# Au Sable atlantic salmon!



## ausable_steelhead

Just to inform all, the atlantic salmon plants are a go and will be dumped at the Whirlpool tomorrow, 4-2-13. All plants will have an adipose-clip, but no tag. This is for marking purposes only. The plant numbers and locations for 2013 are as follows:

Au Sable river-30,000
Thunder Bay river-20,000
Lexington Harbor-12,300
St. Mary's river-35,000


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## Thorzep

sweet!!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DReihl9896

I'm not sure why this would work better than pasts attempts (maybe declining Pacific Salmonids mean less competition?), but it'd be a cool fishery if it works and can be expanded on the Huron side. Does anybody know if they get any natural reproduction in the St. Mary's and surrounding tributaries?


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## HemlockNailer

They are here. 30,000 went into the AuSable today at the Whirlpool Hole. Truck arrived at 12:45, emptied out and gone with only two fish lost.


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## bbi-smoke

HemlockNailer said:


> They are here. 30,000 went into the AuSable today at the Whirlpool Hole. Truck arrived at 12:45, emptied out and gone with only two fish lost.



Fingerlings? Or bigger

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## kzoofisher

bbi-smoke said:


> Fingerlings? Or bigger
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Bigger


Stocking of Atlantic salmon in Lake Huron
and tributaries to occur this spring 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced plans to release approximately 100,000 Atlantic salmon into Lake Huron and two of its tributary streams this spring. Yearling Atlantic salmon will be stocked in the St. Marys River, Au Sable River, Thunder Bay River and in the Lexington Harbor in southern Lake Huron in the coming days.

The DNRs Fisheries Division originally experimented with rearing and stocking Atlantic salmon from 1972 to 1982. These stockings resulted in only modest returns, and the program was essentially inactive until 1986. That year, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) began rearing and stocking Atlantic salmon into the St. Marys River under a memorandum of agreement with the DNR. The fish are reared at the LSSU aquaculture laboratory, located directly on the St. Marys River. The laboratory now serves as the sole source of Atlantic salmon eggs in Michigan and continues to offer recreational fishing opportunities on Lake Huron while providing LSSU students with educational experiences in fisheries research, culture and management.

In 2010, the DNR began experimental rearing of Atlantic salmon at its Platte River State Fish Hatchery near Beulah. After two years of working through disease problems and investing in equipment to control disease outbreaks, the production of Atlantic salmon yearlings in 2013 has been exceptional.

This years production of Atlantic salmon yearlings has gone according to plan, and were pleased to report the fish are healthy and disease-free, said Ed Eisch, Northern Lower Peninsula Area Hatchery manager. *Fish production personnel have worked hard to raise these fish from eggs to healthy yearlings. The fish are starting to smolt and are ready to be stocked into a lake environment.*

According to Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin coordinator, the stocking of these fish in Lake Huron represents the culmination of many years of planning and cooperation.

Fisheries Division managers have been working with constituent organizations over the past 18 months to identify appropriate stocking locations for Atlantic salmon, said Grischke. Many sites were proposed and evaluated according to things such as stream temperatures, public access and the ability for the DNR to evaluate returning adults. We also focused on those locations that would optimize the chances of success and provide stream, pier and open water fishing opportunities.

Atlantic salmon are one of several species of salmonids stocked in the Great Lakes, and are caught by anglers on both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

For more information, visit the Atlantic salmon section on the Michigan Fish and How to Catch Them section of the DNR website.


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## herb09

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## bbi-smoke

Wow, goin for a crazy ride! 
Great picture! 

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## Cement Pond

Can't wait to put a smack-down on those things off the pier in the fall! 
Deep fried Atlantics!:corkysm55


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## Chromedoggy

DReihl9896 said:


> I'm not sure why this would work better than pasts attempts (maybe declining Pacific Salmonids mean less competition?), but it'd be a cool fishery if it works and can be expanded on the Huron side. Does anybody know if they get any natural reproduction in the St. Mary's and surrounding tributaries?



I have had discussions with a few people that have documented natural reproduction, but I don't think you will find info published.


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## jayzbird

Doing a little reading..... So these fish spawn in the fall and unlike other salmon they don't die after spawning? If the plant is successful they are full adult and back in the river in 3 to 4 years? 


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## kzoofisher

jayzbird said:


> Doing a little reading..... So these fish spawn in the fall and unlike other salmon they don't die after spawning? If the plant is successful they are full adult and back in the river in 3 to 4 years?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes. They are related closest to brown trout though they are native to North America and the brown is not. They have a much wider range of prey foods than Kings so it is hoped they will do well in Lake Huron and provide more sport both near shore and open water. I don't know how early they will run in the Au Sable and Thunder Bay but they start quite early in the St Mary's and certainly do well there.


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## DReihl9896

kzoofisher said:


> Yes. They are related closest to brown trout though they are native to North America and the brown is not. They have a much wider range of prey foods than Kings so it is hoped they will do well in Lake Huron and provide more sport both near shore and open water. *I don't know how early they will run in the Au Sable and Thunder Bay but they start quite early in the St Mary's and certainly do well there*.


Given that they are so close to smolting stage when released, I wonder how much they'll stray and migrate to other streams. It's not like the Au Sable is their true natal stream if they are basically being dumped and quickly finding their way to the lake.


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## Chromedoggy

DReihl9896 said:


> Given that they are so close to smolting stage when released, I wonder how much they'll stray and migrate to other streams. It's not like the Au Sable is their true natal stream if they are basically being dumped and quickly finding their way to the lake.



Returners tend to be fairly sensitive to water temperature and quality throughout Europe and the US North Atlantic. It should be interesting to see the results.
The results in the Salmon River in NY is hopefully an indicator of the possibilities
I know of strays having been caught as far south as the Joe, but it is rare.


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## kzoofisher

This is St. Patrick's Day 2012 off St. Joe and that is not a brown trout


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## Shift7609

Well I'm certainly optimistic about it. I hope that this is successful it would be a great addition to the north east. Seemed this year there were quite a few kings in the river also but may have just been me i did find alot of carcass on the banks around Thanksgiving!

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## METTLEFISH

Seems like a wing and a prayer. Hopefully the change in forage will be conducive to them. I am not sure that is such an important issue as the Kings and Coho never prayed upon Alewive in their Native habitat however they took to them here. Here's to them reducing the Goby populations!....


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## herb09

Received that picture from Kelly Neuman one of the folks who fought hard to get Atlantic's planted in the Ausable. For those with doubts we've been catching Atlantic's in the Ausable for a few years now.

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## METTLEFISH

I'm aware of that. Those are pretty much the same stats that were prevelent when the first attempts were made. I am all for it... I hope this time it works.


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## ausable_steelhead

It will work. They made a "wing and a prayer" plant a few years ago, and that trib has had solid returns for two years now. They're coming back enough that strays are showing up in other tribs along the coast. The atlantics in lake Huron are much more prevalent than people think, they just don't talk about it much. There are opportunities for some hookfests in the spring...


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