Jim J

Quite a stockpile

by les winkeler, the southern

Sean Hirst holds a pair of smallmouth bass that were stocked into Kinkaid lake recently. Through the group efforts of the State of Illinois, Kinkaid Conservancy and the Kinkaid Area Watershed Project Smallmouth and other species have been reared in ponds near the lake for stocking purposes. (State of Illinois)

MURPHYSBORO - Kinkaid Lake is something of a living laboratory. The scenic 2,850-acre lake in Jackson County is home to one of the most successful stocking programs in the state. Over the past several years, Kinkaid has become a muskie fishing destination. Muskellunge are not an indigenous species.

In the meantime, a walleye stocking program has met mixed success and a smallmouth stocking program is in its infancy.

Shawn Hirst, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, oversees all three projects.

He said Kinkaid is a perfect venue for stocking programs.

"The main thing is, you obviously have to have a rearing pond because it's a lot better to stock advanced fingerlings, which means four inches or above, compared to one or two inches," Hirst said. "The survival rate is much better."

Silt basins constructed at the lake several years ago do double duty as rearing ponds for largemouth bass, smallmouth, walleye and crappie. To date, muskies remain the stocking program's poster child.

"The size of the fish stocked," said Hirst, explaining the program's success. "Basically on the muskie there is no harvest whatsoever because of the 48-inch length limit. Very few of them are caught and none of the males can even reach that. They seem to be long-lived.

"The walleye are stocked at one or two inches. We could stock 10 times as many as we're getting to make a difference, but we just can't get that many through our state hatcheries."

The decision to introduce a new species involves multiple variables. The primary variable is the body of water itself.

"You can't force a fish into a lake," Hirst said. "The muskies wouldn't do well at Crab Orchard, it's turbid and shallow. They'd just die out when they got to adult size in the summer. It's like you couldn't put trout in Crab Orchard, but they do well in Devils Kitchen because you have deep, oxygenated water.

"Kinkaid is suitable for just about anything, but at some point you don't want to stock too many predators so they crash the food base."

Kinkaid is suitable for different species because of a variety of habitat. The north end is shallow with stained water while the south end is clear and deep. In addition, the lake has a strong forage base.

"It's mainly gizzard shad and spotted suckers," Hirst said. "The lake board tries to but threadfin shad every year from down south and we try to go to Baldwin Lake every year to try to collect threadfin."

Although walleye have been stocked into the lake for years, the species hasn't taken hold like muskies. The spillway barrier constructed a few years ago may help keep larger fish in the lake.

"I use one of the ponds to raise walleye because we don't think they are reproducing in the lake," Hirst said. "The number of walleyes we stock as fingerlings every year is 55,000 and the lake should probably get double that.

"I can raise 5,000 walleye fingerlings in that pond and this year we ended up with 1,300 six-inch fish, which might be better survival than we get out of the 55,000."

Now, Hirst is also monitoring a new smallmouth program.

"Three years ago, I finally got approval to stock smallmouth in Kinkaid," he said. "That's the one I'm most excited about. There is really no other place to go; there are a few isolated areas in small creeks where the fish are going to be three or four inches.

"There are some smallmouth in the Ohio, but nothing you can really guarantee you can catch a smallmouth."

The shoreline erosion project under way at Kinkaid Lake has been a happy coincidence for Hirst.

"They've done two or three miles I think," Hirst said. "Before that, it was bare muddy bank, 10-foot high. Now, it's that rip rap which is excellent smallmouth habitat."

There have already been reports of anglers catching some smallmouth. However, the results will not be immediate.

"It's not the actual stocking we're doing that's the bonus," Hirst said. "It's when those fish end up spawning, that's when you'll see the increase in fish. Stocking 3,000 smallmouth in Kinkaid is kind of a drop in the bucket.

"In three or four years if those fish spawn, and we'll have year classes every year and if we can get some fish from hatcheries, that would really make those fish start showing up."

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com

(618) 529-5454 ext. 5088

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles...rs/19163819.txt

riverkeeper takes Coors & DEQ to task

Most of us are aware that fish in our local waterways have been dying off in record numbers over the past few years. In 2005, 80 percent of the smallmouth bass in the Shenandoah River died of bacterial lesions.

A few weeks ago the DNR ran a short piece stating, “Officials at Coors Shenandoah Brewery in Elkton hope to renew a permit that allows 6 million gallons a day of treated industrial wastewater to be released into the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.”

According to Shenandoah Riverkeeper Jeff Kelble, what is being passed off as a license “renewal” is actually an expansion, which falls under a totally different license category. Since Coors is planning to start actually brewing beer at the Elkton plant (instead of simply rebottling it) output will jump from 2 million gallons to 6 million gallons of industrial waste being dumped into the South Fork per day. As he points out on the Shenandoah Riverkeeper blog, “Coors discharge Outfall 001 is located on a segment of the South Fork of the Shenandoah that the DEQ has determined to be impaired for its designated use of aquatic life,” and “[No permit may be issued] to a new source or a new discharger, if the discharge from its construction or operation will cause or contribute to the violation of water quality standards” under current law.

The point-by-point statement on the blog is quite detailed and technical (perhaps Thanh could shed more light on it) but the gist of it is that the DEQ is letting some standards and regulations slide in the case of this permit.

Kelble emailed the DEQ requesting a public hearing on the matter.

So, the question is: should this permit be granted as-is?

-finnegan

backreel

With a struggle, I can break 10 lb PP but I usually don't have to. Even though I fish plastics a lot, because I'm wading, I just go in to the snag and work it out. Usually a jig snagged in a rock that I can work free.

The thing that makes me mad is when I get snagged on a first cast in a great spot. I then have to decide to wreck the spot or break off.

