Lake Vermilion – Everett Bay
Lake Vermilion Aquatic Invasive Species prevention efforts continue for the upcoming season. What does that mean for you? The Vermilion Lake Association offers a handy summary of the steps you should take before your trip, during your trip and upon arrival.
Before your trip:
- Inspect and clean your equipment by removing any visible vegetation or other AIS upon removal of your boat from ANY water access.
- Drain all water from any compartments and tilt your motor down to drain it.
- Pull your drain plug and LEAVE IT OUT during transport.
- If you are moving bait from one lake to another, drain the water and refill with bottled or tap water. Dispose of any unwanted bait IN THE TRASH – not in the lake and not on the ground.
The following information is provided by the Minnesota DNR:
“Spray, rinse, dry — Some invasive species are small and difficult to see at the access. To remove or kill them, take one or more of the following precautions before moving to another waterbody, especially after leaving zebra mussel and spiny waterflea infested waters:
- Spray with high-pressure water
- Rinse with very hot water ** These water temperatures will kill zebra mussels and some other AIS: 120°F for at least 2 minutes; or 140°F for at least 10 seconds.
- Dry for at least 5 days
- Run motor and personal watercraft for a few seconds to discharge water before leaving a water access.
- Transport fish on ice — be prepared, bring a cooler. “
- See more details at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/preventspread_watercraft.html.
On your way to Everett Bay Lodge:
- FREE boat inspection and cleaning is available at various boat decontamination stations. This is especially important if you are moving your boat from one lake to another. For hours of operation visit http://www.BoatDeconStation.com.
Upon arrival:
- We are happy to have a wonderful Minnesota DNR launch (shown above) attached to our resort, making your boat launch quick and easy.
- Occasionally guests will pull in the resort and “get situated” before launching their boats. IF you do that, don’t replace your drain plug prior to heading over to the launch.
- Quite often a trained AIS inspector will be stationed at the launch to inspect your boat prior to launch. It only takes a few minutes.
- If a problem is discovered, the inspector will assist in fixing the situation on-site. In the rare instance that a more serious issue is discovered, you will be referred to a Decon Station where your equipment will be washed / decontaminated. *We are unaware of any referrals of our guests to the Decon Station over the years the program has been in place.
- If you launch at a time the AIS Inspector is not present – Inspect, Clean and Drain your equipment before launch.
- And most importantly ALWAYS REPLACE YOUR DRAIN PLUG!
We look forward to welcoming you to our Lake Vermilion resort in 2019 and want to protect this beautiful lake and excellent fishery for generations to come.
Stop wishing…Come fishing!