<b>Bass</b> dying as Wide Bay Water dithers over fishway design

Tags:  burrum river, council, fish ladder, fishway, no 1 dam, wide bay water

Bass are dying in the Burrum River's tidal saltwater near the dam at Howard because the fish are unable to get back into the freshwater, via the existing fish ladder, after spawning. Tracey Joynson

FISH are still dying in the Burrum River while Wide Bay Water Corporation dithers over a design for a fishway on the No 1 dam at Howard.

Eight years after Lenthall Dam was raised, on the condition that a new fishway be built, a detailled design has still not been produced.

The upcoming change in the water body's corporate structure has also put a hitch in proceedings. 

WBWC acting chief executive officer Garry Storch said they did not want to "take a decision without talking to the council about what they would like to do with it".

"We'll be taking it up with them in the next week or two as to how they'd like to proceed," he said.

Mr Storch said they had not been satisfied that the designs they had looked at were going to work appropriately.

"We've got to make sure it's not a white elephant," he said.

"We've got to judge it against cost.

"From a purely environmental (and) fishing point of view, we should be doing it."

Environmentalists and anglers have been fighting to have a new fishway built to replace the existing fish ladder at the No 1 dam on the Burrum River at Howard. Tracey Joynson

Mr Storch said it was difficult to judge the success of a fishway and they had looked at designs but had not come to any conclusions.

But environmentalist Graham Berry, who has been involved in the fishway discussions all the way along, said a WBWC manager told the council's environmental advisory committee  in February that the Burrum fish ladder was at the detailed design stage and tenders would be called in May or June for construction to be completed in 2013. 

He said even though installing a new fishway was a condition of raising Lenthall Dam in 2004, no timeframe was attached.

Meanwhile, throughout September and October, observers noted a steady stream of bass dying in the river's tidal saltwater near the No 1 dam because the fish were unable to get back into the freshwater via the existing fish ladder after spawning.

Way back in 2008, the Greater Mary Association criticised the water body was for its "tardiness" in building the fishway.

At the time, water CEO Tim Waldron said it would be easy to build a large concrete structure in the middle of the river that didn't work.

"We do not want to build something that is not going to work," he said.

"We are looking for the right long-term answer."

In September, 2010, WBWC acting CEO Peter Care said $3.2 million had been set aside to build the new fishway to ensure it was completed before the end of the 2012-13 financial year.

Mr Care said the fishway benefits included improving, or allowing, adult fish - particularly Australian bass and barramundi that lived in the freshwater reaches of the Burrum system but moved into the saltwater to breed - access to and from spawning habitats, the dispersal of juvenile fish such as barramundi and mullet to new habitats, access to feeding habitats, the recolonisation of habitats and access to and from refuge areas during droughts or floods.

"We are committed to improving the health of our waterways and our environment department is working closely with stakeholders to ensure a beneficial outcome for fish stocks and habitats," he said at the time. 

Mr Berry said he was a little frustrated by the delay in installing a new fishway but was confident it would be built, "it's just a matter of when".

If you've had the opportunity to travel recently, don’t overdo it it could be catching up with you.  Retreat a little and...

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Fall <b>fishing</b> patterns evident with rising water and cooler temperatures

September 20, 2012|Gary Blockus

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership is taking applications for the 2013 Coldwater Conservation Grants Program, which is offering planning grants and implementation grants to help protect and conserve the health of Pennsylvania's coldwater ecosystems.

Applications can be found at http://www.coldwaterheritage.org/ and will be accepted through December 14, 2012. The Coldwater Heritage Partnership urges watershed groups, conservation districts, municipalities and local chapters of Trout Unlimited to apply. The partnership is a cooperative effort of Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

Also, don't forget to find out about the delays in refilling Leaser Lake. The Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation will holdi a public meeting 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Lynn Township Municipal Building on Route 143 to update the public on the dam repair, fish habitat, trail development, the handicap accessible fishing area and the wood duck box program. For more information go to http://www.leaserlakeheritage.org/

FRESHWATER REPORT

Wallenpaupack Sports Shop, Hawley (570-226-4797): Mark says anglers have been very successful catching stripers while drifting herring at Calico Point, Ironwood and Shuman Point. Walleye activity has turned on, and they seem to be going after nightcrawlers on worm harnesses while trolling. Smallmouth bass are going after crank baits and Kai-tech lures. There are a lot of big pickerel and pike taking live baits. With the air and water temperatures cooling, fishing has been excellent.

