# Metzgers marsh



## MichRN84

My cousin wants to go kayak fishing the marsh on Wednesday. Maybe i am mistaken, but i thought i recently read that they are pumping a bunch of water out of the marsh??? I can’t seem to anything about it right now though. I know it’s incredibly weedy this time of year. Usually i use frogs over the weeds or find a few open pockets to fish. I was hoping i could get a report if someone has been out there recently? It’s about a 45-50 minute drive for me, so the info would be greatly appreciated


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## TwoStickney

yes they are pumping it out.. not sure how low, or if they are finished doing it yet, but the last pics I saw on fishbrain app, it was definitely noticeable how much the water has dropped.. i personally haven't been out there in a month.. * they *arent completely draining it from what I've read or seen.. 

I would say take the yak.. but possibly plan on bank fishing... or he could try out the new howard marsh metro park right next to Metzger, though I havent heard or seen anyone posting luck from there...

Maybe go early n if its not up to his standard, try east harbor? Only like 25 more min away. My friend n i are thinking about trying east harbor this weekend on a small flat bottom boat


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## AvianHunter

It is extremely low. This hot weather has compounded it via evaporation. Both sides of the "boat launch channel" to access the marsh were dry when I was out there last week. Very, very, very weedy too.


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## Bassthumb

I'd love to see some pictures of this, I am an hour away if anyone could post that would be great


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## Melanochromis

They have essentially pumped it empty. There is almost no floatable water even for a kayak.


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## DeathFromAbove

Wow That sucks realize its managed for wetlands and waterfowl, but that really sucks With the lack of fishable waters near Toledo, thats a real punch


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## Raylaser

Yes, it's a "wet"lands, that's the key. Why in the world would they drain it so far down? Even the waterfowl need more water than that. To me this is a counterproductive move for both the fish and the waterfowl. This is only going to encourage more weed and vegetation growth while the water is down that will overtake the area and continue to choke the area even once the water is reintroduced. Does anyone know what their ultimate plan is to do with this area? I'm sure there's been a major fish die off with the water down this low. Just curious as this seems like a backwards move for this area.


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## Bvil

We went there last year after the water was lowered and were told that it was to help the lily pads. Doesn't make sense to me but I'm no lily pad expert.


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## Yakphisher

No common sense whatsoever! It was once a nice place to fish in a kayak but they as usual screw everything up they touch! SMH


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## Raylaser

Bvil said:


> We went there last year after the water was lowered and were told that it was to help the lily pads. Doesn't make sense to me but I'm no lily pad expert.


Help the lily pads?? Heck those things were overgrowing the area there without the water being lowered. Like other posts here - these so called conservation management experts don't seem to know what the heck they're doing!


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## johnsfishing2

I was told it was to promote more cattail growth in the front area. Also was told it should have water back in around the beginning of September.

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## ress

I don't know how after studying and researching the marsh by a team of professionals with master degrees could do it harm. 

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## Yakphisher

A college degree doesn't necessary make them a a true expert by any margin. They merely paid to get a degree without actual knowledge about said subject.


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## ress

I believe your right in the first point. Having no knowledge about the subject they studied, I don't get that part.


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## Raylaser

You don't need a college degree to know that there will be a massive fish die off with the waters at the levels they drained them to in this most recent situation. If I had to guess, they don't really care about the fish population there all that much. Their main concern is maintaining it as a wetlands marsh for waterfowl. The fish aren't even a secondary concern for them. Guess that's why on this site (a FISHING site), we all have a bias. If we visited a Waterfowl Hunting site, they'd probably be praising the actions. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. As the current catch phrase goes: "It is what it is!"


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## AvianHunter

They did this to promote smartweed and millet growth. Cattail is worthless for waterfowl. Zero food in cattail. They do this with all the state owned wetlands used for waterfowl hunting. It is a rotation basis. The marsh water structure used to be left open year round when they first finished the dike. The water has been drawn down many times in the past 20 years. The fishing has never suffered a bit. I use Metzgers for both fishing and waterfowl hunting. I can assure you the fish will be there. It has been drawn down even lower in the past.


