A Word from the Editor: Welcome to the eleventh edition of the Lake St. Clair Network Newsletter. Spring is upon us and we are gearing up for summer. The Metro Beach Spring Boat Show will be held May 17th - 20th and the Crew at The Lake St. Clair Network will  be in the booth underneath the main entrance tent. We hope to see you there. Please visit these new additions and or updates to The Lake St. Clair Network:

• Pro's Pointers

  • John Maniaci with the latest tips and techniques on fishing lines 

• Scales and Tales fishing cartoons

  • Bill McElroy local artist and pro-fisherman displays his work

  • Scales and Tales cartoons

  

• JobbieNooner Information

  • Date

  • Time

  • Location

  • Charts

  • JobbieNooner Discussion Board

• Add Free Business Listing to Network Listings

• Netscape 4.0 and up problems corrected

We at The Lake St. Clair Network would also like to take a moment to welcome our new sponsors to the Network. We encourage you to support our sponsors and visit their web sites to find out more information about them. 

• New Sponsors

  • Costal Marine Online - America's #1 Marine Suppliers

  • SeaViewer - Save $100 instantly on a SeaViewer Camera !

Attention Boaters - The USCG Auxiliary will be sponsoring a Safe Boating Class Saturday,
April 28 & May 5 with the test on May 12 at the St. Clair Shores Library ( 11
Mile Road & Jefferson ). Course fee is $25.00. This is a State approved class. Please call 810-771-0123 with questions or to register.

Our FREE business directory is now completely automated. To add your business, just fill out the on-line form and select submit. Enjoy the site and remember to spread the word.

Visit our parent company home page at Advanced Media Solutions.

Help wanted! We are always looking for content. Content provided can result in free advertising for your company or organization. Please E-mail me with suggestions or proposals.  If you are interested in becoming a Bulletin Board moderator, contact webmaster@lakestclair.net for more details.

                                                                     Wishing you calm waters
                                                                     and sunny skies....
                                                                             Captain Rob     
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Winner for February - John Grubba
Win a Lake St. Clair Network Cap!  Complete a Lake St. Clair Network survey and win a free cap. One winner will be selected each month and announced in our next news letter. Winner will be notified by e-mail. Click here to complete a survey!

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Enjoy these free services:
        
Attention Business Owners: Take advantage of our free services!!  Use the Bulletin Board as a forum to discuss upcoming sales or specials you may be running.  Post an event on our calendar letting our visitors know when something special is going on with your business.  Dealers are welcome to create unlimited classified ads with sound and pictures, so we encourage you to take advantage of this great free advertising opportunity.

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1998 -  29' Fountain Center Console
Power - TWIN 225hp outboards
Price - $65,000.00
Tel (810) 598-0060 - Les Gilewski

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Options: Trailer, SS Props, Boat Covers, Battery Switch, GPS, Depth Sounder

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1985 -  28' Wellcraft Monte Carlo
Power - TWIN I/O
Price - $23,500.00 w/slip $21,500 w/o
Tel (810) 206-6580 - Rob

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Options: Twin 205 Mercs, 450 hours, Depth Finder, Loran, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, full head, Mooring Cover, Camper Cover, Mac&Ray 2001 - 30' slip included. 

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Before the boating season gets started, and you have a breakdown on the way to or from the launch, take some advice from someone who hauls a boat all over the country and check all those little things that could go wrong.

