Summer 2007
The fishing has been excellent this summer. I've had several new lake residents tell me that the bass, crappie, and bluegill fishing is the best they have seen in southern Michigan. That's what we've been striving for over the past 8 or 9 years!
A couple of issues have surfaced during the year that I would like to discuss briefly.
A new invasive virus called viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS for short) has been detected in Michigan waters including the Great Lakes and more recently in some inland lakes. This virus attacks most Michigan fish and causes massive die offs. The fish die from massive internal bleeding (not a pretty sight). The virus is not dangerous to humans. The Michigan DNR has taken this threat very seriously and has instituted regulations prohibiting the transferring of fish between lakes (including bait minnows and any stocked fish). Just ask your local bait shop (e.g. Ron or Deb at Somerset Outdoors) on these regs. All minnows sold as bait must be tested for VHS before they can be sold and a "receipt" must be given to the customer to keep for a couple of weeks. Another issue is the stocking of fish in any Michigan waters, including Lake Somerset. Any fish being stocked must be tested for the disease. This spring I attempted to order northern pike for stocking. Because the rules were still being drafted and nobody knew exactly how they would end up, the proper tests were not performed to the DNR specifications. Therefore -- no pike were available for stocking!
The only species I could get for stocking were hybrid bluegills (not a good choice for the lake as I discussed previously) or smallmouth bass. I elected to go with the smallmouth. (Several fishermen have asked about the possibility of stocking smallmouths in the lake over the past couple of years.) I caught one smallmouth bass a few years ago (20 inches) and released it. I've also heard of a few caught over the years -- but they are extremely rare in Lake Somerset. I suspect they probably entered the lake via Goose Creek. I doubt whether they would be very successful in spawning in the lake as they require gravel or rocky areas and reeds, which we have very little of. They also feed heavily on crayfish (we don't have a lot of these either). But these fish may be a good choice as a "put and take" fishery?
The second issue is with our zebra mussels. In case you haven't noticed, the lake has increased water clarity this year (at least before our latest herbicide application!). I first noticed this in May and June when suddenly the secchi disk readings (a measurement of water clarity) jumped to 18 feet! The best previous measurement ever recorded on Lake Somerset was about 11 feet. These visibilities held up through late July. This can be attributed to our exploding zebra mussel population filtering the water and removing algae and plankton from the water. This crystal clear water comes with a caveat -- the clearer water allows light to penetrate deeper in the water and causes weeds to grow more profusely and in deeper water. Other potential problems may occur with oxygen levels in the deeper water -- they may improve or may worsen. How this will affect our fishery in the future remains to be seen. Fishermen may need to "rethink" their fishing techniques -- e.g., lighter lines, deeper water, etc. These mussels will also affect many of our plankton and invertebrates -- already I've noticed that every native mussel (clams), has several zebras attached to them (restricts their movements and opening). I think we can probably "kiss these native mussels goodbye" as they will probably become extinct in the next couple of years.
Enough -- back to our fishing! The bass and crappie have been on a hot bite all summer long. The bluegills (especially if you want big ones) have been active in the deeper water -- 15-17 feet. Waxworms on a small circle hook rig work the best for me. Each bluegill trip also results in several redear sunfish (I've been releasing all of these to build up our stocks!). A few large pike, over 36 inches have been taken. I've heard of one over 40 inches that was caught and released near the Goose Creek inlet. (Maybe this was Leland's fish from last fall??) Some walleye in the 16-20 inch range have been taken this summer on night crawlers and worms. I've not caught a walleye this summer -- but guess what I saw during my first snorkeling trip in June? 2 or 3 walleyes right in front of me! Lots of good-sized catfish have been taken on just about anything that looks like food. While snorkeling it sometimes seems like there's dozens of them cruising about.
We still plan on doing a stocking of walleye fingerlings this fall (the fish farm says they've already been tested and approved!). We will also attempt to get some more northern pike in the spring.
Remember -- please check out our web site for pictures. Also, send me any fish or fish related pictures so we can post them. My email is grausch@comcast.net. My phone number is 688-3384 if you have any questions or comments.
Enjoy your fishing on the lake!
George Rausch
A map furnished by George Rausch showing Lake Somerset with depths indicated.
A chart furnished by George Rausch showing the history of fish stocking in Lake Somerset since 1984 is available as an Adobe PDF.