# Chinook Salmon Egg Take, Little Manistee River



## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Apparently we got a good push of salmon at the Little Manistee Weir late last week, so tomorrow will be the first day of egg take. If all goes well, we'll do it again on Wednesday. Unfortunately we due to the virus we cannot allow visitors into the facility this year, but I'll try to post updates here.


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## Northriver Rabbit (Jun 20, 2016)

Great news
Thanks Mark


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Thanks for making it happen, Mark. You, and the whole crew.


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Have to say I didn’t see this push coming this year. A couple of cold water jewels proved me wrong. Have a great egg take


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

We did have a great egg take today! It went very well. The fish looked great and were very ripe. We harvested 558 Chinooks today, taking eggs from 218 pairs. We also passed 19 steelhead, 4 brown trout, and 58 coho salmon. It is amazing how different these runs are from year to year. I've been doing this over 20 years, and the salmon never fail to amaze me. This is one of the earliest egg takes we've ever done, and most of these fish weren't here a week ago. They basically showed up ripe and ready to go. Biggest Chinook today was 25.3 lbs.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Day 2 of egg take went even better. We spawned 279 pairs, and harvested 662 total Chinooks. Biggest Chinook was 27+ lbs (can't remember exactly). We also passed 30 steelhead (biggest was over 17 lbs), 5 brown trout (biggest was 11.1 lbs), and 71 coho salmon (biggest was something like 10.4 lbs). We're now done taking eggs for this week, which is good because my arms need a break! We hope to be back at it next Wednesday. Likely one more good day will do it.


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## salmon_slayer06 (Mar 19, 2006)

do you have any insight to the may/June kings that frequent this river? are these just fish chasing water temps and wind up here or are they actually in there to spawn?


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Any break down on natural and clipped fish? Do you take eggs and sperm from both?


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

salmon_slayer06 said:


> do you have any insight to the may/June kings that frequent this river? are these just fish chasing water temps and wind up here or are they actually in there to spawn?


Slayer06- you can read my Little M report here: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/2005-8_Little-Manistee_River_144067_7.pdf

Or if you don't have all day, here's what I specifically wrote about the summer Chinook run:
"The Little Manistee River summer Chinook salmon run seems to be a relatively new phenomenon. In recent years, large numbers of Chinook salmon have ascended the Little Manistee River all summer long, starting in early June. The size of the run hasn't been estimated because the weir is not in operation during the summer, but it likely numbers in the thousands. Angler reports from those fishing during the summer run have been extremely positive (J. Thomas and M. Galus, MDNR Fisheries Division, personal communication), and the consensus among anglers and biologists is that the run continues to build each year. Although it has not been extensively studied, biologists hypothesize that the summer Chinook salmon run is likely a response to the weir operation and that adult wild Chinook salmon are now entering the river earlier than their hatchery counterparts in an attempt to access the river (before the weir is put into operation on August 15th) to reproduce. This phenomenon is possible because of the water temperatures found in the Little Manistee River, which are cold enough to sustain the adult Chinook salmon until they spawn in the fall."

This report was from 2005. Obviously overall Chinook numbers are lower now, but I believe the concept remains the same. I believe that the weir operation forced an adaptation among the wild Chinook population. If a salmon shows up at the weir before Aug 15, they can run upstream and eventually spawn. The river remains cold all summer, so survival isn't a big problem. But if they show up after August 15, then they are typically harvested.

Hope that helps explain it. Pretty fascinating stuff for a fish nerd like myself.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

riverman said:


> Any break down on natural and clipped fish? Do you take eggs and sperm from both?


Riverman- yes we take eggs from both. So far this year's run has been very heavy to clipped fish. In particular we have a lot of jack males this year, indicating good survival from the 2019 stocking effort. Which is very encouraging! We suspect that we'll see more of the wild fish run a little later in the season, but that remains to be seen.


