Alaska Fisheries Board

Archive for February, 2012

Despite their strange appearance, eelpout have become an increasingly popular fish in the Bemidiji area. Ice conditions are good and temperatures are just above freezing during the day and much colder at night. Any melted areas on the lake refreeze overnight. This year, the eelpout season will officially end in Minnesota on February 29th, giving anglers an extra day.

The eelpout fish has its own festival this coming weekend, beginning today and running through Sunday. Headquartered in City Park in Walker, this is one of the few fish based festivals that is not entirely about the fish. For many people, this festival is more about the social events.

So how do you catch more eelpout? You need to know more about this unusual fish. Eelpout are freshwater cod that live in the deeper areas of lakes during the summer in an effort to avoid the heat. They only come to the surface during the colder winter months. In Laker Superior, Eelpout have been found at depths of more than 1000 feet. Apparently, there is nothing too deep for the eelpout.

Basically, you will not find eelpout during the summer months at all. Like bears, they almost seem to hibernate in the dark crevices of a lake. They are the ultimate cold water species among fish.

In addition, eelpout eggs are always extremely large because of the fact that they have to sit at the bottom of the lake for so long before hatching. Embryos naturally have a lot of food in the eggs so that they can grow and survive within the egg for long periods of time. However, even deep in the lake, these eggs do tend to be eaten before they hatch due to the high calorie content. Therefore, fishermen often find these brownish green eggs in other species of fish that they catch later in the season.

If you want to catch an eelpout, the best thing to use is live bait. Some fisherman have effectively used liquid scents, rattle baits, and lures that glow, because as an alternative to live bait, these items do attract many eelpout by making up for their rather limited sight.

If you would like to participate in the Eelpout festival, it is held on Walker Bay in Leech Lake every year. It can be a good choice for the kids, providing live entertainment. This festival could easily be a family affair.

The rivers are in pristine condition, and fishermen are turning up on the Northwest coast in droves. With all of the boats popping up on every major river, I would guess that steelhead fishing is pretty good right now, which means that rivers might be a little bit overcrowded. So locals may want to fish their own more secluded niche, preferably in the same area. However, even with the crowds, fisherman seem to be catching more fish than you might expect.

Weather for This Weekend

Rain will break on the Northwest coast Wednesday and Thursday, and you can expect light rain on Friday and Saturday. The Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather service reports that you may see a small rise in wind, but it shouldn’t be too bothersome on the rivers. Next Monday, you can expect a stronger front to drop in, and this front may stay til Tuesday.

More Steelhead in the Trinity

Numbers have been lagging the past few years, but it appears that steelhead have returned to the Trinity River in record numbers this year. Mary Claire Kier of the Department of Fish and Game Trinity River Project reports that 4002 wild adult steelhead have returned to the river this year. Last year, only 2027 returned.

The Chetco River is Decent

Reports show that the river is now below 1000 cf’s and the fish are described as being “extremely spooky.” Boat traffic is particularly heavy on this river, and you may not see the fish you want. Small bait or puff balls seem to be the most effective bait right now, but you should watch out for trees in certain areas according to river officials.

Smith River

Boat traffic has been light so far and the fish are abundant. The river is getting low, but fish seem to be sticking around for the long haul. This week, most fisherman report getting bites one day and no bites the next. With reports of rain this weekend, many fisherman are hoping for more bites in the weeks to come.

Eel River

Darren Brown of Garberville’s Brown’s Sporting Goods reports, With the rain we had, the river came up 8 to 12 inches and colored up a bit. The river should be in great shape heading into the weekend. So far, the fishing has not been optimal on this river.

Van Duzen: Your Best Bet?

The Van Duzen has seen plenty of fish already, and according to regulars, anglers are doing extremely well. The creek is described as being a little bit cloudy, but the river looks good. On Wednesday, CF levels rose, peaking at 600 CF’s. This is by far the best looking river so far.