Last night I was talking to a guy in a small john boat at the ramp. And he showed me the dead muskie in his boat. About 44 inchs. He told me he has gotten about 15 keeper muskies out of the lake this summer. I asked him why? Told me that he and his wife arn't makeing enuff $$ to feed his family. And he ben doing alot of fishing to make ends meet. Make me sad inside but what could you tell the guy. The fish I saw was a keeper size fish. 🙁
LeMay OUT
It just takes one… Why is he out fishing and not looking for a job or a second job? You can't tell me that it is cheaper to catch a muskie (or any fish) than it would be to buy fresh fish at the store.
I just passed your story on to the Basin Coordinator, SLMU Supervisor and one person on the esocid committee. It supports our argument that the one per day bag limit needs to be reduced. People will not take the time to understand the fishery and if muskies are treated like salmon we'll have a bunch of lakes with 35" fish but nothing bigger.
Will I'm not trying to stick up for this guy. But he was driveing and old beat up pickup with the johnboat in the the back and an old electric trolling motor on it. He fishing bluegills. The smaill ones he put on a bobber rig for the muskies.
Times are getting bad here in Michigan. Ya their are some jobs out their if you want to work for $ 7.00 an hour. But thats had to live on. My son went to GVSU for 4 years. Got a degree and now works at Taco Hell and drywalls and beary gets by. I dont get to fish with him as much as I would like to. You know I'll be keeping an eye out for the guy now on the lake and if I see any under size fish I'll be on the phone with dispatch. And have a patroll car out their. But at least he not sticking a gun in someones face at 7-11. Then we would all be paying his room and board. I just make me sick. How to we got a 50 inch size on the fish in all the lakes in Michigan.
LeMay OUT
I feel for the guy but come on. I'm not saying that I don't understand his situation but his excuse just doesn't make sense. If he's driving 10 miles to and from the lake he's spending $7+ on gas which could have purchased a case of Mac&Cheese.
I'm going to lay off this because I want to say some things that will be very political and will likely offend some people.
You won't offend me. If the guy is feeding muskies to his family because he cant' find a job he's an idiot. If that offends people I'm not really sorry, honestly. He just wants to keep the fish because he can. The problem is that they seem to be everywhere. Same thing with the native american consent decree…….I don't think there is anyone that will convince me that native americans need to harvest fish so that they're family won't go hungry. They're driving SUV's to their jobs, then later on, checking their gillnets? Before anyone starts to think I bash indians, I'm married to one and both my children are cardholding Native Americans from the Soo tribe. We need a tag system like deer hunting. One per year. You keep a muskie, you're done muskie fishing for the year.
You won't offend me FIRE AWAY!!!!!
I'm sure he is just the like the old man on Sanford, who's picture you can find on the boards in the bait shop, fishes gills, throws a bobber out
with a gill on it catches a nice muskie, and "takes it home to put in his garden because they taste like crap" but he keeps them because HE
CAN!!!!!!!!!!!
As for the guy on Ovid, Will hit it right on the head, if he is hurting
financially that bad, he wouldn't be driving to the lake to fish 👿
Lemay, you missed the chance to save this guys life. We all have to start remembering that these big Muskies, Pike and Walleyes are people killers. Just look in the D.N.R. hand book on toxins in bigger fish. Tell the guy the truth about what he is feeding his wife and kids. It will open his eyes. Mercury, pcbs, lead etc. etc. . The best argument against eating Muskies over 42 inches is that they eat bottom feeders and acumulate high levels of toxins. The same goes for Pike over 36 inches and Walleyes over 28 inches. People eating these fish are asking for bellies full of poison. Carry the booklet and show those who will not believe you. Mike and Michelle
Another thing we can do is tell esox eaters about high density Pike lakes like Muskegon counties Big Blue lake where there is no size limit and pike have overpopulated. There are lakes like this all over the state. The smaller pike are tasty and plentifull and most af all low in toxin levels. Mike and Michelle
I AGREE, I THINK MOST EVERYONE WOULD AGREE THAT 1 MUSKIE A YEAR IS MORE THEN ENOUGH!!!!!!!! MOST OF US WOULD RATHER PUT A REPLICA ON THE WALL THEN DESTROY A FISH. HOW MUCH WALL SPACE COULD A PERSON HAVE?
