Public Meetings Coming on Michigan Bass Season Change in July

[djkimmel]

Public Meetings Coming on Michigan Bass Season Change in July

Four options to go to the public through meetings and surveys

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is preparing public meeting schedules and locations for comment on proposed changes to the Michigan bass season. Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation (MBN) submitted a Michigan Bass Season Change Proposal (PDF of full document) to the MDNR Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (WRSC), a Fisheries Division citizens' advisory group, on June 17, 2013 to start this latest effort to provide more bass fishing opportunity in Michigan.

WRSC chair Patrick Hanchin and Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter have shared the outcome of their discussions with GreatLakesBass.com. The following are the four (4) options we expect to go to the public very soon at meetings scheduled at various locations around Michigan. Note the exact language will probably be different and the order the options are presented in may be different. Please make sure you check the actual information that comes out from the MDNR. We will share meetings times and locations, and actual bass season options languages as soon as they are released.

Michigan Bass Season Change Options

1. No change. Leave the bass seasons as they are now.


2. Michigan Bass Nation Proposal: Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide; move Lake St. Clair system (LSC) harvest opener (from third Saturday in June) to statewide bass opener Saturday before Memorial Day when all other waters open for catch-and-keep choice (harvest).


3. Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide with the same harvest seasons currently in place – Saturday before Memorial Day for all waters except third Saturday in June for LSC system.


4. Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide. Change Lower Peninsula (LP) inland and LP Great Lakes (including LSC system) opening harvest (catch-and-keep choice) dates to last Saturday in April; Upper Peninsula (UP) inland and UP Great Lakes to May 15 to align with pike and walleye openers.

Read the complete article with additional resource and document links on GreatLakesBass.com Conservation and Legislation News.

[jgip087]

I can agree with these   I am in complete support of #4! The rest don't really make sense to me

[djkimmel]

Please make sure you watch for the announcement of the public meeting schedule and attend to voice your opinion. I remind everyone that I don't know for sure yet which option will actually be numbered in which order so watch for the wording and order when the announcement comes out, or on any survey they provide online through michigan.gov/dnr or through random mailings to anglers.

[flipin31]

Not complaining but i wish a no season would of been an option.

[BSB]

I was stopped by a DNR fisheries biologist this past Saturday while fishing on Gun Lake while fishing with my son. He asked if we had some time for a few questions. After the what, how many, size and how long we had been out, he asked if we would be in support of an year round catch and immediate release with the same harvest season for bass. I gave the big thumbs up on it and said that with the incredible fishery here in Michigan and it was too bad we have a closed season. If we have nice early spring (or not), it would nice to get out and chase some bass before the end of April. He also asked about possibly stocking Muskie in Gun Lake.

[djkimmel]

Not complaining but i wish a no season would of been an option.

Change is always challenging. You almost always have to compromise or you risk getting nothing. This is a major change that has taken decades just to create the opportunity to get these options.

Though bass anglers number 2nd highest in Michigan (after panfish) remember there are many other anglers who consider other species most important to them. They have some of their own concerns. Bass (and other panfish) are the only gamefish in Michigan that don't often need assistance such as supplemental planting.

In order to get enough anglers to agree to a change good for anglers, the MDNR fisheries management and Michigan, we need to compromise. Considering what it has taken to get to this point, these are very, very good options.

[djkimmel]

I was stopped by a DNR fisheries biologist this past Saturday while fishing on Gun Lake while fishing with my son. He asked if we had some time for a few questions. After the what, how many, size and how long we had been out, he asked if we would be in support of an year round catch and immediate release with the same harvest season for bass. I gave the big thumbs up on it and said that with the incredible fishery here in Michigan and it was too bad we have a closed season. If we have nice early spring (or not), it would nice to get out and chase some bass before the end of April. He also asked about possibly stocking Muskie in Gun Lake.

That's very good to know. Thanks for sharing this!

I'm especially watchful of the muskie situation. While I understand the muskie anglers want more places to fish I want to make sure they don't harm the bass population - we are generally told they don't and stomach sampling generally shows this is a minimal issue as far as predation though there's the question of a new species in the water that wasn't there and their impact on the food change - AND more importantly I don't want to see special seasons to 'protect' the 'muskie spawn' considering it is an introduced fish. I don't want a negative impact on existing fisheries because of an artificial one.

It may not be quite that simple in all situations. I am in discussions fairly often with representatives from pike and muskie groups about these situations.

[djkimmel]

Found out earlier today that public meetings will start the week of July 7th. They will be held around the state in each MDNR management unit.

There will be an online survey limited to one survey per unique IP address. They are also planning to do a random 1,000 person mailed survey. I will share the online survey link and the meeting times and locations as soon as the press release from the MDNR comes out.

