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I was told by my dam Cousin that the island at the “Y” might be made of dredge material. In looking at the film at around 7 minutes that appears to be the case.

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Great video! Thanks for posting it on here Brian! Too bad there wasn’t a little narration to go along with the images.

As for the dam island, I believe it is partially made of dredge material. Over the years I have looked at several old plat maps, survey maps, and pre lock and dam aerial photos and everything indicates that the approach canal to the lock from the downstream end is actually where the mouth of the Vermillion River was located. When building the dam I suspect they rerouted the Vermillion to exit where it does now – which would make sense given it is a ~1/2 mile straight stretch. Very few rivers naturally run straight after all! Plus, when you come down the Vermillion you can visualize where it used to come out – now there is a dike. The island was much smaller than it is now. If I recall, it was just a big sandbar in the air photo I looked at. The wing dam at the mouth of the Vermillion river was likely installed to direct main river flow to the north side of Diamond Island. Pre lock and dam the main channel went to the south of Diamond Island, hence its inclusion in WI and not MN.

Again, thanks for sharing the video. I love reading and look at anything related to river history, especially local information.

Personally, if you are interested in hunting off-shore I’d probably advise against it. I’ve spent quite a few years layout hunting and wouldn’t think twice about sitting in anything other than a true, open water style layout. The only exception would be a large boat/blind in open water. True open water layouts are unbelievably stable and ride waves very well. They may not be comfortable, I know mine isn’t! But they are safe and sturdy. They are designed to roll with the waves and shed water that comes over the top. They rarely, if ever, tip side to side. Skiffs aren’t really designed to roll with waves and often tip side to side. Not a good combo when sitting 1/2 mile from land anchored all by yourself. Admittingly true layout boats are costly, but so is your life.

That being said, if you are hunting within wading distance from shore like in a small bay, it could be a good setup. Dont bother with turning it gray, adding booms or spray skirts. Just turn it into a low profile grass island and hide below the gunwales as if it were a field blind. Some birds will flare, but some wont! At least that way you aren’t committed to using the boat for a single purpose.

Unfortunately my response isn’t something you want to hear, but hopefully it helped.

I dont know how you would measure spring flow into the lake from the lake bed. However, quantifying the thermally impacted area (i.e. cooler water) wouldnt be too hard as long as you have some software that can do most the work for you (like ArcGIS or Surfer) and you can collect good thermal data in the field. You could “easily” make a few maps with isotherms of various temps. If you have isotherms at certain depths, you can use the software like ArcGIS to figure out the surface area at each temp range and mutiply by your depth between isotherms to figure out an estimated volume of water at a given temp. It takes a little hocus pocus from a computer but it can be done.

I can’t help ya find any springs though.

Hey Dirk!

I’ve been running a Humminbird 898 since summer 2010. As with every person contemplating purchasing a side scan unit – be it Lowrance or Humminbird – I was on the fence for quite a bit, but decided to bite the bullet and fork out the extra money. I’m not much of a technology guru like some fisherman; in fact I am usually the complete opposite. However, I was fully aware of the advantages that side scan sonar had over standard 2D sonar and knew it would be a worthy investment for me. I too was worried about the transducer getting damaged. And at a $200+ replacement cost it is a legitimate concern to have! I can’t speak for Lowrance but the Humminbirds have a “break-away” style transducer that allows the transducer to pivot upward should you drive over a log. I’ve had my 18’ boat hung up on logs/trees plenty times and had the transducer pushed up 90 degrees with no real problems or breaks. Of course high speed impacts will do damage. Sidescan transducers are much more “finicky” than a plain 2D sonar. Small adjustments can make a big differene. The errors and angles are exacerbated the further from the boat you are scanning. When mine gets bumped and is not sitting perfect there are subtle tell-tale signs in the readout that give me an indication to reach down and readjust.

I should mention that I have 2 tranducers mounted on my transom – my old HB style and the new HB sidescan transducer. Despite being mounted only inches apart, I have busted off the old HB transducer from the mounting bracket numerous times and the sidescan transducer is still holding on firmly. As I stated before, HB uses a kick-up style transducer that is designed to pivot upward when hit – this is because the transducer itself does not have the “teeth” that are usually present on the old style tranducers used to set the transducer angle. Instead, the sidescan transducer stays in place with simple toothed washers. I suppose over time the transducer will become loose. At that point I think I can just purchase a new mounting bracket (~$15?).

