Lets wake up

[B & D FISHING TEAM]

Just thought I would give opion. Has anyone ever went out and caught a couple 20 pound Salmon that screemed line for 100 yards and when you got the fish to the boat he made another run for another 75 yards. I have and kinda fun if you ask me. You ever go out at nite and fish for a couple of hours with no fish and you finally get on the Walleye bite and take your limit of fish in the next half an hour kinda fun I would say. Lets face it it is all because of the DNR stocking program. Have you ever had a day of good fishing on the bay and tipped your hat to the DNR for the fish stocking program they have. I bet 9 out 10 of you people haven't. Some of you people make your living off of the fishing on the bay now you want to go and file a suit with the DNR. Charter boats and sport shops. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. You people ever go and look and see the amount of walleye they been dumping in the bay and for how many years. Also remember people work it is not like they are fishing the bay every day getting the bigger fish. I would say the DNR planted the fish let them set the fishing guide lines. I myself think there is so many Walleye in the bay that Mich. should set there guide lines just like Wisconson. Nobody says you have to keep all the big fish you get is is your choice to keep them or let them go. But if you people file a law suit with the DNR it will be intersting to see how many fish they plant for next year.. Just my opinion. Hell guys don't bite the hand that feeds you..I tip my hat to the DNR for the stocking program they have on the bay. Lets see if some of you people can think the same way. Hell i would like to see Chris Bait Shop Guy put a poll up to see what people think of the stocking program that the DNR has. Hell if you people are not happy you can always sell your boats and sit on the Menominee river and get some Bullheads and Suckers. Don't be scared people hope you ad to my post..

[The Bait Shop Guy]

:confused: You might want to do a little fact checking.

There are two major issues that have come up lately - removal of our slot limit, and illegal netting. Most people are upset about losing our slot limit on the bay, but not enough to file suit (at least as far as I know.) On a side note, a lot of local people are unhappy with the walleye stocking efforts on the bays, but that's a separate issue.

The law suit you are referring to is against ILLEGAL netters that have been RAPING the bay.

Big difference.

[B & D FISHING TEAM]

:confused: You might want to do a little fact checking.

There are two major issues that have come up lately - removal of our slot limit, and illegal netting. Most people are upset about losing our slot limit on the bay, but not enough to file suit (at least as far as I know.) On a side note, a lot of local people are unhappy with the walleye stocking efforts on the bays, but that's a separate issue.

The law suit you are referring to is against ILLEGAL netters that have been RAPING the bay.

Big difference.

Ya Chris you are right my mistake sorry. But with of all the slamming of the DNR it is hard to tell who is after who on here any more but like I say the fishing we have now is because of the DNR stocking program. And I think some people should not be slamming them down like they are.

[Esky Moe]

There's a lot of posts that don't share your perspective on how good the fishing is because of the abuse by those who will probably get off with a slap of the wrist. I hope fishing gets back to the way it use to be.

[Kevin Lee]

Maybe B&D Fishing Team is referring to the poll/survey I put on our website. After receiving a couple phone calls from folks wanting to make a donation for the purpose of hiring a lawyer to try and keep the slot limit, I gave it some serious thought. The poll/survey is simply to try and gauge how much interest there is in pursuing such an effort. Like everyone else I have spoke to about the slot limit being dropped, I feel the slot should have been kept until we knew for sure there was no major impact on the fishery from the illegal netters. The DNR says we have 450,000 walleye out here. Well, they also said Mullet Lake had 49,000 walleye, when it actually turned out to be less than 3,000 http://www.michiganoutdoornews.com/articles/2009/11/26/top_news/news02.txt . Then I realized the netters may have wiped out the same number of fish that spawn in both the Cedar and Escanaba Rivers. In my view, thats plenty of reason to "play it safe". It surely doesn't hurt anything. As far as I know, the DNR never said the slot limit was detrimental to the fishery in any way. So why not wait a couple years??? If everything is fine, then drop it. You can wipe out a fishery a whole lot faster than you can bring one back. Which is what Little Bay de Noc experienced back in the early 70's. Sure I applaud the DNR's efforts to restock the bay. They did a great job. I think George Madison and Jerry Peterson were absolutely masterful in their efforts (along with the BDNGLSF). But that doesn't mean I and many others can't disagree on the dropping of the slot limit...

[B & D FISHING TEAM]

There's a lot of posts that don't share your perspective on how good the fishing is because of the abuse by those who will probably get off with a slap of the wrist. I hope fishing gets back to the way it use to be.