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## -Axiom- (Jul 24, 2010)

M. Tonello said:


> Riverman- yes we take eggs from both. So far this year's run has been very heavy to clipped fish. In particular we have a lot of jack males this year, indicating good survival from the 2019 stocking effort. Which is very encouraging! We suspect that we'll see more of the wild fish run a little later in the season, but that remains to be seen.


These salmon that are in the river for 2 or 3 months, what are they eating?


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## lostontheice (Feb 18, 2011)

Well,I'll admit I was wrong.. Earlier this year,I posted that there wouldn't be a take,but the Fish would still be sold to the cannery.. I'm glad to be wrong on this topic,and more then happy to hear the coho are being passed and not put to cat food.. Great job Mark..


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

-Axiom- said:


> These salmon that are in the river for 2 or 3 months, what are they eating?


They don't eat during the time they're in the river. This is similar to rivers out west where there are spring runs of Chinooks. Often those fish have to go a long way to reach their spawning gravel, and they don't eat during that long journey either. Basically the LM summer kings just hang out until spawning time.


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## Ojh (Sep 4, 2019)

Mark, was the fish count down this year? It seemed so on the Manistee. My records say the count 4 years ago was down even greater than this year. 
can you confirm?
Thanks, Oj


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I fished Swan Bay @ lake Huron last weekend. Salmon were hard to come by, as they were all up in Swan Creek by Saturday. But there were a TON of Kings up in that creek. I am sure the DNR will get all the eggs they can possibly use for hatchery purposes.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Ojh said:


> Mark, was the fish count down this year? It seemed so on the Manistee. My records say the count 4 years ago was down even greater than this year.
> can you confirm?
> Thanks, Oj


Can't tell, we aren't done taking eggs. We're going again Wednesday morning, so we'll see.


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## Ojh (Sep 4, 2019)

M. Tonello said:


> Can't tell, we aren't done taking eggs. We're going again Wednesday morning, so we'll see.


I ask because 4 years ago the fishing was poor, the Manistee is all natural spawn and if fewer fish are available to spawn then 4 years later fewer fish will be coming back (like right now) and 4 years from now the fishing will be equally poor - well, the fishing is good its the catching that is poor. Fish or no, I'll still be on the river. 3 years ago the fishing was almost as bad as it was 4 years ago, isn't it likely that next year will be almost as lean as this year? Is that a valid assumption for natural spawn?


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Had another successful egg take today. Spawned 170 pairs and harvested 719 Chinooks, for a season total of 1,939. We also passed 52 more coho (season total 188), 19 more steelhead (season total 72), and 3 more brown trout (season total 13). Today's effort should complete the egg take for us.

If we get the all clear from the hatchery we'll pull the weir grates tomorrow so any remaining salmon and the steelhead can proceed upstream on their own.

FYI one of the steelhead we passed today was 21.9 lbs and 38.8 inches in length. Big dark male. Very impressive. Good luck landing him in the Little River!


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks for all you do and the updates here mark. That’s a tank of a steelhead! No doubt would be a challenge to say the least in that stream! Did you guys snap a photo of him?


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## jmaddog8807 (Oct 6, 2009)

Ojh said:


> I ask because 4 years ago the fishing was poor, the Manistee is all natural spawn and if fewer fish are available to spawn then 4 years later fewer fish will be coming back (like right now) and 4 years from now the fishing will be equally poor - well, the fishing is good its the catching that is poor. Fish or no, I'll still be on the river. 3 years ago the fishing was almost as bad as it was 4 years ago, isn't it likely that next year will be almost as lean as this year? Is that a valid assumption for natural spawn?


Ever think you may have just been too early this year? I haven't fished the Big Man this year, but there are quite a few fish in a lot of systems right now. Definitely been a much later run this year.


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## piscatorial warrior (Sep 14, 2011)

I read somewhere that it would only take 250 spawning pairs to restock the entire Betsie river system. Might've even been Mark or Jay that said that. So I wouldn't think that a slim year would make all that much difference?


