Friday night at the Wayne County Sportsman Club they do during the "Duel". This is a neat set up that's unique for this area. There's a shooting booth that 2 shooters occupy and the starter spins a double arrow on the top of the booth to determine which shooter aims at which color plates. Whomever knocks down all their plates first advances to the next round. The last shooter standing wins.
They have many rules that fill up a sheet of paper that make the event fun for everyone and safe. The gun must be of a .22 LR caliber with a barrel limit of 10 inches. No shooter may win more than $50/month or $200 per year but many compete anyway with the winnings going to the next eligible participant. The cost is $5 per game with a $1 clean up fee, very reasonable for a night of fun.
The club also has skeet, trap (available under the lights at the end of video), a pistol range and archery. They host ANSS and ATA shoots, steak roasts and lots of other fun get together. Definitely check them out at http://www.waynecountygunclub.webs.com/. With the pheasant season upon us this is the only skeet shooting in the area to practice up.
Get Outdoors Downriver...
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Ms. Nature
I've taken my Grand Daughters for the last 5 years to the Oakwood Nature Center to attend the Tadpoles program. That's the park located just south of Michigan memorial Cemetery and is part of the Huron-Clinton Metro Park system along with Willow, Lower Huron and Lake Erie in this area. The $25 entry sticker gets you in all the parks in south east Michigan and is quite a bargain. Lake Erie is closer and has many attributes like the wave pool, boat launch and their own Nature center along with Luc the eagle. Our Granddaughters really like Oakwood because of the instructor Ms. Jennifer.
Ms. Jennifer is a grade school teacher from the Deaborn School District and it shows when does the Tadploe program. I don't remember much from my Kindergarten classes but Ms. Jennifer is the best I've seen recently to combine a book and a craft around a theme. This month's was spiders, kind of a lead in to Halloween. She reads the book and draws pictures to explain things in the book. To keep 3-6 year olds attention for 15 - 20 minutes while she covers the book is amazing and well worth the price of admission. Then there's the craft and the parents/guardians are needed so everyone gets involved.
At the same time there's a program for the 8-10 year olds. Our Oldest Grand daughter still likes to stay with Ms. Jennifer but in just a short hike around the center the participants discovered some mushrooms, many of which I'd never seen before. So check this program out.
Go to their website to check out all the events they have.
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/index_all.aspx?ID=10
Like the Owl Prowl on November 11th and 12th.
Don't forget Veteran's appreciation Day.
Get Outdoors Downriver.
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Ms. Jennifer is a grade school teacher from the Deaborn School District and it shows when does the Tadploe program. I don't remember much from my Kindergarten classes but Ms. Jennifer is the best I've seen recently to combine a book and a craft around a theme. This month's was spiders, kind of a lead in to Halloween. She reads the book and draws pictures to explain things in the book. To keep 3-6 year olds attention for 15 - 20 minutes while she covers the book is amazing and well worth the price of admission. Then there's the craft and the parents/guardians are needed so everyone gets involved.
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At the same time there's a program for the 8-10 year olds. Our Oldest Grand daughter still likes to stay with Ms. Jennifer but in just a short hike around the center the participants discovered some mushrooms, many of which I'd never seen before. So check this program out.
 |
Go to their website to check out all the events they have.
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/index_all.aspx?ID=10
Like the Owl Prowl on November 11th and 12th.
 |
Don't forget Veteran's appreciation Day.
Get Outdoors Downriver.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Perch Madness
Saturday was the Downriver Walleye Federation Perch Tournament and the die hards were out. Actually it was great weather but I think the giant low pressure system parked over us put a damper on the fish. Recent reports had the fish coming in shallow and really biting but the results weren't there on Saturday. A nice time was had by all with the food offered at weigh in. The biggest fish was caught by John Lewandowski at 1.14 lbs and 13 3/4 inches. Bob Clark and John also supplied the pickles.
Captain Jerry Hinton guide his team to the overall title amassing 6.34 lbs. Doesn't sound like much but the rules of this tournament allow only 10 fish to be weighed in. Last year pre-fishing for the tournament Jerry and his partner caught 2 limits weighing 75lbs. So the 10 didn't average quite as good but still fine none the less. The rest of the team was made up of M. Pasik, T. Taylor, D. Bloxum and M. Barkley. Congrats to all, it's always nice to be in a tournament, get in next year.
Looks like the weather should be better by Thursday so go get some perch.
Get Outdoors Downriver.
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Get Outdoors Downriver.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Fall Back
I just got back from a long trip to Colorado. It's always amazing for me to see the Rockies. From awe inspiring to sheer terror in just a few miles. We went out for my niece's wedding and were part of a beautiful experience from the church to the reception. The lodge we stayed at and attended the reception at has a view of Long's Peak, one of Colorado's 50+ 14,000 foot and higher peaks. My BIL, Dan and I climbed this beast 40 years ago so the sight of old Diamond Face brought back a lot of memories.
We took Trail Ridge Road thru Rocky Mountain National Park and were entertained by the sights.
What a beautiful place to visit.
On the way home I met up with Jay Wolf from Illinois that bagged a nice 5x5 elk with Hubbard Creek Outfitters out of Hotchkiss, CO. Jay had a great hunt and his guide got him to 125 yards so the muzzleloader could get the job done. Shoot me an email Jay with all the details if you read this.
We stopped on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River to get some Kum and Go gas and saw this trio.
