FISHNEWS07

ELLOA FISH NEWSLETTER ~ 2007

Fish Report

Fishing has been very good this year, according to the fish survey's turned in. Look at some of these large northern pike. Scott Barta caught this huge Northern Pike in the Fall of 2006 on Evans Lake ~ it was 49" long and weighed 15 lbs. When asked if he was going to mount it Scott replied "NO! I'm lookin' for the bigger one!"

Jim Pavelka & Bob German caught this Northern Pike thru the ice on Evans Lake. This Pike was 35.5" long and weighed 11 lbs. Jim helped to land it with a Gaf Hook! ~ Way to go!

Fish Survey's
We got a lot of good information from the fish surveys some of our Angler's have turned in. If you would like to participate, just ask a Fish Committee member for one. Our panfish are doing good with an average size of 7.5". Channel Cats have been doing extremely well ~ some over 19". Large Mouth Bass are excellent! ~ showing no sign of disease ~ Our Small Mouth Bass are breeding and some of the Redear Sunfish have been over 12" long. Some Evans Lake Anglers have caught over 15 Walleye's ~ some up to 15" long! ~ that's an average growth rate of approximately 3" per year.

Fish Stocking
In the fall of 2006 the Fish Committee had plans to stock fish in Evans Lake. The Department of Agriculture had stopped fish stocking in every state that borders the Great Lakes due to a virus called V.H.S. Our fish supplier, Jones Fish Hatchery, has taken every precaution to ensure the ELLOA strong, healthy fish. The fund's for the 2006 fish stocking program were put into a CD to earn interest. This is what we plan to stock for Spring 2007; 200 free Walleye 6"-8" long, 100 Small Mouth Bass 5"-7" long, 100 Redear Sunfish 4" long, 10 gal Fat Head Minnows.

Adopt-A-County Road continues to be a success in keeping the Evans Lake property clean and clear of debris. Thanks to all the volunteers for helping to pick up trash. If you would like to "pitch-in", we pick up twice a year ~ Spring & Fall. Give Jim Pavelka a call (517) 431-2689.

Conservation & Preservation

Wood Duck & Hen Houses on the lake were checked this Winter and showed sign's of activity with lots of egg shells inside. Thanks to Joe

Talamonti, Jim Pavelka, Cody & Jeff Fineske. One of our Hen Houses had a nest inside. This Spring brought many fowl sightings: a flock of 29 Wood Ducks, hundreds of Blue Bill Ducks, a large flock of Canvasback Ducks and at least a dozen Loons.

POINTS
The north point of Evans Lake will be going under some restoration to try to fix the gap that has caused the point to be split in two. We have planted some Willow Trees and Bullrush Weeds to try to help with the erosion ~ more work is planned.

HABITAT

One way to help our wildlife survive is to plant Wild Rice. This will NOT add more weeds to the lake. We are working on a seed producing patch in the land trust on Evans Trail and a selected area on Tripp Hwy. New additions to our habitat are Bass Buckets. They are made of non-polluting materials including a 5 gallon bucket with holes but into each side with branches over the top and pea gravel inside for the fish to spawn. This keeps the baby fish safe from predators until they are large enough to survive on their own. Thank you to Phil Davis for the great idea! If you would like one to put by your dock, contact Jeff Fineske.

AN EYE ON WILDLIFE
Over 80 Pheasants have been released in the swamp and woodlands surrounding Evans Lake with more on the way. Along with 200 lbs. of seed producing plants to encourage food plot for birds of all species to feed. Some of the plants are Sorgum, Forage Sorgum, Buckwheat, Barley, Lenawee Mix, Corn, and Round Up Ready Corn. The seed was donated by the Pheasants Forever organization.

EVANS LAKE DAM
The Dam is showing signs of wear ~ leaking on both sides and starting to leak through the dyke walls. A lot of Muskrat activity has been around the Dam, causing damage to the dyke walls. Fur trapping this fall by Jim Budde and Jeff Fineske brought a total of 51 Muskrats out of the area.

Fish & Conservation & Preservation Accomplishments

Money Collection	underwater structures for fish
80 pheasants released	over 200# of seed producing plants for birds & pheasants
bullrush weeds planted on points	Bluebird, Bat, Hen houses, wood duck, assorted feeders
fish stocking / kind and amounts	wood duck & mallard monitoring
1 day raffle gifts	underwater spawning grounds
ELLOA Fish Committee clothing line	service awards
American Flag Sales	DEQ/DNR contacts
Fish Surveys	Fish & C&P Newsletters
Fish ID Chart	Wood Duck sponsors
	National Bluebird Trail hook up