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

AdamBradley said:


> Thanks for all you do and the updates here mark. That’s a tank of a steelhead! No doubt would be a challenge to say the least in that stream! Did you guys snap a photo of him?


No pic. But the big fella was last seen heading upstream towards Hopper Junction...


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

piscatorial warrior said:


> I read somewhere that it would only take 250 spawning pairs to restock the entire Betsie river system. Might've even been Mark or Jay that said that. So I wouldn't think that a slim year would make all that much difference?


This year the Chinooks averaged 5700 eggs per female, so no it does not take that many females to "seed" the available habitat. If I recall correctly, earlier research on the Little Man pegged it's reproductive potential for Chinooks at right around 100k smolts.

These days we believe the limiting factors for the adult runs in these rivers lie more in Lake Michigan (and possibly the drowned rivermouth lakes) than in the rivers themselves.


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

Great thread. 

Thanks for sharing.


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## Ojh (Sep 4, 2019)

piscatorial warrior said:


> I read somewhere that it would only take 250 spawning pairs to restock the entire Betsie river system. Might've even been Mark or Jay that said that. So I wouldn't think that a slim year would make all that much difference?


From what I've read - Mark, correct me if I'm wrong - Mother Nature has it worked out so that in naturally balanced conditions a spawning pair with thousands of eggs will result in only a breeding pair 4 years later. It takes that many to maintain the species. This is under natural conditions - kinda rare now but I believe that that is a goal of the DMR. Say a breeding pair spawn 2000 eggs - if it is that many - by the time they hatch, go to the lakes and eat/be eaten and return to spawn that by the time the nest is ready to fertalize there are only 2 fish left from the original 2000 and the balance is maintained.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Ojh said:


> From what I've read - Mark, correct me if I'm wrong - Mother Nature has it worked out so that in naturally balanced conditions a spawning pair with thousands of eggs will result in only a breeding pair 4 years later. It takes that many to maintain the species. This is under natural conditions - kinda rare now but I believe that that is a goal of the DMR. Say a breeding pair spawn 2000 eggs - if it is that many - by the time they hatch, go to the lakes and eat/be eaten and return to spawn that by the time the nest is ready to fertalize there are only 2 fish left from the original 2000 and the balance is maintained.


I suppose theoretically in a very stable situation that might be the case. But Mother Nature doesn't usually work in that way. Instead, in some years you might get zero back from that female. In other years, you might get 20 back from one female. Even out west where salmon and steelhead are native, run sizes vary dramatically from year to year based on many different conditions, including river factors, ocean factors, predators, prey availability, etc. Another hting to consider is that salmon and steelhead don't all run at the same age. Some males will run as jacks or skippers at age 1, and a few females will run as early as age 2.


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## Kisutch (May 26, 2011)

The wall of Lake Trout when the spring Lake Michigan water temp hits the upper 30s limits the ability of recruitment for the following years. There are 20 to 30 million Lake Trout in this lake that consume most wild and planted fish. Now we have Cisco doing the same job. I will not stop bringing this to the
forefront of any discussion until we decide that those fish need to go. Total elimination of these undesirable fish.

Kisutch 

Former Lake Michigan Stakeholder 

God Bless Dr Howard Tanner 

Lake Michigan Lake Trout Gillnetters Association 

Alewife what?


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Kisutch said:


> The wall of Lake Trout when the spring Lake Michigan water temp hits the upper 30s limits the ability of recruitment for the following years. There are 20 to 30 million Lake Trout in this lake that consume most wild and planted fish. Now we have Cisco doing the same job. I will not stop bringing this to the
> forefront of any discussion until we decide that those fish need to go. Total elimination of these undesirable fish.
> 
> Kisutch
> ...


So you wish to eliminate a fish that is native to the lake?


