From the President's Boat
Thanks to all of our members that participated in the Metro Muskie Tournament on Saturday and congratulations to member Eric Nelson for winning the Tiger Muskie category. The proceeds of the MMT help Paul Hartman with his important mission to support the Minnesota Muskie fishery.
I want to thank all the current and past Board Members and Volunteers for all their years of service including a number that have served for decades. Recently Bob Anderson and Eric Nelson have had to resign from the Board. Unfortunately, a number of Board Members and Volunteers have had to resign over the past few years due a wide variety of reasons from health issues to family and work demands and more.
The more people involved not only make it a lot less work for everyone, but has a direct correlation on the Chapter’s ultimate success and survival and our ability to help the Metro Muskie fishery. Over the last two years we have tried to make a number of improvements that would benefit all members and ultimately not only help maintain but grow our Chapter. We have made some great strides with a better quality Banquet, improved monthly members meetings, our first State High School Qualifying Tournament and Teams, an active stocking and DNR assistance program and more. However, the more we do the more volunteers and hours it requires.
We are now at a critical point where we are down to just five Board Members who also handle the vast majority of all the Chapter work and events. This has already impacted our plan for the new Members Challunge that was to replace the old Rush Lake Challunge and is also impacting everything else we do. We need now more Members willing to serve on the Board and as volunteers to run our various events. Without additional participation, our Chapter is on a path to do less for our members, the Metro Muskie fishery and hopefully will not result in the end of North Metro Muskies, Inc.
Please consider joining the North Metro Board. The Board meets for only two hours once a month September through June. You will have the ability not only to help influence the direction of the Chapter and help the Metro Muskie Fishery, but the chance to make some great new friends as well.
We also need volunteers to co-chair and assist with events and activities. With the recent resignations, Board Member Robb Meyers has become the Newsletter Editor and we in search of a new Members Only Contest & Photo Contest Chair. Most of these would require only several hours of your time.
Please help me and the other Board Members make our Chapter a success and a model example for all of Muskies Inc. Contact me or any of the North Metro Board Members!
I wish each of you great fishing success in 2013!
Dan Mruz
North Metro President
< º)))))))))))))><(
|
|
Chapter Challenge
Lake vermilion – Sept. 18, 19 and 20
This is our last call to be part of the NMMI Teams representing our Chapter at the MI Chapter Challunge on Lake Vermilion the week of September 14 – 20 with the Tournament days Sept 18, 19 and 201. We would like all participants to reconfirm their commitment by contacting Board Member Steve Wernersbach who is coordinating our participation. Steve can be contacted at 763-242-2625 or at swernersbach@gmail.com.
Steve Wernersbach
Chapter Challunge Chairman
|
|
June Jam Tournament
Major sponsors this year are Wilkins on Bone Lake, Thorne Bros, Red Wing Lodge, Fudally Tackle, Phantom Lures, Pro Label, and Wood’n Wildlife. Suick, Naze Baits and Nauti Lures joined as sponsors at the MN Muskie Expo in April.
|
|
Lake Rebecca muskie-egg harvest builds stock for future trophies
by Tom Meersman
As anglers across the state ready their gear and fantasize about this weekend’s fishing opener, scientists on a west metro lake Wednesday were creating some of Minnesota’s future trophy fish.
Department of Natural Resources fisheries specialist B.J. Bauer was half-standing in a johnboat with a 42-inch female muskie across his lap. He firmly stroked its plump white belly from front to back, while an assistant holding a plastic bowl caught thousands of dark, mustard-yellow fish eggs oozing from its vent.
The three-day “egg take†happens annually at 254-acre Lake Rebecca. It is Minnesota’s main source of muskies-to-be each year, the origin of wild eggs that go to hatcheries and yield fish for stocking programs statewide. Large muskies are popular as a sport fish, and especially for their trophy value.
“We try to keep conditions as close to natural as possible,†said Bauer, as he continued the fish massage for about five minutes.
Natural conditions mean that timing is critical. Bauer has been waiting for the water temperature to reach 52 degrees, which is when male and female fish become “ripe†for spawning. Normally, that happens in the second or third week of April, he said, but this year it was May 6.
Natural conditions also mean setting nets in shallow water, where muskies would be searching for places to lay eggs.
