Ok, my Long Lake (Traverse City) week's work

[Steve]

Well not the best of years at Long Lake (near Traverse City). The first couple of days we were fishing in too deep. It seems the cool May has kept the fish in waters more shallow than we found them in years past. My son comes through on one of the first couple of days with this 18 inch walleye.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/logs/long_lake_pic/tyler_w_walleye_62402.jpg

I had the white stripe on for most of the week while my dad an my son had all the fun. I did net the most fish during the week :)

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/logs/long_lake_pic/tyler_and_dad_w_fish.jpg

Later, I finally get into the act with my first walleye as we find the sweet spot in 10-15' of water at a new (really an old) spot.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/logs/long_lake_pic/walleye_and_perch_62502.jpg

Finally on the last night I pick up a few more. The larger one was caught on the end of the last pass of the last night fishing,.... kind of a sign that it was time to call it a week.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/logs/long_lake_pic/my_walleye_62802.jpg

Of grave concern is that we caught a total of 11 walleyes this week and all were keepers. The scary thing is that no undersize walleye were caught. In past years we would normally catch and release 2 undersize walleye for every keeper that was caught. This doesn't bode well for the future of this walleye fishery. No fish including walleye have been planted here since 1995 according to DNR records. Maybe Linda G. can shed some light on this if she reads it as I think this is in her stomping grounds.

[Linda G.]

Just got back from two days in Manistee fishing, Steve. Did pretty well last night, had to do a radio show this morning so didn't get out on the lake till about 10, only got one laker, but last night I landed a beautiful 12 pounds or so steelie, and about a 15 pound king...a note of tragedy. Another fellow with us, who last night caught a beautiful 20+ king, I have photos of him in my camera, had a heart attack at the city launch this morning while tieing up his boat...fell in, I understand it took a couple of minutes to find him, they got him to the hospital, then later flew him up to Petoskey...I understand it doesn't look good. He's only 51 years old, with no prior health problems at all, I guess...I just met him last night, I hope I get to know him better...

anyway, Steve, all I can tell you is that Long Lake has been slowing down for a while, or maybe it's the weather, I didn't hear hardly anything at all about it this winter like I usually do. Many walleye lakes in this area seem to go in cycles, you don't hear much about Leelanau or Charlevoix like you used to, and from what the guys tell me on Cadillac and Mitchell, there's hardly any walleyes left at all down there...

which makes me think we aren't getting the natural reproduction on these lakes that the DNR seems to think we do. I have to wonder how much walleye stocking, if any, they're doing in the north now...I don't ever hear about any, and a couple of years ago I went along with the technicians who were surveying several lakes for smaller numbers of walleye...because the DNR wanted to stop stocking them...so they were trying to show that there was enough natural reproduction to do so...apparently, all the stocked fish are fin-clipped.

if this is the case, and not the weather, or being fished too hard, as I also hear as a possible reason from some anglers, then it simply comes down to one thing...John Engler's budget...and lack of people to raise and nurture fish.

A number of area sportsman's associations, like Hubbard Lake and Lake Missaukee, are raising their own baby walleye...if not enough natural reproduction is taking place, and the lakes aren't being stocked by the DNR, then I think this is the only recourse, and probably the fastest answer, to putting walleye back in our walleye lakes...don't count on the DNR to do it...

Six Mile Lake is a lake in Antrim County that for many years one older couple was raising walleye in using funds from a lake association. They have passed on, and just in the few years since the lake hasn't been stocked on an annual basis, the walleye fishing has virtually disappeared. I don't know if the DNR or anyone else is stocking the lake at all anymore...And it was great fishing...a shame...

Linda

[Steve]

Yes it is a shame. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't walleye usually spawn in moving waters such as rivers for natural reproduction? If so, how could anyone possibly think that natural reproduction could occur in a lake such as Long Lake?

One pretty cool thing we did see was a bass still on the bed under the dock our boat was at. The eggs were already hatched and little tadpole sized bass were swimming around. One night a bunch of minnows were after the recently hatched bass and the bass on the bed was really after those minnows. Wish we could have taken pictures but I don't have the underwater equipment to do it justice.

That's too bad about the stocking or lack thereof. It was really a great fishery. It really stinks that our license fees aren't enough and private clubs have to raise money to re-stock lakes.