So it's time for fall and time to get back in the hunting mode. That means target practice weather its bow and arrow, or shotgun, or rifle get out and put your time in. Bow and arrow practice can be had at the local Gander Mountain, the Lincoln Bowman's range and Wayne County Sportsman's Club. Shotgun at Wayne County Sportsman's Club with non-members paying a little extra for skeet shooting. Rifle practice can be had at Western Wayne County Conservation Association. Get out early.
Hopefully you've consulted my calendar during my hiatus. Maybe you saw a kettle of raptors at Hawkfest, or heard the Championship duck caller at the Point Moullie Waterfowl Festival.
Get Outdoors Downriver.
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On the way home I met up with Jay Wolf from Illinois that bagged a nice 5x5 elk with Hubbard Creek Outfitters out of Hotchkiss, CO. Jay had a great hunt and his guide got him to 125 yards so the muzzleloader could get the job done. Shoot me an email Jay with all the details if you read this.
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Hopefully you've consulted my calendar during my hiatus. Maybe you saw a kettle of raptors at Hawkfest, or heard the Championship duck caller at the Point Moullie Waterfowl Festival.
Get Outdoors Downriver.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Find Your Niche
I recently talk to a good friend of mine that's a charter captain on the great lakes. He follows the fish from one side of the state to another depending on what's biting. Captain Dan from Stormy Chinook Charters starts fishing in April from Lexington then heads to Drummond Island from the end of May till early June. From June to half of July he's at the tip of the thumb then he heads to Frankfort for the rest of the season. Like my cousin Jojo it's hard to know where Dan is half the time. His daily schedule during the fishing season is very rigorous, we met him at the boat at 4:30 am for the morning fish. He'll get done cleaning fish after 11 pm most nights. That's a crazy schedule and he's booked up most of 6 months. I couldn't last a week let alone 25+ years like Dan has. He says it's a love to do what he's doing, in some minds it would compare to torture. You can tell he really enjoys what he's doing as he sets up ten lines in record time, just don't touch the steering wheel or any other equipment unless ofcourse there's a fish on. Dan is driven to catch fish and it seems that’s a common denominator in successful guides. They start young and fish all hours of the day then develop a way to take others out to make a living. Drive is imperative but some use creativity to keep successful.
Jon Bondy was at the Downriver Walleye Federation meeting this month to talk about fishing the river. He started young fishing for smallmouth and walleye but was then smitten by an incidental catch, a musky. When a big fish hits and tries to yank the rod out of your hands while taking line out of the reel it's an exhilarating experience, one you tend to remember. Jon couldn't forget and the passion he developed caused him to concentrate on catching these fish and using some extreme measures. At least that's how the clubs musky expert tells it. Mr. Johnson also has the musky fever and while he was trying to treat it one day a kid in a tiny boat came up and started to follow him. Mr. Johnson enjoys his solitude during these musky fever treatments and so after some negotiations he showed the kid how he was fishing and actually let him catch one of his musky. That kid was Bondy tying to learn everything he could about the ways of muskies. Jon used Mr. Johnson's techniques and caught many fish while trying different methods like casting. What he found was that after 9 am his catch rate really dropped off causing him to think the fish were moving into deep water. After all that's where he was making the incidental catches fishing for walleye. So after much trial and error he came up with the Bondy bait.
The baits have been around for a while and Jon has been on many outdoor TV shows and in many outdoor magazines. A smaller version is out now and are being used to catch lake trout and also some saltwater fish. It's nice to see a local guy make good even if he's on the wrong side of the river.
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| Stormy Chinook |
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| Bondy bait |
Another guide often seen on the Detroit River is Lance Valentine he's often seen because he drives a big white boat and is hard not to notice. Lance's niche is walleye and he likes to talk about anything and everything about walleye. You may have heard of his Walleye 101 web site where the motto is “Teachin' fishin' ...That's our mission”. Check out his site for everything to do with walleye fishing from techniques on fishing, sonar use, gps workshops and fishing reports. His latest endeavor is “Catch For a Cause” along the same lines of Sparky Anderson's charity with a different kind of catch. It's a fishing tournament on Lake Belleville in conjunction with the HOSPICE of Michigan. There is a ton of prizes for a raffle that uses tickets won during the event depending of which fish you catch. There's also a bigger ticket raffle that anyone can buy a ticket to win. Visit Lance's site for more info or to buy tickets.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Heat Wave
Forcasted high is 100oF. Record high for this date is 96oF so it looks like we're headed for the history books. It makes it hard to get Outdoors Downriver but there's so much going on. The top draw would be the Trenton Boat Races known as the "Roar on the River". The activities start tomorrow so check out their web site- http://trentonroarontheriver.com/ for more info. They have a fund raiser on the Diamond Jack boat but you can take a cruise Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays leaving Wyandotte's Bishop park at 1 and 3:30pm. See their web site for more info-http://www.diamondjack.com/.
Remember the water is only about 75oF so the ride should be a bit cooler than being on shore. Lake Erie Metro Park has boat tours also on a limited basis. Check their web site for more info- http://www.metroparks.com/calendar_item.aspx?ID=1727&PID=7&r=3 or go to the Discovery Cruise's web site-ID=1727&PID=7&r=3http://miseagrant.umich.edu/discovery/ here's the schedule.
