By Steve Weisman

(photo by Bill Beardsley) Divers on the north side of the Grade on Big Spirit Lake.

It’s the end of March, the Rotary car has gone in on Smith’s Bay, the lakes are opening, we’ve had our first true spring rain of 2021. Lakes are opening up, and our spring bird migration is in full swing. First the Canada geese, then the Trumpeter swans, followed by our ducks, both puddlers and divers. What fun it is to see the myriad of colors that these waterfowl present. Bill Beardsley, a friend of mine, took some incredible photos of redheads, ringneck and scaup on the slough north of the grade last weekend.

Then, of course, there is the most majestic of all birds, the bald eagle. Near extinction in the 1960s, conservation efforts began in the 1970s, and today across the Hawkeye state, we Iowans have the chance to see bald eagles perched high in a tree, maybe soaring over a lake or river and even nesting. Over the past couple of weeks, northwest Iowa has had huge numbers of bald eagles. Friends of mine have recently counted as many as 40 in the Ingham Lake area, over 20 around the Hogsback and Little Spirit and another 30 eagles west of Lost Island. Bill, again, took some awesome eagle photos at Ingham Lake last weekend.

It’s simply awesome for us to be able to witness this incredible migration! It won’t last long as the migrants head north.

Gillnetting ‘20

Yup, it’s also that time of the year. Last year, the employees of the Spirit Lake Hatchery did an awesome job in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the threat of COVID-19, Kim Hawkins, Natural Resources Biologist and Spirit Lake Hatchery Manager, could only rely on her fish management and research teams when it came to the walleye gill netting. This meant only one boat could be sent out on East Okoboji and one on Big Spirit Lake each night. That was a far cry from the 12-14 DNR personnel and 6-7 boats at the height of the netting efforts during normal years. Under these restrictions, the crew still did an awesome job of collecting the eggs needed to keep up the stocking of the major bodies of water. Of course, the Hatchery itself was shut down to the public.

Gillnetting ‘21

Although things are loosening up somewhat with the COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately for safety reasons, the Hatchery will still be closed to the public. According to Hawkins, however, more personnel will be used for the gillnetting. First, the Hatchery has four seasonal workers that begin working in early April. Some DNR personnel will come from other parts of the state to help make up a five-boat crew.  Hawkins says, “We will continue to follow the COVID protocols by social distancing and using masks. We will also keep boat crews separate from each other.” The really good news is that the Iowa Great Lakes has excellent broodstock numbers, and the goal is to hatch out 76,000,000 million walleyes this year.

IGLFC and DNR working together

Normally, spring is the time for the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC) to have its spring membership drive and fishing seminar. Terry Thomsen, IGLFC president, says, “Last fall, we had a virtual fall DNR night on the IGLFC Facebook page. We had a great response, and so this spring we are going to do the same thing. Even though COVID regulations have been relaxed, we just feel it is important to continue to be safe, so we’re going to have a virtual night on our Facebook page sometime in early April to midi-April.”

The cool part about the evening is that it will be a Facebook Live at the Spirit Lake Hatchery. The actual night will be determined by the timing of the gillnetting process. Check the IGLFC Facebook page for updates as the gillnetting gets going.

Thomsen says, “Fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins will be the presenter and share with our members the process that goes on in the Hatchery. If things work out, the crews might get some video action of the gillnetting process. You will get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the Iowa Great Lakes Region such a tremendous fishery.”

At the same time, the club will be holding their spring membership drive and hold a raffle at the end of the Facebook Live event. If you want to join the IGLFC, it’s as easy as going to the IGLFC website: iowagreatlakesfishingclub.org. You can also sign up at Oak Hill Outdoor and Stan’s Bait & Tackle at the north end of Milford or No Limits Outdoors in Spencer.

Membership dollars

Thomsen notes that the memberships fund a lot of worth projects and also many club activities:

• Kids’ Open Water Fishing Clinic
• ISU Extension Kids’ Ice Fishing Clinic
• Camp Autumn Ice Fishing Tourney Fundraiser
• Sponsorship towards the Okoboji Blue Water Festival
• HWY 71 Roadside Clean-Up Project
• Awarding the Jim McDonnell Scholarships yearly
• Fall DNR Night
• Spring Fishing Seminar
• Club Hardwater & Open Water Fishing Tournaments
• Club Awards Night & Christmas Party

The IGLFC is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of area fisheries

and promote community involvement through recreational and educational opportunities. “We like to make the IGLFC activities a family opportunity, and we hope that we can continue to grow our membership,” adds Thomsen.