Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
Minnesota Fishing Opener was this past weekend. After a long winter, people are excited to get out on the water fishing and enjoy the warm weather. They’ve been dreaming of getting out fishing, but one thing they don’t think about when planning their fishing trip is how their fishing tackle can affect the wildlife around them. In 2020 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) launched a program called “Get the Lead Out” to promote the use of lead-free fishing tackle. The program is funded from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During the oil spill many loons were negatively affected, causing concern for their population. Minnesota is a hotspot for nesting loons, so their efforts were focused on helping their populations in breeding areas. With the program, the MPCA has been getting the word out and educating people about why lead tackle is dangerous to wildlife and what you can do to help. Lead poisoning from tackle is common in loons, waterbirds like ducks and swans, raptors, and occasionally small mammals like racoons that eat fish. Loons swallow pea-sized pebbles on the bottom of lakes to aid in digestion, like grit for chickens. Ducks and other waterbirds may ingest lead jigs or sinkers while foraging for invertebrates. Jigs are meant to entice fish and may look like a minnow to waterfowl and be ingested because of that. Another way loons or raptors, like eagles or osprey, may ingest fishing tackle is by eating a fish that has swallowed a jig or sinker. Once the lead is ingested, it is exposed to acid and rocks in the stomach which break it down. The lead is then released and enters bird’s blood stream, slowly poisoning the bird. It takes only ONE lead sinker to poison a loon and can take 2-3 weeks after ingesting for the loon to die -which can be a long and painful death. Once the lead has entered the blood stream, it affects the brain and nervous system, digestive organs, kidneys, heart, and reproductive system of the animal. Basically, if a loon or other animals ingests lead tack, they’re going to die. It is just a matter of time. Some signs of lead poisoning can be flying poorly, crash landings, head tilt, gasping, trembling, droopy wings, and emaciation from not eating. Lead tackle is an obvious problem, as loons, waterbirds, and raptors can easily ingest it while foraging or eating fish that have swallowed lead tackle. They get very sick and succumb to death. This can be worrisome as it may threaten bird populations. Not only is lead poisoning bad news for the birds, but it can also get into the environment from being in a water system. Sand or rocks rub on the lead, releasing it into the water. It can then be in the water or soil, be taken up by plants growing and animals can ingest lead by eating the plants. It could also potentially be a health hazard to humans who recreate in the water and possibly contaminate drinking water over time. I’ve been reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson which has me really thinking about contamination in the environment and how things can compound overtime becoming detrimental, and hard to reverse – if even possible. There are many negative effects of using lead fishing tackle, but luckily there are things we can do to help “Get the Lead Out” and keep our wildlife and environment healthy. Over there years many non-lead alternatives have become available. Stainless steel, bismuth, tin, tungsten, ceramic, recycled glass, and natural granite are just some of the alternatives. Besides being non-toxic, some of these alternatives are harder than lead, making them less likely to get stuck on rocks. Some are denser which gives a smaller profile, and some have lower melting points which can allow for finer detail. Ask your local bait and tackle store to stock non-lead sinkers and tackle. The MPCA has a list of lead-free fishing tackle on their website. Once you purchase your new non-lead tackle, be sure to dispose of your old lead sinkers and jigs properly. Bring them to household hazardous waste collection sites. Never throw old tack into the water or on shore!
If you don’t fish yourself, you can gift non-lead fishing tackle to the favorite fishermen and fisherwomen in your lives. And the easiest thing to do: share this information with friends and family to “Get the Lead Out!” Making one small change can help to better the lives of wildlife around you and keep our environment healthy. A small step of changing to non-lead fishing tackle can make a big impact! Now is a great time to sort through your fishing tackle, properly dispose of your lead tackle, and get some new non-lead tackle to start off the fishing season! And this winter don’t forget to check your ice fishing gear to see what you can switch over to non-lead. Happy fishing! You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish, unless of course you play bass!
