President`s Message THE VARMINT`S WHEELHOUSE Upcoming

July, 2014
President’s Message
THE VARMINT’S WHEELHOUSE
Hello fellow Steelheaders! The past few months have been very
busy for our club. There were many successful events and projects in
which we were involved and I’d like to thank all those who have
donated much time to making each possible and welcome any ideas
for enhancing each event in the future.
Our fish fry in April was fantastic with perch on the menu for the first
time. Chef Jim Kucharczyk stuffed us all with delicious fresh yellow
bellies, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, as well as many
other side dishes. Nearly 100 members and guests attended for the
dinner, and we were lucky enough to gain a few new members at
the event. The raffle table was loaded with great gifts and a
“certain someone’s mother” won the 50/50 drawing as well as a
BUNCH of prizes on the raffle table. (The lucky lady requested to
remain anonymous…) Thanks to Jim for a great meal, to those who
made desserts, and to all others who helped!
The beginning of May brought us to the Can 2 Can fishing tournament. 62 boats fished the tournament catching 254 fish this year.
Steelheader Jerry Lawrence rounded up the troops at the docks
before the outing to check coolers and boats. As with each year in
the past, many Steelheaders came out to help and made quick work
of the ordeal. Back in the pavilion, Steelheader Phil Allen and a
few helpful club members prepared the tent and pavilion for the
weigh-in. They hung all of the sponsor banners and set up the raffle
tables for the Can 2 Can Counsel. This task is new as of last year
and has really paid off as we are given an extra donation from the
Can 2 Can for the setup! As boats were coming back in from fishing, Jerry and his crew were back to record and seal up coolers.
Thanks to Jerry and Phil for all of their hard work before and during
the event and also to those who helped them out!
Also in May, we got together to prepare the net pens for their yearly guests. 15,000 un-tagged steelhead were given to us to keep in
the pens and feed for a few weeks. Steelheader members assembled the nets and set them in the water (with the help of Matt
Schott’s backhoe). After the fish were delivered, Steelheaders fed
them for two weeks before the steelhead were released. This gives
the fish a chance to get accustomed to the water a grow a little bit
before they are released. Pens were then pulled from the water
and cleaned and stored for next year. Steelheader Jerry Lawrence
organizes the net pen project, and does a great job building a
good team for the work involved! Thanks again Jerry!
In the second weekend in June, we hosted our third Veteran’s
Fishing Outing. 112 Veterans were signed up to fish on 44
boats, but with nasty north winds, only those fishing on boats out
of Harbor Beach were able to go fishing. Overall, 82 Veterans
fished on 36 boats and caught over 200 fish. A special thanks to
the fisherman who made this possible. We even had help from
members of the Flint Chapter of the Michigan Steelheaders!
Despite the rough water, the day was special to all. Local Veterans Tony Essenmacher and Hillary Pawlowski prepared bratwurst
and hotdogs while many Steelheaders and their families and
friends handled the salads and desserts. Steelheaders Tom
Smith, Willard Kropp, and Jack Kelly stayed in the fish cleaning
station for hours fileting and packaging Veteran catches. Thanks
so much to all who made this special day possible!
With one of our busiest quarters in the rear view for 2014, there
are still more events to come. Steelheader Aaron Pfaff has taken on the Kids Fishing Day for 2014. It will take place on July
26th at Waterworks Park and the Harbor Beach Municipal Mari-
It is critical that all fishermen return
tagged fish. See instructions at all
cleaning stations in the area.
Upcoming Events
July 17th
Regular Meeting 7:30 @ Ubly Fox Hunters
July 26th
Kids Fishing Event Captains Please Contact Aaron
Pfaff for registration forms 989-550-7090
August 21st Regular Meeting 7:30 @ Ubly Fox Hunters
Continued: At the Helm
na. Contact Aaron if you can help by bringing your boat to take
kids fishing. Also, our yearly Pig Roast at Stafford Park in Port Hope
will take place on August 17th. Steelheader Bob Golochowicz has
the 50/50 Pig Roast tickets, so if you can help sell them, let him
know!
2014 Net Pen Project
A big thanks to all that were able to come and help out with this
years net pen project.
Varmint on the Side,
Kevin Ramsey, President
Jim selected the fish and volunteered to cook it for our Fish Fry
this year. Thank you!
