Muskie Discussion Forums

Forums | Calendars | Albums | Quotes | Language | Blogs Search | Statistics | User Listing
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )
Moderators: Slamr

View previous thread :: View next thread
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [30 messages per page]

Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!
 
Message Subject: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!
Will Schultz
Posted 3/21/2017 8:29 AM (#854293)
Subject: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!

Between March 27 and April 19, 2017 the MI-DNR Fisheries division will be holding meetings around the state. One of the topics to be discussed at these meetings will be muskellunge regulations. The biologists will be asking for feedback on the following options:
1. CIR all year
2. Statewide harvest opening day of first Saturday in June
3. Mandatory harvest registration
4. 50” Minimum Size Limit (MSL) not limited to broodstock lakes
5. Specific MSL changes

Michigan Muskie Alliance has voiced the following opinions on these options:
- Year round CIR is supported (provided consideration is given for localized spawning closures)
- Statewide opening day is supported
- Mandatory harvest registration is supported
- 50” MSL available to all waters is supported
- Specific MSL not supported (the MI DNR produced a growth model that determined a specific minimum size limits, in many cases proposed the proposed MSL from the area biologist did not align with the growth model)

Muskie anglers that fish Michigan waters need to mobilize and have their voice heard at these meetings. It’s impossible to over-stress the importance of these meetings. Chances like this don’t come around very often, we are fortunate to have this option so soon after the last significant regulation change on muskellunge. If we miss this chance to be heard and to make a difference, it could be 10 years before we have another opportunity. Please attend as many of these area meetings as you can even if you don’t live or currently fish in a specific area.

For more information on the meeting dates, locations and proposed regulation changes please visit this link - http://michiganmuskiealliance.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9534
Cedar
Posted 3/21/2017 10:35 AM (#854312 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: RE: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 340


Location: Western U.P.
Good information. Thank you for posting, and I'll plan on attending at least 1 or 2 in the Western end.
Will Schultz
Posted 3/21/2017 10:37 AM (#854314 - in reply to #854312)
Subject: RE: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Cedar - 3/21/2017 11:35 AM Good information. Thank you for posting, and I'll plan on attending at least 1 or 2 in the Western end.

Great, thanks! Bring a friend or two, the west end will likely have a push from the darkhouse group for expanded spearing.

Ranger
Posted 3/23/2017 1:12 PM (#854640 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Posts: 3765


good stuff, Will, thanks for helping us see the opportunity. I'm out of state but will provide input per the recommended positions. Folks in Northern WI should make an effort, too, please.

Thanks again.
Jerry Newman
Posted 3/28/2017 12:43 PM (#855199 - in reply to #854640)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Location: 31
I think the days of being able to spear muskies are numbered because the fish is such a valuable tourism resource. If I lived closer I would be going to these meetings.
 
Good luck!
Will Schultz
Posted 4/10/2017 3:24 PM (#856588 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Reminding everyone about these meetings. Please attend and show your support. Lots of UP meetings this week.

Edited by Will Schultz 4/10/2017 3:26 PM
Ruddiger
Posted 2/11/2018 10:41 AM (#892014 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 244


Howdy,

What was the final determination by the state for 2018?

Take care,

Ruddiger
Will Schultz
Posted 2/11/2018 8:35 PM (#892081 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI
All regulation changes were approved.
Ruddiger
Posted 2/15/2018 8:35 AM (#892497 - in reply to #892081)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 244


Howdy,

So, they are allowing anglers to target muskies on St. Claire during the spawn?

Take care,

Ruddiger
Will Schultz
Posted 2/15/2018 10:54 AM (#892515 - in reply to #892497)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Ruddiger - 2/15/2018 9:35 AM Howdy, So, they are allowing anglers to target muskies on St. Claire during the spawn? Take care, Ruddiger

 

Starting April 1st, Michigan will allow Catch and Immediate Release when the muskellunge harvest season is closed on ALL waters.

Kirby Budrow
Posted 2/15/2018 4:11 PM (#892553 - in reply to #892515)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Posts: 2255


Location: Chisholm, MN
Will Schultz - 2/15/2018 10:54 AM

Ruddiger - 2/15/2018 9:35 AM Howdy, So, they are allowing anglers to target muskies on St. Claire during the spawn? Take care, Ruddiger

 

Starting April 1st, Michigan will allow Catch and Immediate Release when the muskellunge harvest season is closed on ALL waters.



Everyone is against this, including myself. But are the guides on St. Clair going to guide during the spawn now?
Will Schultz
Posted 2/15/2018 8:38 PM (#892587 - in reply to #892553)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Kirby Budrow - 2/15/2018 5:11 PM

Everyone is against this, including myself. But are the guides on St. Clair going to guide during the spawn now?

I'm not going to get into a debate about this but it would be incorrect to make the statement "Everyone is against this". In fact, the CIR season was supported statewide with the exception of St Clair anglers and even then not everyone was against it. The muskie organizations in the state tried to get an exception in place for St Clair, which the DNR agreed to present to our Natural Resources Commission. However, that group requested the exception for St Clair be removed because the biologists could not support the exception, even after talking with fishery managers in other states and provinces, with any scientific data.