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I didn't know what spearing was until I met Tony, but the first winter we were together he was sure to show me how it was done. Since then I've gone along many a time with him, usually jigging in the hole and watching the "underwater TV" as he spears. This year instead of just jigging in the hole, I decided to give spearing a shot and was successful! Since Tony is the pro and knows the ins and out of spearing, I thought he should be the one to share about it, so I'll hand this post over to him now... A lot of people, especially in the Midwest, are familiar with ice fishing. It is a pretty popular sport among outdoors enthusiasts and typically garners great attention as it can be easier for anyone to target bigger and more fish. There is another “fishing” method that people may not be so familiar with. That is, spearing. Spearing is a very traditional sport, has roots that go way back, especially in Minnesota. A lot of people who do spear do it because their dad did, and their dad's dad did, and so on… Not too many people have just picked up the sport. Some say it is a dying sport due to this. I am one of those people who basically just picked it up. My grandpa had gone spearing a few times with a friend of his, but not to the point where he did it on the regular. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go once or twice with him, and that lit the fire, so to speak. But first, what exactly is spearing…? What is Spearing? So, what is spearing and what does a person need to do it? Well like any other hobby, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. When spearing, typically the main species targeted is Northern Pike. All “roughfish” are legal to spear as well as Channel Catfish and Whitefish. Tools of the Trade There are a few tools of the trade that are necessary to begin spearing. First, you need something to cut a hole with. This can be done a wide variety of ways. Anywhere from using a chisel to chip out the hole, to using a chainsaw to cut out the hole. What’s typically done is using a power auger to drill several holes in a rectangle or square (whatever you want essentially) and then connect the dots with an ice saw. These holes can be any size you like, mine is typically 4 feet by 2 or 3 feet. Ice blocks can be pushed under the ice or an ice tongs can be used to take the blocks out. A finer meshed dipnet can be very useful to remove all the ice shavings and ice chunks out of your spear hole. The next piece of equipment is the spear. Spears are one of two very important and traditional aspects of the sport. There are a lot of older spears made by well known people, and these can be unique to each maker. Depending on the maker and age of the spear, these spears can be very expensive and fancy! There are a bunch of spears mass produced that work well but may not look as fancy or cool. They have a small hole on the end to tie a rope or line to and the other end you clip to the house, so you do not lose your spear after throwing it. The other very important aspect of spearing is the decoy, what attracts the pike into your hole. Large sucker minnows are sold under the name of decoy, or decoy minnows and make a great live decoy to bring pike into range. Handmade decoys are probably the coolest part of the sport. Anyone can make a decoy. There are a lot of historic decoy makers that are well known and have unique styles to their decoys that set them apart. (Megan's side note: You can visit Decoypedia.com to see some awesome carvers and their decoys). A decoy can literally be whatever you want it to be, from a fish, to a frog, dragons, any color, any shape, you name it, and it can be made! Red and white is a pretty common color scheme and works very well. Decoys are attached to a thicker line, dacron or braided, which is affixed to a fishing rod or the top of the house and lowered down into the water. Have your spear ready because the second that decoy is dropped fish could already be coming in! The last key part of spearing is the dark house. A shelter that is dark colored on the inside to make it easier to see down your hole. A lot of people have smaller shelters that are homemade and put on skids to leave on the ice. Another common shelter, a bit more portable, are hub style shelters. Sled-style shelters can also be used, but hubs are most popular. What I Use I have three spears, two of which I use regularly. I have two decoys, one firetiger perch style Rick Whittier decoy and a classic red and white colored Duey decoy. I use my power auger, Fish’s ice saw, chisel, dipnet and ice tongs when cutting and clearing out the spear hole. Then I set up my Eskimo Fatfish 949i over the hole, drop down the decoys, and it's game time! I made a YouTube video of my most recent trip to my family’s cabin that shows how it’s done pretty well, and it’s fun to watch! After you are done for the day there is one last measure you must take to ensure safety. Mark your spear hole. This is extremely important from a safety standpoint so other people enjoying the outdoors to do not fall into a spear hole and harm themselves. Marking a spear hole consists of putting branches to alert people that there is/was a spear hole here and please be cautious. If you took your ice blocks out, it is encouraged to put them back in the hole, so vehicles do not hit them. Spearing to me is so much fun. I am an avid hunter and this to me feels like hunting for fish. In Minnesota you are also allowed to angle in your spear hole. It is very entertaining to watch all the goings on under the water! I love taking people who have never gone before. Spearing is a very fun way to introduce new people to ice fishing too, as they can angle in the hole. I have caught 20+ inch largemouth bass and countless panfish while jigging in the spear hole. Always remember to follow your specific area’s regulations. I hope you learned something from reading this! If you are an avid enjoyer of the outdoors, I encourage you to introduce someone new to the outdoors whenever you get the chance! Thanks for reading! - Tony Long If you're looking for something to do with all those pike you spear, try pickling! Check out my previous blog Pickled Pike for a recipe and directions!
