LEGEND Long Lake Fishing Club Incorporated, P.O. Box 303, Campbellsport, WI

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1 Fa l l Long Lake Fishing Club Incorporated, P.O. Box 303, Campbellsport, WI llfclegend@sbcglobal.net Lake Bottom Mysteries: A Remarkable Reproduction Strategy Reprinted from Lake Tides, Volume 42 No. 1 Winter/Spring 2017 By Sandy Wickman, Regional CLMN Coordinator, UW-Extension Lakes. When asked to think about our favorite part of Wisconsin s lakes, many of us picture human activities (well, we are human after all), but there are many significant things happening below the surface that might be surprising. This winter s installment of Lake Bottom Mysteries uncovers some interesting facts about an extremely small creature, that has multiplied enough to have negative impacts in some of our largest waterbodies in the state. At just ¼ to ½ inch long, with 70% of that length covered by a barbed tail spine, the spiny water flea (SWF) is translucent with one large dark eye. Individually, it can easily go unnoticed, but when clustered together which is often the case they attach themselves to fishing line. When that happens, they get noticed. History Through genetic testing techniques, it appears that the spiny water flea, Bythotrephes spp., can be traced to native populations in St. Petersburg, Russia. Spiny water fleas were discovered in Lake Huron in 1984, likely transported in ballast water, and by 1987 had spread to all of the Great Lakes. They seem to prefer large, clear lakes and are confirmed in 23 lakes throughout Wisconsin. The fishhook water flea, Cercopagis pengoi, joined the SWF in the 1990s. Both spiny water flea and fishhook water flea belong to an order of small crustaceans called Cladocera, the same as our native (and ecologically valuable) water fleas. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Lake Bottom Mysteries 1 Glenn Henning Tournament Results 2 Pictures From Glenn Henning Tournament 3 George Hudson Fall Fishing Tournament 4 Did You Know? 4 Making Babies When water temperatures are just right (not too hot and not too cold) and food is abundant, adult female SWF produce eggs without mating. These unfertilized eggs are carried in their mother s brood pouch until they develop into female offspring that are identical to their mother. The female can produce ten young every two weeks or so. As a result, throughout much of the spring, summer and fall, the SWF population is composed mostly of females. In response to an environmental cue, such as cold weather or food shortage, some of these eggs can hatch into males. The males mate with the females to produce resting eggs, which are later released and fall to the bottom of the lake. Resting eggs have a thick coating on them that allows them to withstand extreme conditions and lie dormant for long periods of time. These resting eggs are so durable, they will pass unscathed through a fish s digestive tract. The eggs rest until conditions are favorable and then hatch. The adults die following reproduction. These small non-native water fleas have high reproductive rates and can build a large population in a short time. Suppertime The spiny water flea is a predator that feeds Please see Lake Bottom Mysteries on page 2

2 Page 2 Glenn Henning Tournament Results By John Hrovat This year s tournament took place Saturday, June 3rd with nineteen entrants attending the event. Heavy weather moved through the area early which caused a few contestants not to venture out and the rest to high tail it for cover as fishing poles make good lightning rods. The weather cleared for weigh in. Six Northerns, 43 Bass and 0 Walleyes were registered. Most fish were caught before the storm, with few boated afterwards. Finishing just out of the money by five ounces was Ed Ebert. We had a few entrants that got skunked. Justin and Conner Brust mainly because they forgot to get bait, but they got a free pizza afterwards which it looked like they enjoyed. Once again thanks to all the volunteers, the many contestants that participated and Benson s Hide-AWay for use of their facilities. Place Place 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Category/Winner Heaviest Walleye N/A Heaviest Northern Brian Ebert Heaviest Bass Fred Berthlein Weight Prize 6 lbs 7 oz 4 lbs 9 oz Total Weight All Total Game Species Weight Brian Ebert 15 lbs 7 oz Mike Theisen 13 lbs 5 oz Mark Fuller 10 lbs 7 oz Jeremy Urbanek 9 lbs 6 oz Steve Stepaniuk 9 lbs 5 oz Kyle Benson 7 lbs 6 oz Prize inches long) eat SWF. Tiny Creature, Big Impact Since water fleas feed primarily on zooplankton, there can be adverse impacts on fish populations and water quality. The appearance of spiny water flea in Lake Michigan coincided with a large drop in the abundance of the zooplankton, Daphnia (also a cladoceran). In Lake Mendota, managers rely on the large algae-grazing zooplankter, Daphnia pulicaria, to maintain clear water. Since the spiny water flea invasion, Lake Mendota has seen a 95% reduction in D. pulicaria and, in turn, a onemeter decrease in water clarity readings. The Vander Zanden Lab at the Center for Limnology estimates that we would need to reduce phosphorus inputs by 80% to Lake Mendota to make up for this loss of clarity! The economic impact of this loss of clarity on Lake Mendota has an estimated value of 175 million dollars (read more about this research at Do Your Part Although SWF can multiply quickly and cause negative impacts in a lake where they already have an established population, it is up to us to keep them from spreading. SWF can be easily transferred to new areas by bilge water, bait buckets and livewells, so let s all follow the prevention steps, and help our fellow lake lover do the same. $60 $50 $40 $20 $10 Lake Bottom Mysteries from page 1 on smaller zooplankton (or small animal life). This zooplankton is also the preferred food of juvenile fish, so the larger the population of SWF, the more competitive it is for these young fish. The water fleas are small enough to eat, but young fish tend to avoid them because of the barbed tail. Only larger fish (usually more than two Picture from the LLFC 5 to 95 Fish Camp held in June.

