"Kingfisher" said:
I know that our discussions will not change law but what is in that letter you will draft is supposed to reflect our opinions. ALL of our opinions.

Mike – The other thread has all this information. A letter has been drafted and is written on behalf of and supported by all four organizations (BWMC, MOMC, LSCMI and MMA). This letter, that will be posted here soon, doesn't mention anything about a season closure. The letter only states opposition to spearing muskies and any expansion of waters where spearing is allowed. As I wrote in the other thread, this letter has nothing to do with the proposal that will be drafted for a season change.

We are in a different age than we were in 2000 when MMA formed. The state isn't focused on the put-and-take waters of that decade any longer. The state is now in a reintroduction and rehabilitation process. Regulations that worked on those put-and-take waters aren't going to work when trying to build self-sustaining fisheries.

No one is going off half-cocked and personally I'm not ready to do "anything" to shut Mike Holmes up. I am ready to deal with this once and for all which means going through the process and fighting the fight, not only with Holmes but with the biologists and managers that are going to oppose changing the season. You also need to understand that this isn't an overnight process. Regulation changes are a long process and if the regulations change to close the muskie season during winter/spring comes to fruition it is unlikely that it would happen any earlier than 2018.

Why can't we wait to see what the tag does? We can't wait around to see the impact of the 1/yr tag because it takes at least ten years to be able to evaluate any impact from a regulation change on muskellunge. Ten years plus 2-4 years to survey waters, 1-2 years to compile and present the data. Personally I'm not willing to wait around until 2028 to see if the tag made any difference…

"Steve S" said:
Will. I think I missed something, what happened at Hamlin?

Hamlin has not become the fishery it should from stocking with the most likely culprit being winter harvest. Hamiln should become self-sustaining or at least require minimal stocking if the density can get to where it needs to be.