Doc Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 (edited) The four clubs involved in the Muir lake project are taking turns in keeping an eye on Muir Lake. We're watching to make sure the aerators are still running, there has been no vandalism to signs, roped off areas, bathrooms, etc... and that there is no icefishing or signs of icefishing (auger holes, etc...). It would be very much appreciated if the Northern Lights members can take some time out and check on the status of Muir through the months of Novemeber and December. Please post here with the date, time and results of your check. If you have a cell phone, please take it with you in case it's needed to phone in poachers. The Edmonton Old Timers will be in charge of observing for the month of January. Trout Unlimited Edm will be in charge of February. And The Edm Trout Club will be in charge of March. All members of any of the above clubs are welcome to use this space to post results. Edited January 20, 2005 by Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 We were up visiting relatives in northern Alberta and stopped at Muir on the way back. Both aerators were running nicely, hte sign by the close gate was up and the gate was locked. The only thing I noticed that might be an issue is that one of the rocks blocking entrance to the Education Centre was pushed back (possibly by a show plow or grader) and it makes it look as if you can drive in beside that gate. I will call the county and see if they can move the rock back. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratch Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 We stopped by at 6pm - saw the rock that Tim mentioned. Otherwize - almost all good. We did see that the no parking sign from the walk of fame endpoint was in the lake (off the dock...), and the Notice to Anglers sign had come off the No parking post at the dock area. RB and I screwed the sign back to the post - but I suspect it needs some lock washers to keep it in place... Aerators were just a hummin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted November 29, 2004 Author Share Posted November 29, 2004 Guys there should have been a reg sign with the no parking sign at the end of the walk of fame/education center (which you say was found in the lake). Was that still there? I don't think the wind blew the other reg sign down, sounds more like someone's been messing around. I'll have to take a trip out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 Thanks for taking that long look, I looked from the parking lot. Did anyone get a chance to check the ice? Regards, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dell Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 When we put up the signs on the west slopes streams we used locking nuts on the bolts so the signs couldn't be removed. This didn't stop some people from knocking over the sign posts or spray painting the signs, however. Could be the wind, but I know what happened to the signs I put up last year. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratch Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 I know you aren't asking about the ice cause you wanna walk on it Tim - but just in case some dirty poacher is reading this...... The ice at the dock is about 1/2 inch - further out - perhaps 2. < SARCASM > DEFINITELY NOT SAFE UNLESS YOU ARE A POACHER - IN WHICH CASE PLEASE WALK OUT AND CHECK OUR AERATORS. WEAR SOMETHING VERY BULKY CAUSE ITS COLD. IF YOU HEAR THE ICE CRACKING - ITS JUST ADJUSTING SO THAT IT CAN HOLD YOUR WEIGHT. IF YOU FALL IN - DON'T MOVE.... YOU'LL GET COLD. BEST TO JUST WAIT FOR HELP. < /SARCASM > Ok.. so that's probably something that will get me sued. I don't think we need to suggest that walking on the ice is stupid - but it would be STUPID TO WALK ON THE ICE IN AN AERATED LAKE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Scratch, Actually it is getting time to start thinking about putting the barricades up. I would prefer it if there was maybe 6-8" of ice before walking out so we may have to wait until December 11th. Last year there was 6-8" by November 22. Maybe the person who is going out next Saturday can take something to try and check the ice depth by the dock. I really don't trust the ice within 100m of an aerator's center. The open water shifts with temperature and wind, ice that is safe today can be rotten in a few hours. We had a pretty steep learning curve last year and had to move the barricades (or add new posts) at least twice at each aerator. It is really quite impressive how dynamic the whole thing is. Once we have the signs in to warn people, then our proverbial butts are more covered. I have tried to get the government to pass a regulation that prohibits angling with a certain distance from an aerator, but still have a way to go before it is accepted. Its not that I worry about Muir so much because it is closed to angling, but lakes like Spring and other areated waters have some real problems with anglers standing on the ice edge and fishing in the open water. So far there have not been any Darwin Award candidates but it is only a matter of time. To top it off, they also cast right to the aerators and get their lines caught up with in the aerator's motor shaft. This can cause the motor to burn out and possibly create a winter kill. Regards, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave robinson Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Greed, Ignorance and Stupidity have their own rewards. Nonetheless, I wouldn't want anyone to die in an aerator hole. Do our signs at Muir just say closed to fishing, or do they also warn about treacherous ice conditions due to aeration? If not, it might be a good CYA idea to add a preventive warning. Knowing how some people will sue anyone in sight, rather than admit to their own mistakes. That kind of warning may at least be a good defense against some litiginous idiot who doesn't recognize the danger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 There are currently 4 signs between the parking lot and the lake that say that Muir Lake is closed to fishing from November 1 to April 30 and each of them have all the other fishing regulations. One of the signs tells people the dangers of ice at an aerated lake. When we put the barriers up (it is looking like December 11 at 10 am - formal notice to go out later) there will be 7 more signs (8 when Brian gets the other sign made) that say "Warning Open Water Aeration in Progress). The barriers should stop all but the Darwin Award candidates from going swimming. It will look like the picture (I hope it shows up with the post) Regards, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Somewhere around the 6th of December the west aerator went down and the water froze over. We went out on the 11th to thaw out and re-start the aerator. We got it going again and it worked for about 15 minutes then tripped the breaker. So we called Peter Mapplebeck, who takes care of aeration at Spring and borrowed an aerator off him. The guys at Spring won't fire up the aerators for another few days. As it turns out the aerator had some fishing line wrapped around the shaft. This caused some friction and caused the current draw to increase to a level where it tripped the breaker. So after removing the line and adding a new rubber boot we put the aerator in the water on the 18th. Hopefully it will keep running until April. A big thanks goes out to the people that are keeping an eye on the lake. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 I stopped in at Muir on Tuesday and although the "No Parking/Muir Reg" signs are on the post at the launch, the reg sign is missing one nut on the bottom bolt. We are also missing one "No Parking" sign and one "Muir Reg" sign. Both of these signs were located at the end of the walk of fame on the same metal post. Also, one of the "No Parking" signs on a wodden post is on the ground next to a large fire pit. The bottom of the post has been burnt. Looks like the kids are still using this area for their late night parties. On the plus side, there didn't appear to be any signs of poachers as I saw no foot prints in the snow or auger holes in the ice. ::ice fish:: Also both aerators were up and running. Cheers, Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave robinson Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Sounds like we need to mount those signs on metal posts with some type of tamper proof fasteners. I'd suggest a 20 ft length of 2" or 3" rigid aluminum elecrical conduit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacres Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Good point Dave. Having the wood sign posts so close to the fire pits is like putting your priceless coin colllection beside a pop machine. The Metal / Alumn sign posts is a good idea. Glad to hear there were no footprints or holes on the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratch Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Next time I head that way I'm taking some new bolts and lock washers for the dock signange. The wind is just working the bolts loose - they'll be on the ground right below the sign... guaranteed. ;) Also - I agree - there needs to be metal sign posts for the No parking - that way - at the worst it will be bent over again, rather than removed and burned. Otherwise - looking good out there.. hopefully the fish didn't get too stessed by the outage... /Scratch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 (edited) Actualy, the two signs that are missing were on a metal sign post at the end of the Walk Of Fame/Education Center. So not sure if that will do much good as they took the post itself with the signs attched. But at least we know they didn't end up in the fire Cheers Edited December 30, 2004 by Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Tak, Joe and I were out on the Saturday before the big blow and we tightened that sign closest to the dock. And we tightened it well. If I remember correctly it took two 9/16 wrenches/sockets to do the job. Michael Dell suggested that we use locknuts for that sign and I agree. Perhaps if someone is going to be out this weekend they can buy 2 - 3/8" nylon locknuts and try them out. Sorry Mike, I forgot to tell you that we also looked high and low for the regulation sign that was on the same metal post as the no parking sign. The one by the end of the walk of fame. It was nowhere to be found and I hope we can find it in the spring when all the snow is gone. Regards, Tim BTW - 122 more days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave robinson Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 So they even pull up the metal post eh? Perhaps a bit of quickset in the posthole? Instead of locknuts, you could try one of two possibilities 1. Use industrial strength "locktite" on the nuts. That will require heat and penetrating oil to undo. 2. Use a bit of low temp solder on the nuts. That would require butane torch to apply or loosen. I'd suggest we try the first one first, it's easier to apply. Either way might make "wind" loosened nuts stay tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratch Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Michael Dell suggested that we use locknuts for that sign and I agree. Perhaps if someone is going to be out this weekend they can buy 2 - 3/8" nylon locknuts and try them out. There is no sense using nylon locknuts / washers. There are steel ones designed for this application - I probably have a hundred in my garage. I'll put them on next time I'm out unless someone beats me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeG Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Stopped by the lake today@1130 hrs,both aerators running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeG Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 First attempt@pictures,Muir Lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimD Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Nice Picture George, 2 things: Right were you took the picture is where the combination no parking/ fishing regulation sign was. I hope we find it in the spring - if not we will have to use one of the spares. The other thing is the size of the open water. It is amazing how the open water shifts with wind and temperature. When we were out there before Christmas the soft water was twice that size. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulf Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Dropped by Muir this afternoon. Both aerators are working fine. Only visible activity on the ice from dock area was snowmachines and a couple sets of snowshoe tracks. I'll take a look next week again, only this time, I will bring my skis with me and check out the perimeter and other areas of the lake. Paulf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Just a reminder for the Trout Unlimited folks. It's our turn this month to keep an eye on Muir Lake. Please post your reports here. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dell Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I checked Muir Lake this morning. Everything is fine. Both aerators are running. The holes in the ice have shrunk due to the cold weather we have had. No signs of poaching or partying. Washroom doors still intact. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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