Gearing up for my EEOB 694 class at Stone Lab. To read about my newest adventures, go here

Friday, 6/17/06, last full day of classes.

Our morning was mostly spent out fishing for small mouth bass. I caught one thanks to the kindness of Mike2 (we also had a Mike1) who got one on his line and passed the pole off to me. For the most part, I’ll be honest, I half heartedly cast my line and just enjoyed the scenery. It’s very beautiful out there at Lake Erie around the Bass Islands. The water was nice and calm and green (due to algae growth) and the sky was beautifully blue. My goal was to take this day as easy as I could and soak it up so I could remember it till the next time I went. (Which will be 7/9-7/15 for Local Flora for Teachers, I switched things around a bit.)

Back on shore we talked about the various fish diseases and how they might, if at all, affect us. For example, hemorrhagic septicemia was affecting yellow perch this spring but seems to be working its way out of the stock. It has appeared to move on to Sheephead but, not to sound cold, since we’re not supposed to eat Sheephead they need to be thinned out anyway, and their populations aren’t being affected as much at this point either. This is not a disease that affects humans. In fact, there really aren’t any that we know of that do affect people because our species are so different.

Speaking of things like this, we also talked about fish consumption advisories. (Here’s a link from 2001 and an update from 2006.) I figure I can deal with only eating 1 fish meal a week. Frankly, with as much walleye as I have now, I’ll be set for the next year. It’s all good.

We also talked about the various invasive species including some of the water plants and zooplankton. We also reviewed for our practical and final on Saturday. Yes, we had a final. Yes, our prof had us sweating there for a bit. Okay, not really. I sat around for a bit and made some new lures and knots for our practical and put them in baggies.

From there, Mike2 and I headed over to Put-In-Bay for some supper and to meet up with some of the girls who had gone over to have dinner at their professor’s home. It had become active with the weekend coming on and if you like people watching, this is the place for you! After puttering around some of the gift shops and having a tasty perch dinner and visiting some of the more interesting pubs to see if we could find our group we finally found them in a little microbrewery and we enjoyed a nice, relaxing few hours of chit chat. (Again I’ll say it, you’ll meet some very cool folks at Stone Lab.)

Fast forward to Saturday morning (gasp! 2 days in one entry!) we were up bright and early to get our stuff packed up and ready to roll out. I busted out my oh-so-difficult final and practical (honestly, I did change a few answers as we went along) and walked about taking photographs and talking to people and finishing packing. It felt kind of weird to be leaving and I’m sure that feeling will be worse after being there for 4 ½ weeks coming up. I really had a great time and I am very much looking forward to going again. One week and I roll out one more time, baby!

Day 5, Thursday, 6/15/06

Thursday was our big day. This was the day we were going to go trolling for walleye. Not onle that, but we were being hosted by some very kind gents who were charter captains and tournament fishers. In fact, one of the guys had just come off a win in a walleye tournament up on Erie!

Trolling is a method of fishing where you basicly toss the lines out in the water at varying distances and depths and cruise along at 1-2 miles per hour until you catch something. This kind of fishing takes it's own kind of tackle and equipment like planer boards, Dipsy Divers, racks for the rods so you don't have to hold them, stronger and heavier weight line, etc. Here's a picture to give you an idea of how the lines are sent out. The "side liners" are the planer boards and the diving disk is the Dipsy Diver. You can use spoon lures, spinners, worm harnesses (like the mayfly rig but with 2-3 hooks and about 6 feet long), etc.

Now, I'll admit, I came into this excited but expecting to be bored. I used to go trolling for muskies with my dad and that involved us setting up the poles and Dad would run the trolling motor while I kicked back and took a nap. This kind of trolling was much more involved because we had 6 poles to work through (2 poles per person by regulation) and, unlike my Dad, our captain would make us set up our own lures. In between catches, we would chit chat and pick our captain's brain about stuff. Also, what kept this from being boring was that (sorry Dad) we actually were catching fish! We were out from 8AM to 4 PM and we came back in with our maximum of 18 fish (6 fish of 15"+/per person). And if you take a look at my picture, that's me with my big humongo walleye of 29". (If only I'd remember to weigh it!) Dude! It's half as long as me practically!