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## Kisutch (May 26, 2011)

This last August was by far the "worst" fishing I have ever seen out on the big lake. I am very attuned to the goings on and the future of out fishery. We talk about equivalency with every fish we put in the lake. Maybe you should study the amount of fish the feds/tribes dump into the lake. For some reason "their" fish never fall under mouths to feed. When it comes to the "silver" fish its all about how much they eat. Worthless Cisco destroy massive amounts of alewife that would be better served in producing muscle mass for kings, coho, and steelhead. The same goes for those green fish. Think what your silver fish fishery would look like with 30 million less Lake Trout. Do you fish for Lakers? Most do not. 20 years of a doctrine stuffed down our throats for what? A great bottom trolling fishery that consumes biomass that could be used for better fish. Come on!

Read Tanners book.

Kisutch

Former Lake Michigan Stakeholder

God Bless Dr Howard Tanner

Lake Michigan Lake Trout Gillnetters Association Join now

Alewife what?


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Kisutch said:


> This last August was by far the "worst" fishing I have ever seen out on the big lake. I am very attuned to the goings on and the future of out fishery. We talk about equivalency with every fish we put in the lake. Maybe you should study the amount of fish the feds/tribes dump into the lake. For some reason "their" fish never fall under mouths to feed. When it comes to the "silver" fish its all about how much they eat. Worthless Cisco destroy massive amounts of alewife that would be better served in producing muscle mass for kings, coho, and steelhead. The same goes for those green fish. Think what your silver fish fishery would look like with 30 million less Lake Trout. Do you fish for Lakers? Most do not. 20 years of a doctrine stuffed down our throats for what? A great bottom trolling fishery that consumes biomass that could be used for better fish. Come on!
> 
> Read Tanners book.
> 
> ...


And with crashing Alewife populations you would propose that the Kings eat what again?


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## Kisutch (May 26, 2011)

Oh get rid the Lake Trout also. Their genetic code is not from our lakes.

Kisutch 

Former Lake Michigan Stakeholder

God Bless Dr Howard Tanner 

Lake Michigan Lake Trout Gillnetters Association Join now 

Alewife what?


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## Botiz (Oct 21, 2010)

I really enjoy fishing for both lake trout and Cisco. I take trips every year to target them specifically.


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## Kisutch (May 26, 2011)

Since 2000 and the "decree" we have had to deal with 45 million plus Lake Trout dumped intot his once great lake. Can you sit back for one minute and fathom the sheer number of mouths and their consumption of alewife in that time frame. 20 years and that many God awful fish inhaling important biomass. I cringe. So should you. Those monster steelhead you are about to pursue in that new sled don't get big by eating insects. They eat alewife when they get to a certain size. It is a known fact.

Kisutch

Former Lake Michigan Stakeholder

God Bless Dr Howard Tanner

Lake Michigan Lake Trout Gillnetters Association Join now

Alewife what?


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

If it wasn’t for the lake trout there would have been nothing for anybody to fish for out Frankfort this year. Yes, they could plant some more salmon but, the good old days of limits of salmon every trip out are gone and will not be coming back. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## westsidepolack (Feb 6, 2018)

If they taste close to a whitefish then tell/show me how to get on those ciscoes and i would gladly try to limit out on those.


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## MT2MI (Jun 4, 2016)

There is a tremendous amount of money and science devoted to the sport fisheries in Lake Michigan. Have there been any studies or modeling that looked at the impact of the lake trout stocking levels mentioned since 2000 on the salmon and steelhead populations in the lake? I can't imagine there hasn't been. Anyone from DNR or Universities care to comment?


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Thanks for your hard work, Mark Tonello, to ensure we have King Salmon to plant next year; which will in-turn provide a fishery for them in 2023 and 2024. I appreciate you.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

MT2MI said:


> There is a tremendous amount of money and science devoted to the sport fisheries in Lake Michigan. Have there been any studies or modeling that looked at the impact of the lake trout stocking levels mentioned since 2000 on the salmon and steelhead populations in the lake? I can't imagine there hasn't been. Anyone from DNR or Universities care to comment?


