Sea Lamprey Still a Great Lakes Problem

The sea lamprey entered and spread through the Great Lakes with the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Welland Canal in the late-1940's/early 1950's.  These prehistoric creatures attach to a host fish, then literally chew through skin and scales to slowly drain the host body of blood and other body fluids.  They caused the near extinction of native lake trout populations once they entered the lakes and the effects are still felt today.  Spawning tributaries are treated periodically with lamprecides by U.S. Fish and Wildlife in an ongoing effort to keep lamprey populations in check.

My buddy, Bob Fout, landed this steelhead in Conneaut Creekd last month with sea lamprey firmly attached.  Despite an active fight with 4 jumps, the lamprey did not budge and was only removed by hand prior to the fish being released.

A recent episode of TV's "River Monsters" showed that sea lamprey have also entered Lake Champlain and are attaching themselves to long distance swimmers.  Now that is just plain creepy!

 

 

Final Schedule for Castapalooza!

Castaplooza 2013 Schedule

Saturday, April 13, 2013   9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

 

On the River

·       10:00 AM- Will Turek, “Single-Hand Spey Techniques”

·       11:30 AM- Neil Houlding, “Intro to Two-Hand Casting”

·       1:00 PM- Jeff Liskay, “ Rigging and Fishing the Swung Fly”

·       2:30 PM- Neil Houlding, “Skagit, Scandi, and Long Belly Casting”

 On the Lawn

·       11:00 AM- Jim Lampros, “Fly Casting 101”

·       12:30 PM- Will Turek, “Advanced Single-Hand Casting”

In the Pavilion

 

·       9:00 AM to 1:00 PM- Greg Senyo, “Steelhead Flies”

·       9:00 AM to 1:00 PM- Charlie Chlysta, “Warmwater Flies”

Plus, other unannounced guests!

There will be a number of “Castapalooza Pro Staff” helpers available to assist with casting on the water and the lawn throughout the day. 

Coaster Research Needs Help!

I was fortunate to attend a presentation at the the recent Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo in Minneapolis, MN, by guide Scott Thorpe entitled, "Coaster Brook Trout- Past , Present, and Future".  The coaster brook trout is the rarest of all Great Lakes sport fish and a true native species.

Coasters are a migratory form of the eastern brook trout, once extremely abundant in Lake Superior but were nearly fished to exticntion.   They are genetically the same as brook trout, but are behaviorally very different.  Their numbers are slowly recovering, but they are still rare-especially in the U.S. waters of Lake Superior.

The Coaster Brook Trout Research Unit is a research initiative of  The Greater Lake Superior Foundation (GLSF).  Each year, the GLSF offers a grant to a graduate student in research on coasters in Lake Superior and its tributaries.  Funding is provided through the sale of the decal shown and available online from the GLSF, www.thegreaterlakesuepriorfoundation.org.  All it takes is $6.00 to show your support!

Castapalooza 2013!

The Northeast Ohio Castapalooza details are coming together quickly.  This years celebration of fly casting and tying looks to be another great one!

When:  Saturday, April 13, 2013, 9:00 AM to 4:00 pm
Where:  Lake County Metroparks Hidden Valley Park on the Grand River
              Off Rt. 528 south of I-90, Madison, OH

This years presenters (so far): 
Greg Senyo- Steelhead Alley Outfitters
Will Turek- Midwest Spey Schools
Neil Houlding- Certified Two-Hand Casting Instructor
Jeff Liskay- Scott Rod/Scientific Anglers/Ross Reel/Patagonia Pro
Jerry Darkes- Great Lakes fly fishing writer
Plus other guests still to be announced!

There will be ongoing demonstrations and hands-on instruction along with displays of gear from local shops.This is free of charge and open to the public.  Come and join us and spread the word!

Special thanks to Matt Zudweg for the great Castaplooza logo!
                                     

New Tubes

I have had a lot of fun working with all the new ProTube components.  This is a great system where all the componets- tubes, sleeves, weights, cones, and discs all fit together.  I am still learning about all the different parts and the versatility they give.

At a recent tying demo at Tightlines Fly Shop in DePere, WI, I tied the following patterns and can't wait to fish them!   Here is what we named them, from top to bottom:  Wisconsin Sunrise, Scandi Crayfish, and The Pink Lady.

First One for Serial #1

I finally had a chance to get on the water with the new Kingpin Great Lake Spey Reel!  Despite 34 degree water I manged to swing up a nice steelie on the Chagrin River with a purple & pink rabbit mini-conehead tube.  Great sound when the fish ran- just like a vintage Hardy!