Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Great Lakes to freeze over more than 60% this year

"Last year, only 38% of the great Lakes were frozen over. This year, researchers predict the ice coverage to be almost double that for January and February."

Here's a clip from abc news tonight:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/relentle...rtages-21617115

Very interesting. Could be some awesome ice fishing out there if the ice wasn't so unpredictable.

I was a kid the last time they froze. It is creepy as hell to walk out on lake Ontario and see balls of ice all over the surface where the last gasp of waves sloshed up holes. The temptation was to kick them off, but they mark thin ice.
If the weekend wasn't so busy, I would take the family to the falls to see them frozen.

Ice breakers have been busy in Goderich Ontario at the salt mine so salt can be shipped to the US and other customers. One of my companys rely on imports to be shipped into Toronto. Have not gotten word the route is closed and I am guessing the northwest passage is open still too.

Cheers Don.

Didn't you know that's from all that global warming we got going on!!

RC

Funny that this post came up this morning. I don't have time to do much leisure reading but last night on top of a stack of kids books from the library was a book about the sinking of the SS Michigan just off the shore of Holland, Michigan. Book is called 'ICEBOUND!'

Link to cover here:

http://www.amazon.com/Icebound-Adventure...+in+SS+Michigan

This steel clad wooden steam powered boat steamed out from Grand Haven to rescue another boat that had gotten encased/trapped in ice. They ended up getting themselves stuck in ice and spending a harrowing 40+ days off shore from Holland as the ice pack moved them around. The ships errand boy/lamp-tender walked over the ice back to shore and there were many other twists as various parties tried to send supplies across the ice and even send out a tug to rescue them which also got iced in.

The read is fabulous if you can find it and check it out from your local library.

In 2005 a shipwreck finding team after a couple of years search found the wreck. The end of the book documents the discovery and shows good pictures. Due to zebra mussels, the pictures/video are exceptionally clear, as if there was no water between the lens and the actual item photographed!

The book indicates that the exceptionally cold winter and massive ice buildup was due to the explosion of the Krakatoa volcano and the aftererffects of the dust in the atmosphere. It doesn't indicate how many miles out the ice went but it sounds like it was an impressive ice pack.

This web site has a good first person account of the dive and some video of the dive on the SS Michigan

http://www.greatlakesunderwater.com/seahunt.html

Interesting that there is no wikipedia info or much online about it.

George Sheldon, the boy who saved the ship's crew if I recall correctly is buried in a cemetery in Grand Haven.

Let's not let this get political or controversial. If you have questions, please refer to Bob Lusk's forum rules.

Forum Rules

Thanks,
Ken

I have no desire to go there. Bombarded on all sides by that kind of news, and this is one of the few places where I can browse without anxiety.

I so want to go to the lake today, but just spend the better part of the morning with a plumber clearing the line to my septic tank. Ugh.

Speaking of ice fishing the great lakes I heard that a potential new Ohio state record walleye was just caught off of South Bass Island through the ice. Check out this thread
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=260591.msg2884203#msg2884203

TJ needs to check out the link above and see a real walleye (just kidding).

Also heard that Milwaukee's port is closed for the winter due to ice.

Thanks for keeping this thread clear of problems - very much appreciated.

The global warming comment's still there...

That guy must have a camera likes Bruce's!

Sorry Bruce just kidding!

Seriously if you're not aware just about all the Great Lakes have some monster walleye inshore along with smallmouth bass, but of course Lake Erie's walleye fishery extends out into the lake. On Lake Huron in the area of Alpena, MI a biologist told me they get only a 1/10th of 1 percent survival rate on their brown trout plantings due to a combination of walleye and cormorant predation.

I like the fish held up close to the camera myself - allows a better view IMO. That thing is a catch of a lifetime...how awesome for him.

I caught the largest WE in Nate's lake...what can I say? 36" ain't bad.

TJ - If that walleye weighs 17 lb, the std length for it is 34.0"; very close to the one you caught at the Herman Brothers Ice Fishing Weekend. Yikes, you're 34" WE was a record. IMO all walleys of any size are nice fish.

I thought this was pretty cool. It was in the same thread as the walleye on Iceshanty.com This is the Salmon River in NY this morning at an air temp of 28 below zero.

Pretty cool eh?

You deep southern boys and girls don't know what you're missing. You haven't lived until you step out in those temps. And then there's the wind in combination with the low temps!

Bill,

I think that can vary. I've done a lot of ten to twelves that were in the 30 to 33 inch range. Typically they were full of eggs.

CB - You are very correct. Body condition of big old female walleye is quite variable due to health and egg development. Some big old WE do not develop eggs and just waste away due to atrophy, thus they are thin bodied. As reference std wt of a 30" WE is 11.4 lb and a 33" WE is 15.4 lb. Standard weight is just a good estimate of what a healthy well fed fish should weigh when it is a certain length. Data for development of the formula for each fish involved measurements of many fish usually several hundred to thousands. Does anyone know if the reference data for calculated std weight for all species included females with eggs? My guess is it didn't

Bill,

Got this from another taxidermist that legally buys fish netted by Native Americans in Lake Huron. I think you know who is as we had some email correspondence a few years ago. He's the retired biology teacher and is a straight shooter.


I've got two 17 pounders here. One is 34 1/2" and the other is 35 1/2".

CB1 that is good info. Evidently the Std Wt estimates /calculations are pretty accurate for healthy well fed fish even with large record sizes of fish at least walleye. The Std Wt table for Walleye by Dr Willis in May-Jun 2013 PBoss magazine included the largest WE of 29.9" and a weight of 11.2 lbs.

Do you create replicas of walleye in your taxidermy portfolio?

RW data usually includes all fish to get a standard weight that is unbiased.

Absolutely but I don't make the blanks as I'd have to have a lot invested in time and money to mold them myself. The good quality molding material is expensive so I order the appropriate blank of the right size and species from a supplier and assemble and paint. A good quality blank is superior in realism to a skin mount.

For your replica walleye mounts do you have a standard finished price per inch - not including shipping?

Yes $15.00 per inch. Unfortunately the high quality blanks aren't cheap.

Here's a picture of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan, it's 5 miles long. Lake Michigan is on the left (bottom) and Lake Huron on the right (top). Completely frozen.

That is so cool.