August 18-20, 2017 This is a throwback to a year ago when Tony and I went on one of our mountains trips. Read about our Mountains Trip #1-Beartooth Mountains, MT near Red Lodge. We had less than a week to plan, but Tony had already figured out where he wanted to fish and what trail to hike, so all that was left was to find a spot to camp. As we were nearing the parking lot after our longer-distance-than-expected hiking and fishing trip, Tony jokingly (but really meaning it) says, “Well, this trip went well, let’s do it again next weekend just in a different place.” Although I was a bit reluctant, I guess I agreed because the following weekend we were heading to the Bighorn Mountains near Buffalo, Wyoming in search of Grayling. One of Tony’s dreams was to catch one, and we just happened to be fairly close (4.5 hour drive and 9ish mile hike) to an alpine lake when we were working out in Montana for the summer. We had less than a week to plan, but Tony had already figured out where he wanted to fish and what trail to hike, so all that was left was to find a spot to camp. Day 1 Once again, we headed out early in the morning, so we could get to Buffalo, Wyoming and make a stop at the fly shop to stock up before heading into the mountains. Earlier in the summer, on a road trip to Devil’s Tower, we had made a side trip to Buffalo just to stop at The Sports Lure which Tony had heard about and needed to go to. So, of course The Sports Lure was our first stop when we got into town! Tony asked all the important fishing questions and we left the shop armed with the best flies to catch our fish. After the fly shop we headed to the Powder River Ranger District to fill out a registration form that anyone entering the Cloud Peak Wilderness is required to do. After visiting the Ranger Districts, it was time to head to the campground and set up our site. We weren’t able to get a site up in the mountains on such short notice, but found the Deer Park Campground in Buffalo which worked out well. We spend the evening eating dinner, exploring the campground, and relaxing while watching a flock of Common Nighthawks catch insects overhead. Day 2 We woke up around 5:00 a.m. so that we could have some breakfast and get to the trailhead early. We hiked the Circle Park Trail which goes through the Cloud Peak Wilderness. It was a very rocky trail, but had some beautiful lakes and views along the way. We ran into some fly fishermen who were traveling by horseback that were surprised we made the trek on foot all the way to our lake. It was a little over 9 miles round trip, but not too bad, especially compared to the previous weekend when we ended up hiking farther than intended. The highest point of our trip was an elevation of 9,581 feet not long before we got to our lake. We wound our way through the trees and got our first glimpse of the lake! It was a beautiful sight looking down from the ridge! We caught our breath and enjoyed the view then started the very steep decent down to the shoreline. Right away Tony was rigging up his fly rod and started casting. In not too long he caught his first Grayling! His dream had been fulfilled! The excitement and look on his face was priceless! We did a little boulder hopping and made our way to an upper pond area where Tony had heard from a buddy that there was good fishing. Tony was a bit ahead of me because he just couldn’t wait to wet a line up there, and called back to me, “Megan, there are moose!” I couldn’t believe it! We got out the binoculars and watched two cows and a calf walk and swim in the water, it was so cool! Tony was starting to get impatient with the moose and really wanted to fish, eventually they moved out and he moved in. Unfortunately, they muddied up the water from walking through it so he didn’t catch anything, it was however a great place for a snack! I found a nice, flat rock a little ways into the water and soaked up the view while he fished. We started to get hungry, so we went back down to the main lake and boulder hopped our way to the other side to find a lunch spot. The rest of the afternoon was spent fishing and soaking up the scenery. Tony and I each caught quite a few more Grayling and he even caught a Splake (a hybrid of a male Brook Trout and female Lake Trout). Reeling in my Grayling, check out the blue on its dorsal fin! On our way back down the mountain Tony spotted another moose resting in a meadow, that brought our moose count up to four for this trip! We saw some more mountain flowers and birds. The trail was rocky, and the altitude high, but it was another great day of hiking and fly fishing for the books! Once off the trail we made our way back to the campsite and had an early night. Day 3 We didn’t have much planned for today besides heading back to Glendive, so we decided to eat out for breakfast. We ate at the Busy Bee Cafe which has been a local favorite since 