WCO Report for Erie County 4/12/2006: Erie area, PA,
WCO Report Posted: April 11, 206

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Posted by DWCO Randy Leighton on April 11, 206 at 21:16:38:

WEST ERIE COUNTY, DWCO Randy Leighton, WCO Brook Tolbert:

Conditions:
Erie finally welcomed in some Spring weather Tuesday with temperatures hovering around the 70 degree mark. Are tribs have been running very low and clear with a wealth of suckers and accidental smolts being caught. The warm weather should boost the spring crappie season, especially in Presque Isle Bay. Conditions for the opening day of regular trout season look good, a bit on the cool side with little chance of rain predicted. Boaters have been out and about on the Bay with some success hitting crappie and other panfish as well as the few remaining steelhead. Lake Erie water temperature off Toledo is 45 degrees, 41 degrees off Cleveland and 40 degrees off Erie.

A Few Words About This Weekend:
Anglers fishing this area are only too well aware of the loss of angling access due to land owner posting. There is really no need at this point to dwell on what has been lost. We are all aware of the crowded conditions we generate and the tension it can cause with local landowners. Future access along the area tribs is in the palms of our hands and it is our choice as sportsmen to treat the given access we have with respect or to lose it all together. The great traditions of this special weekend bring an overlap of steelhead season with opening day of regular trout season making Erie County one of the hottest spots in the state on opening day.

In our area this can mean excessively crowded conditions at times and excessive angling pressure along the tribs. Think about the area you may be fishing and understand that it may be through the generosity of a local land owner that you are able to fish there. Treat these and all areas as if they were your own. If you are fishing near a residential area, keep noise and lights to a minimum and leave with everything you brought in. If an area is posted, respect the rights of those that own it by staying out. Be aware of where you park observing any posted signs and assure that you are not blocking any right of ways. It's really not much to ask when you think about the consequences and recognize that future is now.

Last Minute Trib Closing Reminder:
It is unlawful to fish or possess trout or salmon in or along any Lake Erie tributary stream from 12:01 AM on April 14th until 8:00 AM on April 15th, a period of 32 hours.

Boating Yet?, Check Your Validation Sticker:
PFBC boat validation stickers and registration are good for two years and expire on March 31. If for example your sticker says 2006, it actually expired on March 31st of this year and should have been renewed with a 2008 sticker and registration. Current stickers are good through March 31st of 2007 or 2008.

Changes To Regulations, effective 03/11/ 2006 Regarding Filleting of Fish:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful to possess a fish in any form or condition other than in the whole or having the entrails removed while on shore, along the waters of this Commonwealth, onboard a boat or on a dock, pier, launch area or a parking lot adjacent thereto.

(b) Fish may be processed fully if they are being prepared for immediate consumption.

(c) This section does not apply to fish processed at a fish cleaning station officially recognized under ยง63.15a (relating to
officially-recognized fish cleaning stations).

(d) Provided that the requirements of this subsection are met, this section does not apply to fish processed by a permitted charter boat/fishing guide operation. The charter boat operator or fishing guide may fully process the fish at any time provided the charter boat operator or fishing guide retains the carcass until possession of the fish is transferred to the customer on shore. The charter boat operator or fishing guide shall give the customer who receives the processed fish a signed, dated receipt on the form prescribed by the Commission.

(e) This section does not apply to fish caught or sold in compliance with Chapter 31 of the code (relating to regulated fishing lakes).

(f) This section does not apply to fish caught under a Lake Erie commercial license issued consistent with Chapter 29 of the code relating to special licenses and permits) after the fish reach established retail or wholesale markets.

(g) It is unlawful to discard any fish carcass or parts thereof into the waters of this Commonwealth or upon any public or private lands contiguous to WATERS except:

(1) On lands with the permission of the landowner; or

(2) Where fish are properly disposed into suitable garbage or refuse collection systems or at officially recognized fish cleaning stations.

From the US Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service:
Sea Lamprey Control Underway for Conneaut and Crooked Creeks:

US Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada personnel are applying lampricides to sections of the Conneaut and Crooked Creeks in Erie and Crawford counties to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The treatment is currently underway with expected completion by April 13th.

Sea Lamprey larvae live in certain Great Lakes tributaries and transform to parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. Failure to kill the larvae in streams would result in significant damage to the Great Lakes fishery. Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years with lampricides to control sea lamprey populations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency have reviewed human health and environmental safety data for lampricides and in 2003, concluded that the lampricides (Lampricid and Bayluscide) pose no unreasonable risk to the general population and the environment when applied at concentrations necessary to control larval sea lampreys. However, as with any pesticide, the public is advised to use discretion and minimize unnecessary exposure. Lampricides are selectively toxic to sea lampreys, but few fish, insect, and broadleaf plants are sensitive. Persons confining bait fish or other organisms in stream water are advised to use an alternate water source because lampricides may cause mortality among aquatic organisms stressed by crowding and handling. Agricultural irrigation must be suspended for 24 hours, during and following treatment.

Extensive preparations are required for a safe and effective stream treatment. Prior to treatment, personnel collect data on stream water chemistry and discharge. In addition, they may conduct on-site toxicity tests with lampricides and stream flow studies with dyes that cause stream water to appear red or green.

Lampricides are carefully metered into the stream for approximately 12 hours, and continually analyzed at predetermined sites to assure that proper concentrations are maintained as the lampricides are carried downstream. Applicators are trained and are certified by Michigan regulatory for aquatic applications of pesticides.

The program is contracted through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Commission initiated chemical control of sea lampreys in 1958. Since that time the highly successful program has contributed significantly to the maintenance of the $4 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fisheries. Without continues control efforts these fisheries again would be in jeopardy as each lamprey in Lake Erie consumes nearly 40 pounds of lake trout and salmon during its parasitic life.

The Commission is committed to delivering a sea lamprey control program that practices good environmental stewardship. To support the continued safe use of lampricides the Commission recently conducted a series of studies at a total cost of $6 million to assess the effects of the lampricides on human health and the environment. In addition to these studies the Commission has implemented a research program to develop alternative control techniques. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada are currently evaluating the release of sterile male sea lampreys as a control measure in the St. Marys River. The Commission also is developing a strategy to increase the number of barriers on lamprey-producing streams, and is conducting research into barrier design, traps, attractants, and biological controls.

Additional information about sea lampreys and sea lamprey control is available online at www.glfc.org. TTY users may reach the Marquette or Ludington Biological Stations through the Michigan State Relay Service at 1-800-649-3777.

Local Weather:
Tonight
Partly cloudy. Lows around 50. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday
Occasional showers and thunderstorms. Breezy with highs in the upper 60s. South winds 15 to 25 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Breezy with lows in the upper 40s. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday
Partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 40s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Saturday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s.

Sunday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s.

Monday Night
Becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s.

Tuesday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s.




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