Ode to the Fish Gods 2

Here's one of my favorites. It's a real toe-tapper. Lyrics on the link...http://www.indianawalleye.com/walleye_song.htm

Download the mp3 file and sing along!

Suckers & other signs of Spring.......

The suckers have been in the creek for the past week, but they seem to really be turning on the steam now. Low water presents a bit of a challenge but they are capable of getting over most obstacles. The small set of "rapids" by the culvert looks like a salmon spawning run, with backs out of the water and plenty of splashing.

You might have to click on this picture to be able to see the suckers. There are at least a dozen laying in the shallows.

And yes, the leaves are popping and things are greening up. We are probably 2 to 3 weeks ahead of last year. Water temps are in the upper 40 degree range.......

Me and my "Licence to Collect Fish for Scientific Purposes".......

If you recall from last year, the MNR was conducting a tracking survey on a number of lake trout that were implanted with transponders. If you're not familiar with this just go and click on the "old posts" button to see some of the preliminary results of 2009. This spring the MNR is hoping to capture a few more trout........somehow I have wrangled this special licence which allows me to catch up to 5 trout for "scientific purposes". Shown above is the floating holding pen which I am about to set out in the lake to hold my potential prisoners.

On my brief forays to find some trout these other "rough fish", walleyes etc. , must be avoided. If caught they are immediately released......I'm using barb less hooks to make this easier.

Finally, on Sunday evening, Susanne & I took a few passes nearby and I caught this lively trout.....maybe 6 or 7 pounds. It would have made some nice fish cakes, but this was it's lucky day! Into the holding pen.......the MNR bio's are notified.

The next day the fish is drugged (clove oil of all things!) and the process begins. Here the fish is receiving a dorsal tag. A pectoral fin is also clipped for ageing purposes. Note the aerator tubes in the fishes mouth to allow water to flow over the gills.

Now on the bottom side the scales are removed from the insertion site.

An opening is created and the transponder (the black cylinder) is inserted.

Things are stitched back up........good as new. A bionic lake trout!

The fish is then put into a bin to recover. After about ten minutes the drug has worn off and the fish looked pretty lively. It's then back to the lake. Since I caught the fish it was up to me to assign a name for the fish...........it is now referred to as "Susanne". May she have many adventures and safe travels.........

I'm hoping to be able to catch a few more to add to the study. Any suggestions for future names?

Ode to the fish gods

The professor and I routinely burn a little incense and then flush a few rapalas down the toilet prior to our first trip out on Eagle Lake in respect of the fish gods. A few hundred years from now, archeologists will be puzzled by this find in the VBL sanitary system. However, it works for us. Please be warned however, that Gord advises removing the hooks prior to flushing.
Well, the Professor just informed me that he was off for a “spiritual retreat” and I asked him if he would share a fishing prayer during his time in Racine. The following are favorites of mine:

The Rapala Fishing Prayer:
“Oh Lord…There he is…It feels like a big one…Please don’t let me lose him…I’ve never caught one this big before. I’ll try not to horse him, and if I land him, I promise to release him…and make a graphite replica if my wife says it’s ok. Thank you for the Rapalas…Amen.”

The Sleepy Medicine Prayer
"Our lager, Which art in barrels, Hallowed be thy drink. Thy will be drunk, as a skunk, At home as it is in the pub. Give us this day our foamy head, And forgive us our spillage's, As we forgive those who spill against us. And lead us not into incarceration, But deliver us from hangovers. For thine is the Ale, The Pilsner and The lager. For ever and ever."

Any others?

Andy

And the winner is..............

April 14th proves to be the correct date for ice out in Vermilion Bay. This beats the previous record of April 17th.

I actually thought yesterday was going to be the day but it was not to be. Shown above is some of the ice that blew into the creek mouth with the strong winds. What you can't see is the "Walleye Highway", which was socked in with ice. Let's see who the winner is.............

