Boardman River Granted a Reprieve...For Now

Last evening I was able to attend the township meeting at Blair Township Offices where the board reluctantly voted to not allow the Boardman River Outfitters do business on the site in question located in Blair Township. The board members cited wording in their ordinance documents and advice from their attorney as to why they had to turn down this business's request to operate a canoe, kayak and tube rental business on the Boardman River. There was no public comment last evening because the time frame for the public to express it's opinions expired after the last board meeting.

Some members of the board chastised those opposed to this business as a limiting factor for the public to enjoy the river and its resources. The decision not to allow this business rested simply on the township ordinance wording.

Regardless of any type of business or impact on the Boardman River there must be a plan in place on how to best manage this resource. With the pending removal of the dams on this watershed, the DNR should take a look at the original river plan outlined in 1976 and take a look at the carrying capacity of this river for public and/or commercial use. There must be a River Stewardship Plan administered by a non-partial party to outline the further development and responsible management of this watershed.

Proposed Canoe Livery on the Boardman River

Tonight at 6:00pm is a meeting at Blair Town Hall in Grawn to discuss the proposed canoe, kayak and tube rental company to operate on the Boardman River below Brown Bridge.

Click on the highlighted Boardman River Plan to review what the state of Michigan has proposed for the river and growth. More specifically check out page 17 for the plan's recommendations on canoeing or boating activity on the Boardman.

Boardman River Plan

Page 17
Boating and Canoeing
(a) Non-motorized boating and canoeing is permitted, however, it
should be discouraged upstream from the “Forks” and on all
tributaries to avoid trespass, hazards and conflict with fishing
activity.
(b) Commercial canoe activities should be discouraged above Brown
Bridge Dam and restricted below.
(c) The following items were recommended by the committee to help
avoid user conflict, trespass and littering:
(1) Determine carrying capacity of river for canoes.
(2) Until such time as the Department of Natural Resources has
established a carrying capacity and is enforcing a control
program, canoe livery activities should be discouraged.
(3) Discourage canoeing above the “Forks”.
(4) Designate public access sites as fishing access, canoeing
access, etc.
(5) Sign access sites to indicate not suitable for canoeing,
where appropriate.
(6) Develop sanitary facilities at public access sites along river
and sign river to indicate such.
(7) Regulate and/or number or otherwise identify canoes.

These are the type of resources we all need to protect and enjoy. The Boardman River is a great waterway for the people in Kalkaska and Grand Traverse Counties to enjoy responsibly whether kayaking, canoeing or fishing. It is a vital, fragile and small resource that needs to be managed and protected properly so that all may enjoy it's beauty now and for generations to come. This type of resource, in my opinion, does not need the extra pressure and impact a commercial canoe livery would place on this valuable waterway. At one time, the when the state of Michigan was assessing the river they came to the same conclusion. Voice your opinion tonight at the township meeting at Blair Township Hall.

Boardman River Dam Removal News

I appears that the funding has been set aside for the removal of Brown Bridge Dam on the Boardman River. Check out the article from the Record Eagle by clicking here.

This will be a critical step in restoring this river and helping with temperatures in that section for the trout that live below the pond in the late summer months.

Your Opportunity to Speak up on Michigan Trout Regulations

The following email letter was sent out by the Michigan council of Trout Unlimited and it is of interest to anyone that fishes for trout in Michigan:

For nearly the last year, Michigan Trout Unlimited and other coldwater fisheries stakeholder groups have been working in cooperation with the MDNR Fisheries Division to improve the current regulations for inland trout and salmon streams. As part of this process, the MDNR is now soliciting public input on sections of streams that would be good candidates for addition into gear-restrictions.

By definition, “gear-restricted” waters are where only artificial lures and flies are allowed to be used. State law limits the maximum number of river miles that may fall into this designation to approximately 212 miles. Presently only 97 miles of river have been designated with gear restrictions. It is the intent of the MDNR Fisheries Division to undertake a comprehensive review of possible candidates for addition to this category.