It is my understanding that the guides have agreed not to fish before the first Saturday in June harvest open.

This is all water under the bridge. Now we're in a fight to keep muskie spearing off of St Clair. 



Edited by Will Schultz 2/15/2018 8:39 PM
Ruddiger
Posted 2/16/2018 7:15 AM (#892611 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 244


Howdy,

Wow, not sure how I feel about this. I'm in Ohio and we have no closed season. But we also don't have any meaningful natural reproduction and our fishery is almost entirely dependent upon stocking.

I want to support the biologists and resist being an armchair one, however, this really cuts against the grain as its seems like a really bad move.

Is the argument to open it to CIR tied to a plan to end spearing as the two seem incompatible?

Take care,

Ruddiger

Edited by Ruddiger 2/16/2018 7:17 AM
Will Schultz
Posted 2/16/2018 10:22 AM (#892642 - in reply to #892611)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Ruddiger - 2/16/2018 8:15 AM Howdy, Wow, not sure how I feel about this. I'm in Ohio and we have no closed season. But we also don't have any meaningful natural reproduction and our fishery is almost entirely dependent upon stocking. I want to support the biologists and resist being an armchair one, however, this really cuts against the grain as its seems like a really bad move. Is the argument to open it to CIR tied to a plan to end spearing as the two seem incompatible? Take care, Ruddiger
'

Again, I'm not going to start a debate on this topic and I supported the exception for St Clair. Biologists would tell you the impact on a broadcast spawning fish is negligible. I think most fisheries managers would tell you that seasons are closed to protect spawning fish from HARVEST when they're concentrated to spawn, not to prevent anglers from fishing for them. Release mortality could be argued, I suppose. However, water temps between 54-58 degrees are certainly on the side of a healthy release, even with anglers inexperienced with handling muskies.

I'm not sure I see the correlation between the CIR season and spearing. Spearing can only happen during the harvest season which will be the first Saturday in June to March 15th statewide with exceptions on broodstock waters that close on November 30 and the St Clair system which closes on December 31 (both of these exceptions have a spearing ban anyway).



Edited by Will Schultz 2/16/2018 10:24 AM
Duke
Posted 2/19/2018 8:16 PM (#893172 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Posts: 65


Keep in mind that the change to a later harvest opener was a HUGE victory for the other 140 or so water bodies in Michigan with muskies besides LSC which already had the late opener.

And all muskie angler groups in Michigan asked for a CIR exception for LSC (meaning to not allow CIR), so our DNR sought the input of researcher/biologists from many university and state fisheries. None of them objected and to it.

Edited by Duke 2/19/2018 8:19 PM
chasintails
Posted 2/20/2018 8:19 AM (#893208 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 451


So will your DNR be writing tickets to individuals who choose to take a photo? Or does immediate release allow for pictures?
Duke
Posted 2/20/2018 10:19 AM (#893230 - in reply to #854293)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Posts: 65


Picture is ok, just can’t put it in a livewell or anything else a Conservation Officer would deem “possession”.

Bottom line, it can be a judgement call

Edited by Duke 2/20/2018 10:20 AM
Will Schultz
Posted 2/20/2018 1:09 PM (#893238 - in reply to #893230)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!





Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Catch-and-Immediate-Release (CIR): The act of
returning fish immediately to the water without
injury and without holding in a livewell or similar
device. Anglers may continue to fish CIR given that
they have reached their daily possession limit for a
given species.
RyanJoz
Posted 2/20/2018 1:41 PM (#893245 - in reply to #893230)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 1673


Location: Mt. Zion, IL
Duke - 2/20/2018 10:19 AM

Picture is ok, just can’t put it in a livewell or anything else a Conservation Officer would deem “possession”.

Bottom line, it can be a judgement call


sounds like a net could be "a similar device" to a live well.
sukrchukr
Posted 2/21/2018 8:28 AM (#893356 - in reply to #893245)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Location: Vilas
RyanJoz - 2/20/2018 1:41 PM

Duke - 2/20/2018 10:19 AM

Picture is ok, just can’t put it in a livewell or anything else a Conservation Officer would deem “possession”.

Bottom line, it can be a judgement call


sounds like a net could be "a similar device" to a live well.



As muskie fishermen, I think we all know what Catch and Immediate Release is. Lets let common sense prevail and not get carried away with this
RyanJoz
Posted 2/21/2018 11:32 AM (#893377 - in reply to #893356)
Subject: Re: Michigan Muskies Need Your Help!




Posts: 1673


Location: Mt. Zion, IL
sukrchukr - 2/21/2018 8:28 AM
As muskie fishermen, I think we all know what Catch and Immediate Release is. Lets let common sense prevail and not get carried away with this


Apparently you have never dealt with the Ministry of Conservation officers... They don't always seem to see things the way we do.
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [30 messages per page]
Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete all cookies set by this site)