........none other than artist Charles Weiss! Previously well known for his colourful spandex wardrobe and artistic talents, Chuck can now add "clairvoyance" to his resume! A fabulous "mystery grand prize" awaits Charles when he arrives at VBL this summer. New trousers perhaps.........?

In a close second (he was the second person to guess the right date) is the one and only Neil Hull....not to be confused with the even more famous "Racing Hull". Shown above with a large pike-like fish, Neil has a passion for lake trout, pike, guys from Green Bay, and his computer. Well done Neil!.......a valuable VBL momento awaits you at the lodge.

Last, but not least, is the "Bean Queen" Loveda Mitchell, island-woman.......famous for her baked beans featured at our Sunday Night Fish Fry. Loveda is pictured above, holding her husband Keith..........

The ice.........she lingers..........

.......like the aroma of a wet dog on your truck seat.........it takes a while to dissipate. So too with the ice. With a switch in wind direction the ice has moved back towards the lodge..........that's the black area on the photo.

Susanne and I hiked down the walking trail to a point past the government dock.....McColl's Island and Strawberry Island in the background, with some ice off to the right.

What's left of the ice looks like this......just a bunch of ice shards packed together. I would be surprised to see what's left last another day. Some rain for tomorrow should finish it off.....stay tuned!

Ice out drags on.....

Strong south-west winds have pushed what ice remains over to Strawberry & McColls Island.

Today, the ice is still moving around on the eastern side of Vermilion Bay. This picture does not do a good job of picking up the ice, but the band of black near the far shore is in fact ice. Between Round Island and Canoe Narrows is still looking pretty solid. A change in wind direction would probably finish it off. My criteria for "ice out" is when I can't see ice.....so we're not there yet! I wonder how the trout fishing would be right now.....pretty good I bet!!!

Ice on the move...........

..........and so is Lucy. Nothing like a brisk swim in ice water to shake off the winter blues.

A canoe ride is the alternative that Susanne and I opted for. Unfortunately the ice was jammed up against the point ending our short adventure.

Here's a shot around noon, about the time the wind started to pick up. Hey, wait a sec......does that say April 10th!! Still ice on the lake! Oh, Perchmaster, you shot for the stars and ended up hitting the ditch.......better luck next year!

A few hours later and the wind is working it's magic. Note the strip of open water out in the centre of the bay. Will the ice succumb today? Tomorrow? Who the hell knows? Stay tuned!

Ice out update...........

Early April crocus are up in Vermilion Bay!

But the ice is still hanging in there!

Is Maggie depressed because Big Dave Brown guessed the wrong date for ice out? Perhaps she just wants her breakfast.......we'll never know!

Well, this is a nice sunny day. Still plenty of ice. In talking with some of the old timers, the earliest ice out date on Vermilion Bay between the 1930's and the 1970's was April 18th in 1948. Since the 70's though, we have had the ice go out on April 17th. This year...??

More signs of Spring......

Here's a few shots from a different perspective.....looking towards the lodge from the government dock......

Vermilion Bay from the government dock.........

Open water in the creek is always a big Spring-time attraction to many birds. To the left of the flag pole are a pair of Canada geese......to the right are a very colourful pair of Hooded Mergansers. What you can't see is the Otter that swam through the scene.......lock your minnow bucket!

Pussy willows are popping.........

A look into the water from the deck by cabin #6.........

Noisy Red Wing Blackbirds are back.......

Here's an "artsy" shot of a pair of geese standing on the ice near the mouth of the creek.

A Happy Easter thaw.......

Is this the "Easter Pike" going back down it's hole? No, it's just an interesting ice fishing photo taken by VBL guest Scotty Kardasz down on one of his secret Wisconsin lakes. I would not be venturing out on Eagle right now.........

Things are starting to melt back from shore with the forecast calling for fairly warm and sunny weather. I have had a lot of interest from readers on guessing the ice out for this year......so far everyone has picked a different date! If you haven't picked a date yet, better do it soon............hope everyone is having a nice Easter weekend!