TOPIC:

There has been lots going on with the GLSI over the past month.   It is the start of our busy time after fishing season winds down.  The breaking news is the Coalition to Protect Michigan Resources is going to file an appeal in Federal Appellate Court in Cincinnati over the new Treaty of 1836 decree.    We will be sharing the official press release when ready.    

The appeal has our full support to try to address many problems in the new district court approved Treaty of 1836 decree that expands the use of gill nets in our Great Lakes.   It is going to cost money to fund the lawyers fighting for us and we will need your help to continue this battle.   The GLSI will be looking to raise more funds to help with this critical effort to protect our fishing resources.  More news will be coming soon on this effort.

We attended the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Citizen Fishery Advisory Committee meetings earlier this month at Clare.  New Fisheries Chief Randy Claramunt shared that requests to increase funding to manage cormorants and other invasive species were turned down.   We feel there is a critical need to have an ongoing cormorant management program.   During both meetings, we introduced our proposal for an optional trolling license to run 3 extra rods when trolling Great Lakes waters.  This could be a way to create a voluntary revenue stream that could be used for a cormorant management program or other priorities to improve our Great Lakes fisheries such as monitoring/enforcement of the new Treaty of 1836 tribal decree.  We are looking for feedback and support from angling groups from across the state along with individual anglers to gauge overall support for this added license.  If we find a majority of anglers like this idea, we will pursue it.   We are getting a lot of positive feedback at this time. Here are the details of this proposal, let us know what you think?

This proposal entails selling an optional great lakes trolling license for boats.  The license would grant the holder the ability to use up to 3 additional rods when fishing from a boat on the Great Lakes and connecting waters for a total use of no more than 6 rods by an angler holding this license.   All other rules and current creel limits would remain in effect.  The license would not be in effect for anglers fishing from piers or shore, so it does not create overcrowding in these locations and reduce angler participation.
 
This proposal can really help small crews on a boat or charter.   2 guys on a boat could easily run 7-9 rods.   A few extra rods, even one or two, could put a few more fish in the cooler.   The one concern we have heard is putting too much pressure on lake trout with extra rods.   We do not think it will.   It is extremely difficult to run very large trolling spreads to target lake trout. When you are dragging riggers and divers on the bottom, especially at deeper depths, less can be more and it gets difficult to run large spreads for lake trout.   Sure, you can run some copper and cores but they would target silver fish.   This proposal can really help improve angler’s odds at catching more silver fish.     Fisheries managers do not have any concerns with a bigger harvest of salmon which is a put and take fishery.    They love to see anglers catching more planted fish.  It will only help improve baitfish stocks and the predator prey ratio.   Just adding 1 or 2 more rods in your trolling spread could make the difference from a good day to a great day.    We all have those days when 1 or 2 lures catch the majority of our box.   Maybe that extra rod will be the hot one of the day?   We would like your feedback and if you are a member of other angling groups and clubs, ask them to support this and to contact the GLSI if they do.   We want their feedback too.   The proposal could be subject to change based on your and other groups input, but we hope you like it. 

Our Indiana leader Ed Erdelac met with the Bodine steelhead hatchery manager and toured this hatchery.  It is the home of Indiana's Skamania program and we love it. It was an interesting visit, and we will have some pics and a full report on that shortly.    We are encouraged to see other angling and sportsman’s groups in Indiana providing support to the Mixsawbah chinook hatchery after we published our concerns on infrastructure there and need for investment.  We are also reaching out to Indiana’s Governor on the need for added funding to maintain and protect Indiana’s Lake Michigan stocking programs. 

Expect more frequent updates on these and other topics as the GLSI gets into our work season from fall through spring.
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