Coaster Brook Trout: A Synthesis of What We Know
about Them and Their Potential Rehabilitation
Winter 2004 Edition
By Casey Huckins
THE INSIDE SCOOP
Cover Story
• Coaster Brook Trout
Page 2
• Fall CBT Survey
Page 3
• Buckets o’ Brookies
Page 4
• Beach Sweep, Clean
Sweep
• Nominating Committee
Page 5
• Pilgrim River Potential
Page 6
• Tying the Foam Spider
Page 7
• New Treasurer
• Donofrio Accepts New
Postion
Page 8
• Meeting Schedule
• What You Missed
Editor’s Note: This issue of One More Cast
includes three articles on Coaster Brook Trout.
We begin with fisheries biology and then cover
two aspects of CCCTU field efforts.
Of the over 70 species of fish that were
native to Lake Superior, brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis) are the only native
salmonine (trout or salmon) that
commonly inhabited both tributaries and
coastal waters of the Great Lakes
(excluding occasional riverine spawning by
lake trout). These brook trout that lived in
Lake Superior were referred to as
“coasters.” In the lake stage of their life
they attained great size, and as a result,
they were an important species that
attracted countless anglers to the region
even in the 1800’s.
Lake Superior
historically supported coaster populations
in possibly well over 100 tributaries with
potentially 46 populations in U.S. rivers.
However, by the late 1800s and early
1900’s, the coaster brook trout fishery in
Lake Superior had collapsed, and the great
lake was in the midst of losing populations
of these unique populations of brook trout
for which it had achieved earlier fame.
Brook trout are known to undergo
migrations from coastal habitats into
tributary rivers and streams, but when this
journey occurs for reproduction it creates
large aggregations of coasters at river
mouths that were and still are highly
Scientific
vulnerable to anglers.
understanding of the early days of these
populations is lacking, but observations by
George Shiras compelled him to write in
1921 that
“the trout [coasters] along the southern
shore are approaching extinction, a
tragedy assured by the improvident
custom of catching the remnants [trout]
at the mouths of spawning streams.”
For a species that once was numerically
Casey Huckins, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, MTU
important along the coast of Lake Superior,
surprisingly little is known about their lifehistory, physiology, genetics, or ecology. In
an effort to address these information gaps,
multiple entities around the basin have
initiated research programs to study
coaster brook trout and/or they are
attempting to rehabilitate populations.
Realizing the current momentum of
coaster related activities and the relative
discontinuity between these efforts around
the Lake Superior basin, individuals from
universities, natural resource agencies,
extension entities and Trout Unlimited
partnered to form the COASTER working
group. Our goals are to host workshops to
synthesize
available
information
pertaining to coaster brook trout, develop
scientific publications based on the
syntheses and distribute the information
and recommendations to the public and
user groups by hosting outreach sessions.
Our efforts build upon the previous
development of the Great Lakes Fishery
Commission document, “A Brook Trout
Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior,”
which was a basin-wide unifying step
toward coaster brook trout rehabilitation
efforts. The plan identified approximately
continued on page 4
Chapter Members Assist in Fall CBT Survey
By Steve Albee
Keweenaw County — CCCTU
members Dave Grahek, Stan Frantilo,
Paul Sulisz, and this reporter assisted
MTU graduate student Josh Lallaman
conduct the autumn Coaster Brook
Trout (CBT) survey on the Gratiot
River during the weekend of
September 25th and 26th. This was
the fifth field season our Chapter has
assisted MTU graduate students and
their major advisor, Associate
Blocking a stream segment
Offishal Newsletter of the Copper
Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Published quarterly or whenever we get
around to it.
