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September 2023 Bucket
Next
meeting Monday September 25, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Polish Falcons Club 341
East 3rd St.
PROGRAM:
TBA
FISHING REPORT:
There have been some reports of perch being caught and lots of success
catching walleye still being reported. Shown below is an an example of the
nice catch of 15 yellow perch that SONS Seceretary Don Tombaugh caught in
the first week of September.
SONS
PARTNER APPRECIATION FISH FRY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS
For
over 40 years now the SONS of Lake Erie has held a fish fry for all of our
partners. Our partners list includes our local, state and federal
legislators, public officials, members of entities, agencies and commissions
such as the DEP, DCNR, CZM, PFBC, EWPPA, PA Sea Grant, Regional Science
Consortium etc. all who which we have worked with us throughout the years to
promote public accessibility, protect our fishery and promote the interests
of the fishing community and our club members.
This
year the fish fry was held on Wednesday September 6, 2023 at the picnic
facility located at the Bay Harbor East Marina. The facility is one of the
finest on our bay front but in spite of this, the event requires quite a bit
of logistical effort and pre planning. We set up tents, bring in extra
tables, chairs, cooking tools, coolers, deep fryers, pans, bowls, paper
plates, utensils, ice, table cloth and more. Most of the above was brought
in the day before ready to set up and organize.
Over
thirty SONS volunteers joined in to help set up starting at 8:30 AM. The
group split into teams each led by one or more of our dedicated directors
who set up the tents, covered the tables, set up the frying station, the
sign in tables serving tables and the kitchen. A group of about 10
volunteers brought in cutting boards and filet knives to trim the over 100
pounds of walleye fillets. They carefully inspected each removing bones and
less desirable portions of the fillet and then cut them into sandwich size
pieces. This process took nearly two hours.
Bob
Zawadzki who has planned these fish fry’s for over forty year arrived with
the trays of salads, coleslaw and beans at 10:45. The kitchen crew led by
Mary Runser with the help of Sandy Brown and Mary Kissell prepared them for
serving. The beer batter which was pre mixed dry by former SONS Pres. Ralph
Corvaglia was finished by mixing in the beer and eggs by former VP Bill
Brown The fryer crew and runners led by Chuck Mller, consisted of Ralph
Friend, John Krupinski, John Kovach, Joe Springer. Keith Cauvel, Mike
Kabasinski and Mike Felege started battering and frying the filets. The
serving team included Larry Lipinski, Ken Mims, Ray Halt, Bert Camp and Rich
Cass. The guests started arriving about 11:00 AM but by then everything was
up and running to serve them. Rich Brine, Don Tombaugh and Tom Pruzenski
signed in the guests who were met and greeted by Ed Kissell and Jerry
Skrypzak and Jack Klapthor. The welcome team helped 50 of the guests with
renewing their memberships and many of them purchased raffle tickets while
others made donations. About 110 guests came to enjoy the day.
We
must point out that September 6th was the hottest day of this
year with the thermometer reaching 91 deg. Thank you to all who endured the
heat to create a successful event including those previously mentioned and
Dave Mikeska, Tom Nichols Dick Kelley, Paul Holtz, Sue and Steve Capella and
Dave Karle who also pitched in setting up, trimming fish, filling coolers,
cleaning up and tearing down. Another thankyou goes out to Heidi and Gerard
and their Bayshore Marina Crew for their help and the use of the facility.
Finally we owe a great vote of thanks to all of those contestants in the
local summer tournaments who donated their catch so that we can hold our
annual fish fry at the Emmaus Soup Kitchen which is scheduled for September
15th and for this annual Partners Appreciation Fish /fry
We
apologize that due to a corrupted picture card there are not photos of the
fish fry. They would have saved a lot of typing because a picture is worth a
thousand words.
AVONIA
BEACH GETS A FACE LIFT
Avon
Beach is shown lined with caution tap and occupied by heavy excavation
equipment ready to proceed with a $95,000 shore stabilization project which
is being funded by a Lake Erie Access grant. The work will be completed in
time for the steelhead run.
PRESQUE ISLE MARINA DOCKS TO BE REPLACED
Beginning September 27th the boat docks at the Presque Isle
Marina will be removed and replaced with new ones. The construction area
will be closed and no fishing will be allowed in the construction area
during the construction period.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW “BUCKET” SPONSORS
Since
the first publication of our newsletter “The Bucket” we have solicited
sponsors to support its printing and mailing costs. Many of them have been
sponsors for over forty years since the first issue. The price of the
sponsorship is a mere $60 per year. The list of sponsors is included with
each publication of the over 2000 newsletters that are mailed out or
emailed. We would like to welcome five of our new sponsors which include: 12th
St. Beer Co. LLC, Real Nutz Vodka, Folly’s End Campground and Fly Shop,
Creative Imprints Co, Fishermen’s Haven and Elk Creek Sports. Read through
the list of our sponsors and take advantage of their services and purchase
their products.
WATCH
OUT FOR THESE GUYS
As
autumn moves closer many of us will be heading into the woods for hunting,
stream fishing and hiking. These activities expose us to the possibility of
deer tick bites but there are many things one can do to avoid a bite and
catching Lyme disease which they carry. They include the following:
•
Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks
easily.
