's time for walleye.  Johnson said the further you go out of the bay, the average size of the fish should go up.   He said what some people don't know is there is a “darn good” walleye fishery off of Grindstone and Port Austin, with average sizes of two to three pounds.  There's a great mix of small mouth bass in that area too, Johnson says there is about as many small mouth bass in that area, as there are walleye in the Grindstone area.  Early in the spring the small mouth bass are close to shore, but by July and August they are out in 30 to 40 feet of water.</div> <div>       Johnson says this year salmon numbers will remain low, with most of the salmon they are finding are naturally reproducing in the lake, rather than those that are planted.  He said it's because salmon spend their first summer in water less than 70 feet deep and that's where those high number of walleyes are found feeding on them.  Their index netting found high numbers of walleye from Alpena to Port Sanilac last summer.  There are also areas with high Cormorant predation, taking another hit on the young salmon.  But with the walleye numbers up, even in the main basin of the lake it finds anglers and even charter boat captains going for them instead of salmon.  Johnson noted however the clear water causes problems for fishermen.  Daytime fishing in that clear water can be challenging.  He said some of the best results are when its dark, with fishermen launching at dusk and fishing until midnight, or going out about 4am and fishing until first light.</div> <div>        As for lake trout Johnson said they may be a little harder to catch, as they keep moving out in to deeper and deeper water.  Early in the season, there will a fair number close to shore with good catch rates, but by July most of the lake trout will be in waters over 100 feet deep.   He said there is a large population of “bloater chubs” in deeper water and the fish are beginning to figure that out.  He said as the water gets warmer the gobie population will be in close to shore, they like the warmer water, so the lake trout will have to switch from gobies in the spring to the chubs in the deeper water later in the summer.  In the latter summer months fishermen will have to make the change to deeper water.</div> <div>      Perch numbers are low off the Thumb.  He said it looked like there was developing perch fishery near Port Sanilac, where they still have some nice fish averaging about a pound a piece, but they are not easy to catch.  Johnson said fisheries officials had discovered most the perch they found were eating crayfish, so anglers using minnows may be at a disadvantage and may need to change their baits.  He said that perch numbers apparently are declining there too, as there are not enough young perch reaching maturity to replace them.</div> <div>      Johnson says Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia or V.H.S. is widespread in Lake Huron, but added it seems the fish have started to develop some resistance to it. He said fisheries officials haven't seen major outbreaks in recent years, even though they know it is prevalent in the lake.  He said only time will tell, as these diseases can mutate.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="66e766c0.gif" border=0 width="118" height="108" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tell Us About Your Business"><U><B><IMG SRC="127eb430.jpg" border=0 width="491" height="67" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>