Lake Erie Metropark 2011 Schedule | ||||
Cruise Dates | Cruise Times | |||
10am | 2pm | 6pm | 9pm | |
June 25 - Saturday | No Child Left on Shore | No Child Left on Shore | ||
July 1 - Friday | Fireworks! | |||
July 6 - Wednesday | ROV Adventures | ROV Adventures | River deTroit History | |
July 7 - Thursday | Eagle's Eye | Aliens Among Us | Bob-Lo Island | Night Watch |
July 8 - Friday | Great Lakes Science for Teachers | Whiskey River | ||
July 9 - Saturday | Eagle's Eye | Strait Talk History | Bob-Lo Island | Night Watch |
July 10 - Sunday | Eagle's Eye | Big River Meander | ||
July 13 - Wednesday | All Aboard Kids | Shipping Out | River deTroit History | |
July 14 - Thursday | Wind, Waves & Weather | Fish Story | Eagle's Eye | |
July 15 - Friday | Bob-Lo Island | Shipping Out | Handy Billy | |
July 16 - Saturday | Whiskey River | Lower Lighthouse Lore | Eagle's Eye | |
July 17 - Sunday | Eagle's Eye | Strait Talk History | All Aboard Kids | |
July 22 - Friday | Aliens Among Us | Eagle's Eye | River deTroit History | |
July 23 - Saturday | Strait Talk History | Lower Lighthouse Lore | Detroit River Revival | |
July 24 - Sunday | Fish Story | Big River Meander | ||
July 25 - Monday | Journey Through the Straits (10:30-4:30) | |||
Getting closer to the water would be a canoe or kayak outing. The Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyandotte has tours and classes to get you on the water. Every Saturday and Sunday at Elizabeth Park they rent kayaks. Check their web site for more info- http://www.riversidekayak.com/.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Extreme Fishing Gets Good
The Lindberg Flash says walleye are almost jumping in the boat on the DR delta. Many reports are coming in from up and down the river of limits. Summer is finally here and the mayflies are gone. Many fish, especially walleye, just gorge themselves on these pupae. The fishing usually slows during this time, except for the silvers, so it's a good time to be fishing now that they're gone. Unless you're into extremes.
Extreme Fishing show host British actor Robson Green returns for yet another series of the show in which he travels the world screaming and swearing his head off as he reels in the fish. Today he is visiting Detroit and he's probably going to fish one of the hot spots on the river. Fighting Island, Mud Island, Sugar Island, pick any island and you should find some fish around. So which island does Robson pick? Zug Island!
He usually goes after an exotic fish, a toothy relative of piranha or a hammerhead shark or even octopus. What is he fishing for around Zug? His specialty is competing with local anglers using their fishing techniques. So let me guess, he'll be handlining for carp. Oops sorry handlining isn't fishing, my bad. We'll just have to wait and see what’s so exotic about fishing the old channel of the Rouge River. Probably the view.
What is it about the rest of the world and Detroit? Writers covering the Autoshow cover the desolation of the city, ESPN writes about how rundown and depressing the city is and then the show about what would happen if humans were wiped off the face of the earth; building unoccupied for 50 years, crumbling with trees and other things growing out of the cracks. Nothing about the sharp new cars or the new sporting venues we have and surely nothing about new neighborhoods going up around the city.
I made a call to Lockeman’e Hardware in Delray to find out the scoop. Dave said I should call Andy’s Bait and Tackle Shop who was contacted by the Friends of the Rouge River. This was becoming a tangled web and I found out that Delray resident Danny Newsome would be Green’s competition. The FOTR, http://www.therouge.org/, had contacted Mr. Green about fishing the Rouge and showing off how much the river has been cleaned up. It looks like this may turn positive after all. The program is only aired in the UK and should be available in September. Green’s web site is;
http://www.robsongreen.com/extreme-fishing/#
From a very reliable source I’m told that Zug Island wasn’t an island until 1888 when Mr. Zug let the River Rouge Improvement Company cut a small canal through the south section of his property to connect the Rouge River and the Detroit River more directly (this Short Cut Canal, as it came to be known, was enlarged in the early 1920s by Henry Ford to allow large ships to more easily navigate to and from his famous Ford Rouge Complex. Making it easier for Iron Warriors like Yash to build our country. Like sands thru the hour glass so are the changes on this river.
Extreme Fishing show host British actor Robson Green returns for yet another series of the show in which he travels the world screaming and swearing his head off as he reels in the fish. Today he is visiting Detroit and he's probably going to fish one of the hot spots on the river. Fighting Island, Mud Island, Sugar Island, pick any island and you should find some fish around. So which island does Robson pick? Zug Island!
He usually goes after an exotic fish, a toothy relative of piranha or a hammerhead shark or even octopus. What is he fishing for around Zug? His specialty is competing with local anglers using their fishing techniques. So let me guess, he'll be handlining for carp. Oops sorry handlining isn't fishing, my bad. We'll just have to wait and see what’s so exotic about fishing the old channel of the Rouge River. Probably the view.
What is it about the rest of the world and Detroit? Writers covering the Autoshow cover the desolation of the city, ESPN writes about how rundown and depressing the city is and then the show about what would happen if humans were wiped off the face of the earth; building unoccupied for 50 years, crumbling with trees and other things growing out of the cracks. Nothing about the sharp new cars or the new sporting venues we have and surely nothing about new neighborhoods going up around the city.
I made a call to Lockeman’e Hardware in Delray to find out the scoop. Dave said I should call Andy’s Bait and Tackle Shop who was contacted by the Friends of the Rouge River. This was becoming a tangled web and I found out that Delray resident Danny Newsome would be Green’s competition. The FOTR, http://www.therouge.org/, had contacted Mr. Green about fishing the Rouge and showing off how much the river has been cleaned up. It looks like this may turn positive after all. The program is only aired in the UK and should be available in September. Green’s web site is;
http://www.robsongreen.com/extreme-fishing/#
From a very reliable source I’m told that Zug Island wasn’t an island until 1888 when Mr. Zug let the River Rouge Improvement Company cut a small canal through the south section of his property to connect the Rouge River and the Detroit River more directly (this Short Cut Canal, as it came to be known, was enlarged in the early 1920s by Henry Ford to allow large ships to more easily navigate to and from his famous Ford Rouge Complex. Making it easier for Iron Warriors like Yash to build our country. Like sands thru the hour glass so are the changes on this river.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Happy Birthday Amelica
Yes this weekend we're celebrating my Daughter's birthday along with the country's. It seems just a few short years ago that she was born. It was the 200th anniversary of declaring our freedom. Now she's old enough to be President. Happy birthday Melissa! Let take a fishing trip if you can pull yourself away from all of the Bike Club meetings.
