TOPIC:

Bill,

Typically we're seeing a return to creel of about 0.5% to 1.5% on coho fall fingerlings. On the St. Joe, by stocking spring yearlings instead of fall fingerlings, we got the return up to about 5% for the last 2 years, up from a 3-year average of less than 1%. Hopefully that is sustainable.

I'd like to have a 3:1 ratio for deciding if this coho change could be a net gain - that is, for every 3 fall fingerlings we give up, we'd need to at least produce 1 spring yearling in return to confidently believe we'd get more return to creel year after year.

It's unfortunately not just as simple as coho though - yearling space is at a maxed out right now in the hatcheries. In order to increase yearling spring coho, other yearling fish (skamania steelhead) will need to be reduced. And if there are chinook increases too, there will have to be something else cut, in order to gain physical room to raise the chinooks. We don't have any empty hatchery space right now. Lots of logistics and possibilities. Once we have word on what the LMC is doing, we will figure out a couple scenarios and have a public meeting. Going to be very tight timing with how late they are pushing the official decision - salmon egg take is just around the corner.

Brown trout - survival has declined everywhere. Even Wisconsin - just sat through a presentation by WI DNR at the latest meeting about how their brown trout returns were struggling over the past decade or more, both in Green Bay and in the big lake itself. But it's declined even more on the south and east side of the lake.

The ones Indiana puts in are from Illinois surplus production and are pretty small - survival is poor. We also just don't have the nearshore brown trout habitat like Wisconsin does - structure and upwellings

Thanks for staying on this Ben. We ride our basin coordinators hard up here in Michigan, and are optimistic that we will begin seeing some results. Glad to see you are sticking your neck out there and trying to make as much happen as you can given the limited resources. Indiana anglers though have by far the best opportunity in the spring, would be nice if something meaningful were to happen for them in the fall as well. Make sure you point the USGS in the right direction this week...about a zero heading between 95 and 120.....its there, and plentiful.

Thanks Ben we all know you will do your best. Seems like I reminder anglers being told when the cuts started after the average size of the return female King reaches 19 lbs. that we would receive more plants. Don't think that will be a issue this year. We may have the smallest piece of the pie but people come to the South End to our waters in big numbers in the spring to fish . It would be great to get that action and revenue after the month of June again.

tice1969, How'd you end up doing at portage?

I have a feeling, the silver bite is about to start taking off tremendously; on the south end. Missed my opportunity to go out of portage that day. Looking to get out ASAP. I'll definitely report back with something when i have it.

Personally, I'd let the steelhead stocking number dwindle in favor of increased coho plants.

BNature - I'm for that as well. Seems Lakers and Steelhead numbers are really good. Coho and king stocking is a certain must for the future. There are however a ton of natural reproducing coho and king salmon in this lake. I have not caught a single hatchery fish all this year, which is incredible to see. Last year i caught a few nice sized hatchery fish.

Heading out tomorrow 100% for sure. Ill post back a nice report for yall.

Typically we're seeing a return to creel of about 0.5% to 1.5% on coho fall fingerlings. On the St. Joe, by stocking spring yearlings instead of fall fingerlings, we got the return up to about 5% for the last 2 years, up from a 3-year average of less than 1%. Hopefully that is sustainable.

Ben,
I follow information like this alot. Might be some do not realize how significant these numbers are, I do. Great work done with returns when you can reach a 5% .. Really excited to see if you can pull this to our other ports. Thanks for the shared information.

CohoChris wrote:

BNature - I'm for that as well. Seems Lakers and Steelhead numbers are really good. Coho and king stocking is a certain must for the future. There are however a ton of natural reproducing coho and king salmon in this lake. I have not caught a single hatchery fish all this year, which is incredible to see. Last year i caught a few nice sized hatchery fish.

FYI, the vast majority of cohos are not marked in any way, so you cannot tell if they are hatchery or wild origin. Previous research in the 80s and 90s showed that coho reproduction was pretty darn low - like 10% or less. There has not been any research suggesting otherwise in recent history, although they have not been clipped and tagged under the mass marking program yet. I would be surprised if there was more than 20 or 30% wild coho lakewide. I hope that after steelhead mass marking has given managers enough information that the tagging will shift to coho.