This is from the Plain Dealer Cleveland, OH. We were also told this at the Three Rivers MI meeting last night. He said that Tamarack, Pymatuning, Sugar, and Canadota fish have all tested negative for VHS. We need to keep it that way.

Everyone please remember to thoroughly clean your boat after every trip on the water.

As I'm sure most of you know Clearfork is Ohio's only muskie broodstock lake. This could have devastating effects on the future of fishing in Ohio.



Thursday, June 05, 2008
D'Arcy Egan
Plain Dealer Columnist


A disease that has killed fish around the lower Great Lakes has been discovered in Clearfork Reservoir, an Ohio inland lake near Mansfield.


The Ohio Division of Wildlife collected routine fish samples in April to test for Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) outside of the Lake Erie drainage. Test results announced Wednesday detected a positive sample from a muskie netted from Clearfork Reservoir.


Wildlife officials are asking anglers and boaters to avoid moving live fish from Clearfork Reservoir to other waters; to drain water from boat live wells, bilges and engines before leaving the reservoir; and to empty bait buckets and coolers.


Wildlife experts said VHS poses no risk to humans. Swimming will not put people at risk, and fish caught from Clearfork Reservoir are safe to eat.

The virus was confirmed by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service laboratory in La Crosse, Wis.


A large fish kill from VHS was documented in western Lake Erie 2006, with mostly sheepshead, or freshwater drum, dying. There was a smaller fish kill in 2007.


There has not been a fish kill in Clearfork Reservoir.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158