FLW Outdoors was kind enough to let me talk about the options and meetings for a few minutes today at the beginning of the BFL meeting at Harley Ensign on Lake St. Clair. Big turnout over 120 boats - around 200 anglers at the meeting. Don't want to jinx him but GLBass'er todd postill drew boat 1 and he says he has somewhere to go! Good luck to everyone fishing. Watch out for those jobbie nooners!

[djkimmel]

Looks like the public meetings won't start until closer to mid-July but MDNR Fisheries Division is trying to get the online bass season survey available as soon as possible.

[TheFishinPollock]

Not complaining but i wish a no season would of been an option.

But a no season would eliminate  keeping of bass, which does help with curbing overpopulation in any lake resulting in less forage , stunted growth, and space for the species. 

[djkimmel]

I'm thinking flipin31 meant open all year not no harvest season but I can see how it could be interpreted either way.

There was an option proposed to have catch-and-release all year with permits somehow for tournaments to have catch-and-delayed-release. Nobody wanted that option.

[Waterfoul]

As a tournament fisherman #4 is the only one that makes real sense to me I guess.

[dartag]

I saw Mini had posted this.   Downtown Detroit??  Of all the places they could have had it.   My life is worth more that a meeting. 


http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-332677--,00.html

[djkimmel]

I saw Mini had posted this.   Downtown Detroit??  Of all the places they could have had it.   My life is worth more that a meeting. 


http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-332677--,00.html

They have a gated parking lot and I believe you walk right next door to the new Globe center for the meeting. I had a meeting outside there across the street at Milliken State Park. It was nice there. You'll be fine. I'll be there so I can watch your back...

[blackbass]

Well I made it to Bay City State Park tonight.
Listened to a well put together presentation and voiced my opinions on the issue along with my vote.
Sadly I was the only one that showed up.for the meeting.
Hopefully people are completing the survey.
Here is the link.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BassRegs

[djkimmel]

Thank you for going. Surprisingly poor turnout at the first 5 meetings. We did have 15 persons tonight in Detroit. 9 supported the option to open the regular bass season in conjunction with the pike/walleye/muskie opener of the last Saturday in April for Lower Peninsula and May 15 for Upper Peninsula.

All 3 of the change options include year-round catch-and-immediate-release bass fishing.

The only other option is no change. No one was in favor of that one, thank goodness.

Yes, please everyone take the survey. It will only be up a limited time. We aren't done yet and if people really want change they need to take some time to help finish this process off right now, not later. There won't be a later.

[robhj]

That's very good to know. Thanks for sharing this!

I'm especially watchful of the muskie situation. While I understand the muskie anglers want more places to fish I want to make sure they don't harm the bass population - we are generally told they don't and stomach sampling generally shows this is a minimal issue as far as predation though there's the question of a new species in the water that wasn't there and their impact on the food change - AND more importantly I don't want to see special seasons to 'protect' the 'muskie spawn' considering it is an introduced fish. I don't want a negative impact on existing fisheries because of an artificial one.

It may not be quite that simple in all situations. I am in discussions fairly often with representatives from pike and muskie groups about these situations.

Once again Dan, thank you and all those involved with working on getting our bass regulations changed. I've always felt that science should be the main driver behind any fishing regulations. I can assure you that a great deal of scientific/fish biology data was behind the recent Muskie regulation changes and I have to respectfully disagree with your statement regarding "protecting the Muskie spawn". I do want to see more special seasons implemented for muskies, not only to help with their populations, but also to protect the spawn, but only in fisheries where it makes sense from a biological/scientific standpoint. Certain bodies of water need additional protections, especially where there is documented high harvest rates on naturally self-sustaining populations. The vast majority of lakes/rivers that have been introduced to muskie stockings lately have been in systems where there has been or is a decent chance at creating a self-sustaining population of native Great Lakes spotted muskies. You could argue that the northern muskie strain and tiger muskies that were planted in the past were not native to the vast majority of lakes that were stocked. Not only that, the old muskie program was not financially good for the MIDNR because it cost a lot of money to raise those fish & they were planted in lakes where they did not reproduce. The current GLS muskie program can have a significant positive effect on our state both financially and ecologically in the waters where they are stocked/reintroduced. Studies have shown that muskie's primary forage is soft-rayed fish. Although a few bass, walleye, and panfish end up on the menu of every Muskie, it isn't there preferred prey. Also, in lakes that have healthy muskie populations, you will generally see healthy populations of other gamefish like walleye & bass. As a fellow bass angler who also fishes for Muskie, I just wanted to clear the air and let others know that the current muskie program in our state really benefits all of us fisherman & the small number of lakes we fish that are being stocked. Sorry for going off on a tangent, but I can assure you & others that sound scientific data supports there will not be negative impacts on our existing fisheries by the current muskie stocking program. Thanks again for all of your hard work. I just noticed today the MI Bass regulation survey link that was posted on Bassmasters.com. Hopefully we'll be fishing year round for bass in the very near future.

(I fixed the quote reference so people can see who made it and when - Dan)