I forgot to mention this - our fellow bass anglers in New York had also been working hard towards a catch-and-release bass season right behind us. In much of New York, you couldn't legally bass fish until the 3rd Saturday in June.
I posted a really well written paper earlier from Cornwall University that was written for the New York bass season regulations review that actually referred to our own Michigan bass study several times.
New York did enact their changes this fall and now a lot of the state has a December 1 until the 3rd Saturday in June catch and immediate release season. It was a hot topic there as it was here, but in the end, science, existing study, existing experience and biology won out to give New Yorkers a much longer bass season.
Here's a summary from a New York Department of Environmental Conservation: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/press/pressrel/2006/200686.html
New York bass anglers should be aware that significant changes to sportfishing regulations, many of them designed to better protect black bass, or to enhance black bass fishing opportunities, have been enacted and will become effective October 1, 2006.
Included among these are:
* A new catch and immediate release, artificials only season beginning on December 1st (the close of the regular bass season) and running through the Friday preceding the 3rd Saturday in June has been established on many waters. This regulation does not apply to waters in Bronx, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, St. Lawrence and Suffolk Counties, as well as the Hudson River. The 12-inch minimum size, five fish daily limit remains in effect for the existing 3rd Saturday in June - November 30th statewide season, except where special regulations apply.
* A catch and immediately release, artificial lures only black bass season beginning on the 1st Saturday of May and extending through the Friday preceding the 3rd Saturday in June has been established on Oneida Lake. The 12-inch minimum size, five fish daily limit remains in effect for the existing 3rd Saturday in June - November 30th statewide season.
* The length limit for Hudson River black bass has been increased from 12 inches to 15 inches.
* The minimum length for bass taken during the special trophy black bass season (1st Saturday in May - Friday preceding the 3rd Saturday in June) on Lake Erie has been increased from 15 inches to 20 inches. The daily limit remains one fish.
Maybe now Michigan can follow suit and we can expand our catch-and-release season to include January thru April? Considering the weather we've been having it would be really nice to be able to get out now...
That is a goal to work for. We will probably need a few years to convince people we aren't wiping out the bass.
There will be challenges with VHS, other exotics, overkill of aquatic plants (especially on the west side), concerns about illegal fishing for walleye(?) and the general ups and downs of bass populations mixed in to the picture.
For now, we can definitely enjoy what we have! (Although I do love late March - early April bass fishing in the North - big 'un time!)