1927. The Busy Bee is part of the Occidental Hotel in downtown Buffalo. The hotel has hosted famous people like Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, and young Teddy Roosevelt. The food was great and right next to Clear Creek. After our breakfast, we fed trout pellets to the trout for their breakfast. Then it was on the road again. As always, the trip went by way too fast! Once again, we had done it! Quickly threw together a trip, hiked up a mountain, fly fished in an alpine lake, and had a trip of a lifetime! I don’t think I would have done it if it wasn’t for Tony, but seeing him catch his first Grayling was the cherry on top! I’m thinking we need to make another trip to the mountains in the near future! Thank you, Tony, for the use of your pictures and knowing when to push me out of my comfort zone, we had a great time and made some awesome memories! Photos by: Megan Betcher & Tony Long
With the end of ice fishing season, you may find yourself with a freezer full of fish and wondering what you’re going to do with all of it. Since Tony usually has plenty of pike from spearing, we decided to try something new, so I made Pickled Pike! I have never pickled anything before, so this was a first for me. Tony found a recipe that didn’t seem too involved, and after a trip to the cabin, we had some pike to test the recipe on. It’s not a hard process, but does take time because of the 12-24 hour waiting periods between steps. Let the pickling begin… Pickled Pike Fillet fish and remove skin, no need to remove the bones. Cut into 1 inch chunks. Place the fish in a non-metallic container large enough to hold the fish and cover with brine. Brine: ½ cup pickling salt to every 1 quart of water (yes pickling salt is special salt) Cover fish completely with brine and let soak for a minimum of 24 hours. Keep cold. Drain brine off fish then cover with white vinegar for at least 12 hours. Drain vinegar off fish. Do not save the vinegar. In large kettle, dissolve sugar in vinegar while heating. (Do not let boil). Once sugar is dissolved let cool. Add wine, onions, and pickling spice. Place back on heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool again. Place fish in jars adding onions from solution as desired. Top off jar with pickling solution – enough to cover fish. Cover jars and refrigerate. Let stand one week before eating. Peak flavor will be reached in about 2 weeks. This recipe is for 6-8 pounds of pike. (I made a half batch for the two pike and it made just about 3 quart jars full.) Tips:
Do you have a favorite fish pickling recipe or other tips to share? Comment below! I think I want to try pickled perch eggs next, I hear they’re good! August 11 - 13, 2017 This summer, while we were working in Montana, Tony and I took advantage of being so close to the mountains. Tony had been talking about Grayling and really wanted to do some alpine lake fly fishing! He was really hoping to backpack in and camp a few nights at the lake, but we didn’t have all the right equipment with us out in Montana, so we changed up the plans a little. The weather also threw a wrench into our plans because it was supposed to rain all weekend where he wanted to go for Grayling in Wyoming. Since we were running out of time, we decided to do a mountains trip to the Red Lodge area in Montana so we could at least fit in one trip to the mountains before I headed back to Minnesota. In about two days, we quick threw together a plan. I looked for a place to camp (and some geocaches nearby), and Tony figured out where we should fish. It was quick planning, but everything fell into place and the trip was great! Day 1 Tony was eager to get going so we left at 6 a.m. and headed southwest to Red Lodge, MT. I had found a campground in the Beartooth Mountains that had free camping! The catch was that it was on a first come, first serve basis; so, we figured we would take our chances and if we couldn’t get a spot there, there were a few other campgrounds nearby we could try to get a spot at. We arrived at the campground around 10 a.m. and snagged one of the last open spots! We got lucky! It was on the edge of the “campground,” (13 sites, no water, and a vault toilet – but great location!) so we only had a neighbor on one side, and had the creek behind us for Tony to fish in, and lull us to sleep at night. We were at about 7,000 ft. elevation, surrounded by conifers, had a view of some farther off mountain peaks, the creek, and fresh, cool mountain air – a perfect vacation spot! We set up camp to mark our spot, then checked out the creek behind our site. Tony was able to catch a few fish while I enjoyed the scenery. After that we headed to a nearby lake, Greenough, to see what else we could find! There were some nice open spots so I got some good fly fishing practice in and caught my first fish of the trip! We saw two new bird species to add to our