MT2MI- You can learn a lot by watching these videos:


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Fishndude said:


> Thanks for your hard work, Mark Tonello, to ensure we have King Salmon to plant next year; which will in-turn provide a fishery for them in 2023 and 2024. I appreciate you.


Fishndude- thank you, much appreciated! Our Fisheries Technicians did a great job re-vamping the weir facility so we could do it in a safe manner.


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## MT2MI (Jun 4, 2016)

M. Tonello said:


> MT2MI- You can learn a lot by watching these videos:


Thanks Mark. Two hours and twenty minutes is a bit long, but I'll try to find some time to make a bag of popcorn, watch these, and extract some nuggets. Mostly, I just curious to what extent lake trout stocking/populations have contributed to recent declines in steelhead and salmon and if its possible to quantify that. In other words, given the current forage base how would steelhead/salmon populations change at different levels of lake trout stocking (e.g. at 10% less, 20% less, and so on)? 
Thanks again


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## fishinfever (Feb 14, 2005)

Thanks, Mark.
I have to watch it again there is a ton of interesting facts and figures.
After watching that, I have a lot more confidence in scientific approach that is being followed.
Thanks again for sharing, FF


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## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

Hi Mark:

I was wondering if you have any updates on the Little Manistee weir. Do you know if and when the grates were pulled to allow free passage? Do you have final numbers on passed steelhead/brown trout/coho? The recording on the hotline is still from 10/7. 

Also, do you have any information on the Boardman River weir, or know where that information is published? Curious as to what the numbers are there as well. Are the steelhead/browns/coho being passed upstream of the weir?

As others have said - I appreciate all that you and your team do! Thanks so much for the helpful information that you always provide.

Thanks,

Spin to Win


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Spin to Win said:


> Hi Mark:
> 
> I was wondering if you have any updates on the Little Manistee weir. Do you know if and when the grates were pulled to allow free passage? Do you have final numbers on passed steelhead/brown trout/coho? The recording on the hotline is still from 10/7.
> 
> ...


Yes the grates were pulled last thursday (October 8th). At that point, we estimated around 1000 fish below the weir, so our assumption is that those fish went upstream to spawn. Also, the numbers I gave for last wednesday were the final numbers.

The final harvest at the Boardman Weir will be tomorrow, with the grates coming out on the 15th. As of last week, they had harvested 1,755 coho and 45 Chinooks, and they had passed four steelies and one brown trout.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

MT2MI said:


> Thanks Mark. Two hours and twenty minutes is a bit long, but I'll try to find some time to make a bag of popcorn, watch these, and extract some nuggets. Mostly, I just curious to what extent lake trout stocking/populations have contributed to recent declines in steelhead and salmon and if its possible to quantify that. In other words, given the current forage base how would steelhead/salmon populations change at different levels of lake trout stocking (e.g. at 10% less, 20% less, and so on)?
> Thanks again


Fifteen or even ten years ago, Chinook were by far the driving factor on the alewife forage base. We were stocking millions more than we are currently. Also Chinooks are very picky eaters- they want alewife. As the salmon stocking numbers have dropped since 2013, so have the overall numbers of Chinooks in the lake. So that makes a lake trout and steelhead bigger players nowadays in forage base management, since both of those species also eat alewives. I'm not going to try and put and a number on it, but suffice to say that we're well aware of the impact of lake trout on the alewife forage base.


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## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

M. Tonello said:


> The final harvest at the Boardman Weir will be tomorrow, with the grates coming out on the 15th. As of last week, they had harvested 1,755 coho and 45 Chinooks, and they had passed four steelies and one brown trout.


Thanks for the information Mark - very much appreciated.

In regards to the Boardman, will the steelhead/brown trout that are passed above the weir be stopped at the Union Street dam, or will they be allowed to continue on upstream? Once the grates are pulled on the 15th, will there be free fish passage above Union Street? Will the final run numbers be published anywhere? 

Thank You!


