My vote would be no, outlaw it all together.
The other night I had a boat approach me while I was landing a Muskie on Austin, and tell me he had speared one last year. He also asked me if I was going to keep it and if not – if he could keep it. I told him why I was going to release it, and slipped her back in the water in a hurry.. that was the one I caught on a fly last weekend.
"mskyprey" said:
My vote would be no, outlaw it all together.
The other night I had a boat approach me while I was landing a Muskie on Austin, and tell me he had speared one last year. He also asked me if I was going to keep it and if not – if he could keep it. I told him why I was going to release it, and slipped her back in the water in a hurry.. that was the one I caught on a fly last weekend.
OK… So I'm sure if he had caught that fish he would have kept it. Why outlaw spearing then? Why not outlaw all possible methods of harvest including hook and line?
Keep in mind that as of right now that guy could spear one each day of the spearing season and harvest one every day of the open water season.
The musky tag idea has been discussed for many years. Although in theory it could be a compromising solution I fear that regulating and enforcing it would be difficult. It would be based primarily on the honor system as it currently is without ample DNR staff to help enforce fishing regulations. And I say that "it could be" with some hesitation.
Will, would the 2 tags be directly linked with each individual fishing license or would the tags be generic?
"Will Schultz" said:
[quote="mskyprey"]My vote would be no, outlaw it all together.
The other night I had a boat approach me while I was landing a Muskie on Austin, and tell me he had speared one last year. He also asked me if I was going to keep it and if not – if he could keep it. I told him why I was going to release it, and slipped her back in the water in a hurry.. that was the one I caught on a fly last weekend.
OK… So I'm sure if he had caught that fish he would have kept it. Why outlaw spearing then? Why not outlaw all possible methods of harvest including hook and line?
Keep in mind that as of right now that guy could spear one each day of the spearing season and harvest one every day of the open water season.
Catch and Release would get my vote any day of the week. Some of my favorite fishing spots, Sylvania and Craig Lake have CNR for multi-species.
It is just my opinion, and I have the utmost respect for the person that keeps his legal catch, spearing or hook and line, live or artificial.
Boy…. that's got me thinking. If it was 1 tag, I would say definately. I would be more apt to say yes if there were only a certain amount of tags drawn per year like sturgeon. I'd like to say yes to save more fish in our northern lakes. Up north, I assume the ratio of C&R fisherman to spear chucker is 1 to 10. I'd like to think it's the complete opposite down here. So the fish here would be less threatened, and we save the lives of more natural spotties.
This idea has always been linked to something like the old trout stamp where the angler would have to purchse the muskie tag. In this variation every angler would get their tags with their license purchase at no charge. One thing the DNR wouldn't do is make this an additional purchase with funds that can only be used for muskie, that is the primary reason the trout stamp went away.
The idea here is not to eliminate harvest for any group but add a control to the harvest.
I have always thought that a one tag limit was the way to go. You need a tag to have a Musky in your possession . The angler would punch it much like a deer tag. I also think it should be a lottery type tag system. Only so many per lake issued. This would be the right way to control harvest of every lake we have. Mike
"Tory" said:
I am ignorant to the rules surrounding spearing…do the same length limits apply? If so, how does one judge unless you are sure that it is absolutely a big fish and over the minimum length requirement?
Yep, same size limits.. and unfortunately those muskies look mighty big after seeing 20" northerns all day long. I'm guessing many judge size the same way we guess the size of a following fish… definitely not exact. Many might spear, measure and push back down the hole if short (just my opinion!!!)
I am for the tag idea, and this might make it so people harvest fewer muskies.
Is there any way to know the approximate number of fish that are taken each year by each spearer? If they want, they can get 1 per day. But how many do they actually take? This could go the wrong way too. Example: last year, when only 2 rods were allowed, I usually only trolled 1 rod. Holding it while eating lunch, or going spot to spot. Now that there are 3 rods allowed, I keep saying to myself, "If I got 3 rod holders, I could triple my chances of getting a fish." Well, I've already bought one, and plan on getting more. Am I making sense? I can see spearers getting toward the end of the season and saying," I've only got 1 muskie this year so far. I'm allowed only 2, so I better spend ever waking moment on the lake until I get my limit." Basically, put a limit in place, and people want to max out.
I think this could be a good idea but I just dont see how it would be enforced. If there is a viable way to enforce this then I am all for it as I believe it will cut down on the number of muskies kept. I kind of like the idea of two as well because it will still give people the chance to fish after catching a monster that he or she keeps (ex. If it was only one tag, the guy who caught the new state record fish would not be able to fish anymore after that fish). I could see people wanting to fill the max quota for muskies but I dont think as many people would do that since the tags are going to be free with a fishing license. I think a lot of musky guys already CPR in lower michigan so this will definitely help out in northern michigan and the UP where catch and keep/spearing is a bigger problem.
I think that anything that can be done to control the harvest would be good for the fishery so yes I would support a tag recommendation. I agree with Jim and think 1 fish per year would be a better option but obviously I have no science to base that on but would be curious to see the science that supports 2 per year. There are currently 111 lakes/rivers in Michigan with muskies so why not manage some of these bodies of water differently? I would rather support a purely C&R muskie fishery in Michigan however, I think you could make a good arguement that limited harvest can be beneficial on some waters. In looking at the fishing regs from Wisconsin & Minnesota it is interesting to note that I could not find any mention of an actual spearing season for muskies. In those states, you can only spear "rough" fish, pike, & sturgeon on select waters. I think this begs the question, if the fisheries management departments from WI & MN can abolish spearing for muskies, and establish minimum lenth regulations (40" on some, 48" on others for example) then why can't the same be done in Michigan? Surely the decisions of those states were based on scientific methodology. Aside from more muskie waters available, how are those states significantly different than Michigan and why not follow their lead?
"robhj" said:
, if the fisheries management departments from WI & MN can abolish spearing for muskies, and establish minimum lenth regulations (40" on some, 48" on others for example) then why can't the same be done in Michigan? Surely the decisions of those states were based on scientific methodology. Aside from more muskie waters available, how are those states significantly different than Michigan and why not follow their lead?
[smilie=sign-yeahthat.gif]
I agree that Michigan needs to look at size limit increases, 50"-52", for designated "trophy" waters. Not all musky waters are the same and shouldn't be treated the same. It becomes a bit more work for the DNR because they can no longer "paint the entire state with a broad brush". They have to manage musky lakes at different levels which is really the right way to go about it.
The tags are a step in the right direction. Politics and history play a large role in spearing. Sometimes you have to lose a few battles to win the war.
326
11