Michigan Gear Restricted regs:

[LadyFisher]

Dear Anglers of the Au Sable Members:

You made it happen! Your responses to the proposed Gear Restricted regulations made a difference!!

At the December 9th Natural Resources Commission meeting DNRE Director Becky Humphries signed Fisheries Order 200. This action implements a new suite of fishing regulations for all cold water fisheries in the state. Included in these regulations are new rules for the great lakes, inland lakes and the coldwater streams so important to our members.

The most significant change from regulations of the past is the creation of the Gear Restricted category of regulations. This new category allows fisheries managers to implement regulations specifically designed for each individual stream. This moves us away from the ?Cookie Cutter? regulations of the past. With the old type of regulations each stream was placed into an existing category that might not best protect its fish population.

All of the existing ?Quality Regulation? streams were reclassified under the new package. In addition, approximately 75 miles of new stream reaches received Gear Restricted regulations. We will provide details of these newly protected streams on the Anglers website when the DNRE publishes the regulations.

During the Public Comment process every e-mail or comment at a public meeting was critical to the passage of the proposal. Near the end of the process substantial opposition to the proposal was voiced to the Natural Resources Commission and the Fisheries Management Team. Fortunately all of your messages and comments outweighed this late coming opposition and the Proposal was finalized very close to the form that the Cold Water Steering Committee negotiated.

The Anglers were well represented during this process and many of our Board Members played an important role in the development of the final regulation package. All of this effort would have been for nothing if not for the support of our membership. Without the active support of our members and friends this proposal would have never been approved.

The DNRE Committee and the Board of the Anglers would like to extend our gratitude to all made this happen.

Terry Lyons
Chairman, DNRE Committee

[fishdog54]

Very happy to hear that Fisheries Order 200 was signed!! Having had the opportunity to fish, and contribute to the well being of a number of lakes and streams and observe the conditions of those waters after the various types of fisherman have left the water, I can say without a doubt, that certain groups leave the area looking like a landfill. These special regs areas are sorely needed and every state should max out the number of river miles allotted to them by law. When the (any) State provides serious protection for a stretch of water, serious fisherman will take that stretch and protect it from harm like a mother grizzly! I have re-visited high mountain lakes in Utah that back in the 80s were jewels, and in 2002 when I visited, I could have cried! You could literally see where the water line had been along the shore by all the bottles, bait containers, hook packages, discarded fishing line etc., etc. When the lake level dropped, a new line of garbage was discarded - like elevation lines on a topo map. It was disgusting, depressing, and totally avoidable!!! The dam area was constructed of large rocks. People had stuffed their junk in the crevasses between the rocks. Nasty, nasty, nasty!!!! People have car access to these places, it's not like they have to backpack this stuff out! Lazy, lazy, lazy!!! I don't understand the lack of respect given to these wonderful places. I drove all the way from Pa. to visit that specific lake. It's almost 2011, I hate to see what has happen to it in the last nine years! I'm not picking on Utah, Mich. or any other state specifically. Pa., where I live now, has a fisherman based litter problem of epic proportions! I have been denied access to water in New York, because the landowner got sick and tired of picking up peoples garbage stream side. The list goes on and on and on!!!!! The good news is that there are groups like T.U., FFF, ASF, Biologically Correct and NOT Politically Correct state wildlife and fisheries departments, gun clubs/fishing clubs - local and state, helping to stem the tide. Not to mention the collective voices of on-line groups like FAOL! I'm going to stop my rant now, besides there is not enough storage space (terabytes) (sp?) to hold everything I have to say on this subject! LOL!!!

Best regards, Dave S.