Fishing will be on the US side since she doesn't have a Canadian license. For those of you that have them I ran across an article from Bassmasters.com:
From Bassmaster.com
Anglers caught in Canada's border crackdown
Lake Erie
B.A.S.S.
For U.S. anglers, what is required when fishing Canadian waters on Lake Erie remains unclear.
By Frank Sargeant
Jun 29, 2011
On May 30, 22-year-old Roy Andersen of Baldwinsville, N.Y., motored to his favorite fishing spot in the Gananoque Narrows of the Thousand Islands area in the St. Lawrence River — as he had done dozens of times before — and proceeded to fish for pike and perch.
But in short order, two officers from the Canadian Border Services Agency boarded his boat and informed him he was in violation of customs procedures. He had failed to report in to Canadian customs when he crossed the international border at midriver.
This amazed Andersen, since not only he but hundreds of other U.S. anglers routinely cross the border to fish. The norm has been that so long as no one attempted to anchor or land on Canadian soil, reporting in was de-facto not required.
But the CBSA officers understood the rules differently, and they informed Andersen that if he did not pay a $1,000 fine, on the spot, his boat would be confiscated!
Andersen managed to pay with a credit card, but the incident, which seemed to mark a dramatic change in Canadian policy on border enforcement for boaters and fishermen, has ruffled feathers all the way to Washington.
Andersen is appealing the fine, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and Congressman Bill Owens, both of New York, have sent letters to the head of CBSA requesting an explanation of the change in policy. The outcome of the incident could have an impact on tournament anglers as well as casual fishermen throughout the border region, since anglers routinely pass back and forth across the unmarked open-water border during fishing trips throughout the Great Lakes and the connecting rivers.
The possibility of fines and confiscation of property threatens anglers competing in the upcoming Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio, as well as B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events on border waters.
There’s been a lot of confusion over what’s required, with different offices and officers of the CBSA interpreting the rule differently now that the question has come to a head.
Here’s what Chris Kealey, spokesperson for Canadian Border Services Agency’s Northern Ontario Region, told Bassmaster.com:
“These rules have not changed. If you are entering Canadian waters by boat and you drop anchor or go to shore to refuel, lunch or shop, you must report to Canada border services. It’s the same for Canadians going into U.S. waters.
“However, there is an exception that states if you are in transit from one location in U.S. waters to another in U.S. waters and pass through Canadian waters temporarily, that is permitted without reporting in to CBSA. And we also recognize that, in some areas, navigation into Canadian waters may be necessary for safe passage. In the Thousand Islands, for example, you might travel into Canada to avoid islands and shoals in many areas on the U.S. side, and that’s no problem.”
Captain Rick Unger, president of the Lake Erie Charterboat Association, said that he had never had an issue in many decades of taking anglers into Canadian waters to fish for walleyes, nor had he heard of any other skippers who had run afoul of CBSA — until the Andersen case.
“This is a big issue for us, naturally, so I tried to run it down,” Unger said. “I called the CBSA’s CANPASS remote reporting number and got hold of the Windsor office, and the officer in charge there told me flat out that word had come down from the top last week that they were not going to require U.S. boaters and fishermen to report unless they anchor or go ashore, period. I called back the next day, got another officer, and got the same answer. So, the members of our association are proceeding on that, (and we’re) fishing as we always have without reporting on trips that go straight out and straight back to U.S. ports.”
Chris Kealey of CBSA agrees: “We understand that boaters may not even know when they cross the border at times; in general, our enforcement people are not going to arrest and fine fishermen who do not attempt to anchor or land. However, if you have doubts, you can call 888-226-7277 anywhere along the Canadian/U.S. border to report in,” Kealey told BASS Times.
Chris Bowes, tournament manager for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, said that based on what is known at this point, anglers in the Lake Erie event (scheduled for Aug. 25-27) will be permitted to cross over and fish the Canadian side of the lake, but they will be advised to check in by phone with a Canadian customs office.
Some good and bad news about our country's bird the eagle. Last year I wrote about the eagle I saw soaring over I-75 coming back from turkey hunting. This year I heard of an eagle being shot in Genesse County a mile from where I saw the bird. It had to be the same one. Now this:
An injured bald eagle is recovering from a gunshot wound and should take flight again soon.
The five year old male eagle was rescued February 17 in Genesse County with a broken wing after being shot. The eight pound eagle was moved to the Howell Conference and Nature Center from Monroe in early May to continue rehabilitation. The facility has a large flight pen which allows the bird to fly back and forth to regain the strength necessary to survive in the wild.
Veterinarian Maxine Biwer tells Action News the eagle's release could possibly come in the next three or four weeks. The shooter was apprehended and fined heavily.
Fishing will be on the US side since she doesn't have a Canadian license. For those of you that have them I ran across an article from Bassmasters.com:
From Bassmaster.com
Anglers caught in Canada's border crackdown
Lake Erie
B.A.S.S.
For U.S. anglers, what is required when fishing Canadian waters on Lake Erie remains unclear.