[sfw1960]

I really DO think our license fees are enough , but if you look at Engler's gut -- it makes you wonder about lunch & how to manage it.......:eek:
I couldn't agree with Linda G. more.....
it simply comes down to one thing...John Engler's budget...and lack of people to raise and nurture fish.

Nothing we probably can do about it either way EXCEPT raise our own fish , sad isn't it?
:mad:
:mad:
:mad:

[PrtyMolusk]

Howdy, Steve-

Congrats on a great week of fishing. Good to see a picture of 3 generations of successful fishermen!

Michigan fish, beware!

[Steve]

Yes and the youngster was outfishing me for most of the week :) Guess he had some good guides.

[trout]

Looks like Jr. had a great time fishin with Dad and Gramps.
Are they doing any shock surveys in that Lake?
What were you using and do you have a fish finder?

[Linda G.]

They were hollering about a lack of walleye on Houghton Lake this winter, too, as I recall...and you don't hear the glowing reports about Burt and Mullet like you used to...

I don't think the DNR's doing any shocking up here at all anymore, Trout, they're pretty touchy about that these days...it's politically incorrect, I think...and there's no one to do it...

Linda

[Steve]

Trout, we had a depth finder. It would have been really tough without it. Much easier to find drop-offs and troll along them.

[JWF]

I am a little late to the discussion, but nice job Steve! I have been fishing Long Lake since I could hold a rod (I am 31 now) and the walleye fishing there has fluctuated alot over the years. When I was younger, we would not catch many walleyes, but the ones we did were large, ususally over 22". My Dad has taken one over 8 lbs. Over the last ten years, it seemed to me that, like you said, most fish were undersized. The biggest walleye I caught out of the lake the last two years is 24". I caught no other fish near that size. Unfortunately, I think stocking is eesential. Also, I thought in the past there was a lack of forage fish. Lately, I have seen more minnow schools, and maybe the lake was a little out of balance. Who knows.

Hey Linda, do you know if there a any muskies left. Were northern muskies stocked in the past, or were they tigers? I've heard that both were stocked at one time.

[Linda G.]

I don't really know, I've never heard anything about muskies in Long Lake. In Skegemog and some of the lakes over here, yes. But I couldn't tell you about Long. You can download the DNR's stocking reports from their website, or get hold of the boys at the Wolf Lake Hatchery near Kalamazoo. That's where all our musky stock is raised.

Linda

[Steve]

From what I understand there was a near record size muskie caught in the lake either this year or last, I don't remember. There was a little piece about it in the MUCC mag.

[Duke]

Muskies were never stocked into Long. Like many of the lakes up in the area, Long has a low population of naturally reproducing muskies. Actually anywhere muskies naturally occur in Michigan, they are in pretty low numbers. Its just the nature of the beast. (Except for St. Clair and I don't think anyone knows why?)

That was opening day of 2001 that a walleye fisherman caught the 45 lb or so muskie out of Long. What a beauty! I fished it for muskies just once, and had 2 smallish follows.

[JWF]

Duke,

I thought muskies were stocked in the lake in the early 70's. They have not been stocked since. In any event, I vaguely remeber hearing about that big one caught in 2001. There used to be a bait store over in Interlochen (I forget the name of the place) but he had two muskies on the wall he said were over 40 lbs and caught in Long Lake. I have only caught one, about 20 years ago, and I have lost two others. So, it looks to me like it is a low population, but at least self sustaining.

[shametamer]

its the same with north lake leelanau...i had taken a couple of skis in the late 60's and early 70's now all u get are the browns and lakers....sure is pretty water,though when u compare it tothe turbid lakes down here that have musky...........

[Duke]

You're right JWF, there may have been some stocking further back. I was thinking of the DNR stocking reports which only go back to 79, but there could have been earlier plants. Who's to say what ancestory the few fish in there today have, natural or stocked? But those that are in there now are reproducing, at least somewhat.

Its true that it certainly helps muskies to have a lake w/ no pike, but thats hard to come by eh!? Its a pretty complex system though, because obviously many lakes are great for pike and muskies. If I ever scale a mountain to ask the old wise man at the top a question- it will be for him reveal the mystery of the musky.

Monday morning joke- I once saw a cartoon that showed a shapely blond who just finished her climb up the wise oracle's mountain to ask her question, her caption read "uhhh, besides a good BJ, what else is the meaning of life??". That wasn't printed in the Sunday paper though...