Bill Leder, Editor & Publicist
Contributing Writers
(This Issue)
Steve Albee, Casey Huckins, Jim Junttila,
Don Kreher, and Bill Leder
CCCTU
P.O. Box 232 • Hancock, MI 49930
Officers
Steve Albee, President
Jim Baker, Vice President
Donna Finley, Secretary
Gloria Strieter, Treasurer
Board of Directors
Steve Albee
Jim Baker
Nels Christopherson
Nick Enz
Donna Finley
Shawn Hagan
Bob Hudson
Gale Jamsen
Don Kreher
Bill Leder
Bill Lehtinen
Denise Marth
Thomas P. Suchenek
Paul Sulisz
Printed by
Copper Island Printing & Graphic Services, Inc. Calumet, MI
Professor of Biological Sciences Casey
Huckins, on the Gratiot.
The survey was conducted in three
designated stream segments on the
lower reach of the Gratiot River,
between the mouth of the river and
the lower falls. The survey was
accomplished using the multi-pass
depletion technique. The objective of
the technique is to make multi-passes
through the stream segment in a
consistent manner
to deplete the fish
population. Based
on the number of
fish taken each
time, the fish
population in that
stream
segment
can be estimated
reliably.
The technique is
applied in the
following manner.
First, blocking nets
are placed at each
end
of
a
designated segment, starting with the
most down stream segment. Then a
series of passes, usually three, is made
with backpack shockers to deplete the
fish population in that particular
segment of the stream. The shocked
fish are collected in buckets and taken
to a processing point where they are
identified by species and measured for
length and weight. Scale samples are
taken from all trout over 10 cm. (5
inches) in length. After processing,
the fish are returned – unharmed into the river.
For the technique to be effective,
consistency is constantly stressed. The
same individual(s) need to operate the
backpack shocker(s) on all passes in
the same segment of the stream. Each
individual shocker must work slowly,
deliberately, and carefully follow the
same route in the stream segment.
So how many fish did we “catch?”
Here are the results of the first
designated segment: On the first pass,
a total of 60 fish were captured.
During the second pass, a total of 33
were taken, and on the third pass, 17
were collected.
Josh Lallaman with a nice Brookie
What species were collected? Josh
furnished the collection list which
included: Brook Trout, Rainbow
Trout, Coho Salmon, Burbot, Sculpin,
Blacknose Dace, Longnose Dace,
Creek Chubs, Pumpkinseed, and
Larval Lamprey. While 10 species were
collected, the three that attracted the
most attention were the Brook Trout,
Rainbow Trout, and Coho.
Total Rainbows accounted for 122
fish, ranging in length from 1.5 to 8.1
inches. Total Coho accounted for 84
fish, ranging in length from 3.8 to 22
inches. Brook Trout - the fish of
greatest interest in this survey accounted for 29 individuals, ranging
in length from 1.5 to 8.1 inches. Only
7 of these were fin clipped, indicating
they came from the 2003 stocking.
What does all this mean for
Coasters? Read the related article by
Casey Huckins in this edition of One
More Cast.
Josh shows off a couple of Coho
— Page 2 —
“Buckets o' Brookies Brigade” Puts Coasters in
the Gratiot River and Assinicas in Area Lakes
CCCTU Teams with MDNR to Complete Annual Keweenaw County
Brook Trout Stockings
By Jim Junttila
It's October 5, peak color season in the Keweenaw, and
nowhere is the fall foliage more brilliant than along the
Gratiot River, home stream to the Copper Country
Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and one of the natal streams
in the TU Coaster Brook Trout Restoration Initiative.
Bright orange, red and yellow aspen, birch, maple and
oak leaves drift on the swift, tannin-stained water the color
of Leinie Creamy Dark, offering natural camouflage and
cover for the magnificently-colored coaster fall fingerlings
being gently poured into the river by DNR and CCCTU
volunteers.
These fish are stunningly beautiful, like miniature
mature brookies in fall spawning colors. They're busy
adapting to their new home and absorbing a crash course
in real-world multi-tasking: finding food to eat and doing
their best to avoid being eaten...skills they never taught
them back at the hatchery.
Rod Aho ready to roll.
