Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

For those of you who do not know the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) threw out the whole Catch-and-Delayed-Release (CDR) Bass Season for 2016 and basically said they are done with bass for good because we can bass fish all year.

If you're a bass tournament angler who wants more bass tournament opportunity that may not make you feel very happy. It did not make me very happy.

This was a social issue not scientific though they tried to make up scientific reasons in their explanation of why having CDR on only 12 inland lakes was too risky though the MDNR Fisheries Division has always claimed all of the new bass season proposals were low risk!

There were a few Lake St. Clair bass guides, the Detroit Free Press outdoor columnist (who is their friend) and a few others who strongly opposed us having more fishing mostly talking about the bass spawn that already happens AFTER the existing bass season opens. The same old, tired arguments we've heard for decades that don't match actual reality.

The NRC is supposed to be above politics and social reasons for 'managing' our natural resources but this group of 7 seems to be in favor of more aggressive wildlife management while being ridiculously conservative in fisheries 'management.' Not sure what to do about that at the moment.

The most ridiculous part of this process is having them tell us we have to change to having no weigh ins at our 'tournaments' to fish all year. I repeatedly asked why should we change just because a few people don't like us if we have not harmed the resource? They felt that we should change anyways so that will be the fight - to prove what we are doing enhances the interest and excitement in fishing without unduly harming the resource - and why would the NRC of all people tell us we have to change?