Pecks Pond Boat Rentals, Tackle & Bait, Dingmans Ferry, (570-775-7237): peckspondrentals@yahoo.com; http://www.peckspond.com: Charlie says bass and pickerel are becoming more active with the cooler weather. Soft plastic jerk baits, Zara spooks and other surface lures, and just-under-the-surface lures are working well. Try working 10-inch black plastic worms on the tops of the lily pads, work them across the tops and let them fall into the holes. This might be the last time this year the plastic frogs will work. The holes in the sub-surface weeds are producing excellent catches of perch. As a reminder, the shop is open weekends and by reservation. The shop is no longer accepting Minn kota motors for repair this season. It will resume repair service in the spring of 2013.

Mauch Chunk Lake Boat Rental and Bait Shop, 625 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe, (570-325-0100): Jeremy says that the fishing has been great again. Minnows and worms seem to be the best bet for catching fish at the lake. The fishing pier is active with pickerel and bass. Bluegills and crappies are active from the fishing pier to the beach area and are after the meal worms. Catfish are active now more through the day and are after chicken livers. Also, walleye are becoming more active with the cooler water and he's getting reports of them being caught on the left side of the beach by the camping area.

Willie's Bait & Tackle, Cementon (610-261-2767): Willie says the Canadian lake he spent time at least week was tough fishing, but he caught some good largemouth and smallmouth bass. He had a big 19-inch smallmouth, and Roger had a nice 19-inch largemouth, so it was a good trip for them. The Lehigh River isn't fishable after getting 8 inches of rain in Albrighstville and 5 inches in Lehighton. Mauch Chunk Lake has been fishing well. The Monocacy Creek was still doing well. The Salmon River in New York has been turning on.

Bob's Wildlife Taxidermy, 4642 Kernsville Road, Orefield (610-398-7609): Bob says the shop has been very quiet for bait, so he's not hearing many fishing reports. He's probably knocking off the bait business for the year as most of his customer base is shifting to hunting season. They're coming in with trail camera pictures and getting excited for some nice bucks. He's getting in his first order of deer urine next week.

Archery @ the Glenn, Allentown, (610-791-7665): Brian says area fishing has been great. Customers are reporting good catches from local lakes and streams. Live bait seems to be the ticket by simply matching the size minnow or worm to the targeted species of fish. Leeches will catch anything, but don't quit if you run out of live bait. Twister tails on jig heads and stick baits are sure to entice more bites. The fish are active, so get out with some friends or children and have some fun.

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After early ice-out, Minn. water temperatures near seasonal norms for Saturday <b>...</b>

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Anglers can talk about the early spring, ideal water temperatures and whether the fish have recovered from spawning, but the opening day of walleye season in Minnesota always comes down to getting out there and learning firsthand what the fish are doing.

That's Duane Peterson's approach, at least. And as a recent inductee into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame along with his brother, John, the co-founder of Bemidji's Northland Fishing Tackle Co. knows what he's talking about when it comes to walleyes and opening day.

The 2012 version of Minnesota's grand outdoors tradition gets under way Saturday.

"One thing about this fishing game is we can predict this and that and speculate what's going to happen," Peterson said. "I'm going to play it like I do every other opening day of walleye season. I will go to the best areas I know as a result of past experience and tradition, sample what's happening and adjust accordingly based on what my first few hours tell us.

"That's the beauty of opening day — we find out when we get there, and we adjust accordingly."

Pick a lake or river in Minnesota, and this year probably set a record for early ice-out. That had fishing prognosticators thinking walleye opener 2012 would be more like early June, which often serves up some of the easiest, if not the best fishing of the year.

Lawmakers in the Minnesota Legislature even went so far as to propose moving the season up a week. The measure died, and Mother Nature intervened with a mostly cool April that now has water temperatures closer to seasonal norms. Come opening day, anglers likely can expect water temperatures in the mid-50-degree range.

"I think it's going to be a pretty darn normal opener," said Henry Drewes, regional fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Bemidji. "It's not going to be like June 1 fishing, which some people were thinking. It will be more like mid-May, which is pretty good."