Eight TU members work harmoniously with DNR
personnel making up this year's contingency of the fabled
"Buckets o' Brookies Brigade.” In three hours, they
seamlessly transfer 44,300 baby Nipigon strain CBT from
the DNR tank truck to the river via a fleet of ATVs and
bucket runners. Five-gallon buckets o' brookies are bungee
corded onto the back of ATVs, driven down to the river and
ceremoniously dumped in.
Resident avian and terrestrial predators who can't resist
a free all-you-can-eat coaster sushi buffet wait in the wings
as we leave. Predation is a fact of life and a factor in fish
planting. Who knows what percentage of the coasters we
stock contribute to chubby kingfishers, well-fed raccoons,
and big lake trout, coho and steelhead?
This year's intrepid "Buckets o' Brookies" brigade
included DNR fisheries personnel Ed Pearce, crew chief
and fisheries technician; Brian Gunderman, fishery
biologist; Darlene Joki, technician; Bill Wellencamp,
technician; and Mike Witsen, hatchery technician.
CCCTU bucket runners were Bill Deephouse, Rod Aho,
Josh Lallaman, Steve Albee, Bob Hudson, Dave Grahek,
Dan Manninen and Jim Junttila. Special thanks to Bill
Deephouse and Rod Aho who furnished their ATVs.
This is the sixth and final year of planting CBT in the
Gratiot River under the present stocking prescription.
From 1999 to present, we have stocked 179,000 fall
fingerlings. Twenty-four CCCTU members volunteered
250 hours assisting MDNR fisheries personnel with the
project. CCCTU recognizes and applauds past presidents
Ray Weglarz and Bill Deephouse for their exhaustive
lobbying and networking efforts on the Coaster Initiative.
Assinicas Thrive in Lost Lake and No-Name Pond
On October 7, we stocked 800 Assinica brook trout in
Lost Lake, and another 600 in No-Name Pond. Both
Keweenaw County venues have been on the DNR/CCCTU
stocking list since the projects began.
Ed Pearce, Bill Wellencamp, Darlene Joki and Jim
Junttila handled the No-Name Pond stocking, and were
joined in Copper Harbor by Jeff Coltas who helped the
crew plant 800 more in Lost Lake. The remote lake
requires ATV transport one mile from the tank truck to the
end of the road, and
a quarter-mile hike
of
the
version
"Buckets o' Brookies
Brigade" the last
stretch to the lake.
These
hearty
Assinicas have been
quite a success story.
They have wintered
over well, feeding
on abundant leech
and
insect
populations,
the
kind of forage base
and habitat wellsuited to growing
brookies the size of
beer bottles in a
couple of seasons.
— Page 3 —
Steve Albee helps Coasters find a new home.
Beach Sweep, Clean Sweep
By Steve Albee
A picture perfect Sunday morning
on September 19th, greeted 14 TU
members and friends when they
gathered at the mouth of the Gratiot
River in Keweenaw County’s newest
park. The task for the morning was to
participate in the big annual cleanup
event which happens the third
over, Bill’s crew estimated they
policed up 245 pounds of litter and
trash. The most numerous items
collected off the beach included LOTS
of pieces of plastic, e.g., bottle caps,
dinnerware, pieces of rope, and many,
many Native American lake trout fish
tags. Unusual items included a
bicycle wheel, a part
of
an
airplane
propeller, and a five
gallon can of glue. All
these items generally
occurred in the beach
area.
