Upstream Closure of the St Croix for Zebra Mussel

The implementation of zebra mussel control measures last year on the St Croix really impacted on some of the good fishing sites I normally fished. We are no longer allowed to travel upstream of the High Bridge on the St Croix. We have lost upstream travel to reach the Apple River and the Thousand Island area. I lost access to some great catfish, white bass and muskie spots that I love to fish in the spring. I want to support the DNR and USFWS efforts to manage our resources but I have never really been sold that restricting small fishing boats from areas will prevent zebra mussel infestation. I find it hard to believe that my 17′ alumacraft that I trailer from home and keep clean and well maintained is spreading zebra mussels. It seems to me that closing the St Croix upstream to fisherman in my category is not helping zebra mussel management.

I don’t know how to fight city hall. Are any of you FTR guys interested in this discussion??

I just started fishing those areas last year. Would put in at W O brian and head down stream. Didnt seem to bad to get there. I kinda like where they have the line at. Keeps the pleasure boaters down stream.

From what I understand is that you can come down the river past the point to Wolf Marina and still be able to go back north across the point. I think that if you put in at Wolf and have you boat checked out before launching they can give you a pass that will allow you to go north of the point. This is what I hvae been told in the past and am not 100% sure if this is true anymore. I too would like to go above the high bridge but I also would not like to see zebra’s up there either.

Does anyone want to know the real reason for the upstream closure of the St.Croix river? It has nothing to do with zebra mussels! Think about it… if the DNR was really serious about keeping zebra mussels out of the St. Croix, they would have closed it to all boat traffic coming up river from the Ole Miss. about 10 years ago.

So whats the real reason for the closure?
“Behavior Modification”
The St. Croix is a wild and scenic waterway that people with internal combustion motors on their boats have no business being on. And the DNR intends to make it that way.

Closing the river at the Arcola sandbar was the first step. Most fishermen did not mind this too much because the sandbar is a natural barrier (at normal pool) for boats unless you really know the river.

But someone please explain moving it downstream 1 mile?
When everyone gets their behavior modified and used to stopping at the high bridge, the next logical spot would be at the Andersen scout camp and after that south of the boomsite. Then we can all launch our boats at Wolf’s and go downstream.

As far as launching above the closure and coming down, how many boats actually do that? The boat traffic above the closure consists mainly of residents with very few fishermen launching in Marine, Copas or Osceola.

Anyway, this is getting rather long and now you know the rest of the story…..that’s my story and I am sticking to it!!

PS – Scales, I am looking forward to our river adventure coming up. You need to show me some tricks for sticking a cat thru the ice.

River Dawg,

You may be right, but what can we do. Sure there is plenty of good fishing up river from the old high bridge, some of the older gents, long gone now, used to live on those island in the summer. Caught plenty of fish there too. I guess times are a changing and we do too. There are just as many great spots down South. I’ll show you what I mean if you care to join me on the ice. I hope the DNR don’t keep move’n downstream, well I’ll probably be dead by then anyway. Let’s try to stay positive and remember why we’re out there. TOO CATCH FISH.

I tend to agree with you. Several years ago when they first implemented the “Blockade”, I melted down on this site about it. (That’s when it was up by Arcola) I can’t tell you how many letters and phone calls I made that summer. My pleas went unanswered. I am still under the impression that the Park Service would like the entire St Croix River to be a non-motorized canoe zone. I certainly believe it could happen, and it could happen in our lifetime!

I did not realize the blockade site had moved south until well into the summer last year. That one slipped by me as I did not fish up there at all last season. I have a good feeling that the next move south will be to the Stillwater Lift Bridge. There will be some “Compromise” made between the Park Service and the Transportation Dept that will close the river up from Stillwater and allow the new Hiway 36 bridge to be built! The Park Service will take over the Lift Bridge, lower it forever, and make it into a bike/walking/fishing pier. They will hang a big yellow sign on it that says, “No Motorized Boats Allowed Upstream”. Yep, that’s my guess, you heard it here first!