3 Page 3 Pictures from the LLFC Glenn Henning Fishing Tournament held in June. The Long Lake Fishing Club, Inc. was created to protect, maintain, and improve all the environments necessary for present and future generations for the enjoyment of successful fishing on Long Lake, a multi-use lake in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. Are your dues current? Please check the mailing label for the year your dues run through. If the year is not 2017 or beyond please fill out the membership application on page 5 and mail it in with your dues. Due to the cost of printing and postage, only members with their dues current will receive future Legend mailings.

4 Page 4 George Hudson Fall Fishing Tournament 9/23 & 9/24 What will you be doing on the mornings on September 23rd and 24th? Why don t you plan on entering the George Hudson Memorial Fall Fishing Tournament? If you only can make one day that s okay, you still have the opportunity to show off your angling skills, and you never know, you may win! The tournament format is a point per inch of legal fish for the following species: Walleye, Bass, Northern, Blue Gill, Crappie, and Perch. Only one fish per species will be counted toward your total points. See you there! Tournament Rules Must be a member of the LLFC. If you are not a member, a membership application can be filled out and dues submitted with your tournament registration. Entry fee is $10 per person. Only two members per boat are allowed. Six species contest: Walleye, Bass, Northern, Blue Gill, Crappie, and Perch. Only one fish per species counts towards your point total. One point per inch of legal fish will be awarded. If fishing both days, you can register longer fish on the second day. This will replace your previous day points. Highest point total wins. The top six will receive cash prizes. Fish registration will be at Benson s Hide A Way at noon each day. Prizes will be awarded Sunday shortly after the fish registration. Please fill out the tournament entry form on page 5. We re on the Web! Visit us at: Did You Know Lake Foam Can Be A Natural Occurrence? Reprinted from Lake Tides, Volume 41 No. 3 Summer/Fall 2016 By Kirsten James, UWSP graduate Lake foam occurs naturally when organic compounds, such as plant and animal matter, decompose and are released into the water. This organic content contains surfactants, which are compounds that lessen the surface tension of the water. When these surfactants are rapidly mixed with the air, by wind, wave action, water flowing over a dam, or turbulent rapids, they will create foam in the water. This foam can build up and collect in coves and downstream, but naturally-occurring lake foam will subside and settle relatively quickly. Lake foam is most common in eutrophic lakes that are dark brown in color. These lakes typically have high organic content from decomposing leaves and the presence of many plants and animals. You will see more lake foam in the late fall due to the release of organic compounds at the end of our growing season. Beginning in the late 1950s, synthetic laundry detergents containing surfactants made their way into waterbodies and caused massive foam production and buildup. These detergents and other soaps were chemically nonbiodegradable, so they hung around for a long time. Phosphorus in these detergents also created biological overproduction similar to the phosphorus-related problems we still see today. After conflict over the issue in the early years of environmental protection, the industry now produces household products that are much safer for our waterbodies. The sudsing agent of all detergents now on the market must be biodegradable. This effort, combined with advances in water treatment, regulation, and education, has significantly decreased the amount of lake foam from pollution. Is it natural or not? Please see Did You Know on page 5

5 Page 5 George Hudson Memorial Fall Fishing Tournament (9/23/17 & 9/24/17) Did You Know from page 4 Natural foam has an earthy or fishy aroma, is off-white, tan, or brown in color, and is common in rainy or windy conditions. Foam from pollution will likely smell of perfume, be whiter in color, slimy to the touch, and will not travel very far. Cost $10 per person / $20 per boat for members in good standing (Two people allowed per boat) Name(first person): Name (second person): Phone #: Amount Enclosed: Please fill out this form and mail it to: Long Lake Fishing Club, PO Box 303, Campbellsport, WI Entries must be paid the day before the tournament. Late entry fees may not be accepted. Long Lake Fishing Club, Inc. P.O Box 303 Campbellsport, WI Picture from the LLFC 5 to 95 Fish Camp held in June. llfclegend@sbcglobal.net Membership Application If you would like to join the fishing club, fill out and mail the form below to: Long Lake Fishing Club, P.O. Box 303, Campbellsport WI Not sure if your membership is current? Check the year on the Legend mailing label to see what year your membership is paid through. If necessary, fill out the form below to renew. YES, I want to support the Long Lake Fishing Club with my $10 membership. Please check type below: New Membership Annual Renewal Additional Donations (include dollar amount Thank You) Name: Address: City, State, Zip Telephone:

6 Page 6 Long Lake Fishing Club, Inc. P.O. Box 303 Campbellsport, WI Free Newsletter Take One Welcome Aboard! New Members of the LLFC Upcoming Events George Hudson Fall Fishing Tournament Saturday and Sunday, September 23rd and 24th 2017 LLFC Snow Golf Saturday, January 27th 2018 Germaine Ditter Doug Lloyd Vic Moyer Mike Zielinski Officers President: Charles Benson Vice President: Brian Ebert Treasurer: Lori Dhein Secretary: Donna Berthlein Board: Kyle Benson Fred Berthlein Diane Bruendl Tom Casper Chad Ebert Ed Ebert Board: Tom Flasch Dave Hafermann John Hrovat Jason Sarauer Scott Stuart