Drewes said walleyes, which typically spawn in 46- to 50-degree water, should have finished spawning most everywhere across the state this week. That means many walleyes likely will have recovered and backed out of the rivers where they spawn and returned to lakes where they spend most of the year.

"There's a nice size distribution on Red," Drewes said. "The abundance is high, there's lots of fish under 17 inches and lots from 17 to 22 inches. So, if fishermen are willing to spread out from the mouth of the (Tamarack) river, they should have no trouble catching legal fish and some fun-size larger fish."

As a result, Drewes said, the DNR didn't implement springtime closures on rivers such as the Tamarack, which flows into Upper Red Lake, and the Mississippi River.

"That doesn't mean rivers won't be good, but they won't have the excessive harvest that would necessitate closures," Drewes said. "We're going to avert those situations, which is good news."

Drewes said he expects large northern Minnesota lakes such as Lake of the Woods, Upper Red, Leech and Winnibigoshish all to be good bets for opening day. A recent spring survey on the Tamarack River produced numbers of 16- to 22-inch walleyes, Drewes said, along with occasional larger fish.

"There's a nice size distribution on Red," Drewes said. "The abundance is high, there's lots of fish under 17 inches and lots from 17 to 22 inches. So, if fishermen are willing to spread out from the mouth of the (Tamarack) river, they should have no trouble catching legal fish and some fun-size larger fish."

Opening day regulations on Upper Red require anglers to release all walleyes from 17 inches to 26 inches, and there's a four-fish limit. The DNR eases the size restrictions in mid-June.

Drewes said smaller lakes across northwest Minnesota also will be good options opening day. Lakes with particularly high walleye abundance, he said, include Lake Bemidji and all of the downstream lakes in the Mississippi River chain along with Otter Tail Lake closer to Fergus Falls, Minn.

"Otter Tail is just off the charts right now," Drewes said of its walleye abundance.

While current areas near river mouths might not be the walleye magnets they are some openers, they'll still be worth a try opening day. According to longtime fishing guide Brian Brosdahl of Max, Minn., anglers should explore other places if areas with current don't produce walleyes.

"Don't overlook shoreline-connected points that have shallows, rocks and weed growth," Brosdahl said. "That new generation of weeds is going to be hiding baitfish, and the walleyes are going to be in there."

He said many anglers make the mistake of fishing too deep on opening day. This spring, though, the fluctuation in both air and water temperatures likely means there's no wrong depth, he said.

"I think it's going to be a great opener," Brosdahl said. "I think we're going to find aggressive fish and not-aggressive fish. Go explore, don't just fish the classic spots. You're going to have a lot of fish all to yourself."

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AGFC releasing water from Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir as heavy rains hit central Arkansas

CONWAY – Due to the heavy rains pounding central Arkansas, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has been dropping Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir’s water level for the past few days. The threat for flooding is very high and the predicted rain totals have continued to increase. Central Arkansas is predicted to receive as much as 10 inches of rain by Thursday.
Lake and downstream property owners should take precautions. The lake is not a flood control reservoir and the drawdown will provide only minimal storage. It will not mitigate the need to remove water from flash flooding that may occur in the watershed.
“The amount and intensity of rain we receive in a short period of time can cause much more water to be flowing into the lake than could flow out,” said Matt Horton, lake manager with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
AGFC Chief of Fisheries Mark Oliver has announced that all 15 of the lake’s spillway gates are open to evacuate water in anticipation of this flood event. “All 15 spillway gates are open. This is an unpredictable weather system and the speed that it travels will have a lot of influence over rainfall totals. If the worst happens, we’ll distribute sand and sand bags to Paradise Landing, Palarm, Caney Creek and Lawrence Landing access areas for lakeside landowners to use for protecting low-lying structures,” Oliver said.
Horton said another reason for opening the gates early is the majority of the heaviest predicted rain is to fall right on the Arkansas River valley, from western Oklahoma to central Arkansas. “Given the intensity and duration of this rain event, it is possible that the Arkansas River could reach the flood stage or at least rise significantly. This would cause water to back up in Palarm Creek and drastically slow the discharge of flood water from Lake Conway,” Horton explained.
The AGFC will be monitoring the rain event around the clock. Once the rain event is over, the AGFC will shut all 15 gates to allow water levels to reach the normal pool elevation of 263 feet above sea level.

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