The Milwaukee Post

MILWAUKEE — Winter is an ideal time to look for signs of emerald ash borer infestation because wood- peckers will do much of the hunting for those signs, according to state forest health specialists. Emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that kills all species of ash trees in Wisconsin. The larval, or worm-like, stage of the EAB spends the winter months beneath the bark of infested ash trees. Woodpeckers pick away at the outer bark of infested trees in search of the nutritious larvae. This "flecking" of the bark is eas- ily seen in winter, even from a distance, when trees are bare of leaves, said Andrea Diss-Torrance, invasive for- est insects program coordi- nator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Flecking typically begins in the upper canopy and can be an early indicator of EAB activity before other signs are visible. Once a tree becomes heavily infested, flecking may be seen all the way down its trunk and branches. Diss-Torrance said by identifying early signs of EAB infestation people can address the prob- lem before their trees become hazardous or too heavily infested for insecti- cide treatments to be suc- cessful. Most hardwood trees can safely stand for several years after they die, but EAB- infested ash trees can become hazardous even while they are still alive. In areas where EAB is com- mon, there have been numer- ous reports of property dam- age and injury to people caused by falling ash trees and branches. Removing an infested tree before it becomes a hazard is typical- ly safer and less costly for a property owner. Light to moderately infest- ed ash trees may be good candidates for insecticide treatment in the spring, but it can be difficult to detect these levels of the EAB activ- ity. By the time heavy dam- age is visible it is usually too late to save the tree. More information about EAB, including other signs of infestation and a map of communities known to be infested, can be found by searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for keywords "emerald ash borer" or by visiting emeraldashborer.wi. gov. Marc Callies of Mukwonago has loved fish- ing for a long time, but recently took his passion and turned it into another source of income. Maybe not a full- time income, but who knows, at one point in every fishing manufacturer's life, they only had one product, too. "Fishing has been my pas- sion since I was a little kid," he said. "I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my parents made it a priority to take my brothers and me fish- ing as often as possible. I have so many fun memories of those weekend fishing trips with my parents and broth- ers. Now that I have a family of my own, I have come to appreciate the joys and frus- trations of teaching children to fish." Teaching fishing to kids is a great thing, but ask anyone who has started their kids out catching small bluegills, it can be a real pain baiting hooks every 30 seconds. Not that getting a lot of bites is a bad thing when it's a keeper- sized panfish, but when it's stunted bluegill (like many are around here) it can quick- ly become a chore. In comes Gill Shield, Callies' new product, that will not only make teaching kids easier, but also help in conserving bluegills that often times get "gut" hooked when kids don't set the hook quick enough. "The idea for the Gill Shield came to me one morn- ing while fishing with my family on one of our favorite local lakes," he said. "We had invited my in-laws to fish with us that day, so our boat included four adults and two children. It was late spring, and the conditions were per- fect — we immediately start- ed catching bluegills. The problem was, the bluegills were hitting fast and swallow- ing the hook almost every cast, many times before the bobber would even move." Callies was spending more time removing hooks from bluegills than helping his family fish. He also was get- ting frustrated that some of the gills were too small to keep but died when they slurped the hook too far down in their bellies. Sure, the seagulls and turtles probably gobbled up those expired gills, but it still will weigh on a person's conscious when delayed mortality occurs. "I started to look for products that would prevent panfish from swallowing the hook," he said. "I couldn't find any- thing that would do what I was envisioning so I devel- oped the Gill Shield." It's a pretty simple device that more or less allows the fish to bite the bait, but a plas- tic piece blocks the hook from going beyond the inside of the mouth of the fish. "When panfishing, Gill Shield allows you the free- dom to fish multiple lines at the same time," he said. "Having a bobber go down while you're busy reeling in a different line is no longer a problem because my product will prevent panfish from swallowing the hook, ensur- ing a clean hook up." It's also handy if a mom or dad are casting for gamefish but still want to have a bob- ber soaking for other fish. Even though the product was designed for panfish, Callies said it could work for some gamefish, too. "I could see a use for it for walleye fishing," he said. "We've tried it out ice fishing also and it worked out really well." One potential issue I saw in the product was that it does add a visual that might not be well received by finicky fish and clear water. Callies said it hasn't been an issue. "I can see how you'd think that," he said. "But we have found that panfish aren't spooked by it at all. In fact, the shape of the Gill Shield sort of gives whatever jig or hook you're using a little bit of extra action. We feel that it could even be considered an attractant." While he hopes to have a variety of dealers set up to sell the product, right now anglers can go on www.gill- shield. com to purchase them. Each package is $6 and comes with three Gill Shields and six rubber stops. (Dan Durbin writes an out- doors column for the Post. Call Durbin at 644-7940, or email him at ddurbin@bast- durbin.com if you have a story idea.) 10 • Milwaukee County Post • February 1, 2019 Invention prevents hooking panfish's gut Submitted photo Marc Callies of Mukwonago poses with his daughter Cailyn. Callies invented the Gill Shield, shown right, to help make it easier to teach kids how to fish without the hook getting caught in a fish's gut. Bill McNee Light flecking on the top of an ash tree can be a sign of EAB infections. OUTDOORS Callies' Gill Shield helps teach kids how to fish Woodpeckers can point to EAB in winter DAN DURBIN

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