Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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SJRVFF Report
The St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers will conduct a seven-week class designed to build on and expand the skills of the beginner level tier.
The club will cover tools, materials and techniques needed to tie proven fly patterns for the local area and beyond.
Classes will be held once a week, on Tuesday evenings for seven weeks starting on February 3, and ending on March 17. Class will start at 6:30 pm and be held at the Near Northwest Neighborhood Community located at 1013 Portage Ave. South Bend, In. 46616.
The cost for non-members of St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers (SJRVFF) is $40. For members of SJRVFF the class cost is $10. The class is limited to 15 people.
This is an intermediate level class, so some basic fly-tying experience is necessary to be successful.
SJRVFF will supply all tools, vises, materials, a syllabus and in-person instruction aided by close-up video. If you have your own vise, tools and light, please bring them and use them for the class, as it’s always the best practice to use and familiarize yourself with your own vise and tools.
To register for the class with please text or email Don Reber at donreber@gmail.com / text 574-286-0157.
Questions, contact Jeff Stanifer/ Email: helltrout1@gmail.com or cell, 574 876 2710. Text messages are preferred.
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Mercury Report
When Ed Bieber was growing up on a family farm in little Lena, Wisconsin, he learned to work hard — and play hard, too. The family owned a few boats over the years, and Bieber spent countless happy hours fishing, waterskiing, and kneeboarding.
“As I kid, I would take a mask and go underwater, holding my breath,” Bieber remembers.
His love of underwater exploring, combined with his interest in fishing, led to him becoming known as “Ed the Diver” on social media. He now has nearly 200,000 followers across multiple platforms, and millions of people have viewed his content.
A New Social Media Star
As a young adult, Bieber didn’t never considered that he might find his calling in the water. He worked factory jobs, got married, and after his divorce, raised his son and daughter, who are now 19 and 17 years old.
A hands-on dad, Bieber frequently took his kids fishing at Stephenson Island in the Menominee River, which runs between Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. Part of fishing is losing lures, and in addition to losing their own, they often came across those lost by others.
“I kept saying, get those, they’re expensive!” he recalls with a laugh.
And so, in 2017, Bieber’s Underwater Recovery was born. It started with a cheap diving mask, swim trunks, and an old pair of gym shoes.
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By Louie Stout
Don’t forget that both Indiana and Michigan fishing licenses need renewed April 1.
Licenses are available at some tackle retailers or online.
For Indiana, visit: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/licenses-and-permits/.
For Michigan, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/license-info.
Here are the fees for both states:
Michigan:
Resident all species $26
Non-resident all species $76
Daily $10
Indiana:
Resident $23 plus trout and salmon $11
Non-resident all species $60
Daily $15
Resident Senior $3 (includes trout and salmon)
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MDNR Report
As ice and snow cover melt on Michiana lakes this spring, you may see dead fish or other aquatic animals. Given the return to a more “normal” Michigan winter this year — with more cold days and near-average snowfall across the state — you may notice more dead fish than you have in the past few years.
While such sights can be startling, the DNR reminds everyone that it is normal for winter conditions to cause some mortality of fish and other creatures such as turtles, frogs, toads and crayfish.
“Winterkill is the most common type of fish kill," said Aaron Switzer, Michigan DNR Fish Production Program manager. "It can be particularly common in shallow lakes, ponds, streams and canals during seasonal changes. It’s a natural phenomenon, and these kills are localized. They typically do not affect the overall health of fish populations or fishing quality.”
Shallow lakes with a large amount of aquatic vegetation and soft bottoms are more prone to winterkill, particularly when a deep snowpack reduces sunlight for the plants. Canals in urban areas also are quite susceptible, due to the large amounts of nutrient runoff and pollution from roads, lawns and septic systems that flow into these areas, especially after large storm events.