And boy is she delicious!

It was a fabulous day. Geoff and I both caught 29 inchers. Everyone else came home with some beautiful fish. If you go to the Stone Lab blog page, you can see a picture of our class with some of our fish. I ended up taking the evening off and sitting and crocheting on the dock and hitting the hay early for once. I was beat.

Man, whatta great day!

I finally loaded some of my pictures into a photo album online so I'm going to start posting them. I'll start with a pretty sunset pic that was taken from a row boat around the back side of Gibralter Island. More to come later!

Day 4, Wednesday, PAES 140.07 (Lake Erie Sports Fishing)

Is it possible to fish too much? I was starting to dream about fishing at this point. I'd be making fishing rigs and fretting that I wasn't catching enough fish. (I'm still doing it a week later too.)

This day we went out for White Bass. It was a beautiful, the sun was shining and the sky was clear. The sunblock was slathered on and the fishing hat was carefully placed. After trying a lure or two without success, I kept my ears and eyes open to see what the other guys were using when they caught. The winning lure seemed to be small, silver spoon. With or without additional color. I dug through the student tackle box and found a nice small, all silver spoon. I retied my clip (you should frequently check your line and knots for wear or you will loose fish) and attached said spoon.

It worked. I brought in the most white bass on that trip. It was only three, I guess, but it made me feel good since I hadn't been doing so great so far on our morning fishing trips. These guys were also my first attempt at filleting when we got back. We had watched a video on how to filet and that guy made it look so easy! It's not when you're doing it for the first time. By the end of the week though, I wasn't doing badly at all.

Lunch was had on the boat like always. Note: if you have lunch out in the field, and you know there's only 2 bags of cheetos, grab one early or you'll have to suffer through pain ol' tater chips. (Not that that's a bad thing.)

At home base we learned all about the electronics of fishing. Everything from GPS, Fish Finders, and flashers. What size cone is going to give you the best reading on fish? Why do fish marks look like they do on the screen? How fancy does one have to get in order to catch fish? Well, now I know. We also explored internet resources such as the Ohio Sea Grant site and it's discussion board. You can also find satellite maps of Lake Erie that can show you the flow of sediment from rivers. Of course you can check the weather and see what's coming your way. That way you can guestimate that by the time you drive up to Lake Erie, the lightning storm will be gone and you can maximize your fishing time!

That evening, John Hageman, who is the Stone Lab Manager, came in to talk to us about ice fishing. He also manages ice fishing shacks up at Lk. Erie in the winter when it freezes enough. Man, I'll tell you this, I'm not a huge fan of winter but I soooo wanna go ice fishing for walleye. That time of year, the biggies come back from the central basin to prepare for spawning. You can catch some HUMUNGO fish!

Okay, so that was the day I had 6/14/06. I'm going to add two more tidbits about Stone Lab.

Tidbit 1: An addition to my list the other day is to bring something fun to do. Believe it or not, I was not fishing 24/7. Really. So besides sleeping and eating, what else did I do? I had brought some of my sewing up with me. There is nothing more relaxing (to me) than to sit on the dock, crocheting, and watching the boats float by and the sun setting. Now, you, can bring whatever you want. A book, painting supplies as there's lotsa subjects, fishing if you're not taking a fishing class, you can borrow a rowboat, etc. Sometimes, whether we like it or not, we can only study so much.

Tidbit2: One very cool thing I found on my trip to Stone Laboratory was the other students. My roommates and I and a good sized group of us all somehow managed to mesh really well on the first day. We would exchange notes on our various classes, sit together at meals, hang out and chit-chat at night before bed. We all just got along really well and that was so cool! I suppose I wasn't expecting to go there and meet so many great people. So bring something you can write addresses on because you'll make some awsome contacts and friends.