If I am not mistaking early Sept. was some of the best Walleye fishing that has been seen in a long time. In 1 tournament they said that all the boats were catching between 30 and 40 fish a piece. That is some good fishing to me. I don't like the netting either the point I am trying to make is if it was not for the DNR stocking we would have nothing.

[Fastcat]

What you do not realize B & D is most if not all of those fish were caught outside the current slot limit boundary. The slot being removed (imho) will take its toll during the ice fishing season, when the bigger fish are in the current slot area, I do not know if this removal has been signed yet or when it takes effect, but that is the time of year it will hurt the most.

[DooFighter]

Let's be sure to give credit where it is due, B&D. I believe the local club, BDNGLSF is as much responsible for restocking the bay as DNR. The local club has provided funds, manpower and legwork from the beginning of it's inception. No?

[slammer]

Hey B & D,

In case you forgot , or unless your one of the offenders that gets off with netting, Don't forget that our wonderful DNR and stocking program is being payed for with my (our) hard eaned tax dollars. So if we're paying for this wonderful service I think we deserve a refund. I'm assuming at least 90% of the people or as you say... You People, are not professional fisherman and don't fish outside the slot area and only fish a few times a year. Ask them how many fish they caught . Ask me how many fish I caught last year . You can look at my posts and that will give you an idea. I ended up eating more bait than fish I caught .
Maybe "You People" should give us lessons or show us where all these fish are. Just look at the reports here on this site. A few years ago, at this time of the year Us people were posting reports and pics like crazy. How many good reports have you seen on here recently. Hell, I might just have to take you up on your offer and go down to menominee and catch some bullheads and suckers if there's any left. Better yet , why don't I just wait a year or two and with any luck the Eurasian Carp will be jumping out of my ice hole and right into the bucket. Bet the DNR can manage those too!!! Bet there would be more hat tipping to the DNR if they would learn to listen to those their payed by. Good Luck to all " You People" !!!!! Slammer!!!!

[B & D FISHING TEAM]

OK Slammer I have been fishing the bay for 30 years. I fish out of Ceder River. I have seen the days when a 25 pound Salmon was very commen every time you went out. I have seen the Bay be a world class Brown Trout fishery. Trolling with a 14 foot boat and to people could take your limit of 10 fish. The DNR turned it over to a Walleye fishery by planting Walleye insted of the Brown Trout. Salmon fishing was tuff this year because of all of the west wind. But once you figured it out the fish were in about 30 feet of water and you would just run lead core line on in line planner boards and you would get them. The west wind pushed all the cold water in close and the fish came in with it. With the Zebra muscles cleaning the water you have to wait for the right wind to durty the water and the fish will stack in there like they were South of the Ford River this late summer when boats were taking 30 to 40 fish when they had the tournament. They had a good day time bite also because of the dirty water. There was a Captian fishing out of Ceder River this year and had a hell of a good season. But he is one of the best fishermen I have ever meet in my life. As far as the Walleye in LBDN I feel after the spawn they just migrate out down south. The Walleye bite out of Ceder River is a nite bite also because of the clear water. I feel fishermen have to change with the environmental changes because on the Zebra muscles. Years ago we use to just run down riggers and dispys for Salmon and we use to limit out. Now with the clean water we run a lot of lead core line. Last year we took 15 fish the first day of the Brown Trout derby and 14 came off the lead core and planner boards.. You just have to change your fishing tactics. As far as me hell no i don't beleive the netters should go free I am a sportfishermen just like all the rest of you people. But some people are blaming the DNR just because fishing just gets a little tuffer with the clear water conditions. Hell it took me time to change also. But insted of blaming the DNR I would ask the teacher and learn from him. Also remember there is a lot of water out there and you have to find the fish..

[SmokerCraft161]

Yea I think this year I will be ice fishing down state. LBDN is just not the same, I believe it will come around again though. I say if they are going to allow the indians to net they should have to do it like back in the old days with a canoe widdled out of birch bark and a net made of twigs. Its almost 2010, I think its time EVERYONE has the same fishing rules, regulations, and seasons. Good luck to all the real fishermen out there who use fishing rods.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

I removed your duplicate post Smokercraft161. No point having it here, and as a separate thread at the same time.

If you chose to fish downstate from now on, that's your choice. I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the fishing on the bay this winter. It's possible I may have to eat my words, but I don't think I will based on what I saw and heard in September and November.

The few hardcore trollers that are still fishing have been doing extremely well the past few weeks. Unfortunately, very few of them post reports. I talked to two different groups yesterday. One fished for 2 hours the night before, and landed 12 fish. The other fished for about 4 hours, and boated 20.

Let's also make one thing clear, non-natives have also been involved with both of the recent big netting cases. A scum bag poacher is a scum bag poacher, irregardless of race.