Dec 5th Fish Report

[Scott Kitchen]

Jo Jo and I spent most of the day (from about 7 AM till around 3 PM) in the cold west north west wind on the Ontario side of the upper.  The water looked nice, about 5 to 7 feet of visibility and a warm emerald green, but the fish did not want to play.  There where white caps in the triangle for most of the day and we did not see another boat at all.  Still nice to fish with Jo Jo for the first time (he brings cookies and sandwiches, yea me!).

[Carrie Keane]

I think first and foremost we all have to remember that as members of the NMA (a CONSERVATION club) we are supposed to be protecting our fishery.  I completely agree that more needs to be done to educate non-musky anglers on recognizing and properly releasing muskies HOWEVER, I think that there are many musky anglers, quite possibly even in our club that could be further educated as well.  I honestly don’t care whether they extend the season on inland lakes or not, firstly I don’t fish there and secondly, those lakes are already stocked and have been for some time.  The Niagara River is a naturally reproducing fishery, and I doubt anyone wants that to change because we really do have something special here.  As far as the fishery rebounding, yes it appears to finally be doing so, but of the people with 7-8 fish days this season, how many of those fish were over 45”? or even 40”?  According to the release data as of 11/26/12, 17% of fish caught were under 29” and 63% were 30-39”, which is great because IF they survive, in a few years we could have a lot of 50’s swimming around (18% were 40-44”, 1.1% 45-49” and .5% 50”+).  Now, for the added pressure to the West River in December… the West River receives the most pressure throughout the season, yet most people don’t switch to the East River or the Harbor to vary their pressure, why would it make a difference those 15 days when most people don’t bother in the beginning of the season?  Furthermore, while muskies are more easily stressed in warm water, the cold water inhibits their ability to heal, so any accidental scrape, cut, bruising, and even slime removal will increase the chances of post-release mortality more than in warm water.  Just because the fish swims away doesn’t mean it survives.  Also if anyone feels that it is too dangerous to fish in the winds in the West River or that there is too much pressure on the fish, there is an easy solution… stay home, nobody is forcing you to go fishing.  While it is fun to catch lots of fish, and big fish, the most important thing is not to up your numbers, but rather to make sure that the fish are there for years to come.  The mentality that every fish in the system needs to be caught is part of what put the fishery on a downslide to begin with, it is our responsibility to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

[John Pensyl]

Lots of factors put this fishery into a downslide. Zebra mussels turning the water gin clear, vhs, loss of spawning habitat, etc. Introduction of invasives and mass kills due to viral outbreaks are the biggest threats to our fishery.

It's not about numbers of fish caught to me, its about quality time spent in the outdoors and right now the most fun I have is enjoying time on the Niagara chasing muskies. I'm going to spend 100+ solid days a year outside. Years ago it was after salmon and steel, then pursuing ducks, now its chasing muskies. If I end my weekend with 15+ hrs on the water it was a success, not measured in numbers of fish. When I don't catch fish, I get silly, not angry. On years with a normal wy winter this will all be a non issue, most boats will be put away and nobody will want to deal with frozen braid, but when we get that year with no snow there is no reasonable reason to restrict fishing to the west river. It does the fishery no more harm than catching them any other time of year apart fr

[John Pensyl]

From the spawn.

[Frank Stachowiak]

Well said, Carrie.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

I'm all for protecting our muskie fishery here on the Niagara River and our Inland Lakes.I also see protecting the fishery early durring spawning as most important.So why not open the season on the Niagara River /Lake Erie on 1st Saturday in July and Close on Dec 15th.There would be more muskies protected with a later start then by not allowing the 15 days in December.Inland waters can not be compared to the Niagara River system that is natural reproduction,there is very little natural reproduction on the Inland waters,most rely on total stocking efforts.The position by the NY DEC is to open Inland waters on the 4th Saturday in May,adding 21 days of fishing,the spawn and egg collections are all done by then as well.JoJo NY does not stock muskies in the Allegany River below the Dam or in Kinzua Res.They stock Olean Creek & Allegany River by Olean,NY with about 2000 fingerlings.The whole Great Lakes system has changed,the water has gotten warmer every year and most of the late fall fishing colder water temps are now when the season is closed.I believe it is time to shift the start later and finish later by 15 to 21 days!