• Wear enclosed shoes, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.
• Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants.
• Check clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors.
• Consider using insect repellent.
• Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails,
Photo of deer tick
Another bug to watch out for is the spotted lantern fly which
although not dangerous to humans but threaten our environment by damaging
our crops especially vineyards. Two were recently spotted in Erie County and
we have been asked to be on the lookout and kill them on sight,
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest, could cause
economic impacts if allowed to spread. It has been found in southeast
Pennsylvania and threatens nearby states. Lumber, grapes and hops industries
are particularly at risk because spotted lanternfly likes to feed on these
plants. This pest spreads easily by hitchhiking on vehicles or laying its
eggs on most any flat surface – like the sides of box cars, propane tanks
and equipment stored outside.
WOULD
YOU LIKE TO GET YOUR SONS NEWS LETTER BY EMAIL?
If so, send us an email to
sonslakeri@aol.om
list your name, address and note that you would like to change to the
electronic version. So far we have about 160 members who have requested the
change so far. You can always read the current and past issues of the Bucket
at our web site, sonsoflakeerie.org.at any time.
A STEELHEAD KICKOFF Party
will be held Saturday October 21 from 11AM until 5 PM under the pavilion at
Folly’s End Campground 8600 Rt. 98, Girard, PA 16417. Admission is free and
open to the public. It promises to be a fun filled day with DJ Music, Food
Truck, Micro-Brew truck and experts on hand to share their fishing knowledge
and fishing opportunities there. The experts on hand will be Gary Kell
certified fly casting instructor and guide, Karl Weixlmann writer, author
and owner operator of Fly Fish Erie, Tony Dranzo owner operator of Addicted
Angler School, Ari Capotis guide and owner operator of Keystone Fly Girl,
Mark Signorino fly casting instructor and guide and Julie Szur fly fishing
guide. There also will be manufacturer reps on hand.
FISH
USA TO SPONSOR STEELHEAD SEMINAR
On
Saturday October 7th from 12-4 Fish USA will be hosting its
“Chrome Fest 2023” steelhead seminar at its warehouse location at 6960 West
Ridge Rd. Fairview, PA. It is free and open to the public experts like Fish
USA pro staff member Roger Hinchcliff, Female Steelhead Guide Ari Capotis
and Jack Bar Erie tributary guide. Free food and drinks will be served
SEA
LAMPREYS ARE STAGING A COMEBACK
Bloodsucking Sea Lampreys are Biting Back in America's Great Lakes A creepy,
parasitic fish that thrives by sucking the blood out of its hosts – earning
the nickname "vampire fish" – is making a comeback in the Great Lakes after
the pandemic interrupted population control of the species. The fish, which
has a circular row of teeth, a serrated tongue, and an eel-like shape, is
called the sea lamprey.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, sea lampreys are native to the northern and western Atlantic
Ocean but invaded the Great Lakes around the early 19th century through the
Welland Canal, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. "Within a decade,
they had gained access to all five Great Lakes, where they quickly set to
work predating on the lakes' commercially important fishes, including trout,
whitefish, perch, and sturgeon," the NOAA wrote. "Within a century, the
trout fishery had collapsed, largely due to the lamprey's unchecked
proliferation." By the 1960s, sea lampreys reduced the annual commercial
catch of lake trout in the upper Great Lakes from about 15 million to half a
million pounds. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission, along with the US Fish
and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, has been responsible
for managing the population of this highly invasive species, and the
agencies have done so with considerable success. The fishery commission
touts on its website that sea lamprey populations have been reduced by 90
percent "in most areas of the Great Lakes." But between 2020 and 2021, the
COVID–19 pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions interrupted the agencies'
ability to go out and perform some of the population management operations.
Now, fishery managers say the population of the parasitic fish has ticked up
across the Great Lakes, The Wall Street Journal reported. It's unclear how
much the population exactly increased, but according to a 2022 report from
Undark Magazine, a nonprofit science publication, crews responsible for
population control were only able to treat about 25 percent of the target
streams in 2020. The following year, the teams reached 75 percent of their
targets, the publication reported. Treatment can be expensive and laborious,
requiring the carefully-timed application of pesticides called lampricides
to reduce the population. Controlling the lamprey population is estimated to
cost around $15 to $20 million a year.
Sea
Lamprey Lampreys
attacking brown trout
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Thursday September 21
9:00 AM meet at the Presque Isle cook house
Veteran’s fishing outing aboard the JoAnn M Volunteers needed
Saturday Sept 23rd 1-3 PM
East Waterworks pond Cub Scout Pack 17 fishing volunteers
needed
Saturday Sept. 30th
10-12 East Waterworks pond Grover Cleveland School fishing volunteers
needed
Saturday September 30th 2-6 PM
PA Steelhead Association’s Fall Run Banquet at Pleasant Ridge
Park go to pasteelhead.com for more info and to purchase tickets.
Saturday Oct 7,
!2-4 Fish USA 6960 West Ridge Rd. Fairview, PA Chrome Fest Steelhead seminar
public welcome.
Saturday October 21st
10-5 Folly’s End Campground Steelhead Kickoff Party
Thursday October 26th
9:00 AM Niagara Boat Launch PISP fish habitat assembly and deployment
volunteers needed
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