By Frank Sargeant
Jun 29, 2011
On May 30, 22-year-old Roy Andersen of Baldwinsville, N.Y., motored to his favorite fishing spot in the Gananoque Narrows of the Thousand Islands area in the St. Lawrence River — as he had done dozens of times before — and proceeded to fish for pike and perch.
But in short order, two officers from the Canadian Border Services Agency boarded his boat and informed him he was in violation of customs procedures. He had failed to report in to Canadian customs when he crossed the international border at midriver.
This amazed Andersen, since not only he but hundreds of other U.S. anglers routinely cross the border to fish. The norm has been that so long as no one attempted to anchor or land on Canadian soil, reporting in was de-facto not required.
But the CBSA officers understood the rules differently, and they informed Andersen that if he did not pay a $1,000 fine, on the spot, his boat would be confiscated!
Andersen managed to pay with a credit card, but the incident, which seemed to mark a dramatic change in Canadian policy on border enforcement for boaters and fishermen, has ruffled feathers all the way to Washington.
Andersen is appealing the fine, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and Congressman Bill Owens, both of New York, have sent letters to the head of CBSA requesting an explanation of the change in policy. The outcome of the incident could have an impact on tournament anglers as well as casual fishermen throughout the border region, since anglers routinely pass back and forth across the unmarked open-water border during fishing trips throughout the Great Lakes and the connecting rivers.
The possibility of fines and confiscation of property threatens anglers competing in the upcoming Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio, as well as B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events on border waters.
There’s been a lot of confusion over what’s required, with different offices and officers of the CBSA interpreting the rule differently now that the question has come to a head.
Here’s what Chris Kealey, spokesperson for Canadian Border Services Agency’s Northern Ontario Region, told Bassmaster.com:
“These rules have not changed. If you are entering Canadian waters by boat and you drop anchor or go to shore to refuel, lunch or shop, you must report to Canada border services. It’s the same for Canadians going into U.S. waters.
“However, there is an exception that states if you are in transit from one location in U.S. waters to another in U.S. waters and pass through Canadian waters temporarily, that is permitted without reporting in to CBSA. And we also recognize that, in some areas, navigation into Canadian waters may be necessary for safe passage. In the Thousand Islands, for example, you might travel into Canada to avoid islands and shoals in many areas on the U.S. side, and that’s no problem.”
Captain Rick Unger, president of the Lake Erie Charterboat Association, said that he had never had an issue in many decades of taking anglers into Canadian waters to fish for walleyes, nor had he heard of any other skippers who had run afoul of CBSA — until the Andersen case.
“This is a big issue for us, naturally, so I tried to run it down,” Unger said. “I called the CBSA’s CANPASS remote reporting number and got hold of the Windsor office, and the officer in charge there told me flat out that word had come down from the top last week that they were not going to require U.S. boaters and fishermen to report unless they anchor or go ashore, period. I called back the next day, got another officer, and got the same answer. So, the members of our association are proceeding on that, (and we’re) fishing as we always have without reporting on trips that go straight out and straight back to U.S. ports.”
Chris Kealey of CBSA agrees: “We understand that boaters may not even know when they cross the border at times; in general, our enforcement people are not going to arrest and fine fishermen who do not attempt to anchor or land. However, if you have doubts, you can call 888-226-7277 anywhere along the Canadian/U.S. border to report in,” Kealey told BASS Times.
Chris Bowes, tournament manager for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, said that based on what is known at this point, anglers in the Lake Erie event (scheduled for Aug. 25-27) will be permitted to cross over and fish the Canadian side of the lake, but they will be advised to check in by phone with a Canadian customs office.
Some good and bad news about our country's bird the eagle. Last year I wrote about the eagle I saw soaring over I-75 coming back from turkey hunting. This year I heard of an eagle being shot in Genesse County a mile from where I saw the bird. It had to be the same one. Now this:
An injured bald eagle is recovering from a gunshot wound and should take flight again soon.
The five year old male eagle was rescued February 17 in Genesse County with a broken wing after being shot. The eight pound eagle was moved to the Howell Conference and Nature Center from Monroe in early May to continue rehabilitation. The facility has a large flight pen which allows the bird to fly back and forth to regain the strength necessary to survive in the wild.
Veterinarian Maxine Biwer tells Action News the eagle's release could possibly come in the next three or four weeks. The shooter was apprehended and fined heavily.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
O' Canada, Don't take my Fathers Day Away
I had a great day on the water this past Sunday with my sons. It was a little wind but not uncomfortably so. For 4 hours we were out on an adventure to catch whatever may come our way. Rekindling the past, bonding , catching up. While not all but most of our time on the water was spent on the Queens side of the Detroit River. It seems that may have been our last one. The cost of the license is high but not prohibitive but now with the reports out of New York state in order to fish those waters reporting in is mandatory and failure to do so will cost a $1000 fine.
Roy M. Anderson, a seasonal resident of Thousand Island Park, found out May 30 that long-held notions of where it's OK for United States citizens to fish no longer apply. While fishing a favorite spot in the Gananoque Narrows with a friend, his boat was boarded and then "seized" by Canadian Border Services Agency officers. I was dumbfounded," Mr. Anderson, 22, Baldwinsville, said. "My dad's 67 years old and he's fished there his whole life without a problem."
According to Mr. Anderson, officers came aboard his boat and checked his $83 Canadian fishing license, which he always carries, and checked for outstanding criminal warrants, of which there were none. Trouble started when Mr. Anderson was asked if he had reported his presence in Canada at a port of entry, which he had not. At the time, he was less than a quarter-mile into Canadian waters.