Bauer said Lake Rebecca is an excellent place for DNR’s brooding stock of the fish, but it doesn’t have the right aquatic plant beds and other conditions for their egg-laying to succeed.
But that doesn’t stop them from trying, he said. “They’re fish. By instinct they’ll go through the motions of spawning, even if the habitat isn’t that good for success,†Bauer said.
Pulling the nets
The first step in the process is to set trap nets around the lake, anchored to shore. Each morning Bauer and fisheries specialist Kristan Maccaroni motor from net to net to see what they’ve caught. At each stop they haul in a mix of snapping and painted turtles, crappies, bluegills and the occasional bass or carp, all of them dwarfed by the 12- to 15-pound adult muskies.
“Pulling the nets is my favorite part. It’s a surprise every time,†said Maccaroni.
The muskies are transferred to an aerated 180-gallon galvanized stock tank on the boat, until enough are collected to bring ashore for the egg take. Wednesday morning the two-person crew collected five females and three males from half of the 14 nets spaced around the perimeter of the lake.
Making babies
Beached on shore, the boat became a lab. Bauer and Maccaroni sedated two male fish and massaged milky white sperm from them into test tubes. They added a chemical extender to keep the semen inactive. Then they sedated the female, stroked her for eggs, and mixed in the sperm.
“At this point sperm are active only for about a minute, so we have to work fast,†Bauer said.
Maccaroni stirred the mixture gently with a turkey feather as Bauer added lake water and packaged the now-fertilized egg slurry in a plastic-foam shipping container for transport to the hatchery. The fish were released, and then it was on to the next batch.
Bauer said Lake Rebecca has been used for muskie brood stock since 1987. It’s an excellent choice, he said, because its ice melts earlier than northern lakes, the lake is surrounded by Three Rivers Park District land, and only electric motors are allowed on the water.
“Anglers know we use the lake for brood stock,†he said, and they respect that by not overharvesting the fish.
Bauer and Maccaroni will harvest and fertilize about 900,000 fish eggs in a three-day period. The eggs will go to hatcheries in St. Paul, Waterville and New London for incubation and hatching, and will then move to rearing ponds for the summer. About 30,000 will survive and grow large enough to be stocked in lakes around the state this fall, he said, including Lake Rebecca.
Maccaroni said that a large female can produce about 50,000 to 80,000 eggs, or about a quart. To reach the state muskie egg quota, she and Bauer will need to net 60 to 75 of the adult muskies, including about 20 females.
“It’s really satisfying to get a lot of eggs,†she said. “It makes it seem like all the hard work is worthwhile.â€
Reprinted with permission from Star Tribune
|
|
|
|
|
June 22nd Members Challunge (formerly Rush Lake Tournament) is Cancelled
The North Metro Board unfortunately had to make the decision to cancel the June 22nd Members Challunge (formerly Rush Lake Tournament) to due to lack of planning support. We hope with member support to hold this event next year.
However, we are pleased to announce that the North Metro and Twin Cities Chapter’s on July 9th will hold an Intra Chapter Fishing League Night Event on both Bald Eagle and White Bear Lakes so we don’t surpass the lake limit. The plan is for a member from each Chapter to fish together in the same boat. Everyone will meet afterwards at Bear Town Pizza in White Bear Lake with the loosing Chapter paying. North Metro members will be awarded League Night points for participating in this event. We hope to make this an annual event with our fellow Twin Cities Chapter members! More details will follow in the near future.
|
|
|
Minnesota High School Musky Tournament
Five schools entered two person teams into the North Metro Section Qualifier of the HS Musky Tournament held at Bald Eagle Lake on Saturday, June 8, 2013. Fishing was TOUGH! We started at 5:30am and teams had to be off the lake at 1pm. No muskies were caught and only one northern. The person who caught the Northern was Jake Willing from North Branch HS and this fish won the event for the North Branch team made up of Jake Willing and Jeremy Wolfe
.
Two teams go on to the state tournament. So with only one fish caught second place winners were determined by choosing numbers. Elk River's team of Joshua Haaf and Luke Lofquist won second place by luck of the draw. The State Tournament is Friday, June 28 at Lake Alexander near Motley, MN
Blaine's team of Thor Swanson and Ryan Helin also participated. All participants divided between themselves 40 new Musky baits provided by North Metro Muskies Inc. The two teams going to state also received T-shirts listing their North Metro Section Champions status.