Next meeting: July 17th
The Thumb Chapter Steelheaders would like to thank James Pawlowski for the use of his power washer to clean our net pens, docks
and nets this year. If you have any projects around your house, give
him a call
Great Lake Fishery Commission
“Aquaculture”
Aquaculture – Also known as fish and shellfish farming – refers
to the breeding, rearing and harvesting of plant and animals in
all types of water environments including rivers, lakes, ponds
and the ocean. The process has been around for years. The most
familiar to the general public is the catfish farming through out
the south (The father of the Asian Carp problem we are all
aware of).
At the June, 25th Lake Huron Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting, there was considerable discussion of a draft report titled, “A
Strategic Plan for a Thriving & Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture”. The document is 85 pages long and goes into great detail
as to the pros and cons of the industry. The purpose of the plan
is to create a road map for expanding the Michigan aquaculture industry from its current level of 5 million pounds to 1 billions pounds annually by 2025. The draft plan covered the use
of the Michigan Rivers, inland lakes as well as the Great Lakes.
The pros and cons of the different production methods, such as
raceways, recirculation systems and cage or pen systems were
discussed. Little or no research has been done on any of the production methods pertaining to large scale processes and their
impact on the ecosystem.
An over view of the plan was presented by Jim Diana, Director
of Michigan Sea Grant. Gary Whelan, MDNR Research Program
and Habitat Program Manager, and Ed Eisch, MDNR Fish Production Manager, both of whom reviewed the program from
the Fisheries Division view point.
Some of the major concerns are; the impact on the ecosystems,
such as waste disposal, the genetic changes to the wild fish population due to cross breeding with accidentally released farm
fish, diseases transmitted to wild fish by unsterilized farm fish,
navigation problems in the Great Lakes and the conflict between
Please take a look at your address block
on the back of this newsletter. Just above
your name is the date that your membership will expire. If your dues are coming
up in the next quarter, please reduce our
mailing cost by filling out the form below
and sending it along with a check for
$30 to our membership chairman at:
Tom Smith
1580 Deckerville Rd.
Snover, MI 48472-9754
the recreational users and the aquaculture users.
As pointed out, Ontario Canada has been used as an example in the development of the USA strategic plan. It appears
that Ontario’s research and statistical data is limited and that
their aquaculture production has been in a steady decline
since the 1990s.
The most commonly used terminologies and phrases used
throughout the presentations were; we don’t know, there has
not been enough research to support it, and we don’t know
what the impact might be.
There has been very little input into the plan by the general
public and the recreational community.
Use your own imagination!
- Jack Noble
Veterans Fishing Outing June 14, 2014
Take a Kid Fishing!
July, 2014
Temp-Return Service Requested
Kevin Ramsey
Brandon Stanton
Steve Lepeak
Phillip Allen
Officers
President
Vise President
Secretary
Treasurer
Jack Noble (past pres.)
Aaron Pfaff
Tom Smith
Jerry Lawrence
Bob Golochowicz
Mike Smith
Board of Directors
(989)479-0445
(989)550-7090
(810)404-0340
(989)428-4937
(586)242-1548
(810)531-1510
Jack Noble
Tom Smith
Kevin Ramsey
Kevin Ramsey
Jerry Lawrence
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
Tom Smith
Aaron Pfaff
Aaron Pfaff
Kevin Ramsey
REPRESENTATIVE & CHAIRMEN
State Representative
Membership Chairman
Pig Roast Chef
Pig Roast 50/50 Raffle
Net Pen Chairman
Meeting 50/50 Raffle Chairman
Meeting Raffle Chairman
Meeting Refreshments Chairman
Newsletter Chairman
Kids Fishing Day Chairman
Veterans Fishing Day Chairman
(989)550-9227
(989)963-0215
(989)428-0255
(989)600-9179
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Meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of the month at the
Ubly Fox Hunters Club on M-19, two miles south of M142. Board of Directors meet @ 6:30 PM and Regular
meeting comes to order @ 7:30
(989)479-0445
(810)672-9932
(989)550-9227
(810)531-1510
(989)428-4937
(810)531-1510
(810)531-1510
(810)672-9932
(989)550-7090
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(989)550-9227
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