Visitors to various sites off Lake Michigan between Charlevoix and Frankfort now through June 29 may see DNR crews conducting a survey to look for juvenile lake whitefish.

Lake whitefish is the most important commercial fish species found in the Great Lakes, but populations have declined in recent years due to fewer numbers of juvenile fish surviving to adulthood. This survey will target whitefish younger than a year old to evaluate how many were produced each year.

The survey work is done from shore, often on public beaches. The public is welcome to observe this Great Lakes field work – a rarity, since most survey work is done offshore on boats or large vessels. Several agencies are partnering with the DNR on the survey to better understand and, hopefully, reverse the declines in this species.

“This survey will give us critical information about the variability in lake whitefish reproduction across the Great Lakes and help us with predictions about the future commercial fishery,” said Dave Caroffino, a DNR fisheries biologist based out of Charlevoix. Read more

Biggest Gone Fishing donation ever kicks off free in-store events and partnerships to introduce families to fishing

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris is challenging families everywhere to put down their digital devices and head outside to discover the joys of fishing this summer. Morris, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are donating more than 50,000 rods and reels to not-for-profit partners that help kids from all backgrounds connect to the great outdoors to kick off Gone Fishing.

The nationwide movement is part of an annual call-to-action that aims to introduce the sport to millions of kids. Activities include donations, nonprofit partnerships and a variety of free in-store activities at all Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s locations across North America on June 9-10 and 16-17.

“In a world where kids are increasingly surrounded by screens and digital distractions, it’s more important than ever to help them discover the joy of fishing,” said Bob Ziehmer, Bass Pro Shops Senior Director of Conservation. Today’s donations underscore our commitment to inspiring the next generation of conservationists, sportsmen and women, and we hope everyone joins us for our free Gone Fishing events in stores this summer.”

National Donation Day

Gone Fishing kicks off with a national donation day on Thursday, June 7, with Morris, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s donating more than 50,000 rods and reels to nonprofit organizations that connect kids to the outdoors and help get more kids outside. Customers brought in gently used rods and reels this spring in exchange for discounts on new gear; each piece is refurbished to ensure they are fish-ready for kids. With Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s joining forces, this year marks the largest donation in the event’s history. In the last five years, Bass Pro has donated more than 300,000 items to youth-focused nonprofit organizations including Boys and Girls Club and Boy Scouts of America. Read more

Grab a fishing rod, ride Michigan’s off-road trails and/or pay a visit to your favorite state park for free – all in the same weekend. During two back-to-back days, June 9-10, we invite residents and out-of-state visitors to enjoy Free Fishing Weekend, Free ORV Weekend and free entry into state parks.

All fishing license, ORV license, trail permit and Recreation Passport costs will be waived. All other regulations still apply. Read more

Fisheries staff in the northern Lower Peninsula have been busy tagging muskellunge in the Inland Waterway in an effort to gain better insight into the area’s populations. The Inland Waterway is a roughly 38-mile series of rivers and lakes connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Anglers who catch any muskies in the area are encouraged to report it, particularly if a fish has an external tag or any evidence that a tag was on the fish at some point.

Tagging these fish allows the DNR to learn a lot about the area’s population: things like fish growth and densities, spawning locations, exploitation, and how recent fishing regulation changes are affecting them. Read more

Following the announcement by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that Section 232 tariff exemptions for Canada, Mexico, and the European Union expired, resulting in a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent tariff on aluminum, respectively, NMMA is sounding the alarm to the Trump Administration and Congress on the damage to the recreational boating industry.

NMMA President, Thom Dammrich, noted, “The decision to impose tariffs on major trading partners severely harms the $39 billion U.S. recreational boating industry and the 650,000 American workers it supports. Of the marine manufactures that build aluminum boats, the majority use domestic aluminum. The issue with these tariffs is not so much about having to pay higher prices for imported aluminum as it is about the drastic price increases our members are already experiencing from domestic aluminum mills and the severe blow to the competitive global market manufacturers depend on.”

Dammrich continued, “Simply put, these tariffs are a disaster for our industry. All types of recreational boats are on the retaliatory lists from both Canada and the EU. As a result, rather than protecting American manufacturing, these tariffs directly harm the entire recreational boating industry—one of our country’s enduring American-made industries. To make matters worse, Canada, Mexico, and the EU are the top three export markets for American-made marine products and in 2017 they accounted for nearly 70 percent of marine exports.” Read more

GW: Just the beginning of a new consumer-pays era!

The decision by the Trump Administration to implement 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum from Canada, the European Union and Mexico, has already ignited a trade war with both the EU, Mexico, and Canada. All three regions are top export markets for the U.S. recreational boating industry. Canada’s Department of Finance announced that in response to the U.S. tariffs, “Canada intends to impose surtaxes or similar trade-restrictive countermeasures against up to C$16.6 billion in imports of steel, aluminum, and other products from the U.S., representing the value of 2017 Canadian exports affected by the U.S. measures.  The Government is also considering whether additional measures may be required.” These retaliatory efforts include a 10 percent tariff on U.S. boats exported to Canada.

Canada’s countermeasures will take effect on July 1, 2018 and, according to Canada’s Department of Finance, will remain in place until the U.S. eliminates its trade-restrictive measures against Canada. The countermeasures will not apply to U.S. goods that are in transit to Canada on the day on which these countermeasures come into force. Read more

Grab a fishing rod, ride Michigan’s off-road trails and/or pay a visit to your favorite Michigan state park for free – all in the same weekend.

On two back-to-back days, June 9-10, the Department of Natural Resources invites residents and out-of-state visitors to enjoy Free Fishing Weekend, Free ORV Weekend and free entry into state parks.

All fishing license, ORV license, trail permit and Recreation Passport fees are waived those two days, though all other regulations still apply. Read more

Anglers on Michigan’s Saginaw Bay caught a record number of walleye during the 2017-2018’s winter months. This record is attributed to three main factors: the increase to the daily possession limit implemented in October 2015, further increases in walleye population numbers, and good ice-fishing conditions in 2018.

Anglers took 123,793 walleye, the most ever measured since creel surveys began on Saginaw Bay in 1983. Angler participation increased for January through March 2018 with a total of 545,226 angler hours, compared to the average winter of approximately 390,000 angler hours.

In addition to this past year’s winter fishing season, the open-water fishing season on Saginaw Bay also was good, with an estimated 221,251 walleye taken. When looking at both of those time periods combined, Saginaw Bay saw a total of 345,044 walleye taken and more than 1 million angling hours of effort. The bay’s previous walleye catch-and-keep record was recorded in 2008, with approximately 329,549 walleye taken. Read more