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The Garwood Bayview Lodge sits on picturesque Belvedere Bay near the end of North River Road in Harrison Township and offers visitors a spectacular view of Lake St. Clair. That's the good news. The bad news is waterside restaurants and marinas like Garwood are bracing for another summer of low water in lakes, rivers and canals. "I'm praying the water will go up this summer," said Paul Kopitzke, a partner at Garwood's, "but I also believe it might not. I think we're just in a low cycle right now. Now if the water hasn't come up in four or five years, then I'll worry." Spring rains could raise levels on the Great Lakes about a foot this spring, but levels will again drop below the long-term average this summer, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers scientist said. "We're looking at water levels 8 inches below Lake St. Clair's long-term average," physical scientist Adam Fox said from his Detroit district office. "Even if we get a normal rise in levels this spring, by June or July we should be 8 to 10 inches below the long-term average for that time of year." Tom Havey, a partner for Boca Grande Marina in Harrison Township, said the more water recedes, the less business he sees. "When the water's low people don't boat," Havey said. "And when people don't boat, they don't buy gas." Havey said low water usually translates into layoffs. "You have to cut back on help to cut costs," he said. "I may have to let go some help. I may have to close two or three days -- Tuesday and Wednesday, and maybe Mondays, too." Havey, who runs a party store and gas dock with full boat service near the mouth of the Clinton River, said successive years of low water is "a cycle." "We'll see if it comes back up in four years," he said. "We've reached our low. It has to start going up." The expected lower water levels could mean navigational trouble for recreation boaters who utilize Havey's marina and commercial shipping vessels using the Great Lakes system. "My canal at home (in Harrison Township) is completely dried up," he said. "Dredging does no good because the sea walls will cave in." Scientists concede that Mother Nature determines whether boating business and recreation needs are served in the summer. "If we get an average rise this year we still will be on order of being 8 to 10 inches below last summer's peak in July," Fox said. Currently, Lake St. Clair is 8 inches below the long-term water level average. By comparison, Lake Huron is 23 inches below the long-term average. "Lake St. Clair water levels are as dependent on flows coming from Lake Huron as any precipitation across the Great Lakes basin," Fox noted. Lake Erie is running about 5 inches below long-term average and Lake Ontario is about 2 inches below long-term average, Fox said. "Lake Ontario has the greatest flows coming in and they have more control over levels," Fox said. "Lake Superior is regulated, but only to a minor extent." Fox said the Army Corps of Engineers does not determine water levels in Lake St. Clair or any of the other Great Lakes. He said Lake Superior uses a lock system known as "Control gate." "When Lake Superior is as low as it is, then the flows coming out of Superior are minor," Fox said. "You have to have water to get water. "If we can finish up spring with some good amounts of precipitation on the upper Great Lakes, maybe get 6 months of above average precipitation, then we'll see a response," Fox said. "If we can get a few more snowstorms and wet springs and summers (in Canada), that will certainly help." Scientists with the Detroit Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it was a "challenge tracking Lake St. Clair water levels because of the amount of water that gets to it." "A heavy rainfall causes quick rises," Fox said. "Lake St. Clair is a flashy lake. It fills quickly and runs out quickly." Overall, the Great Lakes basin has not seen consistent low water levels on the Great Lakes since the mid-1960s. Lake Michigan, for example, is experiencing its lowest water levels since 1965, but the big lake is suffering the most. "Water levels have not been this low on Lake Superior at this time of year since 1927," Fox noted. "Right now, Superior is 13 inches below the average." Lake Superior is 600.16 feet above sea level, but add the 13 inches on top of that and the levels should be at 601.20 feet. Lake St. Clair is 573.16 feet above sea level. But add 8 inches on the top and the long-term average for Lake St. Clair for March is 574.00 feet above sea level. "It's safe to say we don't anticipate record low-water levels on the Great Lakes through summer," Fox said. "That's a good point. Although we don't anticipate getting back to long-term averages, we expect above record lows but below long-term average." On the plus side, Fox called low water levels "good for biodiversity." "This is a rebuilding process that goes on," he said. "We do notice biodiversity when we go through these periods of low water, and that can be good. Maybe not for boaters, but for many others." Others like Bernard Joseph of Clinton Township, who said all-time low water levels don't mean much to him nor should it to anyone else considering statistics have been kept for just a century. "The lake has been much lower," he said. "At 1,000 feet or so off the lake shore at 14 Mile Road are the remains of a Catholic church and graveyard. It now is beneath 4 to 5 feet of water. Obviously, it was built on dry land." Joseph said a Case Western University professor who has been studying ancient beaches in the Great Lakes told him, "We have crossed the top of a 160-year cycle." "The lake can drop down the slope," said Joseph, who noted that a "growing number of scientists and citizens believe we are just emerging from the last Ice Age." "That means things will get warmer and the lakes will probably drop from lack of precipitation," Joseph said, "perhaps in a short time." Kopitzke said while business was off last summer at the lodge, he expects a rise in profits to begin after the outside patio opens May 17. "Father Martin of Notre Dame High School will give the blessing of the fleet," said Kopitzke, who co-owns Garwood's with Tom LeFevre. "But who knows what's up with the water. It's just a cycle. But just pray."

