will post once more, even at the risk of once again upsetting some of the thinner skinned posters on the board.  Luckily, I don't believe John to be particularly dainty.  

IJohn, your first point, trolling= more fish dying, actually that point can be made rather easily.  Here's some reasoning #1 More trophy fish caught means more trophy fish die. #2 All you guys need to go back and re read Oneida Esox's post on this thread.  I don't even believe he states a viewpoint on trolling in it, he simply gives some oral history.  I was fishing the Chip when the backtrolling thing occurred, but have heard the same story independent of Oneida's sources, from both a DNR fish manager and NE WI fishermen.  #3  Numbers of fish handled is directly proportional to numbers of fish killed by handling, no way to avoid this with an increase in the catch, and hey, and when fish get off the shallow weedlines and suspend in deeper water during warm weather, instead of a dead bite, now fisherman can go out and catch them, hall them up out of the depths into the warm surface temps and then work to land and unhook them.  #4  Easily trolled lakes will increase the chance of a fish encountering an incompetent handler or a trophy seeker out to impress the back yard neighbors. 

Actually, I don't think, in a perfect world, trolling=more fish dying(although actually it would equate to that, because it would equate to more fish being caught and...see above about increased handling/increased death relationship), so, sorry everybody, we live in an imperfect world.  Legalize trolling and first the sharp fisherman would hit the lakes along with the guides, quickly zeroing on heretofore, unkown riches.  Then word gets out and they get hammered.  See handling losses and trophy harvest above.  Ask knowledgeable fisherman about the ability of fisherman alone to change the size structure, trophy population, and actual population in lakes, and they can quickly refer to lakes they have known or perhaps some well known lakes with situations that have been publicized.  Here's a lake to think about, Wabigoon.  Bigger water there, but clearly a situation where angling pressure affected the population dynamic of muskies.  Trolling lake example of trollers affecting a fishery, easy, Delevan Lake northern pike fishery.  Declining in quality and numbers due to the high quality, easy trolling fishery it once was.  Pound the heck out of a population, handle a bunch of fish, harvest some trophies and things change.  Probable example of trolling affecting a musky lake, Green River. 

Comparing huge water areas where musky aren't even the main focus of most fisherman to the collection of smaller NE WI waters seems to be a repeated theme on this thread, but hey let's get real, it aint an apples to apples comparison in any way shape or form.  As for noted musky men trolling, I am not sure exactly how that relates to the argument.  Let me throw this out, noted politicians have been found to engage in unethical and at times illegal behaviours.  Is that what you mean?  I think a lot of people tuned in to watch Pete Mania over at the Bay with the multi rod set, the planers, the big spread.  Caught a couple nice fish, but not exactly heart pounding action landing them.  Want to see those things show up on Trout Lake, High, Twin, The Mani Chain?  How about cabin owners taking their guest out now for not only a tour of the lake on the big boat, but also musky fishing excursions???  How about those guys east of Detroit with their spreads.  Want to see those all over Minnie, Tomahawk, Big, maybe the Eagle River Chain?  In the perfect world, we would all troll just a simple setup and a couple lines right?

Actually John, trolling is done by "people who can't catch them casting, and people that are lazy, and those that cannot release them and those that will not release them" and I can guarantee it.  I have seen it too many times.  I sometimes think musky trollers envision all musky trollers as a generalized personification of themselves.  You envision a high catch and release ethic, good handling, fish respecting bunch of trollers out there, not only catching and releasing a bunch of musky, but having a darn good time doing it, while protecting and enhancing the environment, the world and the fellowship of man.  NEWSFLASH  Bad things happen to good lakes.  I have shoreline trolled in KY, no problem, no cover anyway since it has all eroded into the lake, start that and tear up delicate weed fringes  while eroding shorelines, heck, speed troll the same, helluva wake that way!  Get out there and troll the isolated weed beds on flats.....until they're gone.  Roll out that 60 foot spread until every body in the lake has to detour around you to get from point a to z, and then if they do clip your line, get in a shouting, car keying, shooting confrontation with them.  It will happen.

Guides will make maximum use of any trolling law.  If I was a guide I think I would want it too.  I have fished enough newbies and dudes over the years to know that it is harder than heck to get an incompetent a musky.  I have proved to myself, and maybe the world, that incompetents, heck, even me, can catch muskies trolling,  Dudes can simply reel them in!

I guess if I were the counties in NE WI that restrict(not ban)trolling to row boats, I would want to continue the ban on motor trolling, just on the basis of the Law of Uninteded Consequences.  I see a lot of good reasons to not allow trolling in this area.  No, they aren't all scientific, but hey, I think they are all good.