More nets found

[The Bait Shop Guy]

I got a phone call this afternoon saying the DNR was bringing in some more illegal nets they pulled from the bay. I ran down to the Escanaba harbor to have a look. The weight of all that illegal gear stacked on the side of their boat bottomed it out in the launch. The nets were found "adrift" near where the guys were busted this past winter for illegal netting. Apparently, a fisherman snagged into them and reported their location. You wouldn't believe the smell with all those dead fish in there! I told all the officers they earned their pay today, having to deal with all that mess.

[Mike P]

Glad they found the nets that were adrift. Who knows who's nets they actually are. When they found the nets this winter that were there illegally, did they ever quiz the guys about just how many nets they were using? As a matter of fact just what ever did happen to the guys who did the illegal netting, what was their fine, jailtime etc. ?

[SheHateMe]

Oh I know that smell. Last fall my father hooked into a "ghost net" In Huron Bay. We got the riggers about 5 feet from the surface. Now being a good son (and I had a few adult beverages) I had the obligation of diving in and cutting them out....We were in about 100 fow and you could smell them when they were still on the bottom....

[jtourangeau]

Hang the nets in front of thier house for the summer,we can all go by and throw any roadkill/whatever we deem apropriate until sentancing!!! YEAY................OR....FORGET THE NETS. no...nevermind.....that would be bad

[wyldstallion906]

this is just ridiculous. If it wasnt bad enough with the fiasco in the winter time and now this? These people need to be made an example of by a heavy punishment. I know that I, and I'm assuming most of the people who post on this site, do our very best to abide by all of the regulations when we hit the water. Part of the reason why we do this is because we don't want to break the law but a bigger reason is that we understand that we have a precious resource here that we cannot exploit to the extent of disaster. These people aren't following these same guidelines and I for one am sick of it. Sorry for the rant but this crap is really starting to personally bother me a great deal. And I know im not alone in feeling that way

[fishmaster]

I know I'll catch heck for this on here and I am in no way condoning illegal netting/fishing, Ok??

But we/they(dnr) have no way of knowing where the nets came from, with all of the wind we've had they could have drifted all the way up from green bay, I've fished that area(where they found it) a few times this year already(as have many others) and never hooked into any nets.

also most of the fishermen who net--legally(weather we like it or not is a differn't story) say thier biggest problem is so called sportsmen who cut thier nets free from bouys, and let them go adrift, causing way more damage then the single net pulled every day would ever do. Most of these guys don't set nets and then cut them loose, what sense would that make? they are in the fishing business to make money and get fish, not to cut thousands of dollars of nets loose to damage more fish and boats and such, I would almost bet that this net was cut free by some do-gooder who thought he was gonna hurt the fisherman when all he did was cause damage and make a mess.

Like I've said before if those guys from this winter get convicted in court then they get whats coming, but until then lets not go all vigilanty and condem every fisherman out there that nets(and no I'm not one of them), weather we like it or not it is a legal and viable business for alot of folks who do make a living at it. And grouping them all together is just wrong.

[packrat]

If the nets are legally set and someone cut them loose WHY did the person setting them not report them to the DNR ? How about this for a possible solution any nets set must have a name,phone/address on it in SEVERAL places. And the location of the net (GPS) and date set and removal date recorded at the DNR field office. Then if a net is discovered it would be alot easier to determine if it is legal/illeagal or has been cut loose illeagally.

[jtourangeau]

nets were over 600ft long,NOT LEGAL.

[fishmaster]

that would be a great idea packrat.