"I was told, 'If you are in Canadian waters, you should be running toward a port of entry. If you're not running toward a port of entry, you are in violation of the law,'" he said. Mr. Anderson, who fishes the narrows daily in the summer, said he had been checked previously by Ontario Provincial Police and Canadian game wardens and was always left with the impression that, as long as he was not anchored or otherwise on shore, he was doing nothing illegal.
This time, his boat was searched for contraband and seized and he was told that it would cost him $1,000 to get it back. If he could not immediately come up with the money, he would be placed in handcuffs and made to lie on his stomach while his boat was towed to shore in Canada, where he could face a fine of up to $25,000 under the Canadian Customs Act."I had to pay it on the spot," Mr. Anderson said. "They seized my boat and I had to buy it back on the spot."
Why the change in policy enforcement? Here is something that you need to keep an eye on. Two cases of border patrol giving tickets to boaters on the river (St. Laurence). Case #1 was a US. fisherman who was drift fishing in Canadian. water near Ga. when he was stopped by Cd. border patrol and asked for his fishing license which he had. They then asked for his reporting in # and he did not have one since he had not landed but had had just come by boat for the US to fish, not touched land or anchored. They told him since he was not under power he was deemed to have landed and they gave him a ticket for $1,000.00 which had to be paid on the spot by credit card or they would impound the boat. The guy paid the ticket – I saw the photo copy of this ticket at a meeting of the 1000 Is. International Tourism Council. He was told that he should have gone to report in station in Gan and phoned in when he came over AND phoned back in before he left Cdn. water. US fishing guides and resort owners are having fits!!
Case #2 was reported to Mary at Caiger’s by a regular customer who said it happened to member of his family ( I have no proof to confirm this ). A guy on a PWC went from Canada to Boldt Castle, just to look at it from the water. He drove around it and decided to stop on the water to look at it more closely. While stopped on the water he never touched land or anchored. He was stopped by US border patrol and given a $300 ticket for illegal entry into the US. The customer that told Mary the story went to customs at Boldt Castle to inquire about the law and the officer on duty said that he knew nothing about the law. The ticket was written by a different agency. Apparently there are laws on the books in both countries that say if you are not under way you are considered to have landed and they have been there for ever but have not been enforced. This should make for an interesting season for tournament anglers and recreational fishermen.
So it seems that a game of tit n tat is going on for some reason. The Canada Border Services Agency is adamant that all anglers will need to check in. Superintendent Wiley told me the policy is the same in Michigan waters, New York waters and the Boundary waters between Minnesota and Ontario. You must use an approved phone on land in order to do this. Everyone on the boat will have to have a passport, passport card , an I-68 card, a Nexus card or carry their birth certificate with them in case they are checked. The number to call is (888) 226-7277 and is available 24 hours a day.
The State Department said Tuesday that Canadian border officers had the law on their side when they seized an American fisherman's boat and fined him $1,000 for fishing in Canadian waters without registering at customs. In fact, they could have made him pay more, the department said. In a statement, the State Department said the Canada Border Services Agency was acting within "long standing regulations" by penalizing Roy M. Anderson, the Thousand Island Park resident who was snagged by Canadian officers while fishing, unanchored, in a favorite spot in the Gananoque Narrows. All foreign boaters must report to Canadian authorities upon arrival in Canadian waters regardless of whether they anchor their boats, the State Department said, echoing the Canadian government's position. North country boaters have long been under the impression they did not have to report unless they anchored.
A spokesman at the State Department's Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Charles E. Luoma-Overstreet, said in a statement, "We understand that this case was handled consistent with long standing regulations. We refer you to Canadian authorities for further information."The State Department's backing of the Canadians' approach comes as Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, challenges the CBSA's interpretation of the law and after New York officials asked the CBSA to refund Mr. Anderson his $1,000.
David A. McCrea, a charter captain out of Henderson who fishes frequently in Canada, said "there's no rhyme nor reason" to be found in the enforcement of the Canadian fishing and boating regulations. He said calls to the border agency's Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service System, or CANPASS, which is designed to expedite the customs and immigration process, rarely provides a satisfactory answer as to what is and isn't allowed. You call that number five times and get five different answers," he said. "You just keep calling back until you get the answer you're looking for and then you get that guy's badge number.""They don't want us to go over there. It's quite apparent to me," he said. "It'll be the last time I buy a Canadian fishing license."
O'Sammy's been gone for a little over a month now but his reach is still pulling at us from the grave. I don't know the reason for the change in interpretation of the Canadian Customs Act but it seems we're dancing to a tune not familiar to friends but from a place far away. As the war on terror winds down we need to rely on trust more and not a change in policy to crack down on law abiding citizens. With all of the money spent on high tech gadgetry to stop illegal crossings, allowing a dad and his sons to float down the river may be worth more in the long run to all of us.
This was a compilation of info from these articles:
http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/users/tweinz/blog/be-prepared-if-your-fishing-the-us-or-canadian-side-of-a-body-of-water-109390.aspx
http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110621/NEWS02/306219939/-1/NEWS
http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110622/NEWS02/306229942/0/news
Get Outdoors Downriver
Roy M. Anderson, a seasonal resident of Thousand Island Park, found out May 30 that long-held notions of where it's OK for United States citizens to fish no longer apply. While fishing a favorite spot in the Gananoque Narrows with a friend, his boat was boarded and then "seized" by Canadian Border Services Agency officers. I was dumbfounded," Mr. Anderson, 22, Baldwinsville, said. "My dad's 67 years old and he's fished there his whole life without a problem."