IF THIS GUY IS SO HUNGRY ITS A LOT EASIER AND CHEAPER TO FISH PIKE WITH A RED & WHITE DAREDEVILE, OR WHAT ABOUT CATCHING A MESS OF OVER POPULATED, STUNTED BLUE GILLS, CAN'T HE FIND A PLACE TO DIG FOR WORMS?
BESIDES, MOST "OUT OF WORK" STARVING PEOPLE HAVE THE BAD HABIT OF DROPING A WHITE TAIL. BUT THATS ANOTHER SUBJECT THAT PISSES ME OFF.
I GUESS HE JUST THE TYPE THAT CAN'T BE SATISFIED WITH JUST THE CATCHING, HE HAS TO KILL THE FISH TO PROVE HIS MANHOOD?
ENOUGH SAID, MY DAYS ALREADY RUINED.
JOHND
P.S. I COULDN'T FIND A PISSED OFF HAPPY FACE, SO……#@!*#@*!!!!!
Yep, a touchy subject for sure. By the law, the guys who are keeping legal muskies are in the right….legally. Morally, however I don't think its right to kill something of such high value, economically and spiritually (yes to me its that important). Its hard to make the argument in public to these people that the right thing to do is turn it loose in spite of the "law" because you are judging people morally. What really burns me bad is when a guy who claims to be a "sportsman" kills something like a 39 lber. then a week or so later kills a 33 lber. and puts them both on the wall when he's already got a fish mounted. True story, last year, Munuscong. He shall remain nameless for the sake of anonymity here but I know who he is. Sportsman? Uh-uh. Game hog ……. he is beneath me. To me, that spotty swimmin' is worth ten-thousand dried up muskie skins on the wall. Sorry about the rant I try not to be so high strung but this is a serious issue since more and more guys are fishing for muskie in places where there was really only one ….or maybe two. Game hogs keeping multiple muskies per year = mean, mean Steve.
I realize he is within his rights as long as he doesn’t have one in the freezer (1 daily/possession) at home when he catches the next, but it still blows…
We unfortunately run into this type way too often fishing in the northern lakes, Skeg, Intermediate, Long, Black all have their share of meat fishermen. And none of these could be considered a put and take body of water.
Most of these guys you can talk to until you are blue in the face, but Cyber and I have actually had one guy reach a sort of epiphany and end his evil ways. Which was worth all the unsuccessful other attempts, and the best part is we didn't even threaten him with violence 😈
The only truely good thing about this story is the fact that it seems to only be one guy on this lake and one guy on that and not like the old days when everyone would keep them. Education and catch and release at work.
Mercury, pcbs, lead etc. etc. . The best argument against eating Muskies over 42 inches is that they eat bottom feeders and acumulate high levels of toxins.
We will just have to wait for these to take effect on the others.
Its time for a new sign. Know the difference and know the risks. Eat these big fish and you may die early. Its pretty clear in the last consumption advisory booklet issued by the Michigan D.N.R. that women and children should consume zero large predatory fish such as Muskies and Pike. I also support the Musky tag. One fish per year. and it better be tagged. Mike and Michelle
We've been discussing this muskie tag deal for seven years. Something similar to what they do with sturgeon has been discussed but the problem is that we have fisheries that really need this and some where this probably wouldn't fly because it is a stocked fishery. The real problem is that there is no data to make any decision based on science and we all know where making decisions based on feelings gets us.
"…doing a lot of fishing to make ends meet." That might be the funniest thing I have ever heard. I'm going to run that one by my wife and see if she lets me spend a couple more hundred hours on the water this year!
This rivals the quote that starving hunters use: "need the meat." We have tons of people drive over da bridge each year and shoot all of our year-and-half old bucks because they "need the meat." After you figure in the money for all the bullets they shoot at our road signs, the gas it takes to tow an ATV for each hunter, the ton of sugar beets that they will drop next to some poor Yooper's blind, and the huge bar bills they ring up, they could stay home and buy 4 or 5 cows if they "need the meat."
Fishing instead of working… give me a freaking break! He's probably collecting unemployment because he can't find a job. Last I checked there aren't many employers driving around in boats and offering jobs. Tell that lazy bum to get off his butt and get a job!!!
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