09-05-2019 Outdoors

Fishing The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports the windy conditions last week rolled the waters in Lake Michigan over bringing colder water to the surface. This brought salmon closer to shore and into the drowned river mouth lakes. Salmon are starting to move into the northern river systems however there has been no big push yet. Inland lakes around the state are producing walleye, pike, bass, crappie and other panfish. Captain Kenny Bard of Rampage Fishing Charters out of South Haven reported good fishing in 120 to 130 feet of water. Lake trout are on the bottom and are being caught by Laker-Takers. With the water change they caught several king salmon and a few coho. Pier fishing at South Haven was very quiet. No steelhead in the Black River yet, but a couple were caught at the Allegan Dam on the Kalamazoo River. Perch fishing by South Haven was very slow. The few that were caught were found in 30 to 35 feet of water. Ellinee Bait & Tackle on Paw Paw Lake by Coloma reported few anglers were out on the inland lakes. Those that braved the wind and rain caught panfish (mostly bluegills) a few pike and a few walleye. Most panfish are being found at 18 to 20 feet near the bottom. By St. Joseph the water temperatures were cold as the lake turned over. Perch fishing was slow and fish were scattered in 35 to 40 feet of water. Boat anglers caught a few salmon and lake trout in 80 to 120 feet however most of the salmon and steelhead were caught out deeper with spoons and plugs. Pier anglers were getting a few fish in the early morning when casting spoons. The DNR’s fishing tip this week was catching big pike in the summer. Most anglers consider winter the best time to catch a trophy-size pike, but following a few key pointers can make summer pike fishing worthwhile. When it’s very warm out think about where pike will hide – places with cooler water. These spots include along the thermocline, where cold water streams/rivers flow into lakes, or around springs. Look for water bodies that aren’t densely populated with pike so those present may have a chance to grow fairly large. Also consider locations that have special regulations 9size limits. Lastly, focus on water bodies that have a good pike forage base – particularly other species that prefer cooler water. Want to learn even more about fishing for northern pike? Check out their page on the DNR’s website. Every few years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service treat rivers across Michigan with a chemical aimed at killing the invasive sea lamprey. Two of those rivers – the Big Manistee and the Muskegon – are home to lake sturgeon as well as sea lamprey. While many aquatic species aren’t affected by the treatments, lake sturgeon, especially in these locations, are. In fact, the water chemistry there means lake sturgeon exposed to the chemical have a higher chance of dying. Crews from participating agencies are capturing juvenile lake sturgeon at night, targeting them from boats while scanning the river bottoms with spotlights. Fish are collected with dip nets and transported to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians sturgeon-rearing facility. They will be safely released back at the point of capture following the completed chemical treatment. Hunting The reserved waterfowl hunt drawing results will be posted September 16. During the early teal season, blue-winged and green-winged are the only ducks that can be harvested. Hunting hours are from sunrise to sunset, and the bag limit is six teal. Hunters are strongly encouraged to study their duck identification skills for early teal season. Don’t shoot if you are not sure of your target. This early teal season runs September 1 – 16. Canada geese, white-fronted geese (or speckle bellies) and Brant are part of a dark goose aggregate daily bag limit. From September 1 – 30, the dark goose aggregate daily bag limit for the Canada geese, white-fronted geese and Brant is five, only one of which can be a Brant. After September 30, the daily limit for dark geese is five, only three of which can be Canada geese and one of which can be a Brant. An aggregate bag limit is also in place for light geese, including snow, blue and Ross’s geese. Hunters may harvest 20 light geese per day during goose seasons. North Zone: Sept. 1 – Dec. 16; Middle Zone: Sept. 1 – 30 and Oct. 5 – Dec. 20; South Zone: Sept. 1 – 30, Oct. 12 – Dec. 8, Dec. 28 – 29, and Jan. 25 – Feb. 10, 2020; Allegan County GMU: Sept. 1 – 30, Nov. 2 – 12, Nov. 21 – Dec. 8 and Dec. 14 – Jan. 30, 2020; Muskegon County GMU: Oct. 19 – Dec. 21.

Coloma Rod & Gun Club

The Coloma Rod & Gun Club will hold their monthly CPL Class on Saturday, September 14, 2019. Class registration is held on Sunday, September 8, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The class is taught by a certified NRA and RSO instructor and the cost of the class is $105. Call Andrew at 351-2051 or 944-7802. For more information on the CPL classes or Hunter Safety Classes, email inquiry@colomarodandgunclub.com.

Watervliet Rod & Gun Club

The Watervliet Rod and Gun Club will hold their monthly CCW classes on September 12 and 14, 2019. Registration is on September 10, 2019, between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. and cost of the class is $100. They will have a lawyer explaining the law pertaining to concealed carry during class. Please call (269) 468-3837 or (269) 470-9191 for more information.

DNR makes 40th cougar report confirmation

Biologists from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ cougar team confirmed this week the 40th cougar report in Michigan since 2008. “This latest cougar confirmation came from a trail camera set up on public land in Delta County,” said Cody Norton, large-carnivore specialist with the DNR’s bear and wolf program. The trail camera photo was taken at 8:55 p.m. Aug. 17. A black-and-white image from the camera shows a cougar heading away from the camera into a stand of cedar trees. Norton visited the area and, with the help of members of the cougar team, substantiated the report. The confirmation comes from an area about 170 miles from where a cougar trail camera image was snapped July 7 in Gogebic County and verified by the DNR earlier this month. Since 2008, the DNR has now confirmed 40 cougar reports, with all but one of those occurring in the Upper Peninsula. In some cases, these reports may include multiple sightings of the same cougar, not necessarily 40 individual animals. So far, there remains no conclusive evidence of a Michigan breeding population of mountain lions.

On a short walk to open up the Butterfly House for a family, we came upon a tiny painted turtle crossing the sidewalk ahead of us. The 1-inch reptile froze in its tracks while we admired it. Due to the size, we determined this was a hatchling, or a newly emerged baby. Painted turtle females lay their eggs in a hole in the sand or soil in late spring or early summer. The 3 to 20 eggs take about 50 to 80 days of incubation before hatching. Most of the hatchlings will spend the next fall and winter in the nest or close by until spring. This means they won’t see water until the next year! Hatchling painted turtles have a 1-inch slightly rounded keel, or top part of their shell, black or olive skin and shell and stripes of yellow, orange, and red throughout their legs and head. If you see a baby turtle this fall, remember the best thing to do is leave it alone, as long as it is not injured or in the road. Join us this Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Nature Center for the fall into Autumn Festival! The festival will feature many family friendly events all day including nature hikes, wagon rides, crafts, music from Campfire Stu, face painting, a raptor program, and more! Check out www.Sarett.com for more details.