# huron repots?



## holly wood (Jan 22, 2011)

I think it would greatly benefit the city of flat rock. There is 3 times the parking at huroc park than at foote dam, the local businesses would get a little boost from tourists and most importantly the fish would remain where shore anglers have access to them. In turn i would have no problem with the ladder remaining open if the dnr forced the upper metroparks to put in a boat launch and increase the plants but they wont do that it makes too much sense. With the stocking numbers where they are at now there is just too much river and the fish are spread thin all over. Closing the ladder is the easiset way to increase the catch rates. One more thing to think about is this: they should consider stocking that river in late february rather than in april. Who knows how many small trout get gobbled up running out of that river in april when it is full of walleye.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Just wondering how many of these fish do use the ladder once the water drops into the low 40's?

Seems on the Joe, most avoid it at Berrien

Then again the one a 6th Street....

It would be interesting to see a study. Ypsifly any comments???? From what I gathered the ladder was reconfigured to accommodate other species??

Again, I think the returns are limited by the shallow waters at the mouth, the currents of the Detroit River pushing the signature south and the areas the fish need to survive during the summer months. 

I still think the fishery is pretty cool being close to the house. I've gone a long way and still end up with a kitty. :lol:

It just doesn't allow a ton of pressure. The numbers don't exist. Maybe a drive toward heavier stocking and closing the ladder between November and March. 

The opportunities exist and the plants are working. 

I gave up chasing the fish 4 hours away and fighting the crowds and guides. These fish just aren't that important to me at this point. It's just nice to be able catch one or 2 locally. BTW, looks like some healthy ones this year!!!

Nice going guys!


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## HURONFLY (Aug 12, 2007)

Shoeman said:


> Just wondering how many of these fish do use the ladder once the water drops into the low 40's?
> 
> Seems on the Joe, most avoid it at Berrien
> 
> ...


 42 degrees seemed to be the cutoff point for movement up the ladder. At that point it did not pay to set up the trap net above the ladder. The DNR would suspend the census till spring when the water reached 42. The census and monitoring went on for a number of years not just one year with high water. That is where the 8% percent return rate is derived from. Before the ladder went in the DNR Used a census from the 80"s that was done on the Huron, Grand and St Joe rivers. At that time they thought the return rates were somewhere between 3% & 5%.


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

It would be great to have fish closer. The estuary is a problem for fish for sure. Maybe if they planted 100,000 G.L. Muskie in Erie they could get that number up to around 30% like the Clinton! At 8% even if only 50% ran in the fall/winter should mean dozens of fish in the holds, ya sure dont here about that many fish being hooked there, even this year, and there are guys that fish them a lot. Even Bio's questioned why so many are planted there. Any links Huronfly?


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## STEELHEAD JUNKIE (Feb 20, 2010)

Any increase in stocking numbers must also be approved by our neighboring states. I spoke with the biologist last week concerning the Huron.


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## River Keeper (Apr 12, 2010)

The plants on the Huron have a way low % return.Now there is Cormorants in the Huron every spring tearing them up big time.Cormorants just started to hit this river about 3 yrs ago.If you go to the mouth of the Huron you see ton of them flying rats now in the spring.Walleye run is another.Along with Pike numbers on the rise.Odds are not in thier favor to say the least.Every DNR we have talked to dislikes them as well.Blocking the ladder would only hurt fishing not help it.River Keeper


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

River keeper, take a look at this link.

http://glfsa.org/october-coldwater-committee-report


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## HURONFLY (Aug 12, 2007)

River Keeper said:


> The plants on the Huron have a way low % return.Now there is Cormorants in the Huron every spring tearing them up big time.Cormorants just started to hit this river about 3 yrs ago.If you go to the mouth of the Huron you see ton of them flying rats now in the spring.Walleye run is another.Along with Pike numbers on the rise.Odds are not in thier favor to say the least.Every DNR we have talked to dislikes them as well.Blocking the ladder would only hurt fishing not help it.River Keeper


