Michigan Bass Season Public Mtgs, Online Survey 7/14-7/24

[somebassguy]

In order to get public input on proposed regulations to expand Michigan's bass fishing seasons, the Department of Natural Resources has announced an online survey and public meetings throughout the state in July. For the past year the DNR's Fisheries Division has been working with the Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (a public advisory group) to discuss possible expansion of bass seasons.

 

The regulation expansion options being discussed would increase fishing and harvest seasons. Under all options, bass populations would still be protected and include a winter no-harvest season, 14-inch minimum size limit and daily possession limit.

 

To gauge public opinion, both anglers and non-anglers are encouraged to complete the DNR's bass regulations survey, available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BassRegs. The goal of this survey is to determine the level of support for increasing angling opportunities for largemouth and smallmouth bass through changes to existing fishing seasons.

 

Additional public input will be gathered via a series of public meetings. Dates, times and locations include:

Monday, July 14, 6-7:30 p.m. (CDT), Dickinson County Library, 401 Iron Mountain St., Iron Mountain

Tuesday, July 15, 6-8 p.m. (EDT), Carl T. Johnson Hunt & Fish Center, 6093 M-115, Cadillac 

Tuesday, July 15, 6:30-8 p.m. (EDT), Oshtemo Branch Library, 7265 W. Main St., Kalamazoo

Tuesday, July 15, 6-8 p.m. (EDT), Saginaw Bay Visitor Center (in Bay City State Recreation Area), 3582 State Park Drive, Bay City 

Tuesday, July 15, 6-7 p.m. (EDT), Tahquamenon Area Public Library, 700 Newberry Ave., Newberry

Wednesday, July 16, 7-8:30 p.m. (EDT), DNR Customer Service Center, 1801 Atwater St., Detroit

Wednesday, July 23, from 7-9 p.m. (EDT), Ishpeming Town Hall, 1575 U.S. 41 West, Ishpeming.

Wednesday, July 23, 6-7:30 p.m. (EDT), DNR Field Office, 1732 W. M-32, Gaylord

Thursday, July 24, 7-9 p.m. (EDT), Portage Lake District Library, 58 Huron St., Houghton

 

A random selection of licensed anglers also will receive a survey in the mail.

 

For more information on these meetings, visit www.michigan.gov/fishing.

 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

[somebassguy]

BASS SEASON OPTIONS

Here are the 4 bass season options as described from the survey the MDNR is asking for public input on (the order and language may be different from various sources including the online survey, a mailed survey and what will be presented at the public meetings - colored text is from survey, the plain text at the end of each are my comments only):

• Catch-and-immediate-release fishing from the last Saturday in April (Lower Peninsula) or May 15 (Upper Peninsula) to the Friday before Memorial Day. Harvest season from the Saturday before Memorial Day to December 31. Harvest season for Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers from the third Saturday in June to December 31 (current regulations). (NO CHANGE - Seasons would stay the same as they are now. No additional bass fishing opportunity.)
  
• Maintain current harvest seasons for Lower Peninsula, Upper Peninsula, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, but allow catch-and-immediate-release fishing for bass at all other times of the year. (ADD Catch-and-immediate-release (CIR) REST OF YEAR ONLY, St. Clair River-Lake St. Clair-Detroit River (LSC System) STAYS the 3rd Saturday in June - No additional angler choice fishing.)
  
• Maintain current harvest seasons for Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula, but change the harvest opening date for Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers to the Saturday before Memorial Day. Allow catch-and-immediate-release fishing for bass at all other times of the year. (This is the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation (MBN) PROPOSAL - Add CIR rest of the year and move the LSC System in line with the rest of the Lower Peninsula Michigan waters regular opener of the Saturday of Memorial weekend.)
  
• Change the harvest opening dates to match the respective opening dates for walleye, northern pike, and muskellunge in the Lower Peninsula (last Saturday in April) and Upper Peninsula (May 15). Bass seasons would still close December 31. Allow catch-and-immediate-release fishing for bass at all other times of the year. (NEW OPTION - ALIGN the regular bass season openers, including the LSC System, forward with the inland pike/walleye/muskellunge regular angler choice openers, ADD CIR the rest of the year - Bass anglers have an additional month with the option to fish their preferred method of bass fishing.)
  

[somebassguy]

MDNR BASS SEASON STATEMENT

Here is the introductory language from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources from their public online bass season regulations survey regarding Michigan largemouth and smallmouth bass populations and management. If you have not taken the survey yet please do so.

 

Quote from: MDNR Survey

Largemouth and smallmouth bass populations are widely distributed across Michigan and populations are maintained by natural reproduction. Over the past year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Fisheries Division has been working with the Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (WRSC), a public advisory group, to discuss possible expansion of bass seasons. Several regulation options related to expanding bass seasons have been developed.

 

Expanding either the catch-and-immediate-release or traditional harvest seasons (by setting earlier start dates or year-round fishing) would pose a slight risk to bass populations in that it would likely increase fishing effort during the spawning period. Current bass seasons allow fishing (catch-and-immediate-release and then harvest) over spawning bass. The regulation expansion options being discussed would, to varying degrees, increase the extent to which possession and harvest are allowed during the spawn. However, bass populations would still be protected by a winter no-harvest season, the 14-inch minimum size limit, and the daily possession limit of five fish. Fisheries Division biologists are not in full agreement with the proposed changes, and conservation officers have some concerns related to law enforcement; however, the regulation options meet the biological requirements determined by fisheries managers and they likely only present a slight risk to bass populations. The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) and DNR, Fisheries Division have the authority and responsibility to protect and manage the fisheries resources of the state of Michigan.

 

Opinion surveys are a management tool used by Fisheries Division to gauge public opinion so we can best accomplish our statutory responsibility. The objective of this survey is to determine whether the public supports increased angling opportunities for largemouth and smallmouth bass through the use of changes to seasons. We encourage you to take the time to complete this review and answer the questions with respect to your angling desires.