Life Lists: Clark's Nutcracker and Mountain Chickadee (in case you were wondering). There were also some very friendly ducks that were entertaining to watch. After we had our fill for the afternoon, we headed back to the campsite, made some supper, and enjoyed the view. It even started snowing a little while we were cooking! First time I had seen snow in August! We went to bed early in preparation for our big hiking day, and fell asleep to the roaring of the creek. It got down to the upper 30’s during the night and even with my multiple layers, wool socks, winter hat, and mummy sleeping bag I was still chilly, but Tony with his broken-zipper sleeping bag was toasty warm… typical! Ha. Day 2 We woke up at 5:30 a.m. to make some oatmeal for breakfast to warm up and get our day packs ready before driving to the trailhead. It was in the low 40’s when we woke up, and around 50° when we started our hike. The sun coming up over the creek through the trees was a beautiful way to start the day! We followed the Lost Lake Trail. It was a nice trail that followed along Rock Creek most of the way, with beautiful sights. We even got to see an American Dipper in the creek; a new bird for my Life List! Coming up on mile 5 we were starting to wonder where the lake was, surely it had to be close! I had my Fitbit on, so we were able to keep track of how far we had gone, and how much more we had to go. We pulled up a map on Tony’s phone and figured out there should be a spur trail soon to cut over to the lake. It took a little searching but we found it and started our final assent to the lake! We were both happy that after 7 miles (which was supposed to only be 5…) we had finally made it! Tony was eager to start fishing and I was ready to have a snack and just take in the beautiful view. We walked along the edge of the lake looking for an open spot to fish and found plenty of moose tracks and scat. We ended up doing some bog walking and boulder climbing to head to the other side where we set up shop for the rest of the day. Tony spotted a Cutthroat that he was trying for with all sorts of different flies while I sat nearby perched on a boulder and just tossed my trusty mosquito fly out, let it sink a little, and then repeated the process. I was looking over at Tony, then glanced back at my line and excitedly exclaimed, “Tony, I see a fish! Tony, I think I have a fish! Tony, I caught a fish!!” Tony just about fell off his boulder because he was so excited and ran over to me to help me with my fish. I caught a beautiful 19.5 inch Cutthroat! Which turned out to be the only fish we caught from the lake. After all that excitement, we cooked some lunch and continued to fish. In the early afternoon, we figured we better start making our way back down the mountain since we were planning on stopping at Broadwater along the creek to try for some Brook trout. It was a success! We fished for a bit, had a snack, then continued on our merry way. I was even able to find a few geocaches on our hike, too! By the end of the day we had hiked over 14 miles; a bit more than we bargained for, but definitely worth it! Early to bed tonight! Day 3 After breakfast, we packed up our campsite and headed to Greenough so Tony could get a few more fish under his belt while I found another geocache. Then we headed up the Beartooth Pass to Rock Creek Vista Point for a beautiful view of the area! There were also some pretty friendly, and fat chipmunks running around! Tony and I like going to zoos and aquariums, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity of stopping at the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary in Red Lodge before grabbing some well-deserved, delicious pizza and heading back to Glendive. At first, I wasn’t too sure about this trip since we very quickly threw it together and I am the type of person that likes to plan. We didn’t even have a campsite booked for goodness sakes! But, Tony does a good job of getting me out of my comfort zone once in a while, and I can say that this was one of the best trips we have taken together. The hike was longer than expected, and you could feel the elevation taking its toll, but it made the fish we caught that much more worth it. We had some unforgettable views, caught some beautiful fish, and made some great memories! How many others can say they hiked 14 miles in a day, up a mountain to an alpine lake to fly fish? Towards the end of our long hike, Tony was “joking” that since this trip turned out we may as well do it again the next weekend, just in a different place. We may be crazy, but that is just what we did – back to back mountain trips, and I wouldn’t trade those trips for anything. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a Shutter Bug. Here are a few more pictures from the trip. And thank you, Tony for your pictures, too! |
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