# Rouge river dam removal and fish ladder



## jim734123 (Feb 10, 2010)

Hey do you any of you happen to remember reading if/why not they may plant steelhead in the rouge now that it has plans to be significantly opened up with the removal of the dam in wayne and fish ladder in dearborn? Just wondering as this could be a great fishery in our back yards. cant seem to find any information regarding this.


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## Cwick925 (Dec 28, 2008)

jim734123 said:


> Hey do you any of you happen to remember reading if/why not they may plant steelhead in the rouge now that it has plans to be significantly opened up with the removal of the dam in wayne and fish ladder in dearborn? Just wondering as this could be a great fishery in our back yards. cant seem to find any information regarding this.


Ive seen salmon get up to the dam they are taking out in wayne, My 6th grade teacher was all about cleaning to rouge and i loved catching fish/crayfish and turtles down there, So he would come pick me up when they did the cleaning day each summer was here.. 

It was only about 10fish but it was pretty cool to see.


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## Thebax (Apr 19, 2011)

Anyone have any more in site on the rouge? Would love to find a spot with this being so close to me. Pm's are welcome


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## monczunski (Feb 28, 2006)

I've found multiple dead steelhead each year around June in the rouge near melvindale. 


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## Chromedoggy (Mar 25, 2007)

I have not heard this. It would work to some degree, it provides a sporting opportunity in similar Ohio rivers. I am not sure Michigan fisheries would spend more effort to open this to another river that has little or no sustainablility.


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## jim734123 (Feb 10, 2010)

Perhaps they could stock some natives like walleye or pike, they usually make spring runs. i dunno, just seems like they should try something.


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## Toga (Nov 11, 2009)

Fill it full of carp.............oh wait never mind...........it is already full of carp. It is a good environment for carp and carp are fun 

Save the steel for good rivers that actually get enough return to justify the planting. I grew up in a neighborhood that butted up to the rouge. You could step in the mud along the bank and smell the sewage. It still to this day is not much cleaner. Planting steelhead in the rouge would be a huge waste of fish. 

The dnr plants the heck out of the huron which is a cleaner stream and try to promote it as a great steelhead fishery and we see very little return for the amount of fish that are planted. It is one of the heaviest planted rivers in the state btw.


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## Cwick925 (Dec 28, 2008)

Toga said:


> Fill it full of carp.............oh wait never mind...........it is already full of carp. It is a good environment for carp and carp are fun
> 
> Save the steel for good rivers that actually get enough return to justify the planting. I grew up in a neighborhood that butted up to the rouge. You could step in the mud along the bank and smell the sewage. It still to this day is not much cleaner. Planting steelhead in the rouge would be a huge waste of fish.
> 
> The dnr plants the heck out of the huron which is a cleaner stream and try to promote it as a great steelhead fishery and we see very little return for the amount of fish that are planted. It is one of the heaviest planted rivers in the state btw.


Im not trying to say they should stock the rouge, But I live right by it, I take my kids for walks down thru the woods all the the time, It IS pretty clean now (compared to what it used to be), It defiantly dont smell like sewage.. It can only get so clean with the amount of neighborhoods it runs threw, SOOO many people to pollute it.


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## Frank (Apr 27, 2003)

Hey, I think I was your 6th grade teacher (Mr. Walker). I really enjoyed taking students down to the Rouge River to help clean it up. Those were my best teaching years and I still think about all the cool stuff you guys would catch and the salmon that would spawn in the river every fall. I still help with the Rouge Rescue every year and was amazed to see some of my wood duck nesting boxes and bat houses were still up from 1995. I'm glad they took out the dam and I'm glad former students like you still care about saving the Rouge. 









Frank


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## Cwick925 (Dec 28, 2008)

Haha, Sure are, Actually, I got a note sitting next to my computer from you as i type, Both my daughters are in your class now, Maryssa and Jordyn Martin.... I still have my bat house in my dads shed. haha i got a a+ thanks to my uncle helping me build it.

I was actually on the betsie when you sent that note home with jordyn, Jordyn called me on the side of the river to tell me about the note..

How have you been? I tried catching you at school on the open houses and events but it seems like every time i can make it your not there..

How have you been? Still fish alot? I try to go as much as i can, But mostly stick to Salmon and Walleye. 

I had a letter for jordyn to bring back to you on tuesday but it looks as if i can just talk to you on here =)

Also, I asked maryssa to ask you last year ( or tell you i said hi too ) When is the rouge clean up? I would like to get my kids involved in things like that now, So they can learn to appreciate the beautiful things this state gives us.

Defiantly by far the best teacher i ever had.. I truly enjoyed science learning it from you, You always had a way to make it fun... 

If i dont hear back from ya on here, Ill come in to taft when i pick the girls up on monday to say hi


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## jim734123 (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is the reply from the friends of the rouge.

Mr. Boyer,

Currently, only the Wayne road dam is being removed. Any fish passage, if at all, at Henry Ford estate will still not be for a another few years as funding is being looked at now. As far as stocking, MDNR fisheries division establishes their programming for stocking. There are not any &#8220;private&#8221; stocking plans envisioned at this time.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Thank you for your interest in restoring the Rouge River.

John O'Meara, P.E.
Principal Engineer
Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.
2200 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite 300
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 769-3004
[email protected]


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