The only downside to purchasing a sidescan unit is the obvious cost.

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That does not answer my question about Lake Pepin

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Actually it does. That is unless you are interested in the exact boundary, right down to the foot. In that case you could probably hire some surveyors to have it delineated for you.

Otherwise you invest in a GPS. Guessing leaves a lot of room for error – you must be 100% right because the opposing state’s hunting rules are entirely different. It’s just like fishing the Rainy River on the MN/CA border. It’s up to the individual to figure out and know where the invisible boundary is. You also must bare in mind that even Google Map borders (and many online references) are not always correct when it comes down to a jurisdictional boundary.

Loosing your hunting companion and not knowing exactly what happened to her would be a devastating loss. I am glad you guys got her back. I bet she’s getting a lot of attention now that she’s back home with the family! It’s a good ending to what could have been a sad story. Thanks for the update.

Based on those pics, it looks like you guys had a good hunt!

On a side note, layout hunting is undeniably fun. If you’ve been layout hunting for any length of time you’re probably well aware that running a layout rig this time of year is an entirely different ball game than doing it any other part of the season. Wind is bitter, slushy white caps are unforgiving, everything weighs more from the ice, the water is colder than heck, etc. Whether its human or mechanical error, it doesn’t take much to escalate a normally insignificant situation into something of serious concern, potentially life or death if it happens a half mile from shore. For everybody that hunts hard the last few weeks of the season – don’t let the desire to bag some ducks cloud your judgment. Good luck, be safe, and have fun!

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Good maybe all you mud ducks will stay on your own side of the river the last two weeks

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Nah.

Chances are us mud ducks will be on your side of the river hunting your ducks, just like most years.

No, but I have thought about. However, it would not be legal and using the water from your tank has potential to transport the zebra mussel veligers (microscopic young) to areas you fish.

Re: submersible bilge pumps heating up water. At 17:30 the water in my bait cooler was 67.9F. Three hours later, after constant operation, water temp was 71.9F. Air temp never changed (in my garage) so the ~1.3F/hr increase in water temp can be attributed to the constant operation of the bilge pump. Interesting!

It is true that cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. I’m no chemist but it’s my understanding that the relationship between oxygen and water temperature is primarily related to molecular solubility. Oxygen is more soluble (dissolvable) in cold water than in warm water. That being said, cooling your tank water doesn’t necessarily mean you are directly increasing the amount of DO in your tank. Cool water has the capability to hold more oxygen; therefore, by cooling water you are indirectly influencing the amount of oxygen in your tank by altering the physical properties to a state that is more favorable for maintaining oxygen.

I’ve experimented with the ice-water bottles in tanks/coolers before but never really noticed a difference in the health of my bait, so I quit going through the efforts of rotating ice-water bottles. I prefer to simply cut right to the chase by incorporating a large air pump and ample recirculation into my home bait tank. The air pump is the most expensive part of my setup.

My perspective is this: Fish respire (breathe) and thus consume oxygen. To maintain adequate levels of DO you must replace the oxygen that is consumed. Some folks attempt this by cooling the water. Unfortunately you are still in need of replacing what has been consumed. My preference is to use a large pump to diffuse air directly into the water via an aerator rather than relying on water temps to slow down the process. Simple water circulation via a bilge can do this as well, however, not to the extent that diffused air can. For the purpose of a livewell that doesn’t have the luxuries of a home bait tank, primary focus should be on aeration and secondary focus should be on maintaining cool water. You get more bang for the buck with aeration at cool temps, however, cool temps alone do very little in my opinion. Keep in mind, this does not account for the variable thermal preferences of certain bait fish. Bullheads captured from a cattle pond have a much higher thermal tolerance than chubs caught from a cool stream.

On another note, the idea of a bilge pump heating up the livewell water has never cross my mind. I am not denying that it doesn’t happen; I’ve just never thought about it. After reading the above comments on heat from bilge-style pumps I decided to run a little experiment. As I type this my portable bilge pump is running in my bait livewell (cooler). I took temperature before startup and I’ll take temperature in a couple hours. We’ll see what happens….