 Your right on the cormorants did not see hardly any till last 3 years. I made a mistake in my earlier post first study dnr did was in mid 90's I meant to say not 80"s. returns to lake Erie streams Averaged 1% to 3% not 3% to 5%. not sure of links to the study. It was done by Paul Seelbach from U of M. When the ladder went in they did another census and the fish ladder survey. I think it was the addition of the data collected from the count at the fish ladder that raised that estimate to 8%. Not sure if there is a paper written on that. Info came from a meeting DNR spoke at at local fishing club meeting. I have also read that in a number of magazine articles on the Huron or steelhead fishing in michigan. Information was attributed to Jeff Braunsheidel or Mike Thomas in those Articles. IMHO i think the return falls somewhere in beetween the 1 to 3% in the Earlier study and the 8% in the study after the ladder. More like 3 to 5% depending on the year. The Huron is not the Manistee or the PM. It is also not the sewer, where you are lucky to land a steelhead or walk away without getting mugged, that to many others make it out to be. I have fished the river since the 70's and somehow never managed to get robbed ,raped or assulted. Fishing is better than most think it is.


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## HURONFLY (Aug 12, 2007)

METTLEFISH said:


> River keeper, take a look at this link.
> 
> http://glfsa.org/october-coldwater-committee-report


 I read that awhile back. 3 to 5 thousand is what i was told by Jeff braunsheidel a few years back. google study of steelhead smolts in three southern michigan rivers by Paul Seelbach u should find the first report.


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## River Keeper (Apr 12, 2010)

METTLEFISH said:


> River keeper, take a look at this link.
> 
> http://glfsa.org/october-coldwater-committee-report


 Nice Sight Thanks.BTW clean out your Pms


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

I am having a hard time finding much data on the Huron, here is one from the 90's suggesting an ANNUAL CATCH RATE of 500 fish per year....hardly seems worth the plants, but things can change, and may have, anyone finding more Info. on the Huron please post!

http://www.michigandnr.com/PUBLICATIONS/PDFS/ifr/ifrlibra/Research/reports/2003rr.pdf


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## tsr770 (Mar 3, 2010)

I would have top guess the annual catch numbers to be between 400 and 700, some years lower than that. 

I do enjoy the ability to fish them a half hour from home, but the numbers really do make me question if it is the best way for the DNR to spend my license money, I would rather see it spent on a native fish that could thrive in the Huron's situation. Maybe the GL muskie? 

HURONFLY, I agree, the fishing is better than a lot of people give it credit for, but leaves something to be desired when compared to other rivers that get equal amounts of stocking.
Take the Muskegon for example, sure there is probably a little natural reproduction happening, but it isn't much due to water temps and flow fluctuations and no sizeable coldwater tribs. They plant around 60k fish in there yearly, and the numbers caught are way more than the Huron, you have multiple guides working that river daily, way more people traveling to fish it on their own and I could almost guarantee if I fished it tomorrow I wouldn't get skunked, probably even have a multiple fish day in all truth. I don't think I can say that about the Huron, steelhead in the Huron are more of a novelty in my eyes, but they are there and do bite.

I really am curious now, if there are 5k fish in that river over the course of a fall/winter/spring, how many of them really are blowing right on by the ladder, and if so, why isn't it fishpoles to elbows up in Belleville?


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

tsr770 said:


> The biologists think otherwise..... It's actually a decent read.
> http://glfsa.org/october-coldwater-committee-report
> 
> Those return rate numbers are higher than most of the state if I am not mistaken.


I've spoke to a member on the coldwater committee, he questiones that number also as there have been no new studies the past 5 years. Something isn't right with that. Those fish need to be going where they will benefit the people that pay for them, little access and poor returns are not "wise use" of them, nothing has changed on the Huron, except now the Biologists are telling fish tales too!


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