What was really
disturbing was the
amazing amount of
trash found in the
woods just along the
beach line. Here the
crew found a bounty
of litter including bevLeft to Right: Keweenaw County Commissioner Frank Stubenrauch, Bill
erage
cans,
glass
Deephouse, Dave Grahek
bottles, auto parts plus
other metal objects, junk food
weekend of every September. This
wrappers by the score, articles of
event takes place in conjunction with
clothing, and a few smelly disposable
the Ocean Conservancy’s Interdiapers. Hey folks, we really have got
national Coastal Cleanup that occurs
to do an education job on our beach
around the world.
campers, four-wheelers, and shoreline
As you probably guessed by now, fishermen. End of editorial, for now!
the objective was to remove and
Let’s finish with a tip of the cap to
record trash and other litter from our
this year’s TU Beach Sweep crew:
Lake Superior beaches, and have some
Beach Captain Bill Deephouse, Dave
fun doing it. The TU group, equipped
Grahek, Chris Brown, the brothers
with sound walking shoes, sturdy
Jamsen (Gale and Fred), Frank
gloves, and heavy-duty trash bags,
Stubenrauch, Don Keith, Jim Baker
fanned out a long the beach, by going
and daughter Lillian, Steve Albee, and
both east and west from the mouth of
the Huckins family (Casey and Jill,
the Gratiot River. Bill Deephouse,
along with daughter Addie and son
Sunday’s Beach Captain, said his TU
Hayden). Hope to see many more of
crew covered in excess of 6,500 feet of
you at CCCTU’s Adopted Beach next
beach frontage. They covered the
September!
section of the beach running east to
the Gratiot River Park beach
boundary, and west to the Michigan
Nature Association’s property. TU was
joined in this effort by North Woods
Conservancy which covered the beach
from Gratiot River Park east through
the Seven Mile Point stretch, and the
Michigan Nature Association to the
west.
After a lot of hiking and bending
— Page 4 —
Nominating
Committee
Appointed
Chapter President Steve Albee has
appointed a Nominating Committee.
The members are Jim Baker (Chair),
Denise Marth, and Shawn Hagan.
The terms of seven Chapter board
members expire in February 2005,
and the Committee will be making
recommendations to fill these
vacancies. Please provide your input
on this important leadership matter
to a Committee member.
Coaster Brook Trout
continued from page 1
118 streams and rivers that possibly
hosted historic spawning runs of
coasters with the goal to “maintain
widely distributed, self-sustaining
populations in as many of the
original,
native
habitats
as
practical.” With this objective in
mind, we decided that synthesis of
information pertaining to coasters
was required for five major themes:
1) genetics, 2) use of lake habitat, 3)
use of stream habitat, 4) population
and community ecology, and 5)
management.
At the present stage of this multiyear process we have conducted 1)
the initial synthesis meeting, which
brought together over 50 people to
present and discuss their work on
coasters, 2) a national symposia
where current research on brook
trout was presented, 3) a national
symposia on coasters where the
synthesis papers were presented and
we are currently in the process of
conducting the extension phase of
the project. The extension meetings
for Michigan occurred in Houghton
on December 8 and in Marquette on
December 9.
These meetings
entailed an historical overview and
introduction to our efforts, a
summary of the current science
including the difficult issues of
defining
what
coasters
are
ecologically
and
genetically,
presentations on local efforts to
rehabilitate and study coasters, and
a management perspective.
Pilgrim River Potential Explored
By Bill Leder
The Pilgrim River has significant
potential to become an improved
cold water fishery. That was the
conclusion reached in September by a
team of CCCTU members assisted by
George Madison, Fisheries Supervisor
for the MDNR’s West Lake Superior
Management Unit.
nutrient base, and the heavily wooded
area makes for a very scenic fishing
experience.”
While the Pilgrim is a great trout
nursery, the lack of deep holding
water with structures that permit fish
to hide means that most trout move
on to other locations are they grow
easy!
The team concluded that building
on the success of the Pilgrim
restoration project completed a few
years ago, a second phase would be a
very worthwhile project, so a second
field trip was made on October 9.
During the second trip, specific plans
were made to cut trees near the bank
and anchor logs in the river. Shawn
Hagan used his GPS mapping
equipment and software to document
the exact locations, and candidate
trees were flagged.
Hi-Tech at
CCCTU!