[Frank Stachowiak]

Thanks Larry  - great food for thought.

[John Pensyl]

Just seems funny to me that catch and release musky angling has went from the savior of this fishery to its number one enemy in people's minds. Guess that would make my little tracker public enemy number one. Is the fishery better off with me dragging tubes down the Canadian shore having multiple fish days or dragging plows out in the harbor hoping for a miricle?

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

I no longer guide the Buffalo Harbor until late October,I actually fished the Niagara river 3 times this past summer,on Chautauqua Lake I close down from July 16th till Sept 7th because of high water temps.I also do not guide from Dec 1st to 15th! I have joined the board of directors of the NMA because I want to see spawning habitat improvements in more places in both the Harbor and Niagara River.We need to get a move on these issues while there still is Power Project Funds available!I will also continue the efforts of raising bigger muskie fingerlings to be stocked in NY inland waters,working closely with the NY M.I. Chapter 69 as Chapter Rep..I'm now being appointed to the Erie County Fish Advisory Board where I can bring to the floor both the NMA & NY M.I. Chapter 69's Muskie Issues!

[33sjfo56qd2lf]

Everyone is talking about giving the fish a rest, which is the reason for the seasons. We all understand that concept. I have my view about seasons and I already posted those. People keep rehashing this same concept, but guys… we are not giving the fishery a rest when we pound the same spots from the start of the season to the end and promote doing so by having contests like the “Top Ten”.

Fish are being caught in June and July that are sometimes still in spawning mode. As NMA members of a "Conservation Club" we should be trying to prevent targeting fish in spawning mode in known areas of congregation. UN1 and UN2 are known areas of mass congregation, where 95% of fish reported, are coming from.

For those of you concerned about conservation, I think we should make parts of the river fish sanctuaries from March 1st through July 15th, like the front of Strawberry, French Creek and Thompsons Hole (This would protect them during spawning season in the event of a late spawn.)

We all know that we pound the fish in UN1 and UN2 every year guys, and why? Because fish are being reported in UN1 & UN2. Then, people pound those spots to try and make “Top Ten”.

I have a very cool idea……

Since we know we are not going suggest sanctuaries to the DEC, How about we make our own “NMA fish sanctuary areas” where you can still fish for musky in those areas, but fish caught in the sanctuary zones won't count towards top ten fish if caught between opening day and September 15th or maybe even all year, just to give those fish a rest. Like I said, you could still fish those areas, but I think we should reward people that give those areas a rest and still catch fish from new areas of the river, because that would be “Conservation”. I know I am repeating myself saying this, but this would make members want to actually try and find new spots in the river rather than targeting the same fish that get pounded year in and year out, especially during late spawn times. Those are the fish that need a rest, not the rest of the river. I’m not saying we need to do this indefinitely, but we could try it one year, and see how much action comes from areas that are NOT pounded 6 months out of the year. I Know I would love to fish the rest of the river and find new spots, as would others. Since 95% of reported fish show UN1 & UN2, people who see these reports think they need to pound those spots in order to get into the “Top Ten”, which promotes pounding “known areas of congregation”, which, I’m sorry guys, but is not “conservation”. Again, this is just my opinion, but I think something like sanctuaries would help more than seasons would. We could suggest to add or remove sanctuaries from year to year.

[jojo wilczewski]

Good Day

Larry you are right that the Allegany only gets about 2000 stocked. I confused my stats with Chautauqua which gets so many.

ALA BALA BALA jojoout 

 

[John Pensyl]

How about a system that promotes catching fish in all parts of the river?? A "river master award" for example. Make it a yearly achievement to catch a fish in each of the zones of the Niagara. For those who don't get out as much make it a lifetime achievement. Be a great way to spread guys out and explore the health of the musky population in the rest of the river. This is my 2nd season on the Niagara, first year fishing Canadian waters actually. Last year I covered water from grass island to the black rock canal. This year I had fun learning the head of west side and how it changes throughout the season both day and night. Fun learning new areas and its easier to do when fish are feeding and the river is weed free in late fall.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

I like the River Master Award idea,combination of muskies caught from each Unit Area through out the Buffalo Harbor,Lake Erie,East & West Rivers and Lower Niagara.That would be a real accomplishment just fishing all that water.