Starting on January 7, 2010 an internet email address, dnr-gearrestricted@michigan.gov, has been established for the public to provide these nominations directly to Fisheries Division staff. They will be accepting input until February 5, 2010. They are requesting that nominations be as specific as possible and include information such as; the specific section of stream being suggested (use road/bridge or landmark boundaries to identify the section being nominated), brief description of the rationale for why you believe the nomination is justified, and what you think the gear-restricted regulation should entail. Fisheries Order 213 is useful in providing general criteria to be considered for gear-restricted waters, and can be found at http://www.michigantu.org/index.php/conservation/54-resource-management.

Please take the opportunity to have your thoughts and opinions heard on this topic. Michigan TU will continue to be involved in the review process for those stream sections that become nominated. Thanks for taking the time to participate!

Thanks,

The Northern Angler

Boardman River Salmon/Steelhead Fishing

So this is what it's going to look like on the Boardman in town now that the salmon run is done, I counted two people on Friday. The last harvest was 10-23-08 and the majority of the run has come and gone but there are still a few salmon around and the steelhead numbers will increase as fall progresses. The river also gets a late run (Nov-Dec) of coho salmon and a few lake run brown trout usually will come in too. On top of that there are always a few trout, bass, and carp hanging out in the river too. In other words, the crowds have gone but the fishing has not, pretty good combination I'd say.

Boardman River Fish Update

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, give a man a new camera and a blog about fishing and he will bore the hell out of you for as long as you let him!
So the Boardman salmon run is still going, I was at the weir this morning and the totals so far are 2718 salmon (2700 Chinook and 18 Coho) and they have passed 10 steelhead. The next harvest is Thursday October 15th (tomorrow) at 8:30 am and the holding tanks are FULL, fish jumping all over, if you haven't been over there yet give it a look tomorrow. Kids especially get a kick out of it, some of those fish are bigger than the kids are! One of my previous posts has a link to a photo story done last year by the Record-Eagle on the salmon harvest, pretty interesting.
The photo by the way is from Sabin Dam, the upstream limit to year round fishing on the Boardman. Speaking of fishing, the salmon are still being caught on the Betsie, Boardman, and Manistee and the steelhead numbers are increasing daily. Early in the run these fish are HOT, they will tear you up, also some big browns are being caught on the Betsie below the dam. Fall colors are beautiful, fish are plentiful, things are good.
Kirk
The Northern Angler

Salmon in the Boardman River

So completely unrelated to the title, I love fall in Northern Michigan and I'm loving my new camera too! I was over at the weir on the Boardman yesterday to check in and see how the run was coming along. They were in the middle of a fish harvest at the time (which is always interesting to see) and my guess is the total harvest now stands at just over 3000 fish which is on the low side. I asked one of the workers if the run was late or on the low/small side and he said "both". The run is going to be down a bit this year and he didn't really know why, everything seemed to point to a good fall for the fish. He said that they will probably harvest two more times and drop the weir in about two weeks. He did point out that there is usually a late run that comes in after they lower the weir and then another small run of fish (mostly coho) in December. Add to that the steelhead that will be moving in and the river should continue to fish well right through the end of the year. Also, the mass of people usually move on when October is over so the chances of getting some river to yourself increase. So, the decent fishing opportunity will remain here in town for the next two months even if the main run of salmon is down a bit.

Are the Salmon in the Boardman River Yet?

I have received a number of calls and questions in the shop lately wondering if the salmon are in yet so I thought I'd answer that with a picture that I took this afternoon (Sunday Sept 21) at the weir on the Boardman river. As you can see, the answer is a big yes! The fish started to show up about two weeks ago but the run is really just picking up steam. They have done one harvest already at the weir but only took about 500 fish, the total harvest last year was in the neighborhood of 7000 and the year before 10,000 so there are many more fish on the way. If you have never seen the collection and harvesting operation on the Boardman, it is really quite interesting, definitely worth a look. Here is a link to an article that The Traverse City Record Eagle did last year on the salmon weir. If you want to fish for the salmon, it is important to know that the river is closed to fishing from the North Union Street bridge to the bridge at 31. So it is OK to fish at the mouth of the river and from North Union Street to the weir. One last restriction, no fishing within 300 feet of he weir (it is posted). If you forget, it's a pretty safe bet that if nobody is fishing where you are, then it is closed. I intend to post a short piece on some of the how to on catching the salmon soon but for now call or stop in for the latest.