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Did You Know?
My handout for the public
meetings
- Only 6 states have a significant closed bass season. The other 43
states allow their anglers to fish legally for bass all year.
- The closed states are Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine,
New York and Vermont.
- Wisconsin, Maine and Vermont have legal spring
catch-and-release seasons; New York has early May openers on Lake Erie
and the Finger Lakes.
- Minnesota has an early May opener for bass that includes
keeping them in the extreme northeast because residents there consider
them a nuisance species.
- Northern states that allow their bass anglers to fish for bass
legally all year (catch-and-keep or catch-and-release) include
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington among others.
- The trend recently in the northern states has been to liberalize
bass seasons, not shorten them. Pennsylvania went to year-round bass fishing
on all waters by adding a catch-and-release season all spring. Wisconsin
added a May catch-and-release season.
- Michigan has had legal catch-and-release bass fishing on 6 lakes
for 16 years that open April 1. Those lakes – Muskegon, Hardy Dam Pond, Holloway,
Cass, Pontiac and Kent – still have plenty of bass despite being the
only legal catch-and-release lakes all that time.
- An MDNR study was done on these lakes and showed that no affect
was apparent to the bass population because of the spring catch-and-release
fishing added to the existing bass season. Pennsylvania used this study
in designing their catch-and-release season.
- The study showed that we could increase bass fishing
opportunity in Michigan with almost no risk by adding a spring
catch-and-release bass fishing season.
- Despite bass being the most popular gamefish in Michigan and
being the most widespread, they have the shortest season in Michigan of
any gamefish.
- The MDNR stocks trout, salmon and walleye consistently to
supplement fishing opportunities. Bass are rarely stocked and almost
never to supplement a fishery. The MDNR has stated in the past that
“bass take care of themselves” as to why they don’t stock them.
- Studies have consistently shown for decades that fishing during
the bass spawn does not correlate to a less successful spawn. That is
why so few states have a closed bass season. The following statements
are from the Minnesota DNR
- Largely because of the male's fastidiousness in building and
guarding the nest, many fry survive, and a few adult bass can quickly
populate new waters. In fact, researchers have found no correlation
between the number of spawning bass and the subsequent number of
young-of-the-year fish. The success of the spawn depends entirely on
good spawning areas and stable weather.
(http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/bass/biology.html on bass biology)
- As with the largemouth, research on smallmouth has shown no
relationship between the number of spawning fish and the success of the
spawn. The strength of the year class depends solely on water
conditions - in particular, the absence of a sudden cold snap or muddy
floodwaters that can kill eggs and fry.”
(http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/bass/biology.html on bass biology)
- Even MDNR studies support this: “Generally, there is no close
relationship between the number of adult bass and the number of
fingerling recruits they produce” (Latta 1974, 1975). “Only six adults
per acre can produce excessive numbers of fingerlings” (Schrouder et
al. 1989; Mraz 1964).” “Generally, anglers are unable to catch every
bass, or even enough bass to harm recruitment” (Bennett 1972).
- The MDNR has allowed some harvest during our bass spawn legally
for over 30 years since our season opens during the southern spawn and
before most of the northern spawn. Despite this, we have better bass
fishing than ever on many waters.
- About 80% of Michigan bass anglers state they release most of
the bass they catch.
- 92% of all bass
caught on Lake St. Clair last year were released.
For more information, please contact the Michigan
Bass Anglers at 517-882-8902 or visit:
http://www.greatlakesbass.com/fishing/bassseason.htm
or
http://www.michiganbassanglers.com
Click
here for
the MS Word version you can print and handout.
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