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Posts: 174
Location: Wis. Rapids, WI | Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
This correspondence is to update everyone on the progress of the Catch & Release Petenwell Musky Challenge (PMC) stocking program. October I received a call from Lloyd Kalepp, owner of Kalepp’s Fish Farm. He informed me that as he drained his ponds, much to his astonishment, he found very few fish. He believes this was a result of an Otter problem. The bottom-line was that Lloyd didn’t have any fish for purchase! Since we couldn’t get any of the Wisconsin strain from Kalepp’s, we’d thought we would try other hatcheries and found no available fish.
I talked with Don Kempen, who heads up the stocking effort for Consolidated Musky Club (CMC). As you may recall, we are stocking Leech Lake strain muskies with half the money raised from the 2006 tournament. Arrangements were made last May to join efforts with CMC, with each organization stocking on behalf of themselves, but sharing the transportation costs. We asked Don if he might know if the hatchery had any extra muskies left over for us to purchase. We were looking to purchase them in place of the Wisconsin strain. Don found out that they did indeed have muskies, so it was our decision to use the full amount of $5500 from the 2006 tournament to purchase Leech Lake muskies to stock in Petenwell Flowage.
However, the plot thickened at the end of October 2006 as Wisconsin put a freeze on any fish being transported across state lines. The reason for this freeze was related to the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/pdf/vhs-fed-order_ogc-changes.pdf & http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/). Representatives from the hatchery have attended meetings in Washington, DC with federal government officials in relation to this matter. The hatchery has been and will continue to test for this disease. According to the hatchery, this matter has been resolved and they are just waiting for the go ahead of the veteran test to be approved.
This time delay has now created a dilemma for us as the colder months are approaching and retrieving these muskies will be a struggle. Due to these unforeseeable factors, we basically have two options left to consider. Option 1 – cut a hole in the ice, place an aerator in the water and collect the fish. Option 2 – wait until April and stock the fish then.
Whenever we stock, whether later this month or in April, I will keep all of you informed. As in years past, you are more than welcome to participate in the stocking effort.
I wanted to take this opportunity to inform all of you and our sponsors of our current situation. We certainly have not forgotten about you, and as always, we appreciate everything you’ve done for us.
We’d like to thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you at the upcoming sport shows.
Todd Forcier
Director
Edited by TForcier 1/1/2007 9:29 AM
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| thanks for the update, Todd.
the PMC tourney and the CMC club have done wonders for the central WI fishery.
your personal commitment to returning tournament profits to the resource in the form of stocking fish is an example to tournament trails everywhere.
thanks and keep up the good work!
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| Thanks for keeping us posted Todd, good luck with this vital project. We look forward to having you as our featured speaker this September to talk about your wonderful fishery.
Steve Crook
Stocking and Conservation Director
Fox River Valley MI Chapter 39 | |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Todd,
I talked with hatchery the other day, and he said that as soon as things open up, we can get our fish. They tested 60 of our fish for VHs and we are good to go. I told don that I'd rather opt for waiting for spring if they'd concede, as it will be easier on fish. The time delay will also only get the fish to a bigger size by a couple inches. Don or I will let you know when the ponds open up if we go that route. As far as paying for the fish, we can write separate checks if you choose, no problem.
I'd also like to thank the PMTT at this time for their donation this spring to the Consolidated musky CLub Inc. for their donation of $1,000.00, which is going directly towards stocking. That type of support only cements our open arms to that type of tournament trail.
Thanks,
Jason Schillinger
Sec/Treas.
Consolidated Musky Club Inc.
Edited by Reef Hawg 1/1/2007 12:13 AM
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PMC Stocking Update