Tim and I will be doing a seminar at 10:30 on Sunday.

Stop by and see us.

I totally agree that this is personal preference.

Guys can catch fish on expensive rods and inexpensive rods.

I know that some guys love mono and hate superline and the other way around.

Just my two cents on it.

I won't sugarcoat this:

6lb mono is panfish line.

Your talking about setting a hook on an 18" strong stream fish with muscle in current. The larger fish have leathery, tough, thick jaws, especially the lower.

6lb mono IS NOT 6lb test at the knot.. it's less.

6lb mono IS NOT 6lb test where it just passed over some rocks or branches. It's as weak as the abrasion which at that point may be 4lb? 2lb?

So you make a longer cast with a jig and grub and as it's settling you feel the thump. You reply with a fast hard hook set, from a distance, with lots of stretch (mono), while the fish is swimming away from you and the possibility of somewhere in your line there's a small abrasion. That pop you hear is the large smallie swimming away with your bait in it's mouth. There are some real good reasons that most good smallie anglers fish with stronger line.

If you are only fishing small baits for small fish 6lb mono is OK I guess, but if you encounter some bigger fish, you're at a disadvantage along with the possibility of hurting the fish you really want to catch.

10-15lb PowerPro has a 2lb diameter, cast like heck, extreme sensitivity (for plastic fishing) no stretch, and you can set the hook hard on a big fish. What else can I tell you?

Oh and it never uncoils off your bail like mono.

6'6" medium light fast action

15'lb PowerPro

Medium grade spinning reel.

Mark K has been fishing a long time and fishes a wide fast river (Kank) thus he's come to a 7' which helps on that river and with live bait. That's suits his experience, conditions, and presentation very well.

I would say a 6'6" is a perfect all around size most stream situations you'll encounter.

Gander carries some inexpensive lines in their Guide series that seem to be OK.

A lot of this comes down to personal preference and how much money you want to spend.

Some guys spend a 100 days on the water in cold weather, reels get beat, take some dunkings etc. They might need different equiptment (sp) than the guy who goes out a couple of time a month in nice weather.

Anyone tried Suffix braid? If so what did you think?

Since we only have two shows left I thought I'd post this outline to help volunteers work the booth. We have had mediocre success regarding sign ups this year at the shows and the Fly show has the potential for a lot of new members. This is the time to sell it hard and ASK FOR THE MONEY ON THE SPOT. I intend to work it hard on Sunday when I'm there.

Sport Shows

An outline for members working the booth

An overview of what we'd like to accomplish.

2 main objectives:

Inform people about the ISA and recruit new members.

Handouts:

A brochure with a Blowout flyer inside. You should attempt to hand every person that walks by the booth a brochure. The reason being is that not everyone is comfortable talking with someone and they may go home and read about us and consider joining. If they don't have anything, there is no way they're going to join.

If someone stops:

You might open with the question: Do you ever fish for smallmouth bass in Illinois? We have some fantastic fishing here in Illinois. Let them know that the ISA does a great deal of conservation in the state regarding smallmouth. (use the brochure page that describes all we've done in the last few years) Go to the sale: Tell them it's only $25. per year and their money goes towards all the great things we do. They also get 6 great newsletters a year and we have outings and meetings throughout the state. ASK THEM FOR THE MONEY!

WRITE DOWN EVERY TRANSACTION. If we can have a stapler in the booth I prefer stapling all money INCLUDING CASH right on the application. If someone wants to buy Blowout tickets WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING and staple money to what you've written down. Use the forms provided, and fill it out completely. Especially, check off the boxes with method of payment. PRINT LEGIBLY AND DON’T LET THE GUY WRITE HIS OWN!!

Item 4:

Don't make false (inflated) promises about spots or locations or any other exaggeration. If you don't know the answer to something, ask another member in the booth.

Item 5:

This is not a place to BS about fishing for 20 minutes with someone. I know it's inevitable that there will be fish talk but try and steer the conversation to joining the ISA. If the person gives you the indication early on they have no intention of signing up, you can ease your way out of it and look for other people walking by. Too many times you spend a half hour with someone who doesn't join while loads of other prospective people walk by.

Table:

Table should remain on the side not in front clear of clutter (no photo albums).

We accept MasterCard and Visa

Tim Smith and I will be doing the ISA seminar on Sun. I can help on Sun and I would assume Tim would stick around for a bit as well.

Thanks for joining and checking in.

Don't forget to check out the articles on the website, they have some great information. http://www.illinoissmallmouthalliance.com/education.html

Come to the Blowout and hear a great presentation and meet a lot of fellow anglers.

And last but not least, come to some fishing outings, meetings and conservation events.

The more you participate the more you learn (especially about stream smallmouth)

Tim,

Sounds like the makings of a good article.

yes he is.

Great work!!

Thank you.

I edited Jamie's post.

This board does not allow slurs to pigs.

Plus it's a lame old joke.

Can't you find any new material?

William: HA

5" Twin tail Hula Grub Yamamoto color #301 http://yamamoto.baits.com/cgi-bin/order/97-10 on a 1/8 oz premium slider head all year

3" tube Craw colors http://yamamoto.baits.com/cgi-bin/order/33-06 on a 1/8 oz premium slider head all year

5" Fluke Pearl on a Falcon Bait Jerker Hook fall to late fall http://www.fishingworld.com/FalconLures/De...028425184917279

Fluke http://www.buckeyebaits.20m.com/catalog.html

Slider Pro Heads Spider

http://www.fishingworld.com/Slider/Details...eads%204%20pack

I also use and like Firefox

Is it amusing that a Japanese bait would be named the "Sunset Bomber"?

The custom finish alone is worth that.

What men fish with.

2 inch flies?