The picture below right is of all participants from left to right: Ryan Helin and Thor Swanson from Blaine HS, Jake Willing and Jeremy Wolfe of North Branch, and Luke Lofquist and Joshua Haaf of Elk River. The picture below left is of Jake Willing, Jeremy Wolfe, Luke Lofquist, and Joshua Haaf the State tournament qualifiers.
Mike Riha NMMI HS Musky Tournament Section Director
|
|
|
|
Jake Willing and his winning northern!
|
|
Muskie Camp Lake Vermillion
July 18 - 21, HooDoo Point Campground
Join fellow North Metro members for a camping and fishing outing on beautiful Lake Vermillion. “Big Fish†contest Saturday, $5 entry fee. Attempt to take home the Traveling Trophy for the most inches of Muskie caught Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Socialize and share information on tips and tactics around the campfire.
If you know you are going to attend this event and want me to reserve a site in your name, please contact Pat Garaghty at 763-772-2122 or via e-mail at Grog@midco.net. Or contact HooDoo Point directly to make your own reservations at 218-753-6868. Campground information and map can be found at Hoodoopoint.net.
|
|
Not Our First Rodeo
Red Wing Lodge
August 10-17, 2013
It’s easy to include yourself in a big-time Canadian fishing trip, join an outing that has successfully taken place for years at a base camp that just works great for muskie hunters. For either that first Canadian trip or for an extra trip for the Canadian veteran, Red Wing Lodge on Sabaskong Bay is an amazing destination. Red Wing Lodge is the eight-time Muskies Inc. Chapter Challunge Headquarters, in 1983, ’86, ’93, ’97, ’03, ’04, and again in 2011 and 2012, and has logged in over 12,000 catch and release muskies.
When hunting muskies on Canadian Shield water, surprises at base camp can cut down on valuable fishing time. Red Wing Lodge offers a resort base that has been family owned and operated for more than 45 years and is clean and comfortable where everything works. The Bartlett family has hosted Muskies Inc. outings for years with personal and friendly service, so they understand what muskie people need and like. Last summer 25 fishermen enjoyed this trip, open to Muskies Inc. chapter members and their guests. Check out the muskie information, including the Lodge Hall of Fame, as well as the first live cam in Morson, at www.redwinglodge.net.
Cost per person in housekeeping cabins will be $325 (US Funds) for 2013, which breaks down to just $46.43 per day for big-time Canadian muskie fishing.
Included in the full value of the 2013 Muskie Inc. trip:
-
Free Dockage ($72 value), Free Launch (both ways, $25 value)
-
Free Dinner one night, courtesy of the Bartletts
-
One Free Trip, given away in drawing, courtesy of the Bartletts
-
Free Wireless Internet Service throughout the Resort
-
Free Daily Bag of Ice; door prizes
Reservations require a $50 non-refundable deposit, made out to Red Wing Lodge. Deposits officially confirm reservation holds. First come, first served. Deposit funds are used to purchase materials for cabin improvements, for e.g., during last winter the Bartletts completed the installation of A/C units in all cabins.
To make reservations, or any questions or suggestions for improving the trip, contact:
John van Ingen
(651) 699-5172
maxjo@mac.com
2108 Palace Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105
or
Pat Miller
651) 429-1629
donnapatmiller@gmail.com
1645 Ridgewood Ave
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
|
|
|
|
Thanks to Gary and Dave
|
|
|
NORTH METRO OFFICERS
President.................................Dan Mruz
Vice President.............Steve Wernersbach
Regional VP...................................Open
Secretary.......................................Open
Treasurer............................Jim Shannon
BOARD MEMBERS
Dick Hamann...........................763-428-7789
Robb Meyers......................612-791-6331
Dan Mruz...........................763-535-4206
Jim Shannon.......................763-434-9729
Steve Wernersbach..............763-242-2625
Membership Chairman
Robb Meyers ......................612-791-6331
Members Only Fishing Contest
Dan Mruz ..........................763-535-4206
Eric Nelson ........................651-398-1061
Newsletter Editor
Robb Meyers......................612-791-6331
|
|
|
|
|