[Mike P]

Packrats idea seems to make a lot of common sense. With all the resources available to our politicians , and all of the regulations that we are all subject to, its hard to believe that in today's world that anyone could set a net who is legally fishing ,and not have some type of identification on it specifying just who's net it is. I would have thought, that it would already be mandatory to have the name on the nets , date set and on and on. Seems like a no brain er to me .
Getting back to my original question, just what punishment was doled out to the guys they caught this winter using the illegal nets for several years, are they currently in jail, awaiting trial or what

[The Bait Shop Guy]

At the last board meeting of the Bay de Noc Great Lakes Sport Fishing club, the club lawyer brought us up to speed on things. So far, nothing much has happened with the case. The tribal courts are dragging their feet because they don't even know what to charge these guys with! The Federal Government will take the case if the tribal courts are willing to give up jurisdiction. Efforts are being made to persuade them to do that.

The BDNGLSF Board of Directors meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Meetings are held at the Pocket Park in the U.P. State Fairgrounds. Club members, or anyone interested in joining the club, are welcome to attend the meetings.

[springfield]

Its a good idea to have the info on the nets, but when set il-legal they wont throw a name on them anyway. But I still think its would be good to ID them even for there sake, if someone cuts them atleast they would get them back when found. I wish the fishery division of the dnr would make it mandatory that all net locations are marked with the GPS and then reported to the DNR.

On another note, how the Blueberry bushes looking, did the frost get to the blossom's? Ours all froze out down here (kalkaska area) I hope to come up in Aug and pick some, last year was a boomer year up there we picked until my back ached and so did my stomach. Oh we canned & froze some to.

[packrat]

The people who are setting the nets may not want to place tags with their name on their nets for fear of harrassment from other fisherman if they were to discover whose nets they were. I think a possible solution to that problem could be the DNR could assign a number to each fisherman using nets.Anyone who has watched the series Deadliest Catch will know what I mean about assigning a number as the bouys on the show and I'm sure in real life have numbers on them telling them the owner of the crabpot below. Then the same number idea could easily be used on nets to prove ownership and could be traced to the owner of the net. The number would be applied to all bouys and at set spacing to the length of the net. Any nets with or without proper ID could have the GPS location and ID number or lack of a number reported to the DNR and the DNR could determine if the placement is legal or not and what to do. They may decide to " stake out the net" no pun intended. To make a possible arrest with the fish in their hands if the persons were not legally netting or some other violation that is easier to prove with the evidence in their hands.

[SSMACNCHEESE]

I have a better idea. NO MORE NETS IN THE BAY! Last time I checked into it we are all created equal.....

[hook em and cook em]

I heard (from a good source) that the guys that got caught over the winter were never even arrested. Looks like the tribe is trying to sweep that under the rug, hoping we all forget. Makes me wonder if that is the reason the fishing is going south over the past few years. Of course the old logic of "there are more fish in the bay now than there have ever been" is losing some steam with anglers that notice the decline.

[fishmaster]

Like to say I agree with ya Hook em, but I haven't really noticed a decline, I think the fishing is pretty darn good!! And has been for a long time in my book. If the numbers are down(contrary to DNR fish count numbers) then I would say more has to do with no planting and the past few years water levels and the boom in the comerant population then anything else. The thing I don't like is people saying there are "no more fish in the bay" because of the netting(which actually has been going on for decades), it's putting false info out there and giving people reason not to come up and spend some much needed money in the area. Now fishing is fishing, and ya ain't gonna get them every day, what fun would that be!!?? LOL!!! But all in all over the past 20 years I'd say on average the fishing has been pretty consistant.

[peanutbutter soup]

this is getting very bad...i hope they find these persons and ....well you know the rest. don't need to use that kind of language. but it's bad.

[hook em and cook em]

Fishmaster, I find that the fishing has been declining. I'm not saying there arent any fish, because I do catch them. Just not as many, and not as big (gill nets target a specific sized fish) If you are finding consistancy in the bay, you are among an elite few at best. The guides are struggling these days. I'm not saying it is the nets, but they surely are no help to the fish population. Maybe it is the slot limit that keeps the quality fish from staying in the bay. I dont go fishing 20 miles from the boat launch like some folks. I dont think people need look any further than the boat launches or the bay to see how good the fishing is. If the fishing were as good today as it was 15 years ago on LBDN, there would be way more people fishing. There is something to the theory that the fish population in the bay is down. The DNR might have simular counts year to year, but those fish arent the ones that live in the bay in the summer.