When detailed plans for the
physical work are made, there will be
plenty of opportunities for all CCCTU
members to help. A key to success
will be volunteer involvement.
Special thanks go to Shawn, who
made all the arrangements for stream
access and provided the refreshments
that everyone enjoyed.
Left to Right: Shawn Hagan, Steve Albee, George Madison, Jim Finley, Don Kreher, Bill Deephouse
Six Chapter members and George
met on September 20 at 5:00 pm at an
access point off Boundary Road. The
group spent about two hours walking
a section of the river, most of which
has a gravel bottom that is well-suited
to spawning. George, who had not
visited that part of the Pilgrim before,
said, “I am really impressed with this
river. There is a very good fish
beyond five or six inches in length.
Of course, there are a few exceptions
that can make for very exciting fly
fishing. Ways in which the habit
could be improved were discussed.
They include the
strategic placement of
large logs and the
construction of small
rock dams. Sounds
Bob Hudson and Sadie Check Out a Hole
Left to Right: Don Kreher, Steve Albee, George Madison, Bill Deephouse
— Page 5 —
Tying The Foam Spider
By Don Kreher, the Frugal Fly Tier
The cheapest fly I know how to tie is
the foam spider. You can get all the
material from local retail stores. They
last forever, they always float, and best
of all they catch fish. I have caught,
brook trout, brown trout, rainbows,
bluegill, largemouth, smallmouth,
sunfish, and crappie on spiders of
various shapes and colors. Cost is about
5 1/2 cents a fly.
Hook Size 8-14.
heavy wire.
Trim the foam near the bend.
Lift the eye end of the foam up and
wrap the thread halfway up to the eye.
Standard, light, or
Thread Black or color to match or
contrast with the body. You can use
rayon sewing thread.
Cut a rubber strand to twice the length
of the hook. Fold this strand around the
thread.
Body 2mm thick closed cell foam. In
the craft department of Wal-Mart,
Joanne Fabrics, and other craft stores
you can find 8 by 10 inch sheets that
cost between 30 to 60 cents. One brand
name is Foamies. There are all sorts of
colors: Yellow, black, white, brown,
gray, orange, green. It's your choice.
Legs The rubber strands inside a bungee chord.
Attach and cover the hook shank with
thread. Leave the thread at the hook
bend. Cut a strip of closed cell foam
about the width of the hook gap or so.
Pinch the foam onto the bend of the
hook. Make sure the end of the foam is
at the eye or further. Tie down the foam
at the bend.
Tie in the first pair of legs with two
loose wraps. To do this your bobbin
hand rotates to the top while the hand
holding the legs stays in place. Place
and release the legs and wrap thread
twice between them. Tug them into
place if necessary and tighten the
thread.
Tie the foam down to make the
abdomen/thorax.
Wrap up to the eye. Trim head to a
point.
Tie in the second pair of legs exactly the
same way, but place them on the other
side. You can add more legs if you want,
but I like 4 legs. (Yes, I know real spiders
have 8!)
Tie down the head. Tie off, cut the
thread and add head cement. I often
add a drop of super glue to the bottom
of the fly.
— Page 6 —
Gloria Strieter Appointed to CCCTU
Treasurer’s Position
(MTU) before marrying Richard
Strieter.
The more rounded bottom that a beetle
has can be obtained by first cutting the
foam to a point and then tying it down
along the hook shank.
Gloria Strieter, New CCCTU Treasurer
I add peacock herl, dubbing or chenille
to make a body for the beetle.
Bend the foam over the body, tie it
down and add legs. Next trim the foam
to make the head. In photo 12 I did not
trim the head to a point and tie it down.
I left it as is. The result I think looks
more like a beetle's head and pops
when stripped along the surface.
For the next fourteen years she was
a Navy wife and followed Richard,
until he retired from the Navy and
they returned to the Copper Country.
During this military period they
became the proud parents of three
children, two sons and a daughter.