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

M. Tonello said:


> Yes the grates were pulled last thursday (October 8th). At that point, we estimated around 1000 fish below the weir, so our assumption is that those fish went upstream to spawn. Also, the numbers I gave for last wednesday were the final numbers.
> 
> The final harvest at the Boardman Weir will be tomorrow, with the grates coming out on the 15th. As of last week, they had harvested 1,755 coho and 45 Chinooks, and they had passed four steelies and one brown trout.


What were these fish harvested for? Was there an egg take there as well as Platte for coho?


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## MI steelheader-Joe (Sep 23, 2019)

M. Tonello said:


> Fifteen or even ten years ago, Chinook were by far the driving factor on the alewife forage base. We were stocking millions more than we are currently. Also Chinooks are very picky eaters- they want alewife. As the salmon stocking numbers have dropped since 2013, so have the overall numbers of Chinooks in the lake. So that makes a lake trout and steelhead bigger players nowadays in forage base management, since both of those species also eat alewives. I'm not going to try and put and a number on it, but suffice to say that we're well aware of the impact of lake trout on the alewife forage base.


I’d be very interested to hear more about what you have to say about lake trout in the lake. Have a lot of friends that bitch about it constantly saying they should cut lake and plant more “desirable” species. Being uneducated I don’t really have a take on the topic.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Spin to Win said:


> Thanks for the information Mark - very much appreciated.
> 
> In regards to the Boardman, will the steelhead/brown trout that are passed above the weir be stopped at the Union Street dam, or will they be allowed to continue on upstream? Once the grates are pulled on the 15th, will there be free fish passage above Union Street? Will the final run numbers be published anywhere?
> 
> Thank You!


There is no free fish passage at Union Street right now- the fish ladder is closed. So those fish will not be able to access the upper Boardman. I'm not sure if there's anywhere those final numbers get posted publicly. I can put them here if I can remember.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Sparky23 said:


> What were these fish harvested for? Was there an egg take there as well as Platte for coho?


Sparky- We typically do not do an egg take at the Boardman Weir. The fish were harvested by our weir contractor- American-Canadian Fisheries. I'm not exactly sure what they'll be used for. The eggs are sold for bait, and I think some of the better cohos are used for human consumption. If I recall correctly, the Chinooks go to the pet food industry. I'm not 100% sure on that but that's how it was in the past.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

MI steelheader-Joe said:


> I’d be very interested to hear more about what you have to say about lake trout in the lake. Have a lot of friends that bitch about it constantly saying they should cut lake and plant more “desirable” species. Being uneducated I don’t really have a take on the topic.


Couple things. First of all, most people want lake trout to at least be a component of the fishery in Lake Michigan. We in MDNR have always espoused a diverse salmonid predator community that includes percentages of Chinook, coho, steelhead, lake trout, and brown trout. That said, there have certainly been many discussions about what those percentages should be. Remember that MDNR is not all-powerful when it comes to Lake Michigan. We work with three other states, a number of tribes, and the feds to manage the lake.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

M. Tonello said:


> Sparky- We typically do not do an egg take at the Boardman Weir. The fish were harvested by our weir contractor- American-Canadian Fisheries. I'm not exactly sure what they'll be used for. The eggs are sold for bait, and I think some of the better cohos are used for human consumption. If I recall correctly, the Chinooks go to the pet food industry. I'm not 100% sure on that but that's how it was in the past.


 I know that this has nothing to do with you in general. But how is it that we pay as fisherman every year for licenses so that our DNR can harvest fish and sell them to Canada instead of letting bam reproduce and/or at least be Harvested by fisherman. It is unbelievable to me that more sportsmen r not outraged by this


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

Sparky23 said:


> I know that this has nothing to do with you in general. But how is it that we pay as fisherman every year for licenses so that our DNR can harvest fish and sell them to Canada instead of letting bam reproduce and/or at least be Harvested by fisherman. It is unbelievable to me that more sportsmen r not outraged by this


Those fish are available to us for 99% of their life cycle. There is no shortage of fishing opportunity for just about any species in this state. I have no problem with them taking the opportunity to make a little money at the very end of this fishes life cycle.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

FishMichv2 said:


> Those fish are available to us for 99% of their life cycle. There is no shortage of fishing opportunity for just about any species in this state. I have no problem with them taking the opportunity to make a little money at the very end of this fishes life cycle.