According to Mr. Anderson, officers came aboard his boat and checked his $83 Canadian fishing license, which he always carries, and checked for outstanding criminal warrants, of which there were none. Trouble started when Mr. Anderson was asked if he had reported his presence in Canada at a port of entry, which he had not. At the time, he was less than a quarter-mile into Canadian waters.
"I was told, 'If you are in Canadian waters, you should be running toward a port of entry. If you're not running toward a port of entry, you are in violation of the law,'" he said. Mr. Anderson, who fishes the narrows daily in the summer, said he had been checked previously by Ontario Provincial Police and Canadian game wardens and was always left with the impression that, as long as he was not anchored or otherwise on shore, he was doing nothing illegal.
This time, his boat was searched for contraband and seized and he was told that it would cost him $1,000 to get it back. If he could not immediately come up with the money, he would be placed in handcuffs and made to lie on his stomach while his boat was towed to shore in Canada, where he could face a fine of up to $25,000 under the Canadian Customs Act."I had to pay it on the spot," Mr. Anderson said. "They seized my boat and I had to buy it back on the spot."
Why the change in policy enforcement? Here is something that you need to keep an eye on. Two cases of border patrol giving tickets to boaters on the river (St. Laurence). Case #1 was a US. fisherman who was drift fishing in Canadian. water near Ga. when he was stopped by Cd. border patrol and asked for his fishing license which he had. They then asked for his reporting in # and he did not have one since he had not landed but had had just come by boat for the US to fish, not touched land or anchored. They told him since he was not under power he was deemed to have landed and they gave him a ticket for $1,000.00 which had to be paid on the spot by credit card or they would impound the boat. The guy paid the ticket – I saw the photo copy of this ticket at a meeting of the 1000 Is. International Tourism Council. He was told that he should have gone to report in station in Gan and phoned in when he came over AND phoned back in before he left Cdn. water. US fishing guides and resort owners are having fits!!
Case #2 was reported to Mary at Caiger’s by a regular customer who said it happened to member of his family ( I have no proof to confirm this ). A guy on a PWC went from Canada to Boldt Castle, just to look at it from the water. He drove around it and decided to stop on the water to look at it more closely. While stopped on the water he never touched land or anchored. He was stopped by US border patrol and given a $300 ticket for illegal entry into the US. The customer that told Mary the story went to customs at Boldt Castle to inquire about the law and the officer on duty said that he knew nothing about the law. The ticket was written by a different agency. Apparently there are laws on the books in both countries that say if you are not under way you are considered to have landed and they have been there for ever but have not been enforced. This should make for an interesting season for tournament anglers and recreational fishermen.
So it seems that a game of tit n tat is going on for some reason. The Canada Border Services Agency is adamant that all anglers will need to check in. Superintendent Wiley told me the policy is the same in Michigan waters, New York waters and the Boundary waters between Minnesota and Ontario. You must use an approved phone on land in order to do this. Everyone on the boat will have to have a passport, passport card , an I-68 card, a Nexus card or carry their birth certificate with them in case they are checked. The number to call is (888) 226-7277 and is available 24 hours a day.
The State Department said Tuesday that Canadian border officers had the law on their side when they seized an American fisherman's boat and fined him $1,000 for fishing in Canadian waters without registering at customs. In fact, they could have made him pay more, the department said. In a statement, the State Department said the Canada Border Services Agency was acting within "long standing regulations" by penalizing Roy M. Anderson, the Thousand Island Park resident who was snagged by Canadian officers while fishing, unanchored, in a favorite spot in the Gananoque Narrows. All foreign boaters must report to Canadian authorities upon arrival in Canadian waters regardless of whether they anchor their boats, the State Department said, echoing the Canadian government's position. North country boaters have long been under the impression they did not have to report unless they anchored.
A spokesman at the State Department's Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Charles E. Luoma-Overstreet, said in a statement, "We understand that this case was handled consistent with long standing regulations. We refer you to Canadian authorities for further information."The State Department's backing of the Canadians' approach comes as Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, challenges the CBSA's interpretation of the law and after New York officials asked the CBSA to refund Mr. Anderson his $1,000.
David A. McCrea, a charter captain out of Henderson who fishes frequently in Canada, said "there's no rhyme nor reason" to be found in the enforcement of the Canadian fishing and boating regulations. He said calls to the border agency's Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service System, or CANPASS, which is designed to expedite the customs and immigration process, rarely provides a satisfactory answer as to what is and isn't allowed. You call that number five times and get five different answers," he said. "You just keep calling back until you get the answer you're looking for and then you get that guy's badge number.""They don't want us to go over there. It's quite apparent to me," he said. "It'll be the last time I buy a Canadian fishing license."
O'Sammy's been gone for a little over a month now but his reach is still pulling at us from the grave. I don't know the reason for the change in interpretation of the Canadian Customs Act but it seems we're dancing to a tune not familiar to friends but from a place far away. As the war on terror winds down we need to rely on trust more and not a change in policy to crack down on law abiding citizens. With all of the money spent on high tech gadgetry to stop illegal crossings, allowing a dad and his sons to float down the river may be worth more in the long run to all of us.