[grubworm]

I have heard that these individuals whose names are not being released even though we know who you are. Well they are laughing at the whole situation they think its pretty darn funny because they know the tribe will bale them out like they have before. Its ridiculous but its the way it is

[Big Tom]

Fishmaster,
I have fished LBDN for over 40 years, and have been a professional guide out there for the past 15 years. Your statement about no observable decline in fishing in Little Bay de Noc is actually laughable.
Look at the huge decline in boats and fishermen on the Bay the past 5-7 years. Why the Bayshore parking lot normally has overflow trailers out on the road for a half mile! The lot hasn't even been filled this year... None of the launches...Esky or the Yacht Club have hardly any trailers there at all. Ice fishing was the worst in years! The annual Perch tournament had a total of 12 Perch caught.
I have talked to dozens of anglers at the launches that are getting skunked after all day on the water...these guys have fished the North end for decades.
Several other Guides I talked say the same thing...less fish and 70-80% of the catch of Walleyes are under sized.

If you indeed are consistently doing that well I tip my hat to you... You are the only one I know that is...

[jtourangeau]

The illegal nets took as many fish in the short 2-3 months that every angler combined on the bay takes in an entire season! Including ice!COMBINED! I was told that statistic by a member of the DNR at a GLFS meeting.I think it is time for emergency action and stop all netting[big/little bay] for at least 2yrs!

[Big Tom]

I think we need to do what Minn did to several prime lakes like Millelacs... You may keep three 13-16" Walleye....one 17-22"...one over 22". The 17-22" size slot is the one getting hammered the most...(if you can find them). There are LOTS of 13-15" Males out there.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Just want to clear up a couple of things.


Why the Bayshore parking lot normally has overflow trailers out on the road for a half mile! The lot hasn't even been filled this year

Actually, it has filled a few times this season. Not as often as years past, though.


The annual Perch tournament had a total of 12 Perch caught.

There were no perch caught in the tournament - but that's because the tournament director (myself,) canceled it due to the horrible conditions that day. Maybe there's another Perch Tournament I don't know about?

I personally feel the single biggest problem so far this season is the cold, unstable weather we've had since April. The netting situation surely had some impact on the walleye fishing, but doesn't account for the slower than usual bass and perch fishing. That's fishing. Some years are just plain better than others. I'm still going. I'm still catching. I'm still having fun.

[wyldstallion906]

Just want to clear up a couple of things.



Actually, it has filled a few times this season. Not as often as years past, though.



There were no perch caught in the tournament - but that's because the tournament director (myself,) canceled it due to the horrible conditions that day. Maybe there's another Perch Tournament I don't know about?

I personally feel the single biggest problem so far this season is the cold, unstable weather we've had since April. The netting situation surely had some impact on the walleye fishing, but doesn't account for the slower than usual bass and perch fishing. That's fishing. Some years are just plain better than others. I'm still going. I'm still catching. I'm still having fun.

Chris why oh why do you always have to be the voice of reason? haha. You are probably right because fishing is fishing and I agree that some of the consequences that have been mentioned in here might be a little overblown. But, the fact remains that if any of us had given the bay a sandy vaseline job like these net people have, we would be down in jackson prison getting our own sandy vaseline job by society's finest. It's ok to have outrage and to be upset about this especially considering the fact that we all know that these people will get off lightly. It sucks and most certainly isn't fair but then again neither is life.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

I totally agree that it's ok to be outraged about what went on. It's also ok to be outraged IF these guys get a light sentence - but that's the thing, it hasn't happened yet. I don't see the point in complaining about sentences when they haven't even been to court yet. It'll probably be at least a year or two before all the legal wrangling is finished over who will have jurisdiction and the actual case is tried. Until then, I think it's a little too early to be breaking out the torches and pitchforks.