The St Croix is a river that is getting “Loved to Death”! Everyone has their own agendas. From the paddlers to the fishermen to the ocean liners. These small battles will continue to pop up. With the help from folks on this message board we won a small but important battle this summer when we got that dam gate removed from the harbor entrance! Perhaps it is time to prepare to go up against the Park Service next time that Blockade moves downstream. In fact, the law is so stupid now it does deserve to be challenged. How about 20 of us in our boats motor up there next spring and blow by the Park Service pontoon Have the media along for the ride “See what happens”???

Speaking of the Big Yellow Signs….anyone remember the one at the Kinny? What an eyesore!

J.

I dont know whats so great about a flotilla of drunken people in canoes tossing beer cans all over…. and believe me.. Ive seen lots of them doing this up close and personal up in this area (Osceola to Taylors falls)…. Im suprised more of them dont fall overboard and drown they are so blotto….. kind of like the apple river in canoe form….. but there just isnt much fishing pressure up here so there are only faint screams quickly drowned out if they make restrictions, they main eye fishing takes place during the first couple of weeks after opener… so for sure they have the political clout to do this… excpet that there are 2 marinas above the lift bridge.. thats going to produce some piercing screams if they shut it down at the bridge….

I thought I read or heard of zebra mussels being found just north of the dam at taylors falls a year or so ago. Anyone else remember this?

or perhaps we might be able to threaten them with that “blessing”… and they would work just so that would NEVER happen….. I guess youve not had the PUP in YOUR boat yet ehhh?

I dont care what they do above I94. I just bought a piece of land in Afton that has a private gated harbor that I can have to myself. Now if someone messes w/ my gate-then I will really start making some noise!!!

Uh-oh………looks like we might need to assign neutral corners between Brotha Dave and Jon J.! Jon saw me attack Rivereyes ankles once and adopted the same technique towards Croix gates!

So what’s next Dave? You get a job with Red Wing Boot Co.?

Commanchero my friend…………….I promise I won’t feed you any Sheepie sandwiches if I can be removed from your list of “available volunteers”! Not that I mind a little elbow grease, it’s just that I’ve already got my “ARMs” full! So, when was it that you and I were going to team up and clean Sheepies, wash hooks, and bait boats???

Hey Guy’s, I took the kids camping last summer within sight of the checkpoint. I saw several boats go upstream past the point so I trolled on over and asked why they could and I couldn’t. The girl that was running it said they lived upstream and could go South down to the Boomsite and come back upstream. Interesting…since there is no Boomsite checkpoint and it would be on your honor and not to go down to Stillsville! I tend to agree with the fact that they (ZEEBS) made it all the way from overseas and keep spreading the checkpoint isn’t going to stop them! The one flaw with the checkpoint is (if it really is supposed to stop the spread and not just stop boats from going North) you can still launch upstream in half a dozen places! It really bites since it was fun to go to the North and fish pike and smallies. Did anyone also note they take down your boat license # when your near the checkpoint? I wonder why? Deep down I think it’s just a way to keep people…boaters from enjoying the whole river. With all the agencies (NPS, MNDNR, WIDNR, Both Sherriffs, Coast Guard) looking at the river I think it’s a little much. They all want to get there poker in the fire which leads to more limitation for us.

Later,

Ferny.

Amen to that Ferny!

The spread of Zebs will not be stopped by a pontoon boat at the Highbridge!

What happens one, two or three years from now when zebs are found 2 miles north of Arcola? Will they move the checkpoint up there? I highly doubt it!

Notice I say “when” and not “if”. The zebs will find a way up there…. Nothing is going to stop them.

Another big gate across the river has been erectied in my opinion!

J.

nope… there is NO stopping the spread of zebes… and anyone who thinks a simple checkpoint will stop them is dreaming…… who knows what the actual intention of the ckpt is… but they HAVE to know that stopping zebes is not likely… they MIGHT slow them down a bit…. but I guess thats kind of hard to prove….!

A DNR Officer told me back when they did not want you to re-enter the Croix from the Sippi that they knew they could not stop the Z-Bra this way but hoped to slow down its progress upstream!