Somehow, everywhere else banned spearing for muskies. Somehow, everywhere but here and a more limited approach in Minnesota banned spearing for pike (OK, throw in the Dakota's and Montana, but all that area in total has about as many people as East Lansing).
Anyway, it's not going to ever stop here unless it's banned completely, starting with muskies. It's that simple. Not that it's easy, but everywhere else found a way, at least for muskies, so we could too.
Heck, all my time spent out on LSC and Ive never been stopped by anyone including Canada. Even fished some of the heavy summer days with boats everywhere and never have ever been stopped. Actually come think of it… I've never been stopped my entire life on the water. Never been checked, pulled over or stopped at launch. I've never even been stopped in someone else's boat.
"Jim tenHaaf" said:
Really? I people getting checked every other time when I'm on Murray or Campau during the summer. I've only seen 2 different guys I think, and they've come to recognize my boat, and that I'm always legal. I've watched them check every boat on the lake, and then wave to Matt and me and keep truckin'.
This DNR or Sheriff?
Wow. I must be a law enforcement magnet…
I can't say how many times I've been checked all over the state by county marine patrol, at least 50. I've been checked by CO's at least every other year. I've been boarded twice by the Coast Guard on St Clair. Happy to say that other than one problem with a low fire extinguisher 20 years ago all visits have been great experiences.
That said, there isn't enough DNR law enforcement on our waters or on land. The general thought behind regulations is that if 70% comply the regulation will work.
I too must be a LE magnet. I've been checked by COs at least 15 times and if you count marine sherriffs and coast guard its got to be over 30 times and I'm only 25 years old. However none of these occured on musky waters.
As for the spearing, until musky spearing is made illegal and all musky managed waters have a spearing ban this is sure to continue. Catching a musky poacher would be a very difficult task with the current regulations. I would think they would basically have to be caught red handed with an undersized fish in their possession for anything to happen.
My reference to only being stopped once was on the ice since the topic here was musky spearing. I've been checked twice in a boat. I've spent probably around 4000 hours on the ice with only one DNR contact drives the point home that there simply aren't enough DNR. In open water, the use of a boat obviously makes it much easier to get around and check. Getting checked once in a while is a good thing, I think. It lets us know that there is someone out there checking.
Again, the point being that DNR enforcement over illegal musky spearing will not happen due to lack of resources. We need to help with the change in culture and laws.
from the way it sounds, the only officers on the ice are on croton and hardy ponds! i checked there at least twice a year…never got a violation, and usually have good conversations with them, but it seems like everytime im out there I see a CO. Maybe they just give enough tickets there to not care about heading other places! (i know its a territory thing, and hardy is on the border of two of them but still!)
Cynical me says this…
The muskie fishery simply isn't important enough to cause any concern here in Michigan.
Also…
Pete – Can you shoot me an e-mail with a general rundown of the situation so I can forward it on to the higher-ups in the fisheries division? If LE can't do anything maybe this will light the fire to change regulations.
"Will Schultz" said:
Cynical me says this…The muskie fishery simply isn't important enough to cause any concern here in Michigan.
…
And it never will be, if that's truly the DNR's attitude. But MI could be so much better than it is, and compete with WI & MN if their salmon-steelhead-walleye-centric vision changed.
I'm just sayin' that maybe the thought process is this – the muskie program isn't hurting THAT bad, so we don't have to protect the species as much.
If your neighbor was always paying your electrical bill out of the kindness of his heart, then you will never think about those 3 lights you just left on down in the basement even though nobody is down there. But, if you were unempoyed, and paying all the bills out of your own pocket, you would be conscious of any waste happening around your home.
I think I understand what Jim is trying to say. Per the money topic, all my fishery meetings noted the DNR fishery staff willing to help the muskie programs any way possible only restricted by lack of funding. MUCC is bound by resolutions passed at conventions except when they join up with politicians for financial gains. The politicians may not give a swat about a issue like spearing until they 'test the winds' for their gain.
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