Day 3, Tuesday, of my week at Stone Lab started out slowly. Whodda thunk that fishing would be so tiring! Today we were supposed to go straight to Smallmouth Bass but we decided that since they feed all day and walleye feed mostly in the morning that we'd hit the walleye spot first. We did okay, a couple of legal sized walleye made it into the ice chest along with some perch and a sheephead. From there we headed to North Bass Island for the smallies.

One of the things that you learn when you fish is the differences in how they fight once they're on your line. Walleye feel like you've snagged a log, there's not much fighting but with those teeth they look impressive. Smallmouth tug and pull and jump straight out of the water. They're definately a fun fish to catch (and tasty but on Lk. Erie the season is closed for May and most of June to help protect against egg eating gobies). Sheephead feel pretty distinctive on the line and are good fighters. Not a good eating fish due to elevated levels of PCB's at Lk. Erie right now but I hear they do taste good. I've not caught yellow perch so I can't tell you about them. Catfish (another Lk. Erie PCB fish) is a fun fight to but they're a pain in the patookie because they like to swallow the hook. At least in my experience and talk about a yummy fish! If you fish up there, it's more than likely that you'll catch yourself a goby at some point. They're ambitious wee guys. One fellow caught a 1 1/4" goby on a spoon that was bigger than the fish!

Once back on Gibralter I was dying for a nap but we had important things to be lectured on. Today was all about the aquatic ecology that will help us fishers. We talked about water density (did you know that water is densest at 39 degrees?) and oxygen levels (most aquatic life needs 3-5 parts per million) and pH (should be between 5 and 8). We also talked about temperature of the lake and how it changes year round. We learned about how/when each fish spawns and where they spend their time at different times of the year and all sorts of other great topics. I'm beginning to feel like an expert!

In the evening I went out on a row boat to meet up with my T.A. and various other classmates and we formed a fishing front on one side of Gibralter. I did nab me a rock bass and I discovered what great excercise rowing an actual boat was. (Especially when you have to whip it around to meet the 4+ ft wake of the Jet Express so you don't get pitched overboard.) It was a good night and I went to bed, again, exhausted.

Now I said the last time that I'd give you guys a list of things that I found out while I was there that I'd kinda wished I'd known about before. This is a few and I'll throw out more as I remember them.

1. CHECK THE WEATHER REPORT. For the 4 days prior to me leaving, I was isolated from the TV/Internet/Newspapers/etc. I had packed for warm weather and found out on the drive up that a cold front had moved in. Even if you come up here in the middle of July (which is when I'll be there next), bring a sweatshirt and an extra warm blanket. It might make your sleeping more restful.

2. Quarters for laundry. Lighhten your load and do laundry while you're there. I came up planning to do one load during the week and I probably should have done two.

3. Bring cash. The taxi's and boat taxi's take cash. If there's no row boat available to take over to Put-In-Bay, you'll be taking a boat taxi. No, you're not allowed to swim over.

4. Waterbottle. One thing I learned up there is there's a drinking water advisory on South Bass Island. You cannot drink the water, cook with it, brush your teeth with it, etc. On Gibralter Is., they have water in bottles that you can fill your container with. It's a pain, but trust me, giardia ain't fun. (Note: the link is kinda gross but you don't want a bad case of it)

5. Sunblock. Yes, I did bring this with me but on the first and last day, I forgot to put it on. 15 minutes and you're fried. I'm still peeling. I used SPF 50 and I still have a beautiful tan. Remember that you're around water and it reflects the UV rays back at you so it's like you're getting 2x the normal amount. With my class, if we got scortched on the first day or two, we wouldn't be allowed out for the rest of the week for our health. Since this was mostly a participation grade, that would have been bad.

6. Extra shoes (including shower shoes). I brought two pairs (could've used 3 actually) and at random points I had them both filthy and soaked. Don't worry about looks while you're up here. You're a student and it's quite likely you're in a class where you'll get dirty. Shoes that are dry easily and are easy to wash will be a life saver.

