Sunday, February 9th, 2025

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Sunday, February 9th, 2025

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Steve McComas

What’s going on with the aquatic community below the ice in winter? Plenty

When we’re sitting atop lake ice, the creaking and groaning melody caused by wide swings in air temperatures can be unnerving. On some days when temps go from 20 degrees below (Fahrenheit) zero to 10 degrees above, lake ice will contract and expand, creating a symphony of sound.
It’s winter below the ice as well, and the aquatic community reacts accordingly.

What’s going on with the aquatic community below the ice in winter? Plenty Read More »

Steve McComas: Here’s a celebration fish can appreciate

Ice on a lake doesn’t freeze all at once – it sputters and hesitates and then the edges stiffen. Whole-lake ice formation comes from the slow dance of rearranging water molecules.
Lake ice always follows nature’s rules. It’s a deal the water makes with winter, and the agreement lasts until the big break-up in spring. Currently under the ice, algae have died back and water goes from Murkyville to Cleartown in the underwater city that never sleeps.

Steve McComas: Here’s a celebration fish can appreciate Read More »

Steve McComas: ’Tis the season to be thankful for much in Minnesota waters

Thanksgiving sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, as we seem to go directly from Halloween to the Christmas season. But during the short Thanksgiving season, I’ve been reflecting on what lake-related things we should be thankful for.
To start at the beginning, I’m thankful that bacteria acquired the ability to photosynthesize, which produced oxygen as a byproduct about 2.5 billion years ago. That “great oxygenation event” started by cyanobacteria allowed for life on earth as we know it.

Steve McComas: ’Tis the season to be thankful for much in Minnesota waters Read More »

Steve McComas: The detective’s spring/summer lake review for 2024 in Minnesota

The 2024 spring/summer started out wet and hot. Above-average precipitation from April to June, along with higher-than-average temperatures through August were recorded. Then the rain spigot was turned off in September and October, and lake levels started dropping but the days were still warm.

Steve McComas: The detective’s spring/summer lake review for 2024 in Minnesota Read More »

Steve McComas: Summer of 2024 brings big surprises on some Minnesota lakes

Here’s a mystery involving a single lake with two plant conditions.
Pike Lake in Scott County, Minn., presented a huge surprise during the summer of 2024. It’s a 50-acre lake with two basins separated by a shallow channel. Prior to my field work there, I didn’t know much about the lake.

Steve McComas: Summer of 2024 brings big surprises on some Minnesota lakes Read More »

Steve McComas: Heavy rains this year have impacted Minnesota lakes

What a contrast between the summers of 2023 and 2024 in Minnesota!
Last year, there was a heavy snowpack followed by summertime drought conditions. This year, there was a light snowpack followed by spring and summer rains that produced flooding conditions. Rainfall totals at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport for the April-June period in 2023 totaled 5 inches. For the same time period in 2024, rainfall totaled 17 inches. Rainfall and run-off have increased lake levels this summer, but there are other lake issues as well.

Steve McComas: Heavy rains this year have impacted Minnesota lakes Read More »

Steve McComas: Lakes have solutions to their own problems

Lake creatures have evolved over millions of years, with their survival skills honed over the ages. I’m seeing this play out this year.
Fish pre-date us by a long-shot. In fact, sturgeon, one of the most primitive of the existing fish species, were present when dinosaurs roamed the land more than 100 million years ago. Bass and walleyes evolved later and added a few additional special features. Fish evolution proved their adaptability, within limits.

Steve McComas: Lakes have solutions to their own problems Read More »

Steve McComas: Some detective tips for investigating lake history in Minnesota

In Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, it could be 21,871 lakes if all water bodies over 2.5 acres were included. That’s plenty of potential cases for me to investigate, while still leaving plenty for interested anglers or other users to conduct their own investigations.
Here are some tips for when you’re doing background checks on a lake’s history. I combine old-school sleuthing with updated digital approaches.

Steve McComas: Some detective tips for investigating lake history in Minnesota Read More »

Steve McComas: Some welcome surprises in Minnesota waters this spring

In the past month, I’ve been tracking the notorious curlyleaf pondweed. Under optimal conditions, it can produce more than 700 stems per square meter (spacing of one stem every 2 inches). This presents not only a recreational hindrance, but when the stem density is that high, fish can barely swim through that dense jungle. It’s poor fish habitat.

Steve McComas: Some welcome surprises in Minnesota waters this spring Read More »

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