Ask the guys in the bays how nice not seeing a salmon for 9 months a year is and how nice some spawning coho would be. And when exactly is the 99 per of its life? When it's in the river as a smelt for over. A year? Or when it is in Wisconsin? Coho are catchable on a consistent basis for about 2months a year. In the lake when do shore anglers have access to the fish for 99 percent of its life exactly?


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

Sparky23 said:


> Ask the guys in the bays how nice not seeing a salmon for 9 months a year is and how nice some spawning coho would be. And when exactly is the 99 per of its life? When it's in the river as a smelt for over. A year? Or when it is in Wisconsin? Coho are catchable on a consistent basis for about 2months a year. In the lake when do shore anglers have access to the fish for 99 percent of its life exactly?


I catch coho from shore for 4 months of the year. Guys who fish the big water get the summer months as well. I've caught coho in dozens of rivers and beaches and harbors over the years. I just don't get the anger over the subject. I've never been fishing anywhere in this state and thought, "boo hoo, I need someone to put more fish in front of me." I just don't get it. I'll admit I'd rather see fewer lakers in exchange for other species but I'm not gonna lose any happiness over it. If the DNR can make some money off of a fish that is about to die and that helps them manage our systems and pay our dnr employees then I'm fine with that. Also keep in mind there are some scientific reasons behind removing many of those fish from river systems.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

FishMichv2 said:


> I catch coho from shore for 4 months of the year. Guys who fish the big water get the summer months as well. I've caught coho in dozens of rivers and beaches and harbors over the years. I just don't get the anger over the subject. I've never been fishing anywhere in this state and thought, "boo hoo, I need someone to put more fish in front of me." I just don't get it. I'll admit I'd rather see fewer lakers in exchange for other species but I'm not gonna lose any happiness over it. If the DNR can make some money off of a fish that is about to die and that helps them manage our systems and pay our dnr employees then I'm fine with that. Also keep in mind there are some scientific reasons behind removing many of those fish from river systems.


Bs


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Do I need to pull the car over?


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Sparky23 said:


> I know that this has nothing to do with you in general. But how is it that we pay as fisherman every year for licenses so that our DNR can harvest fish and sell them to Canada instead of letting bam reproduce and/or at least be Harvested by fisherman. It is unbelievable to me that more sportsmen r not outraged by this


Sparky- I can certainly understand that line of thinking. You aren't the only one to ever bring it up. It just isn't that simple. Remember that there are a number of different weirs around the state and they aren't all the same. If you want to call me, I'd be happy to discuss it with you. My desk phone is (231) 775-9727 x6071. Leave me a voicemail and I'll get back with you.


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## M. Tonello (Sep 20, 2002)

Spin to Win said:


> Thanks for the information Mark - very much appreciated.
> 
> In regards to the Boardman, will the steelhead/brown trout that are passed above the weir be stopped at the Union Street dam, or will they be allowed to continue on upstream? Once the grates are pulled on the 15th, will there be free fish passage above Union Street? Will the final run numbers be published anywhere?
> 
> Thank You!


Spin to Win- Just got a note from Heather in TC about the final Boardman Weir harvest, which apparently was on tuesday of last week. They harvested 483 Chinook and 248 coho, which makes season totals of 701 Chinook and 2,473 coho. They also passed 12 steelies and one brown trout, for season totals of 21 steelhead and 2 browns. The weir grates were pulled on Thursday so any fish left or coming since then can go on up to Union Street Dam as they wish.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

I bet there's a pile of fish up there now, wish I could get away for a few days and float some skein.... bobber down!!


