1. MI: Massive man-made reefs being built in Lake Michigan.> "...a crane methodically is placing slabs of native limestone, glacial boulders and cobbles, and large woody debris such as tree trunks and root wads on the lake bottom as a man-made assist for fish and wildlife.
> "The structures are being built in 2 clusters north and south of Cliff Road in about 10-13'. When finished, the man-made reef will be about 4-7' beneath the surface.... [engineers and biologists created the design]
> "The contractor is following GPS coordinates and examining the progress with sonar to create domes and linear structures containing nooks, crannies and other spaces that mimic natural reefs found on the coastline."
I can think of about 125 NWT pros that would like to get their hands on those GPS coordinates...no doubt they'll go out and get 'em themselves!
Remember the
$1 mil man-made reef plopped in Saginaw Bay that we mentioned last summer? Wonder if folks have been fishing it (and catching) yet?
> "Nearly 23K tons of rocks are being used to create the offshore reef in waters northeast of Bay City. The $1 million project aims to revitalize walleye and other fish populations in Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay.
> "When it's finished, the reef will cover about 3 acres...be about 5' tall in waters that are 18-21'...and provide a rocky habitat to promote fish reproduction.
> "When walleye only spawn in rivers, a whole generation can be wiped out by river flooding or other environmental factors.
> "Historically, Saginaw Bay had both reef spawners and river spawners. Today, we principally just have the river spawners left. What we're trying to do is diversify the sources of reproduction and, in doing so, that generates more resiliency in the population."
Man, what I wouldn't give to have just a dozen of those rocks dropped on a juicy spot in one of our local lakes! #SpotOnTheSpot
2. MN: AIM state championship's on Lake of the Woods.Today and tomorrow. I'm almost scared to see what the winning weight will be...scared in a reeeeally good but slightly fish-jealous way.
AIM's been posting updates on their FB page, and there's some absolute GIANTS rolling in. Here's 4 for 120"+ just from this morning:
No doubt
Lake of the Woods is a special place!
3. CO's losing a mini walleye factory.Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir. Water levels are plummeting from severe drought conditions. They expect the entire fishery to be a loss:
> "CPW issued an emergency public fish salvage: Fishing will only be permitted during daylight hours, with size, bag, and possession limits suspended until the emergency public salvage is terminated."
4. MN: Cass Lake MWC happenin' Sep 18-19 (PDF).5. MO: Another person bit by a muskie.Believe it's the first time ever documented in MO, but the second similar story in the last month-ish.
Happened to Zach Reynolds While kayak bass fishing on Pomme de Terre:
> "It was so hot, it was burning the tops of my feet so I had them in the water as I was reeling in that bass. I was still reeling when something hit the top of my left foot. I pulled my foot up and there was blood all over it."
> "I knew it was a muskie...if I had to guess, I'd say it was maybe 20-30".
> "People spend hours and hours trying to catch one of these, and here he got bit by one. I guess we found a new bait!"
6. Mystery Tackle Box crushed it during Covid.> ...ecommerce sales in Mar were up 115% year over year, and its Apr sales were up nearly 200%.
7. VA: Couple of proposed reg changes.You locals have until Oct 11 to weigh in on 'em:
> Claytor Lake: change to 2/day limit, no harvest between 19-28", year round.
> New River upstream of Buck Dam: change to statewide walleye regs.
8. Hatch-matcher of the day...
We always hear people talking about it, but here's the photo definition of the phrase "match the hatch" thanks to Jason Mitchell's
Salmo Rattlin' Sting:
Somehow looks more real than the real thing....
