Chain of Lakes Fish Shelter Committee with the first prototype shelter. A 4’ x 4’ crib made of reclaimed hardwood from palettes. The attached photo shows the prototype fish shelter with members of the Steering Committee (l to r) Adam Jankowski (Elk Lake Captain), Paul Sak (Clam Lake), Mike Merriweather (Antrim County Forester), Fred Sittel (Clam Lake), Dean Branson (Threes Lakes Assoc.) Bob Bagley (Lake Belaire) and Bob Kingon (ESLA).
FISH STRUCTURE UPDATE.
During the last few months, fishermen from the Elk River Chain of Lakes have met to coordinate the preparation and submission of a joint permit application for the installation of fish structures. A committee has been formed and met with officials from the DNR and DEQ. At that meeting, it was determined what the number of fish structure locations would be permitted for each of the participating lakes, Intermediate, Bellaire, Clam, Torch and Elk. The DNR believes that the fish habitat in Lake Skegemog is sufficient.
Fifteen shelter locations have been approved for Elk Lake. ESLA has formed a committee of fishermen who have extensive knowledge about the Elk Lake fishery, and they have identified the 15 most desirable locations. Adam Jankowski is chairman of the Committee and members are Lou Sanford, Ken Krentz, Lee Welch and Rick McCaghy. We selected 15 potential sites based upon a map used to locate past enhancements done in 1979.
The sites are in front of road ends at Bussa, Easley, Ringler and Hoopfer roads, the DNR boat launch off East Elk Lake Rd and in front of Shippey Lane in Milton Township.
In Whitewater Township we selected sites in front of road ends at Skegemog Point, Townline, Carns, Gay and Angell roads and also in front of the Whitewater Township Park and off Skegemog Point near Drake road.
In Elk Rapids Township we selected a site North of Townline Rd., a site off Clearwater Point and a site in Spencer Bay.
Adam appeared before the Milton Township Board in November and the Whitewater Township Board in December to request use of their riparian bottomland by virtue of several road ends and parkland. The Boards graciously approved motions allowing our project.
Letters are currently being sent to riparians adjacent to the sites for their approval as required by MDNR and MDEQ.
Pending approval by affected riparians we are on course to file our application by March 1, 2012 as planned. Then the hard work will begin locating supplies, construction and placement of the structures.
Anyone wanting additional information or willing to volunteer should contact Adam Jankowski at JANKONELK@CHARTER.NET.
Many fishermen who were active in the Chain of Lakes in the ‘70s and ‘80s will recall that most lake associations placed fish shelters in area lakes to create fish habitats. The shelters were effective in attracting both fish and fishermen. It was a major volunteer effort on the part of many to build the structures, float them out and sink them. Some remnants still remain. In the ‘90s, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) discouraged the practice and the lake associations in northern Michigan complied. The MDNR has changed their position and in 2005 issued guidelines for Artificial Structures in Inland Lakes.
The Hubbard Lake Sportsman and Improvement Association has been installing fish shelters (with permits now required from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) at the rate of 50 per year for the last few years. Their shelters are 4’ x 4’ x 4’ box construction using cedar planks. Each shelter is filled with evergreen brush and 300 pounds of fieldstone for weight. 
The shelters are loaded onto a pontoon barge (then stone added) and placed at 20’ depths around the Lake. The cost for 50 shelters is approximately $2,700, excluding 290 hours of volunteer labor. Divers in Hubbard Lake have observed large schools of perch, bass, forage fish, walleye and northern pike in and around the fish shelters.
Recently the Lake Charlevoix Association received a MDEQ permit to install fish shelters. “Many parts of Lake Charlevoix are nearly devoid of the natural structure which is so important to fish spawning and survival. 
Our project aims to improve the overall health of the fishery in Lake Charlevoix and improve angler success.”
In the last few weeks, fishermen from the Elk River Chain of Lakes (ERCOL) met to coordinate the preparation and submission of a joint permit application for the installation of fish shelters. The project initially seeks to deploy fish habitat structures at approximately a half dozen locations on each of six lakes in the ERCOL; Intermediate, Bellaire, Clam, Torch, Skegemog and Elk. Additional deployments as well as a shallow water program for near shore habitat improvement could be pursued after evaluation of the initial effort.
An ERCOL Steering Committee has been formed. The members are Steve Young (Intermediate Lake Association), Bob Bagley (Three Lakes Association), Adam Jankowski (Elk-Skegemog Lakes Association) and Larry Schwab (Friends of Clam Lake). The proposed permit holder for this project is The Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay (TWC). The TWC is the author of the EPA approved Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan. One of its goals of the Plan is to enhance the recreational opportunities with an objective of maintaining sport fishing quality and fish habitat throughout the watershed. A target date of March 1, 2012 has been chosen for submitting a joint permit application to the MDEQ.
For the permit application to be approved, written permission from three riparian property owners are required for each shelter placement. As the ERCOL fishery committee identifies a potential site for shelter placement, they will contact the property owner in front of whose property the shelter is proposed to be located and the two adjacent property owners for their written permission to place the shelter at that site.
For more and current information, contact Adam Jankowski – Jankonelk@charter.net
