Jeff, thanks for the tip!
Yesterday, after reading my post, Jeff called and alerted me to something that I had forgotten about. The DNR made a change to bass regulations that allow for a Catch and Release season before the actual bass season starts. I think this law was in effect last year as well, but I cannot remember for sure. I know that I was pretty pleased when he told me, even if it did exist last year!
It used to be that we had to be very careful when we were out fishing in spring for pike, because you always ran the risk of catching a bass. Now, while I don’t think the DNR would have given us any trouble, it was something that you always had to be conscious of. Now that problem is fixed.
Now in Michigan, on all the Lower Peninsula waters including the Great Lakes, there is a Catch and Immediate Release season for bass that runs from the last Saturday in April through the Friday before Memorial Day. Perfect. Now we can actually target bass and not have to worry about it while stumbling across a few pike at the same time.
This whole post may seem silly to a few of you reading it, but to me I think it is a great move by the DNR. It helps all of us Michigan anglers who are having some serious fishing withdrawals catch a few Largemouth without having to worry about any repercussions. It also helps us find some good fishing spots before the season actually opens the Saturday before Memorial Day.
What a great move by the DNR, and I can’t wait for this weekend and my shot at catching the first one of the season—-and then releasing it of course! (In case I had any doubters).
If any of you would like to see the regulation concerning this particular season you can find it here.
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Good news for you. We ran across a DNR guy while we were in Kentucky. They were doing a survey as to what we were catching, how many, how many we were throwing back, why we were not keeping the smaller bass. In his words “they are good eatin’”. Mark’s reply, “I’ll save them for you”.
This is where I differ from a lot of the hard-core fishermen out there. I love to bass fish and to fish for trout, crappie and etc… (FYI – I hate fishing for catfish, although I love eating them!) but I don’t get catch-and-release, if I catch it, I want to eat it – why go fishing just to catch fish and release them?
Now, of course, if it is a fish that isn’t in season or isn’t big enough or etc… I don’t have a problem with letting it go but I won’t go fishing if we aren’t planning on catching fish that we can bring home!