Essentially, the recent rule change for AIS restricts the harvest of bait from waters infested with AIS. However, you can harvest bait from waters infested solely with Eurasian Water Milfoil only. Furthermore, this change made it entirely illegal to catch bait and use it on the same body of water if its an infested water. For instance, you can no longer go to the Mississippi River and catch a freshwater drum, cut it up, and use it for bait since the Mississippi is technically infested with zebes. The rule change was to protect the potential transport of AIS from one body of water to the next but in turn, it overshot the target and now entirely restricts the harvest of bait despite zero transport. Herein lies the problem – anglers are allowed to catch and release fish from infested waters (i.e. throwing back a small walleye) and lawfully harvest fish as long as length/limits are followed. However, anglers are NOT allowed to catch, hook, and cast out legal baitfish form infested waters. If harvesting “underutilized” fish from an infested body of water and subsequently using them on the same body of water is considered a threat to the spreading of AIS, then we need be equally restrictive on the release of “utilized” species. How can catching and releasing a walleye be any less of a threat than catching, hooking, and casting out a redhorse from the same body of water? The answer is – there isn’t a difference.

I applaud the efforts made by the by all the folks involved in the recent rule changes over the past several years. Very few people actually read between the legal lines to truly understand the letter of the law and how one small sentence in a rule can overwhelmingly ruin fishing opportunities for enthusiasts like ourselves (i.e. catfisherman). The proposed rule change that BK provided is below. I got rid of all the line notation to make it somewhat “easier” to understand. The bold is the proposed change.

I agree that the proposed change is for the better, however, playing devils advocate I do have one gripe. As the proposed rule reads, bait harvested from infested waters will be restricted to hook and line (no netting or traps). It is already illegal to transport aquatic plants and water from one place to the next, and to be completely honest there is just as much threat to the transport of AIS by fishing line/lures as there is with minnow traps (IMO). Additionally, I don’t see why bait harvest in infested waters has to be restricted to five species/types of fish when the law itself already prohibits transporting bait away from the water body. In my opinion, it seems more logical (and easier to enforce) if the proposed change referenced what has already been defined as legal bait (minnows, bullhead size, ect) rather than saying “bullheads, goldeyes, mooneyes, freshwater drum, and suckers” and “any other use of wild animals used for bait from infested waters is prohibited.” According to the proposed rule change, it will still be illegal to use gizzard shad, fatheads, emerald shiners, etc harvested from infested waters.

Subd. 3. Bait harvest from infested waters.
(a) Taking wild animals from infested waters for bait or aquatic farm purposes is prohibited, except as provided in paragraph (b) and section 97C.341.
(b) In waters that are designated as infested waters, except those designated because they contain prohibited invasive species of fish or certifiable diseases of fish, as defined under section 17.4982, subdivision 6, taking wild animals may be permitted for:
(1) commercial taking of wild animals for bait and aquatic farm purposes according to a permit issued under section 84D.11, subject to rules adopted by the commissioner; and
(2) bait purposes for noncommercial personal use in waters that contain Eurasian water milfoil, when the infested waters are designated solely because they contain Eurasian water milfoil and if the equipment for taking is limited to cylindrical minnow traps not exceeding 16 inches in diameter and 32 inches in length; and
(3) harvest of bullheads, goldeyes, mooneyes, sheepshead (freshwater drum), and suckers for bait from streams or rivers designated as infested waters, by hook and line for noncommercial personal use. Other provisions that apply to this clause are:
(i) fish taken under this clause must be used on the same body of water where caught and while still on that water body;
(ii) fish taken under this clause may not be transported live from or off the water body;
(iii) fish harvested under this clause may only be used in accordance with this section. Any other use of wild animals used for bait from infested waters is prohibited;
(iv) fish taken under this clause must meet all other size restrictions and requirements as established in rules; and
(v) all species listed under this clause shall be included in the person’s daily limit as established in rules, if applicable.

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i am guilty of not wearing my PFD enough, but I ALWAYS wear the tether when underway.

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Ditto. I think a lot of guys are diligent with life jackets, but not so much with kill switch tethers. When runing a tiller its mandatory in my opinion.

Sounds like an unfortunate event – good to hear nobody got wet! Hopefully no damage resulted from the hit.

My advice to friends that pick up a rod and then the bite suddenly stopped:

“When it doubt, set the hook.”

Hopefully its low enough that we can do a little more shore fishing. My fishing season last year was a little deprived of bon fires.

Ditto to what Goat said above.