Since returning to the Keweenaw,
Gloria has worked at MTU for almost
20 years. Her current position is that
of Executive Secretary for the
Keweenaw Research Center located at
the Houghton County Memorial
Airport.
Responding to our plea for a
chapter volunteer to fill the treasurer’s
position upon the retirement of Tom
Suchenek at the end of September
2004, Gloria Strieter, of the Traprock
Valley, demonstrated some Copper
Country SISU by raising her fly rod
and stepping forward.
She was
appointed by the Board of Directors
and assumed the position at the end
of September.
Gloria says, “I became interested in
Trout Unlimited (TU) by way of
Whitetails Unlimited (WU). I had
been to one of WU’s banquets and
won an opportunity to attend a
Michigan DNR, Becoming an
Outdoor Woman (BOW) weekend. I
had a good time, learned lots of new
activities, and have been back every
year since that first time, five years
ago.”
Gloria is a Copper Country
original, having been born, then
growing up and going to school in the
Calumet area. Following graduation
from Calumet High School, she
headed for Troll Country where she
ended up working several years at the
University of Michigan before
returning to the Copper Country.
Upon her return she spent some time
working for Calumet and Hecla
Copper Mining Company and
Michigan Technological University
“The BOW weekends really got me
more interested in fishing as well as
hunting. I signed up there, the first
time (it was free), to be a TU member.
I found the magazine and newsletter
pretty interesting, so I started
attending the meetings. Then Donna,
(CCCTU’s secretary) talked me into
volunteering for the treasurer’s
position.”
WELCOME to the Board, Gloria!
Good Luck,
Mike Donofrio
Mike Donofrio, Natural Resources
Director with the Keweenaw Bay
Indian Community and a long-time
supporter of CCCTU, has accepted a
Fisheries Supervisor position with the
Wisconsin DNR. Mike had been with
the Indian Community since 1988.
He began his new position in
Peshtigo, Wisconsin on October 4.
Thank you, Mike, for your support.
— Page 7 —
Gloria Strieter
Treasurer
(906) 296-9422
[email protected]
Donna Finley
Secretary
(906) 482-1430
[email protected]
Jim Baker
Vice President
(906) 482-2615
[email protected]
Steve Albee
President
(906) 482-2615
[email protected]
2004 OFFICERS
Copper Country Chapter
Trout Unlimited
P.O. Box 232
Hancock, Michigan 49930
UPCOMING CHAPTER MEETINGS
Here is the tentative lineup for upcoming chapter meetings. You won’t
want to miss these opportunities!
January — George Madison, Fisheries Supervisor for the MDNR’s West
Lake Superior Management Unit.
February — Dr. Jill Leonard, Assistant Professor in the Biology
Department at NMU, speaking on Coaster Brook Trout and the
Pictured Rocks Restoration Effort.
March — Dr. Dean Premo with the White Water Association.
April — Dr. Casey Huckins, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
at MTU, with an update on the latest research on Coaster Brook
Trout.
May — Chapter President Steve Albee will lead a program including a
screening of the video on the previous Pilgrim River Habitat
Improvement Project carried out by CCCTU, a discussion about the
next phase of work on the Pilgrim, and plans for other summer
activities.
These meetings will be held at the Ramada Inn in Hancock, beginning
at 7:00 pm.
What You Missed
if You Did Not
Attend Recent
Meetings
September — Mike Donofrio,
Natural Resources Director with
the Keweenaw Bay Indian
Community, speaking about
recent field studies of the Huron
Bay fishery using the latest hi-tech
instruments.
October — Dr. Casey Huckins,
Associate Professor of Biological
Sciences at MTU, who gave an
excellent presentation titled “The
Ecology, Life History, and Status of
Coaster Brook Trout in the Lake
Superior Basin.”
November — Brad Petszke,
with Rivers North Guide Service in
Marquette, speaking on “A Season
of Fishing God’s Country.”