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## Muddy

Did the state plant Smartweed and Millet after the draw down?


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## Raylaser

Good question Muddy!!


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## Redheads

Muddy said:


> Did the state plant Smartweed and Millet after the draw down?



No need to plant smartweed it will grow naturaly in most places in that marsh when the water is drawn down to those levels
My question is how long has it been drawn down and does that leave enough time for it to grow before the first frost


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## Muddy

I know that Smartweed will grow on its own, but it takes time for it to establish itself. That’s why I was wondering if they seeded it to help it along. It may not establish itself On its own after just a short draw down period. Millet will not establish itself without seeding.


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## HONKEREXTREME

The State won’t spend money on seeding it, all the cuts they have made over the last several years. They should have never done away with goose nesting tubs or banding.

Im sure the duck food will be natural vegetation then they will pump it back up for hunting, fishing and bird watching

Although, with all the extra controlled hunt money they made this year due to Covid, we can always hope they seed it. LOL


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## Raylaser

Heck, the pond by my house supports ducks and geese just fine and we never drain it!! Sometimes I think these college boys overthink wildlife management. Nature will do fine on its own most of the time as long as we don't rob the necessary habitat. Wild habitat if not contaminated by humans will do what it has always done, reproduce the necessary food for the animals that inhabit it. The ducks, geese, and fish were here before we were.


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## Bassthumb

Thanks very much for posting, I've never see it like that. I'll be real interested to know when they open the gate to fill it back up.


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## hageman.2

There remains an abundance of smartweed, cattail and other wetland plant seeds in the soil bank, waiting for optimal conditions to sprout- moist soil. Plus, migrating waterfowl import more seeds into the marsh when they pass through their digestive tract. Japanese millet is often planted in private marshes, but an unnecessary expense on public land- smartweeds provide plenty of preferred seeds that many species of ducks seek. Cattails are very useful for a robust muskrat population to thrive- allowing trapping to be another use for this wildlife area. The panfish will repopulate and use the cover to try to stay hidden from predators. BTW-I have a degree in fisheries management, with coursework in wildlife management and can confirm that summer drawdowns are a normal wetland management practice. If some of the fish die from summer water temperatures or low oxygen, they will be eaten by the birds and mammals that share the habitat with them.


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## Senkoman

TwoStickney said:


> yes they are pumping it out.. not sure how low, or if they are finished doing it yet, but the last pics I saw on fishbrain app, it was definitely noticeable how much the water has dropped.. i personally haven't been out there in a month.. * they *arent completely draining it from what I've read or seen..
> 
> I would say take the yak.. but possibly plan on bank fishing... or he could try out the new howard marsh metro park right next to Metzger, though I havent heard or seen anyone posting luck from there...
> 
> Maybe go early n if its not up to his standard, try east harbor? Only like 25 more min away. My friend n i are thinking about trying east harbor this weekend on a small flat bottom boat


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## Senkoman

Did you make it to east harbor, if so how did you do? Where are the boat ramps? Is 14 ft Jon boat 10hp. big enough to fish that area


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## Bassthumb

Is the marsh filled back up now?


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## Carpn

I'd guess it is since LEZ duck season opens Saturday . There will probably be guys out there tomorrow afternoon setting up to hold spots for Saturday morning .


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## BFG

I saw 5 rigs pulling out of Metzgers the other night at dark. All of the rigs were sizeable vessels, and there appeared to be plenty of water in the marsh for that purpose. I will say that I was surprised to see how low the water is on the lake, given the past few years it has been at, or just under the level of the pier. Now, it's easily 3' down to the surface of the water. You can't get away with throwing a Perfect 10 there anymore. BTW...caught no fish.


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## DeathFromAbove

Might be a little dangerous kayaking in there right now Did you fish the pier or the marsh ?


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