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COOKING

Use heavy aluminum foil cut into large squares. Place equal portions of the fish fillets on each piece of foil. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to blend well. Pour this mixture over the fish, sprinkle with paprika and top with onion slices. Fold the foil around the fish and seal. Grill for 5 - 7 minutes per side. Fish should flake easily when done.

Source: Coastal Living, Nov./Dec. 2000

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 Fastener: Test each nut, bolt and screw to make sure it is tight and took

for signs of severe corrosion. Replace those that look doubtful, but makc

sure you use marinegrade bronze or stainless' steel fasteners.

 
Fenders: Scrub each with a fender cleaner sold for this purpose, then apply

a protective coating that will help shed dirt (the same coatings sold for

use on inflatables and shore cords). Check fender lines and replace those

that are frayed. 

 
Fiberglass: Scrub entire hull and topsides with a good boat soap. Apply one

or two coats of a marine-grade wax or clear polymer coating. See: gel coat.

Filters: See engine filters, Oil filters, fuel filters, water separation

filters 

Fire Extinguishers: Examine inspection tag. Check date of last inspection on

larger models, and if more than a year has passed, have extinguishers

reinspected by a professional service. Smaller units have an indicator to

show the condition of charge, or they can beweighed.

 
Freezer: Wash out the inside and check carefully for signs of mildew. If

present, wash with a mild solution of Clorox bleach and water (one part

bleach to five parts water). Freshwater System: Reconnect all hoses and

reinstall the water pump if it was removed in the fall. Fill the tank with

water and turn on all the faucets to expel air from the system. Examine all

water lines and connections for leaks (if pump keeps running after faucets

are off, there is a leak somewhere). If the system was filled with non-toxic

antifreeze, run water until all color is gone and refill tanks - or run

dockside water through all lines until taste and color is gone. Freshwater

 
Tank: Reconnect water line if it was disconnected in the fall. Flush tank

several times if it was filled with non-toxic antifreeze.

 
Fuel: Check fuel for water and algae or bacteria (clumps of gooey brownish

gray slime) and drain or filter as required.

 
Fuel Filters: If you didn't replace fuel filters in the fall, do so now.

 
Fuel Systems: EFI: (Electronic Fuel Injection) EFI'd gasoline engines

require no special attention during spring commissioning, beyond the

procedures required for carbureted engines.

Fuel Tanks: Inspect outboard motor portable fuel tanks to see if there is

any rusting or leaking. Replace, as necessary, with plastic fuel tanks to

avoid corrosion and to prevent metal flakes from migrating through the fuel

system. Treat gasoline with fuel stabilizer.

 
Fuel/Water Separator: During layup you should have at least drained the

fuel/water separator, or - better yet - replaced it. If not, do so now.

 
Fuses: Fuse panels should be labeled to indicate what each fuse controls,

and inline fuses should also be labeled. Make a list of where each in-line

fuse is located so you will know where to find each one in a hurry (put a

label on the outside of the cabinet where the fuse is located, or put a

sticker on the piece of electronic equipment to tell you where its fuse is).

Make sure you have at least one spare for each fus