Fish Crib Reef Project 2013

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Volunteers Being Sought For Construction of a New Fish Crib Reef at Michigamme Reservoir
A fish habitat crib reef is being constructed at the Michigamme Reservoir off WE Energies Site 19 (Challancin’s Landing) during January 2013. The cribs for the reef are being built by volunteers, Wildlife Unlimited of Iron County, and the Iron County Sheriff Department Work Crew in cooperation with WE Energies. The reef is being funded by a grant WE Energies MEF Fund and Wildlife Unlimited of Iron County. If you are interested in helping haul materials out on the new reef construction sight please call Floyd Dropps: 906-875-3081, Dave Grondin – 875-3014 or Bill Ziegler – 875-3059. Volunteer hauling the materials will allow the Sheriff Department Work Crew to build the reef since they do not have the means to haul the material to the site. This hauling material went well last year and allowed participants a chance to help make fishing better in Iron County and also knowledge of exactly where the new reef is located.

Snowmobilers and ice anglers are asked to use caution in the reef construction area which is about 0.6 miles Northwest of WE Site 19. The logs are placed in a crude log cabin style to form a crib eight feet by eight feet by five feet high and made out of hardwood pulp logs. There will be about 25 cribs laid out in a “zigzag” pattern about 300 feet in length. The cribs will fall through the ice prior to spring break up into about 23 feetof water at full pool level. The cribs are placed at a depth so they are below the winter drawdown but readily accessible to game fish during the full pool periods (open water).

In next year Wildlife Unlimited of Iron County hopes to build one more crib reef at Michigamme Reservoir dependent on future grant applications. The project is very dependent on volunteer labor and this availability of volunteers will also affect future reef projects. With adequate grant funding and volunteer participation this has the potential to produce one of the better fishing spots on Michigamme Reservoir for many years to come.

By Bill Ziegler