[fishmaster]

Don't get me wrong guys, I'm not saying the netting hasn't made an impact, but I am saying that there are alot of other things that are also impacting the amount of fish being caught over the past few years and I think ol' mother nature is the biggest reason--It's nice to see water levels up---hope I didn't just jinx it!!!!! I also think that the no planting over the past few years also has had an impact as well.

And it's not like netting is a new thing, it's been going on for along time, I think the only way we can get it changed is through our fearless leaders at the state level----good luck with that!!!
I guess the numbers just throw me off some, for the life of me I just can't(as I've said before) believe that the dnr wouldn't have doen something sooner if that many fish were being taken and sold, have any local establishments been busted for selling illegal fish?? any of the fish houses?? they keep saying that all ofthe fish out on the market is what led them to these guys, why weren't the middle men or sellers or buyers busted??? so many things just don't make sense to me---hopefully it'll all come out in the end.

[Mike P]

Don't get me wrong guys, I'm not saying the netting hasn't made an impact, but I am saying that there are alot of other things that are also impacting the amount of fish being caught over the past few years and I think ol' mother nature is the biggest reason--It's nice to see water levels up---hope I didn't just jinx it!!!!! I also think that the no planting over the past few years also has had an impact as well.

And it's not like netting is a new thing, it's been going on for along time, I think the only way we can get it changed is through our fearless leaders at the state level----good luck with that!!!
I guess the numbers just throw me off some, for the life of me I just can't(as I've said before) believe that the dnr wouldn't have doen something sooner if that many fish were being taken and sold, have any local establishments been busted for selling illegal fish?? any of the fish houses?? they keep saying that all ofthe fish out on the market is what led them to these guys, why weren't the middle men or sellers or buyers busted??? so many things just don't make sense to me---hopefully it'll all come out in the end.

I think the justice system leaves a bit to be desired, and we all know this. Whether we accept how it runs is another thing. Last time I checked I thought we are all Americans and should be treated equally, right. I mean isn't that what were told by the government and the media, everybody equal... Those guys who were caught illegally netting should be subject to the exact same rules we all are. After all its 2009 last time I checked. not 1840. Its common knowledge that treaty rights are abused to be more than "substanance fishing" so lets quit pretending shall we?
As far as the change and or decline in fishing success, I would think a lot of pieces make up the puzzle. First of all one guy mentioned that because of no walleye stocking the last coupleof years that has affected it. Fact is those fish which were not stocked would be undersized at this time anyway ,and fact is a lot of undersized fish are being caught, according to my guests reports anyway.
Second we all know that, like Chris said , fishing is fishing and year to year it will change no doubt. Thats just nature
Third because of the way the zebras have cleared up the water , along with the gobies, Ruffe's etc. etc. the aquatic enviroment is, and will continue to change,maybe not for the best, who knows. It seems like some fish are more prolific these days, in spite of the changing enviroment.
Fourth, years ago , as in 39 or 40, we used to catch nice sized Northerns in the Bay, anytime we tried. When you look at these posts for example , it always amazes me to see pictures of dead fish all the time. A 28 inch Northern was never a prize in my book but youll see them on a hanging board along with a limit of smaller Walleyes. The point is, that all the fish kept, and it seems to be the accepted norm, also has a impact on the fishery. I see it at my place regularly , although we try to keep guys educated about catch and release !
So I think it's a combination of a lot of things which put a good deal of pressure on the resource from all sides. It always will go through fluctuations, and actually we are in uncharted territory with all the exotics.
It's ultimatley up to us to do whatever we can to protect it, the best we can, as we are the ones who are out on the water, don't you think ?

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Sorry, but things are starting to get a little out of hand. Check the forum rules if you have any question why posts were pulled.