Cabelas Grand Rapids (Grandville)

[Mike S.]

Why would you have to have a permit to keep fish in a tank?  If it is a legally caught, legal sized fish, what would it matter?  Given it is in season at the time it is caught.

Years ago, I caught a master angler red ear. I brought it home because I couldn't weigh it the night I caught it. I put it in an aquarium and kept it alive u.til I got out of work the next day. I wanted to keep it live, and called several fish stores to see if there was any laws against that. I ended up talking to a DNR officer about it, and he said I was legal. This was back in '02. He said it had to be a legal in season fish and that once I caught it I could do anything with it that I wanted to, as long as I followed the laws for keeping fish.

[mikesmiph]

I think one of the problems may arise once the season is over. Can you possess a live bass out of season without a permit of some kind? Maybe someone wants to do the research on this. Maybe Lt. Dan knows.

[djkimmel]

Mike S says "as long as I followed the laws for keeping fish" which are?

One good point mikesmiph made is if you have a live fish in your aquarium during the closed season, how do you demonstrate when you caught it, or how you acquired it? You could have bought it from a fish farmer, but do you have any papers to prove that? You have to remember we are talking about a business commercially displaying live fish possibly from our people-owned waters, not an individual who wants to keep a bass or a bluegill in a small fish tank too.

There are all kinds of regulations about fish and game, and keeping live fish or game. I can't remember much about them because it has been a while since I've talked to anyone about it. Probably going to be a while before I talk to anyone about it again though I know someone who would know. I don't want to put him on the spot but maybe next time I run into him I will ask him again about what they do.

I wouldn't want to comment much on it without a refresher so all I can really say right now is consult your local laws and regulations before you do something like that.

[Mike S.]

Could that possibly be the owner of a big tank in Kalamazoo?

As far as the fish keeping, I don't know if I am right or not. That was 10 years ago, and I don't totally remember the whole conversation anymore. That's why I was wondering about having to have permits. Maybe he didn't figure I was thinking long term?  All I do remember is that at the time I had the fish, it was legal.

I will do some digging on that myself. After that fish was gone, I had a 135 gallon tank with tons of native fish that I had bought through a local pet store. I kept them for quite some time. I had bass, cats, perch, crappie, gills, and a tiger musky.

[Rodz]

What would be the difference between a tank and a back yard pond?
Bob

[Waterfoul]

The regs are pretty clear on the pond thing:

You cannot transport fish from one body of water to another unless they are connected.

[djkimmel]

What would be the difference between a tank and a back yard pond?
Bob

About 100,000 gallons... or more?!?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

I don't know that you will ever get in trouble for catching a fish legally and letting it go into your private pond. Or your private fish tank. You might introduce a disease into other fish depending upon where you caught the fish?

I wouldn't put Great Lakes fish into any other waters with other fish now because of the risk of spreading VHS virus or similar. Largemouth bass from inland lakes might spread LBV.

If I was going to think about keeping gamefish in an aquarium or releasing them into a pond I would review regulations or maybe talk to a CO about it first just to do my due diligence first. I'm not a business wanting to display fish to the public regardless.

[djkimmel]

Could that possibly be the owner of a big tank in Kalamazoo?

As far as the fish keeping, I don't know if I am right or not. That was 10 years ago, and I don't totally remember the whole conversation anymore. That's why I was wondering about having to have permits. Maybe he didn't figure I was thinking long term?  All I do remember is that at the time I had the fish, it was legal.

I will do some digging on that myself. After that fish was gone, I had a 135 gallon tank with tons of native fish that I had bought through a local pet store. I kept them for quite some time. I had bass, cats, perch, crappie, gills, and a tiger musky.

Nah... not D & R that I was thinking of but they might be another source depending upon where they got the fish in their tank.

I think having a tiger muskie to watch would be fun. But I already have my backyard 'nature center' so I won't add fish to mix. Though my 'fishing cats' would probably enjoy it! They managed to kill my wife's beta fish a few years ago when she was raising them.

[customfishn]

In one of the master catalogs for cabelas it told how to go about getting your fish accepted it also said that if your fish was accepted they pick it up and you get a replica of that fish.  It had to meet a minimum criteria,  I don't know what that was.  The only reason I look forward to the bigger companies coming is last minute stuff and the tanks, I could waste a day at the tanks with my daughter.

[Mike S.]

The tiger muskie was way cool. He was almost 9 inches long. I bought all of my fish as fingerlings. He was good until I walked in the kitchen one night as he grabbed my peacock bass and headed for the bottom of the tank. He ended up in his own tank. He was just too mean for general population.

[Waterfoul]

The tiger muskie was way cool. He was almost 9 inches long. I bought all of my fish as fingerlings. He was good until I walked in the kitchen one night as he grabbed my peacock bass and headed for the bottom of the tank. He ended up in his own tank. He was just too mean for general population.

Yup, Musky don't play well with others.

[Frank]

i wish i could shop locally more often.  i can go to my local store for some things but not many.  it gets really frustrating, i walk in, i ask for the 6 things i need, they have one or none of them.  more often than not, if i need something i have to drive the 20 minutes to bps.  there is very little i cant find and i know ahead of time what that is.  i usually have a stockpile of the custom small company stuff any how.

Frank

[djkimmel]

Sounds like self defense! The peaocock would have eaten all of them as soon as he got big enough!

[Dan]

Cabelas Grandville Photo Update.
They are plugging away at the new Cabelas Grandville. The also have recently put up about a 7 ft fence all around the place with black plastic. The only thing I can figure is they don't want people checking it out and talking with the construction workers. A lot of work just in the fence.

[Genie]

It looks small. Are we getting a baby cabellas?

[Cy]

Yes we are getting a 88,000 square-foot store, Dundee is 225,000.

[Genie]

Just the right size for Don ... I better move to Dundee ...

[Waterfoul]

Does Cabellas taylor their stores to local markets?  Do you think we'll get more bass and great lakes fishing tackle than some of the other stores I've been in?  Less of the serious hiking equipment (rock climbing gear in the Dundee store always baffled me... not a lot of cliffs in Michigan).  I've never been impressed with the bass gear selection at the Dundee store.

I'm sure the store will be a nice novelty place to visit when it first opens... but after that I'm betting I'll be just as dissapointed in it as I am in the Dundee store.

When is Bass Pro opening a store in GR?  

[Skulley]

When is the Grand Rapids Cabelas expected to open?? I'm with Waterfoul, that Dundee Cabelas is a big disappointment. A BPS would be great in GR. I'll be making several trips there in the weeks to come for soccer games.


BD.                  

[VinceR]

BD, there is a rumor that Bass Pro is looking at a property here in the Lansing area. It's from a fairly reliable source, but I haven't been able to confirm it.