7. Allow yourself one "going out" outfit if you want. Why just one? Well, folks, you're in class. You probably won't get to Put-In-Bay more than once a week (if that) thanks to homework. No one will know that you're recycling the same outfit except you and you're classmates and they'll be doing the same thing.

8. Camera. I'll hook you up with some pictures soon but if you come up here, take photos! It's beautiful up here. Take pictures of you're new friends and of the places you go. There's all sorts of historical stuff to see like Perry's cave and the glacial grooves (on Kelly's Island). Extra batteries are a life saver and they'll be less expensive if you buy them at home.

9. Flashlight. There's places on Gibralter Is. that get bretty darned dark at night and if you want to sit and chat with your friends down by the beach, you'll need the flashlight to get back. Also, if you are in a rowboat after dark, the rule is that you HAVE to have a flashlight. My T.A. had the right idea with the flashlight attached to a headband. That leaves your hands free to row and you still have the light. In theory, you shouldn't be in one of the boats alone so you're passenger should have a flashlight as well. If it's dark out or getting dark, it should be on. Again, extra batteries!

10. Some form of portable memory. A CD, memory stick, floppy, etc. If I'd thought ahead, I would have brought my memory stick and I could have typed up an entry for this blog each day I was there. I will most certainly need it for my next classes at Stone Lab (Limnology and Aquatic and Wetland Flora).

Till next time!

Note: I'll be honest with you. I'm not typing this stuff on the day it actually happened. I'm running behind because, well, I'm fishing and boy-o-boy are they keeping us busy! I'll let you guys know what happened in a semblance of order though. :) My previous entry was for Sunday.


Monday started with me getting all excited because they had Cocoa Puffs at breakfast. (Hey, I don't get Cocoa Puffs often!) I gathered my water for the day and headed to the Gibralter III for our morning outing. Our schedule for the week is being out on the lake from 8AM to 1:30
PM (lunch on the boat - they hook us up with some tasty vittles) and then lecture from 2 till dinner at 4:45PM. Sometimes we'll have an evening lecture but more often we get to either fish from the dock/shore or take a rowboat out and have our way with the fishies.

Well, the weatherman lied. The waves on the lake weren't up to 2 feet. They were up to 4 feet. OH MY GOODNESS! I'm so totally not used to that and it wasn't long till I was getting green about the gills. It was bloody hard to keep from sliding about the boat and unfortunately, we went from our walleye spot and headed to calmer waters to fish elswhere (I shaped right up). I didn't catch anything out on that trip but others caught things like Freshwater Drum, aka Sheephead. One of the guys also caught a monster Channel Cat. I used worms pretty exclusively this week. I'll get into the leeches later. (Ewww!)

Our lecture this Monday was craft day. We learned all about tying knots and making rigs like Mayfly rigs and worm harnesses. (Here's a site that gives you the dirt about what kind of stuff to use for fishing Walleye on Lake Erie.) We also reviewed some of the regulations about lures and such. For example, I didn't know that you couldn't use a lure with more than 3 hooks on it in Ohio. That coveres your entire rig, by the way. I also didn't know that you can't have more than 2 poles per person at a time set up and out in the water. Here's yet another site that give you the dirt on Lake Erie regs should you wish to come up here and fish.

Anyway, we got to make pretty shiny things to use on the walleye and other fish as the week went on. I also made a smaller version of a mayfly rig for my fishing hat. It's pink and girly. I love it and I made it.

That night, I and my classmate Geoff went on a row boat with our T.A., Peter and fished. Geoff caught a big sheephead and I caught a nice Rock Bass that got my name on our brag board. I also caught the biggest Goby of the week. 3 1/2 inches, baby! (Yes, I gots me a picture, those will get posted later.)

I was beat when we got back but it was a brilliant day. I can't complain at all. Bed was gratefully crawled into and sleep was had. The next day was going to come too early.

Tomorrow, when I have a bit more time, I'll give you guys a brief list of things that I found helpful to have with me when I came up here. Hopefully, it'll help you should you ever come up to Stone Lab.

Here's to great fishing!