Electrofishing results and Lake of the Woods v2.0

This past Monday we hooked up the electrofishing boat and trailered down to the river. It took us slightly less than one hour to shock our first muskie, a little guy just under 30". Though we shocked up several more, only two made it to the boat (another just under 30" and one just over 30"). We had a brute come up alongside the boat, but evidently just outside the electric field. That was a bummer, but my goal was three and we accomplished that. Water was 16.5C, perfect temperature to fill in gaps for our control physiological data.

I was also given an offer I simply couldn't refuse - a return trip to Lake of the Woods. I've always wanted to fish this body of water during the fall and have heard many stories from good friends. The drive alone - through northern Ontario, around the rim of Lake Superior - might be worth the trip. I suspect the colors will be spectacular a little further north of us.

I was strong armed into going on the trip by these two characters.

BUT, I will be bringing my computer with me to get some much needed work done in the car so not all will be fun and games... When I get back it will be time to make the last push with field work for 2010.

1 Year (+1 Day) Anniversary

I just realized that yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of perhaps the most significant phase of Project Noble Beast - catching and tagging our 30th muskie. Although the catch-and-release research has continued since then, no more tags have been deployed and field work has been reduced dramatically. We are still in the process of obtaining physiological data at various temperatures (can never have a large enough sample size!) and baseline data via electrofishing.

The manuscript that will eventually be sent out for publication is currently in the works...

A little liquid inspiration to get the words flowing.

Post-conference muskies

Last week I attended the annual American Fisheries Society conference in Pittsburgh to give a presentation on part of my thesis (the catch-and-release work). I was quite pleased with my presentation and received good feedback for future consideration when I begin writing my thesis. It was very cool listening to the wide array of presentations highlighting the variety of research being conducted globally. Two of my favorite presentations focused on alligator gar in the Fourche LaFave River, Arkansas (though I may be partial to anything with lots of teeth).

But all good things must come to an end, and after our return Friday evening Jonathan Jordan (Upper Ottawa chapter of MCI) coordinated an outing today with Hedrik Wachelka and me. The morning greeted us with a shroud of fog. Though we diligently worked our spots under our cloud cover, we failed to move anything. After the fog burned off, we headed upstream to a new area. Hedrik explained how the spot was laid out and we began flogging the area. Shortly after firing our first few casts, Jonathan calmly said "I got one!" Fifty-four seconds later I slid the net under a 43"er, from which we took blood and a scale sample (the latter for an unrelated project being conducted by Dr. Chris Wilson with Trent University and the Ministry of Natural Resources). The fish was slow to take off, but eventually it kicked away, dropped its head, and disappeared into the abyss.

The remainder of the day was fairly slow, though Jonathan was successful in capturing a second fish just before calling it a day. I was happy to be out and fishing new(ish) water with yet another volunteer. Thanks, Jonathan!

I Brake For Muskies

This week has been a headache and a half. My truck's brakes have been giving me serious issues, to the point I did not feel safe driving my own vehicle. Everything was fixed this morning, but not without a hefty price tag - $1200 (new caliper, new brake pads, rotors, and drums, and an apparently faulty oxygen sensor). Friday was hopefully going to be a welcome reprieve from the week's events, though I had no concrete plans for the day.

Yesterday a mini-front moved through the area, one that was forecasted to precede a larger front which will drop temperatures severely over the next couple of days. The weather today, however, did not turn sour, but remained hot and muggy, although a bit windy. With the impending storm front approaching the city, I called Hedrik to see if he'd like to fish for a few hours and take advantage of the pre-frontal conditions. He agreed and we were off to the races.

Well sort of... With the trolling motor on 80% all I could do was hold our position in the wind, and bumping it up to 100% would drain the batteries lickity-split. We made one quick drift to gauge fish activity and were rewarded with just one follow. The wind increased and was pounding a nearby shoreline, so I hopped on the main engine and we trolled deep water for a while.

Both Hedrik and I are not big fans of trolling and prefer more tactile casting techniques, so we made a run up to an area that was out of the wind. Halfway through the drift the wind suddenly died and the "calm before the storm" descended upon us. The sky turned a dark, ashy gray. I began to get twitchy as I could feel the stars aligning for us. We approached a productive area and I noticed Hedrik clipping on a lure that has been particularly good for us. I thought, "Nice choice, Hedrik," and continued casting.

"THERE'S ONE," grunted Hedrik as the boat rocked from his solid hookset. I whipped around to see the boil created by our adversary. Hedrik was fast into a BIG fish. As it neared the boat my heart skipped a beat. This was bigger than I expected! There was no controlling the beast and Hedrik was at the absolute mercy of the fish. Every time the fish neared the boat it made another 180 degree turn and bolted from the boat, on a couple occasions peeling line from a locked drag. The fight lasted about 1 minute and with a quick scoop of the net Hedrik's prize was in the bag!

I knew instantly this fish was pushing that magical number. When we laid it on the bumpboard I was ecstatic as I read the verdict: 51 inches. The fish was so massive that I could not get a full vial of blood, though did get enough for glucose and lactate readings, which were both extremely high (might be the highest yet). The lengthy fight, water temperature (near 80F), and possibly air exposure from the photo period may have caused the stress levels to spike. We noticed rosy flanks, fins, and bloodshot eyes on the fish which could be related to the increased glucose and lactate values, though difficult to corroborate. Interestingly, guide Marc Thorpe has made similar observations and urges quick releases when this is seen, perhaps even forgoing out-of-water photos. I think this is good advice that should be considered when surveying your catch.

Triple bypass surgery? No problem. Hedrik's physio is lifting 30 pound muskies in his free time.

Swim away, sweetheart!

To top off the day, I caught a scrappy little 31". A guppy when compared to Hedrik's, but still fun nonetheless. This time I got a full vial of blood, a small victory for me. So after a long week I was well rewarded for my troubles. And for icing on the cake? My dinner consisted of a delicious pizza delivered to our front door. That little soft spot in my heart was beaming as the "Carlo's Special" was devoured in mere minutes. I will sleep well tonight!

Nice shirt, Hedrik!