Musky Spearing Expansion Update

[IM Musky Time]

Hey Everyone,

Just posted this on another forum and wanted to provide the update since I had initially asked those of you who were interested for support on the issue:

Several months ago I put up a post requesting that those of you who fish in Michigan let our DNR personnel know if you opposed a widespread expansion of spearing, particularly in the Upper Peninsula and on small waters throughout the state. Darkhouse spearing for muskies is legal in Michigan on a number of waters, but the proposal before the Director of the DNR was to drastically increase the number of lakes. We obviously had significant concerns about the potential impact (harvest currently is 1/day >42"), particularly on what I would consider small lakes between 200-500 acres.

Many of you did voice your concerns about this proposal to our DNR officials. Along with those communications, there were multiple meetings over the last 4 months with our legislators, DNR administration and the Natural Resources Commissioners, sportsmans' groups, and many others. While the charge to oppose the spearing expansion was led by the Boundary Waters Musky Club focusing on our lakes in the Upper Peninsula, I want to specifically thank Jay Zahn, President of Muskies Inc., and our neighbors at the Headwaters Chapter of M.I. in the Eagle River area who voiced their concerns about a spearing expansion of any kind, but particularly here in the U.P. I know many of you wrote personal letters or sent emails as well. THANK YOU.

Getting to the update.....a revised Fish Order 219 was signed by DNR Director Stokes after last week's NRC meeting. The revised order keeps virtually all of the currently closed lakes off limits to spearing and drastically limited the push toward statewide expansion. This could have ended very differently, and we certainly appreciate all of the support from those of you who made your voice heard against a harvest expansion that could have devastated the adult populations of fish in our lakes. Kudos as well to the DNR (yes, I said it) for their willingness to hear all sides on this issue and delay an order that was intended to be signed over as initially written back in September. We requested a biological review of the lakes to be opened and stressed lake size related to vulnerability---and those reviews were done by staff and the recommendation came back to maintain closure of our area lakes. While that was a very important piece of the equation, social justifications are also a part of the decision making process on regulations and the voice of the hook and line anglers was heard loud and clear.

Michigan is now in the process of discussing options for increased size limits and lower harvest limits that could go into effect within the next 2 years. There will be much more information on this in the coming months when options are released for public comment. In the meantime, the DNR is crafting proposals based on input from a variety of user groups, including the various musky clubs in Michigan. It is likely we will again be asking for your support in the future, and the hope is that the various clubs in the state can align with a unified voice on common goals and structure for management proposals moving forward.

---Benji

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Poets talk about "spots of time," but it is really fishermen who experience eternity compressed into a moment. No one can tell what a spot of time is until suddenly the whole world is a fish and the fish is gone. I shall remember that s.o.b. forever.
---Norman MacLean