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When he finally got the fish to shore he knew it was pretty close to a record, and took it to the Salmon Stop, a popular Waukegan Bait store which had a certified scale. With more then the required two witnesses, the fish weighed in at exactly 30 lbs, with a girth measured 26 inches and was 36 inches long. Although losing a few ounces by the time it weighed in on the official "Salmon Classic " scale, Manny's Brown trout took the lead at 29.81, aceing out a 26.15 chinook caught by Richard Wagner of Chicago. The Salmon Classic, which has attracted more then 2,500 participants to date, is free and open to anyone with a valid Illinois fishing license . The Salmon Classic runs through May 31. "After this weekend, no longer can a shore angler tell me he has an unfair advantage," said Tony Portincaso , derby corridinator, "this catch shows that everyone has an equal chance." For more information on the Salmon Classic call: 630/595-9596 |
Fishing
from the south rocks at Waukegan Harbor , Paolinetti watched boat
after boat leave that morning in search of the "big one". Most
of the large fish registered to date had been caught by anglers fishing
from boats out in Lake Michigan.
It
is not too often an angler pulls in a 30 pound fish from shore, especially
with 8 eight pound test. The fish took the alewife soaking on the bottom,
under most circumstances the line would have broke,
but Manny, a seasoned Lake Michigan Angler, had 300 yards of line on his reel, and like a pro he let the fish run, the battle took about 30 minutes and drew
quite a crowd.
Although unconfirmed, this brown trout may be a seeforellen strain, which Wisconsin has been stocking since fall of 1991, and are estimated to reach upwards of 50lbs.
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AND OTHER NATIVE FISH IN
EUROPEAN WATERS
About 100 researchers, managers, administrators, and interested parties
attended the "International Symposium on Biology and Management of Ruffe"
held Mar. 21-23, 1997 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Sea Grant Great Lakes Network
organized the Symposium with assistance by several co-sponsors, including
the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council.
Participants from outside the United States included several Canadians as
well as researchers from Russia, Slovakia, Germany, England, Scotland,
Finland, and France.
Some of the presentations included interesting highlights and revelations.
The native range of ruffe includes most of central and northern Europe,
southeastern England, and several major drainages in Russia, east to the
Lena River in eastern Siberia. The ruffe is not considered a pest in
waters where it is native. In these waters, it is little studied, but
observations indicate that population size fluctuates widely. Some ruffe
fisheries were mentioned, but there appear to be no significant fisheries
for ruffe currently.
A recent genetics study indicates there are two types of ruffe that may be
sufficiently separated to be different species. Ruffe inhabiting the
Danube River and Black Sea are separated from the ruffe of the Baltic Sea
by 500,000 years of evolution. Ruffe in Bassenthwaite Lake (England) are
similar, but not identical, to the Danube River ruffe. Ruffe in North
America are of the Danube River type.
Ruffe have been introduced to several waters where they are not native,
including Loch Lomond (Scotland), Bassenthwaite Lake (England), Lake
Constance (Germany, Switzerland and Austria), and of course, western Lake
Superior. The pattern of colonization is remarkably similar in these
cases. Within a few years after their discovery, ruffe increase at a rate
to become the most abundant fish. Population size levels off after 12-15
years at a very high level. there are no case histories with sufficient
data to describe what happens next.
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 confirmed Ruffe sightings Ruffe have many characteristics that make them successful colonists. Their potential for population growth is very high. They spawn over an extended season, and females are capable of spawning in multiple batches. Young mature ruffe produce eggs, but may not spawn, in which case, the eggs are resorbed. Ruffe are non-specific in their spawning locations. Ruffe hatch at a small size (3 mm), absorb their yolk sacs at about 5 mm, and spend 1-2 weeks as pelagic larvae. After that time, they live on the bottom. Ruffe eat mostly benthic (bottom-dwelling) insects. Larvae of chironomidae (bloodworms) dominate the diet in most locations. Mayfly larvae of the genus Hexagenia are also common in the diet. Ruffe commonly eat fish eggs, like many other species of fish, A wide variety of other food items complete the diet. They continue to feed at unusually cold water temperatures. Ruffe have a highly sensitive lateral line system on their heads. This allows them to sense prey and probably predators as well, and supplements their visual sense in low light or darkness. Ruffe are eaten by a variety of predators. In the St. Louis River, predators select against ruffe and generally for soft-rayed fishes. Ruffe are an important component of the diet of northern pike in Europe. Competition, in the strict ecological sense, has not been demonstrated between ruffe and other fish species. Declines in growth rates of yellow perch were observed in the St. Louis River, Lake Superior. Ruffe have fundamentally changed the ecology of Loch Lomond, Scotland, but declines in abundance of other fish species cannot be verified. Food supplies may be partitioned between ruffe and other fishes. Some presenters speculated that colonizing ruffe were successful because they occupied an "empty niche" in the ecosystem. In some locations (e.g. Bassenthwaite Lake and Russia), ruffe are known to be very hardy, capable of withstanding handling and extended periods out of the water. In the Danube basin and in North America, ruffe are considered to be delicate, with death resulting from little handling and de-watering.
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