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## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

M. Tonello said:


> Spin to Win- Just got a note from Heather in TC about the final Boardman Weir harvest, which apparently was on tuesday of last week. They harvested 483 Chinook and 248 coho, which makes season totals of 701 Chinook and 2,473 coho. They also passed 12 steelies and one brown trout, for season totals of 21 steelhead and 2 browns. The weir grates were pulled on Thursday so any fish left or coming since then can go on up to Union Street Dam as they wish.


Really appreciate the follow up Mark. Surprised how many coho vs. chinook that made it up to the weir. Will be very interested to see how the fish passage situation at Union St. unfolds. I know it's a hot button topic with some folks, but in my opinion, I think it will actually do a world of good for that river to have steelhead allowed to ascend freely.

Thanks for all you do!


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

Sparky23 said:


> Bs


Landed this one and 2 more just as shiny today on a river not in Benzie county. This is the 6th river across 3 counties I have seen or caught Coho in since mid August.


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## nichola8 (Oct 7, 2013)

Bring on the coho's I prefer them over the other salmonoids.....never got into Atlantics but I am pretty sure I would like them as well.


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## The Mediocre Fisherman (Jan 22, 2020)

nichola8 said:


> Bring on the coho's I prefer them over the other salmonoids.....never got into Atlantics but I am pretty sure I would like them as well.


Haven’t caught any Atlantics yet, but they’re certainly my favorite from the market.


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## salmon_slayer06 (Mar 19, 2006)

about 3-4 weeks ago we were getting huge and I mean huge fresh dime bright coho off the beach and pier. buddy landed one that we thought was a king. I kept a nice buck eater size and could not believe how red and firm the meat was. seems they made it to river as most are steelhead with a few small coho skippy.


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Heard of a 20# coho caught off a NW pier the other day, didn't see it but heard from someone reputable, well at least he says he is reputable. But I will say, this same person caught a 20lb 8 oz steelhead last week, and I know that's true, I was there.


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## nighttime (Nov 25, 2007)

toto said:


> Heard of a 20# coho caught off a NW pier the other day, didn't see it but heard from someone reputable, well at least he says he is reputable. But I will say, this same person caught a 20lb 8 oz steelhead last week, and I know that's true, I was there.


Probably walked past you couple days ago. Lost a pig coho that day, also landed one other ho, steel played also. Had a hard time holding on to em.


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## MoJoRisin' (Jan 30, 2004)

Man....would b killer to get into the 20,20,30 club. I need the 2 20s now and haven't even been close yet.

I'm guessing the ones mentioned above were on fairly light line being pier fish.....were they caught on spawn?


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Yes spawn for us, 6# floro leader.


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## Northriver Rabbit (Jun 20, 2016)

Landed this one Saturday after thanksgiving at tippy. Snagged in the tail on a floating spawn bag and released. Biggest coho I’ve seen. size 11 boot


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

Northriver Rabbit said:


> Landed this one Saturday after thanksgiving at tippy. Snagged in the tail on a floating spawn bag and released. Biggest coho I’ve seen. size 11 boot
> View attachment 598473


Nice looking fish. I love finding them in November and December and still shiny or with those bright reds. No one else on the river usually.


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Man


Northriver Rabbit said:


> Landed this one Saturday after thanksgiving at tippy. Snagged in the tail on a floating spawn bag and released. Biggest coho I’ve seen. size 11 boot
> View attachment 598473


that's a very nice coho right there.


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## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

I Got a few decent browns swinging flies, this being the best to hand, while on the search for some early steel. My friend had a great take from a colored up coho buck on an egg sucking leech. It was crazy because we really didn’t expect it. The fish was with a couple others hanging out in the shade, but a few casts in, and duder came over 2’ and whacked it. It was pretty cool to watch.


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## salmon_slayer06 (Mar 19, 2006)

wow they are pretty far along on the spawn. next season taking advantage of the multi species as it was my best trip of the season so far. imo the coho fought as hard maybe harder than the steelhead I can't believe I said that.


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