Did everyone bone up on the original work, explanations and actual Fisheries Order posted on the Conservation, Legislation board?
http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?topic=47.0All fishing guides and similar summaries have language that states they are not the law. To know the law, you have to read the specific written order / legislation. All laws / regulations will always have areas open to interpretation and further clarification through the courts if necessary. You can't get away from that with any law / regulation / order.
I was sitting there with the MDNR as we discussed the interpretation of the overall issues and much of it is on the thread above. The specific 'drowned river mouth lakes' are specifically listed in the Order. The understood interpretation from that meeting was that the entire body of water known as the specifically listed lake(s) was off limits to dropshotting.
The Detroit River, St. Clair River and St. Mary's are specifically defined in regulations and the fisheries guide as part of 'the Great Lakes and connecting waters' so always fall under that heading unless a specific exception naming them specifically is spelled out. There is no such exception in the dropshot order.
In the Fisheries Order thread, I spelled out all the interpretations that I had been asked for up to that point with the answer from the official spokesperson from the MDNR. You may get a different answer from a local person, but that will only do you good when dealing with that specific person. You have to get an official answer from the MDNR spokesperson for the involved department. I will only list answers with statewide or similar broad ramifications on this site when I have received the official spokesperson response.
If you are outside of the mouth of a river, or one of the drowned river mouth lakes specifically listed in the Fisheries Order, you can dropshot. If you are inside the mouth (last land points), then the possibility exists of a ticket and/or getting protested in a tournament. There may be definitions that make that seem gray, but you are either outside of and fishing outside of the river, or you are inside or fishing inside. Different people may interpret what that exactly means one way or the other, but the point is, if you have any doubt, play it safe and do something else.
The MDNR met us more than half way on this issue and I think we can live with it, even without squeezing every possible inch of water out of where you can fish. If and when snagging becomes less of a problem in the eyes of the MDNR, we can look at the issue again.
If you have a specific location you want to fish a dropshot and you aren't sure about it, send me a question and I will see about getting you the best available answer. And no, the MDNR does not have plans to ticket non-snaggers for dropshotting. Don't snag or look like you are snagging, and you should be fine. BUT, if you are in a tournament, most tournaments have rules about following all state laws, so you could rightfully be protested and dq'd. When in doubt, don't dropshot.