This was a compilation of info from these articles:
http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/users/tweinz/blog/be-prepared-if-your-fishing-the-us-or-canadian-side-of-a-body-of-water-109390.aspx
http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110621/NEWS02/306219939/-1/NEWS
http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110622/NEWS02/306229942/0/news
Get Outdoors Downriver
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Derby Days, AIM to please
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5 – 8 age category
Most Fish – Jonathan Lesko – 13 fish
Largest Fish – Elizabeth Richardson
Smallest Fish – Sean Stambersky
Most Unusual – Kyla Summers – Napkin
9 – 13 age category
Most Fish – Clara Kissling – 10 fish
Largest Fish – Kayla Salamon
Smallest Fish – Wallen Woodward
Most Unusual – Joseph Crenshaw – plastic bag
Judges provided by – Wyandotte Big Boys
In the river a limit of silver bass is attainable with shiners and attention to your rod tip. In Lake Erie a limit of walleye is the norm trolling BBs with meat from Holiday Beach in Ontario to the shores of Enrico Fermi with direction of troll being the trick. Check your bait shop for info on either.
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The Gibraltar Fishing Derby is this weekend, Sunday June 12th. Top prize is $500 for the heaviest 5 walleyes. Many other fishing and raffle prizes will be up for grabs. Check-in at Lake Erie Metro between 6:30 and 9am with weigh-in at the ramp between 11am and 2pm. Fish fry to follow at the Gibraltar Comm. Center. $30 for entry into the tourney and dinner, $10 just for dinner. Kids under 12 fish free. Call Bob at 675-5182 for further info. MI waters only.
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A different type of derby took place in Brimley Michigan. The AIM Walleye tournament was held with Brett King registered 19 fish over three days to take first place and $40,000 in the AIM Bay Mills Resort and Casino Invitational Walleye Tournament. The winning recipe, according to tournament officials, came in the form of slow trolling cranks in shallow water. King jumped out to a big lead on Thursday with seven fish coming in at 26.56 pounds under the organization's catch-record-release policy, and added to his lead on Friday with another 29.02 pounds. Saturday's bite was a tough one for King, but with the overwhelming numbers he built on the first two days no one could catch him even though he only managed to pull two fish totaling 4.62 pounds in the finale.Joe Okada finished second with 49.33 pounds good for just over $7,000, while Robert Blosser came in third with 43.90 pounds and pocketed over $5,700.
Did you catch the 19 fish weighed in 3 days? The limit for walleye is 5 per day in Great Lakes waters of the UP. Do they get special dispensation for the over limits? No, this group of fishermen uses new technology to determine the amount of fish caught. The primary innovation is the exclusive AIM Catch-Record-Release™ (CRR™) format. This is something that many anglers have been clamoring for like Jack Kell from Southgate MI. “It’s a shame that they kill all those big fish just to have a tournament” is his sentiment. Most fishing organizations that have fishing tournaments try their best to keep the fish alive before and after weigh-in. Some studies indicate many of these fish die even days later and far from the weigh-in site, out of sight out of mind. With CRR, teams of Pro Anglers and Co-anglers measure each walleye on the official AIM ruler and take a digital photograph, record the length of each walleye on the official scorecard, and then immediately release the live fish. NO fish are brought to the “weigh-in” stage. Instead, the Pro Angler selects the SEVEN largest walleyes that are tallied for his daily weight. (The length of each walleye is converted to pounds and ounces using a standardized formula prior to taking the stage.)
The photos of the largest walleyes caught are displayed to the weigh-in fans – and also included in the live streaming of the proceedings on www.aimfishing.com. Because all fish are recorded and then immediately released, Pro Anglers are allowed to “weigh” fish within local “slots” that would otherwise be excluded from the daily bag.
The AIM Catch-Record-Release™ format has three huge advantages for the sport of competitive angling.
• First, AIM tournaments can be scheduled at the best times of the year for catching the most fish at each tournament site. Tournaments have been prohibited in many locations at certain times of the year due to fish kills associated with conventional formats that hold the fish in “live wells”.
• Second, AIM tournaments reward the Pro Anglers that catch the biggest fish – not the anglers that were fortunate enough to catch fish in a certain order, dictated by local slot limits and possession rules. As noted above, the daily weigh limits for AIM tournaments include the SEVEN largest walleyes. This also means that a Pro Angler can come from behind and advance many places; the excitement continues up to the last minute of the last day!
• Third, AIM Pro Anglers can not suffer penalties that are assessed in other formats for fish that are not releasable. With many events being decided by mere ounces, “dead fish” penalties are never a deciding factor in AIM tournaments.
Another key component of AIM Pro Walleye Series™ events is that most are being scheduled to coincide with local festivals. While tournament angling is exciting to the participants, it receives lesser interest from the general public. Scheduling AIM events within festivals helps to expose the sport of fishing to an audience of literally hundreds of thousands of new people. The festival attendees will see tournament anglers, along with their impressive boats and tow vehicles (and sponsor affiliations) up close at the AIM weigh-ins.
In addition to the weigh-in stage show for the local fans, the entire weigh-in is also broadcasted live at www.aimfishing.com. This live streaming includes interviews with the Pro Anglers and Co-anglers and photos of hundreds of the largest walleyes caught that day. Also featured are numerous videos taken by the AIM camera crew as well as video clips recorded by the anglers themselves. AIM has adopted the latest video technology to actually upload videos during the course of each tournament day. These “On the Water” videos are added continually to www.aimfishing.com (plus your iPhone) during the day and they provide the head-to-head competition that has never been possible to cover in tournament angling before. On Day Three of each tournament the top Pro Anglers’ boats are equipped with the AIM Pro Track™ GPS systems. Pro Track™ systems provide continual GPS tracks that can be followed all day at www.aimfishing.com. The GPS tracks not only show the exact locations of the leaders but also their travel speeds – allowing viewers to discern whether the trolling bite is working or the leaders have switched to jigging or are making a high-speed run to try a different “secret location.”
Their next tournament is June 22-24th; check them out on-line to witness the new format. Good Luck Mark Martin, http://www.markmartins.net/
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