I like a bankfull stage, i.e. flooded but within the cutbanks and not into the trees. From my experience, catch rate is always better if I can control how and where the bait sits. It seems that in high water it’s harder to maintain placement (i.e. current bows the line, boat sways more, bait tumbles, etc) but if you can control how and where it sits then you are assured to catch something. If you can’t be on the ball with your bait and the current is pushing you around then you are S.O.L. Whereas in low and slow water, you can cast and place the bait anywhere you want but there’s less forced locales that’s usually typical of high water high flow fishing. It’s easier working conditions but not always easier pickin’s.

That being said, regardless of the way the summer of 2012 unfolds, just being on the water all night with my trusty fishin’ dog will be success enough! My sanity relies heavily on being able to hide out on the River with some BL Smoothies.

Its good to see a few are starting to drop. I was out with the dog for about 4 or 5 hrs today with nothing to show! It was a new area so it took a little scouting to get the lay of the land. Lots of activity, so hopefully it will have some rewards in a few weeks!

I’m only a “part-timer” and I’ve been out twice with 0 luck. However, the spots I walked with the dog are not necesarily the best late-season hangouts and deer activity usually drops off in that stretch of woods after snowfall. I wanted to do a little post season scounting, more or less. Hopefully the snow stays to a minimum; it was decent searching conditions yesterday.

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Networks don’t target those of us with discerning tastes. They target the masses who will be satisfied with any hunk of junk you put in front of them.

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Agreed! The latest craze in reality shows is aimed at the masses with very little intellectual stamina! Seriously – is there that much demand for a TV show called Parking Wars? Apparently.

I still watch some TV – i.e. Seinfeld reruns and the local news. Thats about it! I read more books that I used to.

Nope – still burning up the octane in the ole outboard. Too many commitments and not enough time generally plays a significant role in the amount of hours I spend on the water – or lack there of. I’m on-call so it looks like I’m bringing the briefcase and CrackBerry out tonight.

Nice backyard engineering on that tank! One of my filters from a few years ago looked very similar, although the water gravity fed through the filter. I like your upward-push better. Keep us in the loop whether the bait withstands the heat!

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May have to move it to the garage though, depending on if it is too loud for the neighbor…

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You are doing them a favor by providing the soothing sounds of nature, free of charge.

I hooked up the boat at 4:00pm and the severe weather sirens went off minutes later.

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18 man hours in the pouring rain and not a fish to be seen.

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Don’t worry, you’re not the only one! I called it quits after about 5hrs of talking to the dog and no action.

Probably not – I got another turkey tag or two to fill. I can fish all summer. Maybe next weekend…

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I thought I was going to read a horror story about a drowning or near-drowning.

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Dito. This is why I keep my outdoor tank locked in my dog kennel. My back yard borders an elementry school plus theres a lot of kids in the neighhorhood; I don’t want to get a bad phone call some day.

Yes sir! I’ve been checking it since Monday or Tuesday. Early in the week the whole river was frozen over. Needless to say, things changed!

5 more days till we leave.

Thats awesome! Thanks for the link.

Dang, nice photos! Those are some tanks!

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I hereby boycott any future sturgeon reports until I leave next week.

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Same here! Wednesday evening cant come soon enough! I just wish my motor would actually get repaired…

Everything I’ve been told, read, or experienced is that it takes 4 to 6 months for a system to achieve maturity that will grow the plants. The fact that I saw stunted plant growth for the first 3 might explain this. And honestly, the veggies were only an added bonus. I wanted a stand alone system that didn’t require a lot of regular maintenance (i.e. cleaning, washing, cooling, etc) and that kept my bait lively. I met my requirements last year – of course this year could bring all new problems.

BK – Temperature is a common misconception in my opinion. There’s really no need for it to be cool as long as you have ample dissolved oxygen. However, DO is higher in cooler water temps so I overcame this problem by putting in a hefty aerator. The aerator was my largest expense (sorry no picture). Everything else is mostly scraps I scavenged or reused from other projects.

You will notice my current setup is 3 tanks. The fish are in the large 100gal tank. The other two are simply for additional volume of water. Water is drawn from the “sump” tank, pumped to the growbed, drained to the “stock” tank, then overflows back into the sumps. I also found that by placing a 2×4 under one corner of the main tank then all the sand, silt, waste, sticks, leaves, etc will all sluff into the lower corner making it easy for pumping and/or removal.

Keep in mind there’s nothing high tech about this setup. It simply recirculates, filters, and has a bunch of added oxygen.

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MudCat, I will never give up the wind pants and visor!

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Dont worry, nobody wants them! I thought visors were exclusive to guys that fish for pond-rats.