I was just reviewing Michigan master angler catches for muskie for the past four years, and I noticed a pattern. And it is a pattern I allready knew I would see, but I don't understand why. The further north in counties you go the percentage of "catch and keep" goes up. If you look at all the many entries on saint Clair, it is almost all released.
This is what I don't get. With all the Wisconin guys fishing in the U.P., you would think some of the catch and release mentality would start to rub off on the U.P fisherman. Have these people not read a fishing magizine in the last 20 years? Again, this is stuff I allready knew was happening up there, but it just puzzles me that 95% of st. clair fish get released, but you go much farther north, and the attitude completely changes. (exept for the few guys in the club that live in northern MI)
Part of what you don't see is that the catch and release guys are also the guys that are smart enough to not enter all of there fish in the master angler program. But, you are right, people keep a fish if it is legal up here. It's not just locals though. A lot of southern folks have the attitude that it 'just the UP' and don't mind killing a fish if it's not on their own turf.
"John E. Sox" said:
I had a buddy that hired a guide (probably 7-8 years ago) on LSC and they killed 3 fish between 42 and 45 inches in one day. I'm guess that there are more guides encouraging replicas now?
Many are 100% catch and release, some are still happy to get clients a fish for the wall. Fortunately even the ones that will keep fish have standard set well above the 42 or 44" size limit.
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